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QUICK_START.md

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⚡ Quick Start: Enable AI Features

🎯 3-Minute Setup

Option 1: Play Without API Key (Recommended for Quick Start)

Just run the game! Everything works with smart fallbacks.

npm run dev

Visit: http://localhost:5174/

Option 2: Enable Real AI (Optional)

Step 1: Get Free API Key (2 minutes)

  1. Visit: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
  2. Sign in with Google
  3. Click "Create API key"
  4. Copy the key (starts with AIza...)

Step 2: Add to Project (30 seconds)

Open frontend/.env and change this line:

# Before:
# VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-api-key-here

# After (paste your actual key):
VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY= your api key

Step 3: Restart Server (10 seconds)

# Press Ctrl+C to stop
# Then restart:
npm run dev

Step 4: Verify ✅

Look in browser console for:

🤖 Gemini AI: Connected ✅
AI-powered weather and market features enabled!

🎮 What Changes With API Key?

Feature Without API Key With API Key
Weather Advisory ✅ Smart simulation ✅ Real AI analysis
Market Prices ✅ Seasonal variation ✅ Context-aware AI
Farming Tips ✅ Pre-written advice ✅ Dynamic recommendations
Game Playability ✅ 100% Functional ✅ Enhanced Experience

Bottom line: The game is fully playable either way!

📁 File Location

HarvestHope/
├── frontend/
│   ├── .env          ← ADD YOUR API KEY HERE
│   ├── API_SETUP.md  ← Detailed guide
│   └── QUICK_START.md ← This file

🆓 Is It Really Free?

YES! Google Gemini offers:

  • ✅ 60 requests/minute
  • ✅ 1,500 requests/day
  • ✅ 1 million tokens/month
  • ✅ No credit card required

Harvest Hope uses caching, so you'll barely use any quota!

🐛 Not Working?

Check Console

Open browser DevTools (F12) and look for:

  • ❌ "API key not configured" → Add key to .env
  • ❌ "API error: 400" → Invalid key, check for typos
  • ✅ "Gemini AI: Connected" → Working perfectly!

Common Issues

  1. Forgot to restart server → Press Ctrl+C, then npm run dev
  2. Extra spaces in key → Make sure no spaces before/after key
  3. Didn't uncomment line → Remove the # at start of line

💡 Pro Tip

Start playing immediately without API key, then add it later if you want the enhanced AI features. The game is designed to work great either way!

Need more help? See API_SETUP.md for detailed instructions.

Ready to play? Run npm run dev and visit http://localhost:5174/

Happy farming! 🌾🚜