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Nodal.gg – Game recommender with interactive map

Nodal.gg – Game recommender with interactive map

by A_Random_Forest·Feb 23, 2026·1 point·0 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidEye CandySolve My Problem

UMAP-based game discovery, but needs better differentiation from existing Steam recommenders.

Strengths
  • •UMAP visualization makes game discovery spatial rather than list-based, genuinely aids browsing.
  • •Blends multiple signals (tags, player overlap) rather than single-factor ranking.
  • •No signup barrier and interactive filtering (price, year, tags) feels complete.
Weaknesses
  • •Steam already has tag filtering and recommendation algorithms; unclear why UMAP is better in practice.
  • •Interactive map novelty wears off; no evidence users find games faster than lists or Metacritic.
Category
Gaming
Target Audience

PC gamers, indie game enthusiasts, Steam users

Similar To

Steam's built-in recommendations · ProtonDB · Metacritic game search

Post Description

Hi HN, I built Nodal.gg, a Steam game recommender with an explorable map UI instead of a plain ranked list.

How it works: blends tag-based similarity with player-library overlap, then visualizes the neighborhood so you can browse clusters.

No signup — just search and click around.

Would love feedback on: (1) whether the map helps you find games faster than lists, and (2) what you’d want as a power-user feature/filter.

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