Final Project Essay by Amy DeCillis

Statement of Purpose

Title: Line RiderS

With this project I hope to bring Line Rider to life and create an even more interactive experience for players. I want to get people on their feet, away from their personal laptops, and engaging with others. 

Project Plan

I hope to not only create a multiplayer version of Line Rider, but also one that incorporates two teams with an objective. The original online experience only requires one user to draw a line, or course, for the rider with no real goal. My version will include four players on each team. Each player will influence a different aspect of the game: the line, the speed of the rider, the size of the rider, and the x position of the rider. Each team will work together to place the rider on a target spot in the middle of the screen before the other team. 

I plan on using the following sensors:

    • joystick to draw the line
    • potentiometer for the speed of the rider
    • distance sensor for the size of the rider
    • a crank tool (need to find the specific name for this but essentially a potentiometer that rotates 360degrees) for the x value of the rider

Initially I will work on connecting different sensors to my Arduino and fleshing out the foundational code for the game like drawing the line, creating a target, etc. Then I will move on to designing the cases or covers for the different sensors and potentially a control board for each team. Finally, once everything is working smoothly and everything is put together, I’ll hopefully get some feedback from user testing and adjust accordingly. 

Project’s Context & Significance

I grew up watching my two older brothers take turns playing this game while I waited not so patiently beside them. I think that while online games are very engaging and fun, this is a unique experience to bring that game into the physical world and bring it to a new level of interaction. I still lean on Crawford’s understanding of analysis of interaction and its focus on the listening, thinking, and speaking aspects. In this experience, each user is not simply acting and reacting in one way, but rather collaborating with one another and engaging in thoughtful, continuous conversation.

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