IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Interview with Amit Patel, Creator of “Solar Realms Elite” (2013)

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Origin of “Don’t be Evil”

“Interesting. I found this article that does point to Amit Patel as the originator of ‘Don’t be evil’ at google.” — lll‑o‑lll

2. Nostalgia for classic BBS door games

“Other awesome BBS door games, for those that want a shot of nostalgia: LORD, Barren Realms, Falcon's Eye, Land of Devastation, Planets: TEOS, Usurper.” — Boxxed

3. Amit Patel’s clarity and influence

“I was lucky enough to spend ten or so hours with Amit… People repeatedly thought it was so impressive that I understood deep concepts so thoroughly.” — rented_mule

These three themes capture the discussion’s focus on the cultural legacy of Google’s “Don’t be Evil,” the retro‑gaming nostalgia for BBS door titles, and the high regard for Amit Patel’s talent for distilling complex ideas.

🚀 Project Ideas

RetroBBS Gateway

Summary

  • A browser‑based hub that lets users instantly play classic BBS door games (e.g., LORD, TradeWars, Barren Realms) with modern UI, saved profiles, and leaderboards.
  • Solves the nostalgia‑driven frustration of hunting down outdated telnet clients and Y2K‑era setups.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Retro gamers, BBS enthusiasts, and developers interested in preserving door‑game heritage
Core Feature Web‑hosted door‑game engine with multiplayer matchmaking, cloud‑saved stats, and community forums
Tech Stack Node.js (Express) + React front‑end, Docker for containerized game servers, Redis for session storage, WebSockets for real‑time play
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: freemium with $4.99/month premium for ad‑free play and exclusive skins

Notes

  • HN commenters repeatedly mention wanting to “play LORD” or “TradeWars” today – a one‑click gateway would directly address that need.
  • Could spark discussion on reviving BBS culture and provide a practical utility for retro‑gaming meet‑ups.

SnapDiagram

Summary

  • A lightweight web app that transforms simple whiteboard sketches or rough diagrams into shareable, interactive explanations.
  • Addresses the frustration of engineers (e.g., Amit Patel’s “simple line chart”) who need an easy way to convey complex ideas without manual slide creation.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Engineers, educators, and presenters who want to turn ad‑hoc sketches into polished visual explanations
Core Feature Upload a sketch → auto‑detect shapes → generate interactive SVG diagrams with hover‑tooltips, animation, and export options
Tech Stack Vue.js front‑end, Python (FastAPI) backend, Computer vision (OpenCV) for shape detection, Storage on AWS S3
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly quotes the HN sentiment: “People repeatedly thought it was so impressive that I understood deep concepts so thoroughly… I'd draw the simple line chart on the whiteboard.” Users will want a digital counterpart to that experience.
  • Potential for community sharing of diagram templates and integration with lecture platforms.

DoorGame Studio

Summary

  • A SaaS toolkit for creating, publishing, and monetizing your own BBS‑style door games, complete with templated code, matchmaking services, and revenue‑share analytics.
  • Tackles the unmet need highlighted by creators who want to build new “LORD‑like” experiences but lack a modern development environment.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Indie developers, hobbyist game designers, and retro‑gaming communities seeking to build door‑games without low‑level networking hassle
Core Feature Drag‑and‑drop game builder, built‑in lobby server, leaderboards, and integrated payment gateway for micro‑transactions
Tech Stack Ruby on Rails API, Unity WebGL for 2D/3D door‑game rendering, PostgreSQL, Stripe for payments, Docker for scaling
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: revenue‑share 15% per transaction + $29/month developer plan

Notes

  • Directly references comments about “BBS door games” and “the author of LORD continues making games” – providing a platform to continue that lineage.
  • Will likely generate discussion on open‑source vs. proprietary models and offers practical utility for aspiring door‑game creators.

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