Developer Launches Sith-Themed Website with Cookie Consent Game

A developer has redesigned their website with a unique Sith Lord theme, centered around the Galactic Cookie Empire. The redesign features an interactive cookie consent game located on the welcome page, replacing a previous, more boring version. The developer tested the site on various platforms including Linuxes using Firefox and Chrome, and Macbook using Safari, noting compatibility with older Android phones. For optimal gameplay, a minimum window width of 800 pixels is recommended, with the best experience on larger displays. The site includes a series of "making of" articles detailing the development process, from the game mechanics to the avatar's creation. Current development focuses on backporting CMUdict to JavaScript for improved phoneme timing in the avatar animation, utilizing waveform energy detection. Notably, the developer confirmed that no LLMs were used; all code is hand-written and left unminified for educational purposes. A secret boss fight is also hidden within the game, accessible via Dev Tools.

The website redesign was undertaken during the Christmas and end-of-year period. The developer chose a Sith Lord aesthetic to command the Galactic Cookie Empire, driven by a desire to improve upon the previous cookie consent game which had become boring over time. The new theme is applied to the site's welcome page, which serves as the launchpad for the interactive experience.

The core interactive element is a game that triggers exclusively on the welcome page. It features a player spaceship navigating a game world where the camera zooms and follows the ship on smaller screens. The developer noted that the game is playable at a minimum window width of 800 pixels, though a width of 1280 pixels provides the best experience without camera movement. The game also includes a hidden secret boss fight that users can unlock by interacting with the browser's Developer Tools.

Extensive testing was conducted to ensure the site functions across different environments. The developer tested the website on Firefox and Chrome/Chromium running on Linuxes, as well as Safari on a Macbook. While an iPhone was not available for testing, the site functioned correctly on older Android phones using a meta viewport hack.

The developer expressed frustration that this hack remains necessary after 15 years. The site is designed to work on modern browsers, with the avatar animation being a key focus of ongoing development. To improve the avatar, the developer is working on the following technical tasks:

• Backporting CMUdict to JavaScript/ECMAScript.
• Implementing waveform energy detection for phoneme timing.
• Using a zero cross rate detector for better synchronization.

These changes are intended to fix timing issues with phonemes, as existing Python-based tools were not real-time enough. The developer noted that existing phoneme animation papers were "kind of shit and broken," leading to a highly experimental approach with the new boundary detector.

The developer has made the source code fully accessible to the public. A specific design choice was made to keep the code unbundled and unminified. This allows visitors to read and learn from the code directly. The developer explicitly stated that no LLMs were used in the creation of the website; everything was hand-coded.

For those interested in the technical details, a "making of" weblog series is available. These articles cover the development process, the creation of the avatar, and specific debuggers used during the project. The resources include:

• Making of the Game
• Making of the Avatar
• Debuggers to toy around with

The developer hopes users will enjoy their stay and have fun playing the Cookie Consent Game.