Harduino?

One of the modules covered in my final year is Everyware; which as I understand it involves the use of Arduino systems. Unfortunately I managed to miss the only lecture of the year so far which involves getting us into pairs; and after communicating with fellow coursemates I have discovered I seem to be the odd one out. Because of this I have paired up with an existing pair in hope that I will be able to continue on with this module OK.

In the past years we have been presented with Arduino but I have managed to dodge and avoid any sort of interaction with the kit. This was a mistake. After learning the powers and possibilities of Arudino across my placement year I have learnt of its uses and wonder why it hasn’t been in my life sooner. With a bit of research I have discovered it is possible to make your Arduino kit interact with a good friend of mine; Adobe Flash/Actionscript. Being able to do this opens up multiple doors towards interactive content and being able to make the user interact with the software via new hardware… something I haven’t done or ventured towards myself.

Within the group we have devised a system which utilises a key set of Arduino features. On top of the basic board we have expanded to using RFID Cards with different data tags to send varied information to a game engine. In this case the various RFID cards are to initiate and select a different fighter for a simple beat-em-up game. The mechanics of the game are very simple: Player 1 chooses a fighter and scans in the card, then Player 2 does the same. After this both players have a controller with an accelerometer attached; allowing the player to control the fighter onscreen. Alongside this accelerometer is a button each, which allows the user to initiate the fighter’s attack.

Because each of the RFID cards are different, we have equipped each one with a different fighter; not only is the visual of the fighter different, but each carries different statistics and perks. The project itself is still in the prototype stages, but I have spent a couple of hours brushing up on my character design skills to produce the below interactive flash animation. At the moment the two fighters are running through their idle sequence, and if you click each one they perform their attack move.

Currently this is the extent of the system, but as the Arudino features develop and expand the bond between the hardware and software will form. The fighter to the left is the more speedy and agile character; but lacks in power. On the right is the complete opposite; slow and steady hits with a higher hitting power. Doesn’t really require a rocket scientist to figure this out; but if my persona skills are that bad I have explained it to you in broad daylight.