Scales of Tears

A browser-based RPG inspired by Legend of the Red Dragon, reimagined for the modern web. Built with Node.js/Express and PostgreSQL, featuring a retro ASCII terminal aesthetic, real-time notifications, and a living world that persists between sessions.

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Screenshots

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Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/rehatiel/Scales_of_Tears.git
cd Scales_of_Tears/lord-web

2. Configure the environment

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and set the following:

Variable	Description
SESSION_SECRET	Required. A long, random string used to sign session cookies. Change this before running.
ADMIN_PASSWORD	Required. Password for the admin panel at /admin.html. Change this before running.
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string. The default works with Docker Compose — change it only if you're connecting to an external database.
PORT	Port the app listens on. Defaults to 3001.
NODE_ENV	Set to production for a live server.

3. Deploy with Docker Compose

docker compose up --build

The game will be available at http://localhost:3001.

Docker Compose starts both the app and a PostgreSQL database. The database schema and all migrations are applied automatically on first startup. Postgres data is persisted in a named volume (pgdata) so your world survives restarts.

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Environment Variables Reference

SESSION_SECRET=some-long-random-string-here
ADMIN_PASSWORD=a-strong-admin-password
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://sot:sotpass@localhost:5432/sotdb
PORT=3001
NODE_ENV=production

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Architecture

lord-web/
├── server.js          — Express app entry point, session config
├── db.js              — PostgreSQL pool, schema, all DB functions
├── migrations/        — SQL migration files applied in order on startup
├── routes/
│   ├── auth.js        — Login / register / account management
│   └── game.js        — All game actions (POST /api/game/action), SSE stream
├── game/
│   ├── engine.js      — Screen generation, ASCII banners, HP bars
│   ├── combat.js      — Round resolution, monster AI, flee formula
│   ├── data.js        — In-memory game data cache (weapons, armors, monsters, exp table); populated from DB at startup
│   ├── forest_events.js — Non-combat forest encounters + monster art
│   ├── newday.js      — Daily reset routine (HP, bank interest, etc.)
│   ├── secrets.js     — 18 hidden one-time secrets with trigger/weight system
│   ├── sse.js         — Server-Sent Events registry (push screens and toasts to players)
│   ├── quests.js      — Quest cache (QUEST_DEFINITIONS); populated from DB at startup
│   ├── quest_runner.js — Generic executor for DB-driven quests (kill triggers, travel triggers, choice resolution)
│   ├── factions.js    — Faction reputation helpers
│   ├── wounds.js      — Wound and infection parsing/display
│   └── handlers/      — Action handlers split by domain (forest, tavern, combat, characters, …)
└── public/            — Frontend (HTML/CSS/JS, vanilla)

Action flow: Every player interaction is a POST /api/game/action with { action, param }. The route handler reads player state from DB, processes the action, writes changes, and returns a { title, lines[], choices[] } screen object that the frontend renders.

Real-time events: A persistent GET /api/game/stream SSE connection pushes screens and toast notifications to the client without polling — used for PvP results, incoming mail, bounties, and arena challenges.

Color codes: Lines use backtick color codes inherited from the classic BBS ANSI color system (e.g. `$ = bright yellow, `@ = bright red). The frontend maps these to CSS classes.

Session state: Multi-round combat state (req.session.combat), forest depth, and rescue targets are stored in the Express session, backed by PostgreSQL via connect-pg-simple. Sessions carry both accountId and playerId to support multi-character accounts.

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Game Overview

Core

• 12 levels with 132 unique monsters (11 per level)
• 10 classes: Dread Knight, Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Ranger, Paladin, Druid, Necromancer, Elementalist, Monk — each with unique stats, a signature power move, perks, and a level-6 specialisation path
• Daily structure: Stamina-gated forest and wilderness fights; HP heals overnight; bank pays 5% daily interest
• World map: 13 towns connected by travel routes, each with unique wilderness zones, dungeons, ruins, shops, and social spaces

Character System

• Multiple characters per account — up to 3 characters per login, switchable in-game without re-authenticating
• Perk system — earn a perk point every 3 levels; choose from a class-flavoured list that shapes your playstyle
• Skill trees — pick a specialisation path at level 6 (e.g. Warrior → Guardian or Champion)
• Hidden builds — Vampire (unlocked through infection), Blessed, and Cursed paths discoverable through play
• Deed titles — Dragonslayer, Widowmaker, Undying, Shadow, Warden's Champion; NPCs react to your reputation

Wounds, Infection & Recovery

• Combat leaves wound types (slash, crush, bite) that persist and worsen if untreated
• Infections: Rot, Rabies, and Vampire curse — each with unique overnight progression
• Inn healer, herbalist remedies, and faction healers provide treatment options

Social & PvP

• Tavern social system — inspect, mail, bounty board, arena challenges, and buy-a-round
• Real-time notifications via Server-Sent Events — mail, bounties, and arena challenges arrive as toast notifications without interrupting gameplay
• Arena duels at Silverkeep and Ironhold with spectator betting
• Revenge bonus — extra EXP for killing the player who last killed you

Factions & Reputation

• 5 factions with independent reputation scores per character
• Shopkeeper allegiance, faction meeting houses, assassin spawns, and safe houses
• Faction standing affects available quests, NPC reactions, and town access

Quests & Story

• Database-driven quest framework — quests and their steps are stored in PostgreSQL and loaded into memory at startup; new quests with kill_named, travel, choice, npc_talk, kill_boss, and event_trigger step types can be added from the admin panel with no code changes
• The Warden's Fall — 6-step post-dragon questline culminating in a Veilborn boss fight
• Unlisted quests, secret lore fragments, and one-time story events discoverable through exploration
• 18 hidden secrets — rare, unrepeatable moments scattered across forest, inn, bank, tavern, and town

Living World

• Rotating world events (plague, war, invasions, magical storms) announced via Daily News
• Named enemy system — named monsters persist, level up on player kills, and appear in the news
• Monster population depletion: over-farm wolves and they stop spawning
• Weekly Hunt Board — 5-tier bounty list with leaderboard prizes and a Hunter title

Endgame

• Slay the Red Dragon at level 12, then Ascend (Prestige) to start again with a permanent bonus
• Champion dragon fights — progressively harder ancient variants
• Post-dragon questline opens a new layer of story

Admin

• Admin panel at /admin.html — player management, ban system, announcements, migration runner, one-time impersonation tokens
• Game Data editor — live-edit weapons, armors, monsters, and game constants (exp thresholds, dragon stats, daily limits, etc.) directly from the browser; changes take effect immediately without a restart
• Quest builder — create and edit quests with an ordered step editor; each step type reveals type-specific fields (destination town, NPC ID, boss ID, choice prompt with per-option effects and outcome text); active player count shown before deletion