thoriumsim.com / thorium-nova
Starship Simulator Controls thoriumsim.com
Star
Fork 0
Watch
thorium-nova app routes docs Development app-architecture.md
3.6 kB
Markdown
at develop

title: App Architecture #

App Architecture #

Thorium Nova is comprised of several parts that work together to create the complete package.

Server #

The Bun server is the backbone of the entire game. It is written in TypeScript and includes the logic for opening the database and persisting data when it changes, both for the server itself, any plugins, and the currently running flight.

It also runs the ECS frameworks that are embedded into each flight, which includes creating entities, running systems, and sending network messages to connected clients.

It also runs an HTTP server which hosts a few API endpoints which can be used by third-party peripheral devices in addition to the static HTML and assets that browsers can access to run the game. Clients can also subscribe to specific data, and the server keeps track of which data each client has requested updates for.

One of the principles Thorium Nova is built on is that most of the game should be playable through a modern web browser, like Google Chrome. That's why the HTTP server serves the client assets over HTTP. This also makes it almost trivial to create a headless version of Thorium Nova that can run for long periods of time in the cloud.

Desktop App #

Tauri is a framework for building cross-platform JavaScript applications using a Rust backend and the operating system's embedded browser. This allows the web technologies to access low-level APIs for the operating system that aren't normally available to web apps. It also makes for a nice tool to bundle the app into a distributable package.

Thorium Nova's Tauri wrapper doesn't actually need to do that much. Here's the abbreviated list of capabilities it should provide:

  • Start up the embedded Bun HTTP server when it first launches, stop the server when the client connects to another server, and then start the HTTP server again when the client disconnects from another server.
  • Automatically connect to that HTTP server when Tauri starts up.
  • Connect to another Thorium server.
  • Bonjour auto-discovery for finding servers running on the network.
  • Opening up .flight files to automatically resume an existing flight.
  • Serve as a kiosk for people playing Thorium.
  • Make it easier to use secure origin-only features, like WebRTC audio channels, WebUSB, WebMIDI, webcams, and microphones.

Client #

The client is a React application built using the Vite bundler and React Router. Everything on the frontend viewed by the crew, flight directors, and plugin writers is part of the client. This includes the built-in documentation (maybe that you are reading right now on the client!)

The client is organized into routes with React Router and much of its behavior is determined by the server. For example, when a flight has started, the client can be assigned to a ship and station. Once assigned, when the client navigates to the /flight/station page it should automatically display the controls for that station on that ship.

The Flight Director has a bit more agency when it comes to what their station displays, having the ability to switch between different screens and views without much difficulty.

Also important is the UI for building plugins. This plugin-building UI should be built into Thorium Nova as much as possible and accessible from the in-game UI. Plugin writers should be able to see the existing plugins, modify a plugin, save and export their plugin, and maybe some day publish their plugin to https://thoriumsim.com.