Chaos Potus — A News-Driven Political Strategy Game

A real-time political simulation game with live news integration, relationship management, and crisis decision-making.

Features

• Real-time News Integration: Pulls live political coverage from The Guardian API with RSS fallbacks
• Dynamic Crisis Generation: News events trigger contextual political crises
• Relationship Management: Track trust, respect, and fear with key political figures
• Tweet Storm System: Send tweets that affect chaos levels and relationships
• Phone Negotiations: Interactive diplomatic calls with leverage options
• Press Conferences: Handle hostile and friendly reporters
• Scandal Management: Contain spreading scandals through strategic damage control

Deployment

Local Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Copy .env.example to .env.local and add your Guardian API key (optional if you rely on the built-in mock data)
   • Keep .env.local out of source control; it is ignored by .gitignore.
3. Run a local server:

   python3 -m http.server 8000

4. Open http://localhost:8000

API Endpoints

• /api/guardian.js: Serverless Guardian API proxy with graceful fallbacks
• /api/news.js: (Optional) Legacy NewsAPI proxy retained for backup scenarios
• /api/rss.js: RSS feed parser for backup news sources

Security Features

• API keys are protected server-side in Vercel functions and never committed to git
• CORS properly configured for cross-origin requests
• Graceful fallback to mock data when APIs are unavailable
• Input sanitization for user-generated content

Game Mechanics

• Energy: Decreases with actions, affects available options
• Chaos: Increases with controversial decisions, affects game difficulty
• Score: Points earned through successful political maneuvering
• Relationships: Dynamic trust/respect/fear system affects negotiation outcomes

Technologies

• Vanilla JavaScript (ES6+)
• CSS3 with animations and responsive design
• Vercel Serverless Functions for API security
• The Guardian API (with NewsAPI + RSS fallbacks) for real-time data

Notification Inbox & Public Opinion Battle Setup

Quick Install (3 Steps)

1) Add CSS
# Copy everything from notification-inbox-styles.css
# Paste at END of assets/styles.css

2) Add JavaScript Classes
// In assets/game.js, BEFORE "class PresidentGame"
// Add NotificationInbox class
// Add PublicOpinionBattleGame class

3) Update Constructor & Methods
// In PresidentGame constructor, add:
this.inbox = new NotificationInbox(this);
this.activeBattles = [];

// Replace showNotification() method
// Replace createPublicOpinionBattle() method
``` :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Testing the Features (verbatim, condensed by sections as given):

Test Notification Inbox

1. Start the game - You should see a gold inbox icon (📫) in the top-right corner
2. Play normally - Notifications will appear and auto-save to inbox
3. Click inbox icon - Slide-out panel should appear from the right
4. Filter notifications - Click filter buttons (All, Info, Success, Warning, Error)
5. View details - Click any notification to see full popup with timestamp
6. Check unread badge - Red badge should show number of unread notifications
7. Refresh page - Notifications should persist (stored in localStorage)

Test Public Opinion Battle Mini-Game

1. Trigger a battle - This happens when opposition politicians respond to your tweets
2. Watch the intro - Animated entrance with purple gradient background
3. Choose responses - 5 rounds of strategic choices
4. Use power-ups - Try Media Spin, Populist Appeal, or Fact Check
5. Watch timer - 2-minute countdown with pulsing animation
6. See results - Victory/defeat screen with effects on power centers
7. Check inbox - Battle results are saved as notifications

``` :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Important Notes (verbatim):

Order Matters: Add classes BEFORE PresidentGame
Constructor: Must initialize inbox in constructor
Methods: Must replace showNotification & createPublicOpinionBattle
CSS: Must add ALL styles (don’t skip any)

``` :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

**Quick Troubleshooting** (verbatim):  

No inbox icon -> Check constructor initialization Notifications not saving -> Check browser localStorage Battles not appearing -> Add class & replace createPublicOpinionBattle Console errors -> Paste CSS, check for conflicts