System Requirements Document (SRD) for mammoth-hacker

1. Introduction

The mammoth-hacker project is an immersive cyberpunk-themed game where players assume the role of a teenage hacker who discovers a hidden app capable of manipulating time. Set in a neon-lit, dystopian city controlled by a powerful corporation, the game combines puzzle-solving, stealth, and action mechanics with a branching narrative. Players must uncover the truth behind the corporation's time technology, rescue trapped citizens, and ultimately decide the fate of time itself.

This document outlines the system requirements for mammoth-hacker, ensuring the game delivers a compelling experience for its target audience. The cyberpunk aesthetic is central to the game's identity, influencing its visuals, story, and gameplay mechanics.

2. System Overview

The mammoth-hacker game is designed to provide an engaging experience through the following core features:

• Time Manipulation Mechanics: Players can pause, rewind, and fast-forward time to solve puzzles, evade enemies, and navigate the environment.
• Cyberpunk Aesthetic: A neon-lit, dystopian city serves as the backdrop, with environmental storytelling that reflects the player's choices.
• Branching Narrative: Player decisions impact the timeline, leading to multiple endings and visible changes in the city.
• Dynamic Gameplay: A mix of puzzle-solving, stealth, and action, with hidden glitches that unlock secret levels.
• Unstable Time Powers: As the story progresses, time manipulation becomes increasingly unpredictable, adding tension and challenge.

The game is targeted at players who enjoy narrative-driven adventures, strategic gameplay, and the cyberpunk genre.

3. Functional Requirements

• As a Player, I should be able to pause time to sneak past enemies.
• As a Player, I should be able to rewind time to correct mistakes, such as falling or getting caught.
• As a Player, I should be able to fast-forward time to grow plants, unlock paths, or skip dangers.
• As a Player, I should experience visible changes in the city based on my choices (e.g., chaos for destruction, eerie perfection for control).
• As a Player, I should encounter hidden glitches that reveal secret levels.
• As a Player, I should experience time powers becoming unstable as the story progresses.
• As a Player, I should be able to interact with NPCs whose behavior changes based on my timeline decisions.
• As a Player, I should be able to explore a cyberpunk city with environmental storytelling elements like graffiti, neon signs, and NPC dialogue.
• As a Player, I should be able to unlock multiple endings based on my decisions.

4. User Personas

4.1 Hacker Protagonist (Player)

• Description: A teenage hacker with a rebellious streak and a knack for problem-solving.
• Motivations: Uncover the truth about the corporation, rescue trapped citizens, and decide the fate of time.
• Abilities: Time manipulation (pause, rewind, fast-forward), hacking skills, and stealth.

4.2 Corporate Enforcers (NPCs)

• Description: Guards and drones deployed by the corporation to maintain control.
• Motivations: Protect corporate secrets and eliminate threats.
• Abilities: Patrol areas, detect intruders, and respond to time anomalies.

4.3 Citizens (NPCs)

• Description: Residents of the city, some of whom are trapped or oppressed by the corporation.
• Motivations: Survive under corporate rule, seek freedom, or assist the hacker.
• Behavior: Changes based on the player's timeline decisions.

5. Visuals Colors and Theme

The cyberpunk aesthetic of mammoth-hacker is reflected in its unique color palette:

• Background: #0B132B (Deep Navy Blue)
• Surface: #1F4068 (Dark Steel Blue)
• Text: #EAEAEA (Bright White)
• Accent: #FF4C29 (Vivid Neon Orange)
• Muted Tones: #6B7280 (Muted Charcoal Gray)

This palette emphasizes the neon-lit, high-tech, and gritty atmosphere of the city while introducing a bold neon orange accent to highlight interactive elements and critical moments.

6. Signature Design Concept

The homepage of mammoth-hacker will feature an interactive cyberpunk skyline that reacts dynamically to the player's cursor movements and choices. Here's how it works:

• Visual Design: The skyline is a mix of towering skyscrapers, glowing neon signs, and holographic advertisements. The buildings pulse with light, and the sky shifts between hues of purple, blue, and pink.
• Interactive Elements:
  • Hovering over buildings reveals their names and lore snippets (e.g., "Corporate HQ: The heart of time control").
  • Clicking on certain buildings unlocks hidden animations, such as a drone flying out or a hologram glitching.
• Dynamic Changes:
  • As players make choices in the game, the skyline on the homepage changes. For example:
    • Destructive choices cause buildings to crumble or flicker.
    • Controlling time makes the city appear eerily perfect, with synchronized lights and movements.
• Micro-Interactions: Subtle animations, such as raindrops sliding down the screen or neon signs flickering, create a sense of immersion.
• Sound Design: A background track of ambient cyberpunk music, combined with sound effects like distant sirens, buzzing neon lights, and the hum of drones.

This design ensures the homepage is not just a menu but an extension of the game's world, drawing players into the cyberpunk atmosphere from the moment they start.

7. Non-Functional Requirements

• The game must run at a minimum of 60 FPS on mid-range gaming PCs.
• The UI should be intuitive and responsive, with support for both keyboard/mouse and controller inputs.
• The game should include localization support for multiple languages, including English and Hindi.
• The game should feature autosave functionality to prevent progress loss.
• The game should be optimized for a cyberpunk aesthetic, with high-quality lighting and particle effects.

8. Tech Stack

Frontend

• React for Web
• React Native for Mobile App

Backend

• Python
• FastAPI

Database

• MySQL (with Alembic for migrations)

AI Models

• GPT 5.4 for user-friendly responses
• Claude 4.6 Opas for academic or coding work
• Google Nano Banana for image generation

AI Tools

• Litellm for LLM Routing
• Langchain

Orchestration

• Docker and docker-compose for local development
• Kubernetes for server-side orchestration

9. Assumptions and Constraints

• The game assumes players have access to mid-range gaming hardware.
• The cyberpunk aesthetic requires high-quality graphics, which may limit performance on low-end devices.
• The branching narrative requires robust save and load systems to track player choices.
• Localization efforts will focus on English and Hindi initially, with potential expansion based on demand.

10. Glossary

• Cyberpunk: A subgenre of science fiction characterized by advanced technology and dystopian settings.
• Time Manipulation: The ability to pause, rewind, or fast-forward time within the game.
• Branching Narrative: A story structure where player choices lead to different outcomes.
• NPC: Non-Player Character, an AI-controlled character in the game.
• Environmental Storytelling: Using the game environment to convey narrative elements.