LinguaFender 🛸

A retro-style language learning game where you defend Earth by translating alien words!

Features

• 🎮 Retro Gaming Experience: Pixel-art UI with Press Start 2P font and neon aesthetics
• 🌍 Multiple Languages: Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese
• 🎯 Interactive Gameplay: Space invaders-style word matching with falling translations
• 📊 Progress Tracking: Score system, combos, levels, and accuracy tracking
• 🔐 User Authentication: Firebase Auth integration for saving progress
• 📱 Responsive Design: Optimized for both mobile and desktop play
• ⚡ Real-time Feedback: Particle effects and animations for engaging gameplay

Quick Start

1. Clone and Install:

   npm install

2. Set up Firebase (Optional):

   • Create a Firebase project
   • Copy .env.local.example to .env.local
   • Add your Firebase configuration

3. Run the Game:

   npm run dev

4. Play:

   • Select your target language
   • Click falling words to destroy them
   • Type translations in the input field
   • Defend Earth and learn vocabulary!

Game Mechanics

• Lives: Start with 3 lives, lose one when words reach the bottom
• Score: Earn points for correct translations (10/20/30 for easy/medium/hard)
• Combo: Build combos for bonus points
• Levels: Progress through levels as your score increases
• Speed: Game speed increases with each level

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
• UI Components: shadcn/ui with custom retro styling
• Authentication: Firebase Auth
• Database: Firebase Firestore (for progress tracking)
• Animations: Framer Motion
• Deployment: Vercel-ready

Development

The game is built with a modular component architecture:

• GameMenu: Main menu with language selection
• GameArea: Main game loop and falling word mechanics
• GameHeader: Score, level, and life display
• FallingWord: Individual word components with physics
• TranslationInput: Input field for typing translations
• AuthModal: Authentication interface

Customization

• Add Languages: Extend vocabularyDatabase in lib/translations.ts
• Modify Difficulty: Adjust scoring and speed in game mechanics
• Styling: Customize colors and effects in globals.css
• Game Rules: Modify game logic in useGameStats hook

Firebase Setup

1. Create a Firebase project
2. Enable Authentication (Email/Password)
3. Set up Firestore Database
4. Add configuration to .env.local

Deployment

The app is pre-configured for Vercel deployment:

npm run build

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - feel free to use this for educational purposes!

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Ready to defend Earth and learn languages? Start your mission now! 🚀