Sms Poker
The idea is straightforward: a lightweight webapp that facilitates a game of poker among friends entirely through text messages. No need for players to install any software. User input is received through sms, and game events are communicated through it as well.
Execution will be a bit more difficult, but the nature of the problem allows it to be subdivided cleanly. I expect the majority of the energy will be spent integrating the right free/cheap services to a) send/receive sms, and b) host the web application. I am planning on using PythonAnywhere for the latter, but I could also use a service like ngrok to receive webhooks locally.
Services
Send/Receive SMS
Vonage : Documentation for Vonage SMS API
Other options I’ve come across are Twilio and Plivo. I did not find a good inbound SMS feature for Twilio’s freemium tier. Plivo seemed like it checked all the boxes until I attempted to create an account They’ve severely limited personal project use and required a business email (I tried in vain to go around this with an alias email, but it was flagged). I guess they’re focused on acquisition through undercutting Twilio’s pricing vs offering accessible options for tinkerers.
Game Logic
Python
Remote hosting
PythonAnywhere : PythonAnywhere Homepage
PythonAnywhere is a great alternative to serving locally through a service like ngrok. I only chose PythonAnywhere because of familiarity from a prior project (the power of letting Ed courses use your service for free).
Database
Hopefully a simple JSON
Debating whether I even want to bother with save states. I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it.