Show HN: Cargo Dispatch – a programming puzzle game about warehouse automation(matthuggins.com)
matthuggins.com
Show HN: Cargo Dispatch – a programming puzzle game about warehouse automation
https://matthuggins.com/lab/cargo-dispatch
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https://matthuggins.com/lab/cargo-dispatch
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Instead of manually controlling robots, you write a small TypeScript or JavaScript function that decides how robots behave. Their goal is to pick up packages from warehouse aisles and deliver them to trucks.
To introduce different levels of difficulty, the game includes mechanics like:
- Packages must be delivered to specific trucks (color-coded)
- Robots have limited carrying capacity
- The number of robots, aisles, and trucks changes as you progress through the 5-day workweek
I was inspired after coming across Elevator Saga on HN again recently, which I remember playing almost 10 years ago. Cargo Dispatch is somewhat similar, but the colored package → target truck constraint adds an additional coordination challenge.
Each day can be completed with different levels of success (gold, silver, bronze). You don't have to achieve the highest rating to move on, but better automation strategies will earn higher scores.
Technical details for those interested:
- The simulation runs entirely in the browser,
- Player code is sandboxed and executed in a web worker,
- The environment exposes a small API for querying warehouse state and issuing robot commands,
- Monaco editor provides IntelliSense and autocompletion, and
- Simulations are deterministic so runs are reproducible while debugging strategies.
I'd love feedback on:
- Whether the scripting API feels intuitive,
- Whether any important properties or functions feel missing,
- Difficulty progression of the puzzles,
- Any obvious missing mechanics, and
- Ideas for new logistics constraints or level types.
Thanks for taking a look!