Show HN: Scout – micro-game teaser for a map-based cycling RPG

[zackham]

One-day experiment using claude code and grok heavy to build a tiny teaser for Scout, a map-based cycling RPG we’re about to release in Portland, OR. I’m a founder of Ride with GPS, and figured a playable prototype would be more fun than a static email form.

Gameplay:

  - Click an icon -> fetches a real route from our routing service -> auto-rides it (~400×, 12 mph).
  - Collect items, reveal more. Arrow keys + spacebar for free roam + fireballs.
  - Add ?edit=1 to open the in-browser item editor to see how I put the items on the map.
  - No signup to poke at it (just req email for invites).

Under the hood: preloads a few static tiles from our map server, dynamically recolors them for the game theme, simple sprites for N/NE/E/etc facing cyclist, some misc CSS animations and canvas based stuff.

Goal: give a 30-second glimpse of the full RPG world we’re building.

Looking for any tips on making it more effective in generating interest in the game we're about to release.

[zackham]

Hey - OP here. I've been working on Ride with GPS since 2006 (!) and the game we've built is the most fun I've had in a long time. We're launching in PDX and if that is a success, we'll double down on it and roll it out to a bunch more cities. I want to do everything I can to stack the deck in our favor since I believe in this project.

I put together this landing page start to finish yesterday (thanks claude/grok), and am hoping it's effective in generating some initial interest. Looking for any feedback you have, small/large, however blunt, to dial it in and make it work for us.