Forem: HITO

The Hideout Update: New Features, Cleanup, and More Fun!

HITO — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:04:04 +0000

Hi everyone 👋, it’s Hito again! I’m 16 and I’m back to share the latest updates I’ve made to The Hideout, my real-time virtual hangout app where you can join rooms, chat, and chill with friends.
You can try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app

What’s New

Since my last post, I’ve focused on improving the experience for everyone and making the app feel cleaner, faster, and more fun. Here’s a summary of what’s changed:

✅ New Features

Real-Time Mafia Game: Players can now join Mafia games with strangers in real-time. It’s fully interactive, just pure social deduction fun.

Feedback System: You can now give feedback directly in the app. Huge thanks to everyone who’s already sent their thoughts, it’s been super helpful!

Presence Improvements: Online/offline indicators are more accurate, so you can see who’s active instantly.

Better Notifications: You’ll get alerts for room activity, messages, and game events.

🧹 Features Removed or Simplified

Excessive UI Animations: Some fancy transitions were slowing down older devices, so I cut them to make the app smoother.

Overcomplicated Settings: I realized too many toggles were confusing. Now, only the essentials remain simple and easy.

Old Test Features: Early experiments (like temporary emojis and hidden rooms) have been removed to focus on what users actually use.

⚡ General Improvements

Faster room creation

Smoother chat updates

Cleaner UI with Tailwind refinements

Optimized Firebase queries for real-time updates

Challenges I Faced

Even with improvements, building The Hideout isn’t always easy:

Balancing Features vs. Simplicity: Every addition had to earn its spot; if it caused friction, it got cut.

Real-Time Syncing: The Mafia game taught me a lot about keeping multiple clients in sync without lag.

Feedback Implementation: Handling user feedback while keeping the app lightweight was tricky, but really rewarding.

What I Learned

Real-time multiplayer interactions are much harder than they look, but incredibly fun to implement.

Listening to feedback early helps you avoid building things no one uses.

Cleaning up old features can be just as important as adding new ones — less is more.

What’s Next

Mobile App Launch: Profiles, friend system, and room customization.

More Games & Activities: I’m planning additional games for rooms beyond Mafia.

Better Analytics: Tracking usage to see what features people enjoy most.

Target launch date for the mobile app: August 27, 2025. Deadlines keep me motivated 😅

Final Thoughts

Working on The Hideout continues to be an amazing experience. I’m learning every day about real-time apps, game mechanics, and user experience, all while building something people actually enjoy.

If you’re curious, try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app

I’d love feedback, bug reports, or even just to know if you tried it with your friends!

Thanks for reading 🙏
— Hito

I made a real-time Mafia game you can play with strangers – no signups(pt3)

HITO — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:09:19 +0000

Hi everyone 👋 I’m a 15-year-old developer, and I want to share the story of how I built The Hideout — a virtual hangout app where you can create rooms, chat, and chill with friends online.

You can try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app

Why I Built It

Like most people, I spend a lot of time online with friends. But every platform felt like it came with friction: logins, downloads, complicated setups, or just being too “corporate” and not fun.

I wanted something simple: a space where you could open a link, join a room instantly, and just talk, play, or relax together. No sign-ups. No headaches. Just vibes.

That’s how The Hideout started.

The Tech Stack

For the web version, I used:

React + Next.js for the frontend
Vercel for hosting (super smooth deploys)
Firebase (Firestore + Auth) for real-time chat and temporary guest login (my first time using Firebase!)
TailwindCSS for styling (fast + flexible)

I went with Firebase because I wanted something that just worked out of the box. It was my first time using it, so I had to learn a lot about collections, documents, and real-time listeners — but it turned out to be a great fit.

The Build Process

The first version was extremely simple: just room creation and a basic chat box connected to Firestore. I launched it as soon as it worked because I wanted feedback early.

After that, I kept adding features:

Room invites via links
A better UI with Tailwind
Presence indicators (online/offline)
Notifications

Each update was basically me solving a problem I hit while using the app with my own friends.

Challenges I Faced

Firebase Learning Curve
Since it was my first time using Firebase, I had to figure out how to structure collections and listen to updates in real time. At first, my messages weren’t syncing correctly across devices — but after experimenting with snapshot listeners, I got it working.

Keeping It Simple
I often wanted to add “cool” features, but I had to remind myself that the whole point of The Hideout was simplicity. If a feature added friction, I cut it.

Being 15
Honestly, being young has its challenges. I don’t have a team or senior devs to ask questions, so I had to dig through docs, GitHub issues, and YouTube tutorials. But I think that made me a better problem solver.

What I Learned
Firebase makes real-time apps way easier once you understand its data model.
Ship early, even if it’s small. Getting people to try your project teaches you more than waiting for “perfect.”
Keeping things simple is harder than it sounds.
What’s Next

I’m working on the mobile app version now. It will include:

Profiles + friend system
Room customization
Notifications
A pay-per-use model (you only pay $1 when you create a room, everything else is free).

Launch date is August 27, 2025 (I set deadlines so I stay motivated 😅).

Final Thoughts

Building The Hideout has been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on. As a 15-year-old, I sometimes feel like I have to “prove” that I can build something real, but this project showed me that anyone no matter their age, can create tools people enjoy.

If you’re curious, you can try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app
I’d love feedback, bug reports, or just to know if you tried it with your friends.

Thanks for reading 🙏
— Hito

I made a real-time Mafia game you can play with strangers – no signups(pt2)

HITO — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:19:56 +0000

Hey everyone 👋

About two months ago I posted about a real-time game I built called WWC Mafia — a quick, anonymous social deduction game inspired by Mafia/Werewolf that required no signup, just click and play.

Since then, I’ve kept building — and things got weird (in a good way 😄).

🧪 The Experiment Evolves
What started as a single game mode inside WWC is now a side project of its own: The Hideout.

It’s not a product, not monetized — just an experimental multiplayer platform for fast, anonymous party games.

🕵️ What It Does

Lets you join party games (Mafia, Spyfall, Undercover) through secret links
No signups, no search — just a URL or QR code
Real-time chat and role-based turns using WebSockets
Ghost chat system (eliminated players talk privately)
Waiting room for pre-game chat and late joins
It's intentionally a little mysterious — more like a digital speakeasy than a public game site.

🧰 Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js + React
Backend: Node.js + Express
Real-time: Socket.IO
State: In-memory for now (looking into Redis later)
Hosting: Vercel (frontend), Render (backend — might upgrade)
💡 Why I’m Making This

I like building things that feel alive — multiplayer, real-time, weird little online worlds.

Some of the goals for this were:

Push my understanding of WebSocket-based game loops
Figure out how to handle state transitions (join → lobby → game → postgame)
Keep it simple but expressive
Experiment with hidden-access mechanics
It’s also fun to design something that doesn’t want to be found unless you’re invited.

🔍 What I’m Still Exploring

Cleaner game logic across different party games
Moderation / kick-vote system
Host tools and player roles
Maybe storing rounds for playback/debugging
UI improvements (still very prototype-looking)
🧠 Lessons Learned So Far

Real-time multiplayer is chaotic and rewarding
Socket events need strict structure or things break fast
Keeping it anonymous keeps the vibe casual (but also needs safeguards)
Shipping early gets you unstuck
🤖 If You're Curious...

You can check out WWC Mafia here: (https://worldwidechat.vercel.app)
and if u have any improvements or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.🙂

Thanks for reading. If you’re into multiplayer games, WebSocket stuff, or just weird online social projects — I’d love to see what you’re building too.

– Hito (aka H1-T0)

🔧 From WWC Mafia to The Hideout — Building a Secret Multiplayer Game Hub

HITO — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 17:07:28 +0000

Hey everyone 👋

About two months ago I posted about a real-time game I built called WWC Mafia — a quick, anonymous social deduction game inspired by Mafia/Werewolf that required no signup, just click and play.

Since then, I’ve kept building — and things got weird (in a good way 😄).

🧪 The Experiment Evolves

What started as a single game mode inside WWC is now a side project of its own: The Hideout.

It’s not a product, not monetized — just an experimental multiplayer platform for fast, anonymous party games.

🕵️ What It Does

Lets you join party games (Mafia, Spyfall, Undercover) through secret links
No signups, no search — just a URL or QR code
Real-time chat and role-based turns using WebSockets
Ghost chat system (eliminated players talk privately)
Waiting room for pre-game chat and late joins

It's intentionally a little mysterious — more like a digital speakeasy than a public game site.

🧰 Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js + React
Backend: Node.js + Express
Real-time: Socket.IO
State: In-memory for now (looking into Redis later)
Hosting: Vercel (frontend), Render (backend — might upgrade)

💡 Why I’m Making This

I like building things that feel alive — multiplayer, real-time, weird little online worlds.

Some of the goals for this were:

Push my understanding of WebSocket-based game loops
Figure out how to handle state transitions (join → lobby → game → postgame)
Keep it simple but expressive
Experiment with hidden-access mechanics

It’s also fun to design something that doesn’t want to be found unless you’re invited.

🔍 What I’m Still Exploring

Cleaner game logic across different party games
Moderation / kick-vote system
Host tools and player roles
Maybe storing rounds for playback/debugging
UI improvements (still very prototype-looking)

🧠 Lessons Learned So Far

Real-time multiplayer is chaotic and rewarding
Socket events need strict structure or things break fast
Keeping it anonymous keeps the vibe casual (but also needs safeguards)
Shipping early gets you unstuck

🤖 If You're Curious...

You can check out WWC Mafia here: (https://worldwidechat.vercel.app)
and if u have any improvements or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.🙂

Thanks for reading. If you’re into multiplayer games, WebSocket stuff, or just weird online social projects — I’d love to see what you’re building too.

– Hito (aka H1-T0)

I made a real-time Mafia game you can play with strangers – no signups

HITO — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 18:46:09 +0000

Hi Dev fam!

I’m Maya, a 15-year-old dev building a global anonymous chat app called Worldwide Chat. Recently, I launched a new game mode inside it called Mafia — and I wanted to share the journey and how I built it.

👾 What Is WWC Mafia?
It's a fast-paced, real-time social deduction game inspired by classics like Mafia and Werewolf — but with a twist:

🔁 No logins or signups

👥 Instant matchmaking

💀 Eliminated players can only talk to other ghosts

⏳ Waiting room chat for players between games

You just jump in and play.

🔧 How I Built It
Here’s a quick look at the tech stack and logic:

Frontend: [React/Next.etc]

Backend: [Node/WebSockets/Express/etc]

Real-time logic: Used [custom matchmaking logic] for assigning roles and managing turns

State management: In-memory store for now, might move to Redis later

Moderation: Lightweight message filtering + vote-based kick system planned

It was a fun challenge to handle real-time updates, waiting lists, and smooth transitions between game states.

💬 Lessons I Learned
Don’t overcomplicate — build the basic game loop first

Real-time multiplayer games are way more chaotic than they seem

An idea can become real if you just ship

💡 Would Love Feedback!
I’m still improving WWC Mafia and would love any ideas — design, moderation, game flow, scalability, anything.

Thanks for reading! 👋

WorldWide-chat

HITO — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 21:43:55 +0000

Hi,
Recently I made a message web app that was to be for personal use only, I shared with my sister and mom, they seemed to love it.....so I decided to make it a global chat where users can chat on a global scale, I know it sounds unsafe but I am working on a family friendly you can check it out here:

🚀 Welcome to Zork 0.1 – Your Ultimate Study Companion 🚀

HITO — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 13:18:23 +0000

I am excited to introduce Zork, the all-in-one study platform designed to help you boost your productivity, unlock new academic possibilities, and achieve your goals with ease.

✨ Key Features:

Intuitive Dashboard: Access all your study essentials in one seamless interface.

Daily To-Dos: Stay organized with a dynamic and effective task list.

Productivity Timers: Use customizable timers to transform your study sessions.

Study Tools: Utilize powerful tools to enhance your learning experience.

Seamless Integrations: Works perfectly with the tools you already use for an effortless experience.

💡 Join Our Beta Testing! Be one of the first to experience the Zork Calendar App. Sign up for our beta testing and help us refine and perfect our product. Your feedback is invaluable to us!

📧 Contact for Beta Testing: mayaimaniwahito@gmail.com

Unlock Next-Level Productivity with Zork!

Stay tuned for more updates and exciting features as we continue to innovate and improve.

My Roadmap to Building Zork 🚀

HITO — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 10:05:24 +0000

Hey everyone! 👋 I'm [Your Name], a 14-year-old developer, and I'm on an exciting journey to build my tech company, Zork. Here's a sneak peek into my roadmap as I work on creating innovative solutions in robotics, web development, and more.

Starting with Web Development 🌐
I’m kicking things off by refining my web development skills and building out core projects for Zork. This includes learning frameworks like Next.js and exploring backend technologies to power my future products.
Diving into Robotics 🤖
Once my web projects are in full swing, I’m planning to shift focus to robotics, incorporating automation, AI, and innovative tech to solve real-world problems. I have some cool ideas in mind, and I can’t wait to share them!
Launching Zork’s First Product 💡
In the next year, I plan to launch Zork’s first product – an app/robotics tool that I’m currently working on. Stay tuned!
Building a Team and Expanding 🌱
As I grow my company, I aim to connect with other young developers, learn from their experiences, and eventually build a small team to help bring Zork to the next level.
Impacting the Future 🌍
Ultimately, my vision is to use tech to create innovative solutions that impact everyday life, especially in fields like education, automation, and AI. I’m super excited about where this journey will take me!

I’ll be documenting my progress and sharing my projects here on Dev.to, so if you're interested in following my journey, stay connected!

Hello World

HITO — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 08:12:07 +0000

I’m excited to introduce myself to this amazing community! I’m a 14-year-old developer, currently building my company Zork. It’s been an incredible journey so far, filled with learning, growth, and lots of coding. My goal with Zork is to bring innovative solutions to the world, whether it’s through robotics, web development, or cutting-edge tech. 🚀

As a young entrepreneur, I’m passionate about turning ideas into reality and creating something that will make a real impact. My vision for Zork is to combine tech with creativity, helping to shape the future through smart tools and solutions.

I’ll be sharing some of my first projects here as I continue to develop them, and I’m excited to get feedback and connect with other developers. Whether it's a web app or a robotics project, I'm looking forward to learning from you all and sharing my progress along the way!