Devlog #1.7

I added the recent Runs to the Profile Menu and redesigned it, because it didn’t looked special.

I think it has a smooth animation now. When there are bugs it would be cool if you could tell me.
<3

Devlog #1.6

Today I added a small profile in the right bottom. You can see your best scores and more. Everything is safed in localStorage, so no Account or smth. like that is needed.-

I had to find an elegant way to save all the stats in localStorage, but I think it turned out well.

I will have more time in the following days cause summer break started yesterday.

Devlog #1.5

Added a small local best score system to the main menu. It now checks saved leaderboard data in localStorage and shows the best score for the currently selected mode in a subtle way under the mode description. I also made sure it updates automatically when switching modes and after saving a run, while Daily, Learn, and Reverse Learn show a muted status message instead of a score because they are not normal saved score modes.

Devlog #1.4

Today I worked more on polishing SpaceGuessr and making the special modes feel better. The biggest change was adding Reverse Learn, it’s a mode where the clue shows up in the middle of the screen first and then you have to guess the answer. I also improved the popup for missed images, polished some UI details like panels, spacing, and animations, and updated the README so it matches the current version better. Overall the game just feels cleaner and more finished now.

And fun fact: I hit the stardance limit with this change, I saw just now that I could only commit 10h max. But I squeezed everything into the 10h. I will fix some stuff later like the loading times of the modes.

Devlog #1.3

Today I polished the game UI again and cleaned up some smaller details.

I improved the help menu, made the top progress bar more visible, and changed the end screen so the leaderboard does not show up immediately. I also adjusted the main menu layout a little so the background has more space and the screen feels cleaner.

Nothing huge today, but the game feels nicer and more polished now. The Help Button is a bit weird but I will fix it later.

Devlog #1.2

Today I expanded SpaceGuessr with selectable learn packs and improved the learning flow.

I also added a much larger centralized content file with many new space questions, plus UI updates like new backgrounds, smoother image loading, and an end-of-session review for learn mode.

The project now feels more polished, more scalable, and better suited for replayability.

Main Goal was just making the code easier to understand and implementing the Feedback.

You can try it now. I would love to here some more feedback. <3

Devlog #1.1

In the last GitHub commit, I cleaned up the game structure. I added Learn Mode, moved the mode settings into game-config.js, and moved the space questions into game-data.js. I also improved some animations, mobile styling, and Blind Reveal.

In the newest commit, I updated the main menu with Casual and Special sections. Special mode now has a smooth background change with the new image (The Image is generated by AI). I also updated the README and added a few small CSS improvements.

PS: Thanks to all of u. My last Ship was rated awesome. Thanks to everybody who played it and especially rated it. <3

Devlog #21

This is a kinda long devlog so thanks to everyone who is really reding it all the way.

This update was a bigger gameplay and polish pass focused on turning SpaceGuessr into a more complete and shippable version.

New game mode and scoring changes

• Replaced the old Infinite mode with a new Blind Reveal mode because it’s more fun
• Added countdown support for Blind Reveal
• Reworked scoring so Blind Reveal starts at higher points and drops with each reveal step
• Added streak bonus scoring, so longer streaks now reward extra points
• Updated leaderboard handling so score-chasing modes save automatically after a run

Gameplay and UX improvements

• Added confetti for correct answers (discourse.webflow.com)
• Added a stronger streak animation when a streak continues
• Added danger styling for the countdown when time is low (red)
• Improved answer feedback presentation and round transition
• Added subtle round motion polish plus small audio cues for hints, correct answers, wrong answers, streaks, and end-of-run results

Menu and endscreen polish

• Added a help button in the main menu that opens a smooth animated help panel
• Added scoring explanations directly into the help panel
• Removed the visible dark/light mode toggle and kept the game in the default light theme
• Reworked the endscreen so score saving is more compact
• Removed the large manual “save your best run” panel and switched to automatic score saving when possible
• Added a run summary/final run text on the endscreen so the result feels more personal and less like raw stats only
• Cleaned up feedback so success toasts are gone and only errors appear as top toasts

Leaderboard and save flow

• Added local-first score saving with global leaderboard sync afterward
• Improved fallback behavior when global leaderboard writes fail
• Simplified the save-name experience so the player is only asked for a leaderboard name when needed
• Improved leaderboard modal behavior in the menu

Content expansion

• Added 30 new NASA image entries to the question pool
• ChatGPT helped research and pick these new images from the official NASA Image and Video Library
• Added matching answer sets, facts, and difficulty tags for the new entries

New content includes objects and scenes like:

• Venus
• Io
• Deimos
• Mimas
• Tethys
• Hyperion
• Oberon
• Umbriel
• Titania
• Sun
• Helix Nebula
• Carina Nebula
• Trifid Nebula
• Flame Nebula
• Butterfly Nebula
• Triangulum Galaxy
• Pinwheel Galaxy
• Cartwheel Galaxy
• Centaurus A
• Sculptor Galaxy
• Antennae Galaxies
• M81 Galaxy
• M82 Galaxy
• Stephan Quintet
• Pillars of Creation
• Charon
• Nix
• Hydra
• Phoebe
• Olympus Mons

Current state

At this point the project feels much more release-ready than before, with the biggest remaining work being final balancing, QA across all modes, and a last pass on leaderboard edge cases.

Devlog #20

This DL was mostly about cleaning up and tightening the project without changing its core. A big part of the work went into reorganizing the css so it is much easier to maintain. I also moved more of the repeated colors, borders, and shadow values into variables, which makes the system feel more consistent. On top of that, button states and status states were cleaned up so things like hover, disabled, correct, and wrong feel more unified across the game.

The mobile version also got a proper polish pass while keeping the desktop version untouched. The start screen was tightened up so it uses space better, the logo and card proportions feel more balanced, and the Daily Mode button sits more naturally in the layout.

Besides that, there was some general UI polish throughout the game. Answer feedback feels more intentional now, the HUD relies more on shared styling tokens, and the whole thing is internally a lot cleaner even though the overall look stays very close to what it was before.

Thanks for the support from all of U

Devlog #19

UI polish and bug fixes

• I Improved the mobile flow by replacing the mode button row with a dropdown and simplifying the mobile start screen.
• Extended the round progress animation so it stays visible longer and can continue while the next image is already shown.
• Added small no-sound interaction feedback such as answer animations, panel flashes, and a ready pulse on the next button.
• Fixed stale feedback content so old round text does not linger after moving to the next round.
• Polished the dark mode with better contrast, deeper panel styling, and more consistent button states.

Devlog #18

SpaceGuessr started with a simple idea: GeoGuessr, but in space. Instead of streets and cities, players guess real NASA images showing planets, moons, nebulae, and galaxies.

The game is now fully playable with modes like Quick, Classic, Timed, Daily, and Infinite, plus score tracking, facts after rounds, a polished responsive UI, and leaderboard features.

The feedback so far has been very positive. People like the concept, the visual style, and the replay value. The biggest next steps are making the game more educational and more competitive.

Next, I want to improve:

• a Learn Mode or better info/fact screens
• stronger leaderboard and competition features
• better feedback for low or negative scores
• more mobile polish
• better devlogs and project storytelling

I am really happy with the current state. The core idea works, and now the goal is to make it deeper, smarter, and even more replayable.

PS: It’s awesome that I got so much good feedback, so I can improve SpaceGuessr.
Thanks to all of u (:

Devlog #17

Today I polished the SpaceGuessr UI a lot and also cleaned up how small animation states work in the game.

What I improved

• Reworked the start menu so the main card feels bigger and more like a real game menu
• Made the game mode area clearer with better spacing and stronger visual focus
• Updated the mode descriptions so they sound cleaner and more professional
• Made the start button larger and more important visually
• Removed the small line/gloss artifact from the selected game mode tab
• Improved the dark mode styling so the in-game UI feels less weird and more consistent
• Reworked the final report card so it matches the rest of the project style better
• Cleaned up the light mode end screen because it looked too washed out before
• Improved the theme toggle so it fits the glass / space design better

JS improvements

I also added small UI animation states in JavaScript instead of only relying on random class toggles.

New state classes now include things like:

• is-transitioning
• is-answering
• is-feedback-open
• is-round-complete
• is-results-view

That makes the UI feel more stable and gives smoother transitions between:

• loading a round
• answering
• opening feedback
• showing the end screen

Small code example

function setUiState(stateKey, isActive) {
  const stateClassName = uiStateClassMap[stateKey];

  if (!stateClassName) {
    return;
  }

  uiStateTargets.forEach((element) => {
    element.classList.toggle(stateClassName, isActive);
  });
}

Devlog #16

Today I cleaned up the HTML structure of SpaceGuessr to make it easier to understand and closer to how I would actually explain the project.

I cleaned up a few small text details in the HTML, fixed some weird special characters, and made the structure more readable overall. Also I revamped some of the In-Game UI. The functionality stayed the same, but the file is now much easier to follow.

Devlog #15

Today I focused on polishing the visual consistency of SpaceGuessr.

I cleaned up the theme system in the CSS by introducing more shared variables for light mode, dark mode, navigation elements, and the theme toggle. I also unified several animation timings so that screen transitions, menu interactions, answer cards, and UI panels feel more consistent.

After that, I reworked the end screen so it matches the rest of the interface better. The result card, stat tiles, leaderboard section, and share popup now use the same general visual language as the menu and in-game UI. I also updated the end screen to use the same background image as the main menu, which makes the whole app feel more connected.

I wasn’t able to do so much the past days, because here in germany it’s like 40 degree Celsius.

Devlog #14

I refined the main menu of SpaceGuessr to make the game mode selection feel cleaner and more polished.

I reworked the central menu card so it looks larger, more focused, and closer to a real browser game menu. I also improved the visual hierarchy by giving the mode area a clearer title and better spacing between the mode tabs, the description, and the start button.

Also, I polished the game mode tabs themselves. The active tab is now more clearly highlighted, while the inactive tabs are slightly toned down so the selected mode stands out better without making the UI feel too busy.

Devlog #13

Today I added two small but useful gameplay improvements to SpaceGuessr.

First, I removed hints from Daily Mode. The daily challenge is now a bit fairer because every player gets the same image without extra help. I handled this directly in the JavaScript by setting Daily Mode hints to 0, hiding the hint UI in that mode, and blocking the hint function there as a backup.

Second, I added keyboard controls for smoother gameplay. You can now press 1, 2, 3, or 4 to choose an answer and use Enter to continue to the next round after answering.

I hand’t much time the previous days, so I’m glad I could improve something today.

Devlog #12 (UI-Redeign)

Today I spent a good amount of time polishing the actual game UI so it feels more like a real browser game instead of a random prototype screen on top of an image.

The biggest change was the in-game layout. I reworked the top navigation so it feels cleaner and more structured, with Home, Round, Streak, Time, and Score behaving more like proper game UI elements. I also kept improving the answer area at the bottom, so the feedback card, answer buttons, and action button feel more connected and easier to read.

Another bigger feature was the new dark/light mode toggle in the bottom-right corner. It now actually changes the game UI theme and stores the selected mode in localStorage, so the theme stays the same after reloading the page.

Theme Toggle Example

function applyGameTheme(themeName) {
  const isDarkTheme = themeName === "dark";
  document.body.classList.toggle("game-ui-dark", isDarkTheme);
  localStorage.setItem(gameThemeStorageKey, isDarkTheme ? "dark" : "light");
}

I will redesign the Summary Page as fast as I can. Today was really productive actually, only thing I had problems with, is some of the CSS and especially some of the animations, so I used some AI there.

Devlog #11

Today I cleaned up the main menu UI to make it feel calmer and more polished. I moved the Daily Mode button out from inside the main panel and placed it below as its own extra action, which makes the menu structure easier to understand. Also I redesigned the Logo to catch the vibe more.

Today was my most productive day with crazy 8h tracked, since it was weekend here in Germany.
I’m long not done with the project, I have so many things that I want to add.