STICKMAN - P2P Terminal Fighting Game

Fight your friends in the terminal. No servers. No setup. Pure P2P magic!

Quick Start

# Install globally
npm install -g stickman

# Start fighting!
stickman

That's it! No configuration, no servers, no port forwarding. Just pure terminal combat.

Game Preview

60 FPS real-time ASCII combat - Watch stick figures fight in your terminal!

Features

Features:

• 60 FPS smooth ASCII animations
• Real-time combat with hit stun & knockback
• Power-up system for strategic plays
• Healing mechanic with risk/reward
• Clash mini-game when both attack
• Colorful terminal graphics with ASCII art fighters

Game Modes

Local Mode (Same Computer)

Perfect for couch gaming! Two players, one keyboard.

1. Run: stickman
2. Select: LOCAL TEST MODE
3. Fight!

Controls:

• Player 1 (RED): WASD + F/G/H/T + Space
• Player 2 (BLUE): Arrows + J/K/L/M/Y

P2P Mode (Play With Friends Anywhere!)

Fight your friend anywhere in the world with zero setup:

How to Connect:

Step 1 - You (Host):

1. Run: stickman
2. Select: "Host Game"
3. You'll get an 8-character room code (e.g., "A5F2B91C")
4. Send this code to your friend (Discord, WhatsApp, etc.)
5. Wait for them to connect...

Step 2 - Your Friend (Join):

1. Run: stickman
2. Select: "Join Game"
3. Enter the 8-character code you received
4. Connection happens automatically!

Step 3 - Fight!

Once connected, the game starts immediately.
No lag, no servers - pure P2P connection!

How does it work? Hyperswarm uses DHT (like BitTorrent) to connect you directly to your friend. No servers, no IP addresses, just a simple code!

Combat System

Basic Controls

| Action | Player 1 (RED) | Player 2 (BLUE) | |--------|----------------|-----------------| | Move | WASD | Arrow Keys | | Punch | F | J | | Kick | G | K | | Block | Space | L |

Advanced Mechanics

| Move | Key (P1/P2) | Effect | |------|-------------|--------| | Power-Up | H / M | Costs 10 HP, charge 1sec, then 3sec window for 3x damage! | | Heal | T / Y | Channel 3sec for +25 HP (vulnerable & interruptible, 2 uses max) |

Combat Features

• Hit Stun - Get hit? Brief stun prevents immediate counter (fighting game mechanics!)
• Knockback - Attacks push opponents back strategically
• Combos - Chain attacks within 20 frames for bonus damage
• Clash System - Attack simultaneously? Button mash to win!
• Resource Management - Only 2 heals per match. Use wisely!

How P2P Works

This game uses Hyperswarm - the same DHT technology that powers BitTorrent:

┌─────────┐                    ┌─────────┐
│ Player 1│◄──────────────────►│ Player 2│
│  (Host) │   Direct P2P!      │ (Client)│
└─────────┘                    └─────────┘
     │                              │
     └──────► DHT Bootstrap ◄───────┘
           (for peer discovery)

Features:

• No Central Server - Players connect directly
• NAT Traversal - Works through firewalls automatically
• Global Discovery - Find opponents anywhere
• Room Codes - Simple 8-char codes to share
• Zero Config - No port forwarding needed!

Tech Stack

| Component | Technology | |-----------|------------| | P2P Networking | Hyperswarm (DHT) | | Terminal UI | Blessed | | Colors | Chalk | | Game Loop | 60 FPS | | Platform | Cross-platform (Node.js 14+) |

Why This is Awesome

• No Servers - Never pay for hosting
• Global Multiplayer - Play anyone, anywhere
• Zero Latency - Direct P2P connection
• Privacy - No data collected, no accounts
• Terminal Native - Runs everywhere
• Strategic - Timing & resource management matter!

License

MIT - Do whatever you want with it!