v1.05.77

Site is becoming more usable!!

Changes:

• Has a working branch vs a master branch, so in progress updates will not effect the current version on the web.
• made image label block logic
• cleared old logic for renderers
• did a whole lot of SEO things
• fix sw.js with real file paths (not the ancient ones)
• more styling in css
• node.js to automatically create html things for web crawlers (auto-generate-curriculum-pages)
• update homepage to look wayyy better
• fully rebuilt practice/exam system for block-based lessons
• logical fallicies notes
• lesson end screen with nature
  Problems Encountered:
• Incorrect formatting (always happens when u type fast)
• Bad css
• Difficult logic with complicated storage format (e.g., looking through .sections, .lessons, etc)

check out the latest build: novaraedu.org

v1.05.26

Site is still somewhat unusable currently

Changes:

• fixed getAllQuestionsForEntry
• build render functions for all the different block types: renderSubmitBlock, renderMultipleChoiceBLock, etc
• purged a few bugs yayy
• moved the workspace thing so it has a new sidebar and is familiar to the course syllabus view.
• did a whole buncha formatting troubleshooting
• bought a domain!!!! go to novaraedu.org. which means you can find it on search enginges now (i think)

9-19-26

Forgot to upload a devlog for these hours, imma do it now.

• Tested out an archway thing to add more wall detail, scrapped it cuz it caused a lot of lag and looked not that great.
• Adjusted boss cutscene and decorations.
• I wanted more up and down movement, so i added a room with stairs and a higher ceiling.
• Enemies don’t really work with the stairs yet.

v1.04.98

Site is still unusable currently

*Continuing the data refactoring, I fixed some of the references in openSyllabus. I also completly removed the faulty references to isBundle(), i accidentaly messed up the case of loadIndex to LoadIndex but luckily a simple glance at the console pinpointed it for me :D (Thank god for descriptive error messages)

• Added the hackatime lapse links to the notes (since i want to use nice formatting without ai accusations i lowkey need to do that)
• Started doing notes on “The Science of Logical Reasoning specifically for: Jerome Bruner Theory of Cognitive Development.” Its for building good curriculums and proper teaching, they have this cool thing called a “spiral curriculum” that you should search up.
• (I’m also trying out a recording timelapse system, that should be better than lapse since lapse only takes like a picture every minute and stiches it together, this takes a picture every second and then compresses it) the video is only of v1.04.97 -> v1.04.98 editing portion

Thanks for your support! :D

8-25-26

I almost got a heart attack when my godot crashed, but luckily i was able to somehow reload the changes i made from the disk or smth.

I added a new maze room (look at image) its got these columns and is twice as large as my previous largest room. I think i prefer these large rooms to my older more straightforward rooms, because it feels more expansive, and like you’re actually exploring a massive forgotten dungeon.

I still plan to change the between room trigger from a Area3D enter to an interaction using the “e” button, the same way the first door works.But i haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. Also my health doesn’t reset properly when you respawn, so you end up at 0 health, while alive, after respawning.

I also am planning a system for the game lore, after every bossfight, once you go through the door there, it will fade to one letter. I won’t spoil the story i have, but every bossfight will have one letter at the end that connects to a larger overarching story.

I updated the save system so you can exit from the pause menu, the continue button works properly, and the save system works like this:

• Save at every new room entry
  bruh i feel like there is more too it but its rly just that.

Thanks for reading this! Leave a suggestion to help me out :D

v1.04.91

Celebrating my 250th commit!! :D

• fully deleted the curriculum tool since its frustrating and too hard rn and i’m going to do it later after i do my data refactor
• removed the ai detector thing, the link still works for now, but I don’t think i want to use it because its too unreliable, and is too much of a project in its own right than a small tool
• I’m doing a major refactor of my data structure. Previously, my curriculum information all sat in one MASSIVE json. but now i have a complex folder network. Each curriculum will have an index.json file, so the catalog.json routes to the index.json that leads into the courses, then to the sections, and down to the individual lessons. Its kinda like a phonebook… i think. Every lesson will be its own json with its own list of “blocks” that are pieces that i can take apart or put together to make lessons unique! Kinda like its own mini programming language lol.

Currently the site is unusable since the course.js isn’t fully complete to understand the new data structure. :P

v1.04.76

Taking a break from psychology notes to do some coding again.

• began working on a curriculum tool so educators can easily build em without having to work through the complicated json structure. its a bit hard since i want to export a zip, and im not entirely sure how that would work, and also i need to double check how my course.js processes the json so i can get exactly all the information to put into it.

• ai detector thing. examines github repositories and find all comments and flags exessive amounts, or exessive explanations in them (classic ai fingerprints) as well as flagging verbose function names and shows the time it would take to make the project at 70 wpm and detects inconsistencies in commit times (eg 1000 new code typed after 2 minutes of another commit that would be flagged) then gives a % of confidence. 0-30% is prob human, 30-50% is mixed unsure, 50-100% is definetly full ai. Before you accuse someone, make sure to do througouh like questioning and interviews and such because this tool is imperfect. This way i can easily identify projects that have disgenuine work and report them to stardance to take care of. (https://cassetu.github.io/Novara/html/aisubTool.html) I got gemini to help reformat the code since it was a bit of a mess, dw i had a full disclaimer. (ai vibe coders take notes.) It was a big challenge getting the github token to work, but it functions now and doesn’t steal your information!! :D

• also i ran my own project through it once, it was clear, and then i ran it again after commiting it, and now it thinks my project is ai, because the code scans for these specific traces, that are present in the code itself, meaning that if it scans itself, it will find everything its looking for. T - T (false positive in the first image)

leave a comment to help! thx!

v1.04.74

EVEN MORE PSYCHOLOGY

Covered more things for my next course: “Attachment, Love & Social Dynamics”

• John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
• Internal Working Model (IWM)
• Adult Attachment Styles (Secure vs. Insecure) (Look at the image)
• Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love
• Social Exchange Theory (SET)

Read the notes!:
https://github.com/Cassetu/Novara/blob/master/journal/relationship/notesTheScienceOfRelationships.md#attachment-love--social-dynamics

Timelapse:
https://lapse.hackclub.com/timelapse/PppFJPZGUgEp
https://lapse.hackclub.com/timelapse/YqlfYCCx08j7

v1.04.72

More psychology hooray

Covered more things for my next course: “Stage Models & Communication”

• Knapp’s Relationship Model
• Social Penetration Theory
• Evolutionary Explanation for Physical Attractiveness
• Johari Window
• Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT)

Read the notes!:
https://github.com/Cassetu/Novara/blob/master/journal/relationship/notesTheScienceOfRelationships.md#stage-models--communication

Timelapse:
https://lapse.hackclub.com/timelapse/1LwshB7x8AEr
https://lapse.hackclub.com/timelapse/ir_E9ROtKHUr

I can actually use nice formatting without getting ai accusations cuz i got timelapses lol

v1.04.69

Yes, i really am studying “The Science of Relationships” to create a curriculum on it.

I researched on the Halo Effect, Mere Exposure Effect, Propinquity Effect, and Social Exchange Theory. These are for the first course in the curriculum: Human Attraction & Opportunity.

Read the notes: https://github.com/Cassetu/Novara/blob/master/journal/relationship/notesTheScienceOfRelationships.md
And Timelapse:
https://lapse.hackclub.com/timelapse/cPdZpEF6u5YJ

8-10-26

Added a decoration pass across the dungeon rooms: rugs, banners, bones, roman coins, crates and boxes, plus wall lustres and chandeliers in the boss room. The boss now has a table, throne, and seating. New enemy assets came in too, a scourger and a ghoul (not implemented yet but there) alongside a shader fix so the chaos boss stops looking so shiny, also the beast was looking shiny too so i changed that. HUD got reordered and the damage effect layer is visible instead of hidden cuz i accidentaly forgot to turn it back on while making the ui for consumables. Turned on occlusion culling project wide (i forgot to do that earlier oops) and refreshed the baked room and voxel data to match. Dying now actually saves the removed shards and upgrades before kicking you back to the hub so you don’t keep em.

8-9-26

Built out a full shop room: a shopkeeper NPC you can interact with, a shop menu for buying permanent upgrades and consumables (health potions, vigor draughts), a new HUD panel showing consumable counts with hotkeys, and an altar script that autoplays and loops its clip so the shopkeeper floats around a bit.The shopkeeper is this ghost looking guy. Also fixed barrel hurtboxes and their collision naming in the boss room since the particle system wasn’t working, moved the player’s starting position, and squashed a couple of typos hooray.

I still have to fix bugs with my damage effect layer causing my blur and vignette thing to cover the hud, also the enemy ai is a bit scuffed still, and the gui sucks tbh,oh also i darkened the torches

v1.04.66 to v1.04.67 | 8-8-26

Moved the return button, description link, and progress bar into the syllabus sidebar instead of a separate meta block up top. Added a course description modal you can open from the sidebar. Reworked the syllabus layout to fill the viewport height properly, cleaned up border and shadow inconsistencies, and shrunk the details modal width.

v1.04.65 | 8-8-26

Big CSS pass across course.css, landing.css, and style.css. Reworked the syllabus sidebar to include a course title, progress bar, and a dedicated test button styled with the accent color.

v1.04.63 to v1.04.64 | 8-8-26

Removed the old Godot scene renderer, its CSS, and the leftover import in course.js. Not used anymore. (It was made with ai help)

v1.04.62 | 8-7-26

Added a line to the landing page footer noting no generative AI was used in building the site. (just need to remove the last ai curriculum.)

v1.04.61 | 8-6-26

Cleaned up mainpage CSS spacing and rewrote the landing copy. Turned the trust badge area into a short blurb on why Novara exists, moved the Hackatime badge inline with the time spent text, and added a dedicated trust button linking to the privacy page.

Thanks for reading this! Have a good day yall!

First Devlog

One thing to note, I have been working on this project earlier before starting stardance, so expect an offset in the hours and content made at the beginning.

Grave Descent (working title Dunmere) currently has a hub room with an upgrade altar and a dungeon door leading into procedurally picked rooms per depth, capped off by a boss room with an intro cutscene that blends from a scripted camera into the player’s own view. The player has melee sword combat, blocking, rolling, and a basic interaction system, and there are four enemy types built out (a beast, a skeleton gladiator, a monstrosity, and the Chaos boss) each with their own animation and attack states. Progress is tracked through a GameManager autoload handling souls, shards, HP, and unlocked upgrades, which reads and writes to a save file so a run can be continued later. There’s a main menu now too, with new run, continue, and quit, a confirmation prompt before overwriting an existing save, and a live 3D view of the hub room rendering behind the UI instead of a flat background. 8-8-26

v1.04.56 to v1.04.60 | 8-6-26

Rebuilt the public course catalog page and gave the about page its own CSS file instead of riding on landing styles, plus a new brand lockup (logo + NOVARA wordmark) in the nav headers across pages. Added a goals section to the about page. Added a “don’t trust us, go check yourself” section and a profit disclaimer to the privacy policy. Swapped “we” language for “I” across the README and privacy policy since it’s a solo project and someone got confused. Small homepage copy tweak too, swapped the trust blurb for a direction to the privacy policy and added a “Time Spent” label above the hackatime badge.

v1.04.44 to v1.04.55 | 8-5-26

Kept moving inline styles into real CSS classes across course.js (loading states, lesson complete screens, onboarding highlight, dialogue boxes, 404 page). Pulled the privacy policy’s inline style block out into its own privacy.css file. Rebuilt the homepage hero into a two column layout with trust info on one side and quick action buttons on the other, replacing the old split image hero. Changed the footer message, revised the README copy, swapped a few README screenshots, and bumped the hackatime badge color. Now that the inline is gone, it will be easier to adjust the ui.

v1.04.36 to v1.04.43 | 8-4-26

Kept clearing inline CSS out of course.js, this round hitting the explorer cards, syllabus sidebar, section buttons, and the course details modal. Added a null check so progress calculation doesn’t break when a course file is missing. Fixed a syntax typo (stray brace) in the syllabus section click handler. Removed the old Godot core AI generated course from the catalog. Added a small watermark comment to files generated by the theme tool, and created a dialog-btn-container class to clean up some remaining inline button styling.

I also figured out how to sign my commits using a SHA encryption service so every commit will say “Verified”

I’ve been testing out some different ui’s, since yall keep saying mine is AI, which I’ll have you know, is not, its called modern. (i have screenshot of testing out an like windows 98 kinda retro ish ui idk what its called.)

I do want to know this though, What does a NOT AI ui look like?

If my project looks like AI, people will not be keen to trusting my courses, much less learning about them.

If you have any ideas, PLEASE WRITE A COMMENT!! :D

(Also on progress with Novara:
v1.04.29, fix for course.js
v1.04.30, adjust length for the standard practice since if you only do one lesson, and then try to do the practice, you’ll answer 30 questions about that one lesson, mostly repeating the same questions.
v1.04.31, new mastery icon cuz i forgot to do it earlier
v1.04.32, better cover progress with padlock
v1.04.33, remove bonus questions, since they kinda fit weirdly and dont really help even if the science is behind it
v1.04.33, give Mayor Bob more character cuz he sounds like a robot.
v1.04.34, move style.css into css/style.css
v1.04.35, new layout for lessons and sections view.)

v1.04.27 to v1.04.28 | 8-1-26

Merged the practice hub into one combined view across all enrolled curriculums instead of a separate card per course, so standard and survival practice now pull questions from everything you’re enrolled in at once. Added a countdown banner showing when paced mode lessons renew, and cleaned up the settings label wording twice. (cuz i didn’t like how it sounded)

v1.04.24 to v1.04.26 | 8-1-26

Paced mode is now fully wired in. Lessons lock until you reach the current day’s target, missing a day triggers a review quiz scaled to how long you were gone, and every 7 completed lessons triggers a module exam gate (80% to pass, locks further progress until you clear it). Also fixed the dialogue box to support multiline text properly and fixed the onboarding highlight so it targets dropdown menus correctly instead of the wrong element. (check image to see how it failed lol)

v1.04.19 to v1.04.23 | 8-1-26

Added the paced mode toggle itself (1 lesson a day). Onboarding got swapped from static tooltip cards over to the new dialogue box system, then the dialogue box was made to type itself out letter by letter instead of dumping all the text at once. Along the way: fixed onboarding skipping missing elements, handled rapid clicking through steps, fixed a broken const reference, and fixed reset behavior when onboarding reopens.

v1.04.17 to v1.04.18 | 7-31-26

Deleted a pile of AI-generated lesson bundles that were just cluttering the catalog (architecture, conlang-mythology, html-mastery), keeping only a couple test lessons around. Added question pooling so a lesson can define a questionCount and pull a random shuffled slice instead of showing every question every time.

v1.04.14 to v1.04.16 | 7-30-26

Rebuilt the about page into proper sectioned content instead of one big hero block, swapped in a new header image, fixed a dumb black border bug on the landing page from a leftover CSS class, and moved the difficulty badge over next to the details button.

If you read all this, consider reposting so I can get more attention, thanks!! :D

v1.04.11 to v1.04.13 | 7-29-26

New course card layout with a proper title/kicker header block and reworked filter buttons, ditching the old boxed style for underline tabs cuz its more dense. Added an orange accent color filled progress bar for anything not enrolled yet. Added a dev time badge to the hero using Hackatime in the main thing. Ripped out the entire theme system, one look only now cuz its better.

v1.04.09 to v1.04.10 | 7-29-26

Full hero section overhaul. New copy, new photo instead of the old doorway SVG, new grid layout instead of flexbox, added a soft noise texture to the landing background. (tryina copy like concrete) Fixed a wrong journal link pointing at the wrong repo path.

v1.04.06 to v1.04.08 | 7-29-26

Pulled a markdown course entry out of the catalog for good, both the JSON data and the catalog listing. (its not good) Small dropdown structure fix in the topbar CSS.

v1.04.04 to v1.04.05 | 7-29-26

Added a course details overlay with author, published/updated dates, and sources. Fixed a typo where the close button ID didn’t match, so the overlay wouldn’t close. (SLOPPY CODDEE FREE MEE FROM ITT AAAAAA)

v1.04.03 | 7-29-26

Added URL routing for logged out users. Course catalog and sign in views now update the URL with pushState and respond correctly on refresh, instead of only working for logged in users. Same stuf.

v1.03.98 to v1.04.02 | 7-28-26

Reorganized assets into an img subfolder and added minibit sprites. Built a reusable dialogue box component with a typewriter-style next button flow, wired it into the landing page as a mayor NPC introduction, then cleaned up its sizing and added a completion message. Updated INFO.txt to match the actual lesson type naming convention and added entries for architectureSim and cookingSim.

Looking for coding profesionalls to help build a curriculum, email me or create an issue on my github!