Sucka Punch!
What Is Sucka Punch!?
"Sucka Punch!" was my first year robotics project. I was tasked to create a game that was playable in a typical arcade setting and had custom controller elements that were made by me. "Sucka Punch!" itself is a boxing arcade machine that runs off nothing but an Arduino, TFT screen, and a 3 pin power connector; most arcades will not have dedicated servers to store data or code for their machines. The game itself has 4 indicated "punch points" which the player must hit when they light up in order to advance the game. Players must hit these "punch points" before the lights run out in order to continue playing, the longest lasting player is declared the winner and will have their name displayed on a leader board.
How Does It Work?
"Sucka Punch!" works through the use of an Arduino Mega, a TFT screen, LEDs, and Pressure sensors. The game itself is programmed entirely in C and stored onto the Arduino; it has no additional game engines in order for it to work without an external server. The Arduino is connected up to the LED's and pressure sensors and will send out a command to light up a specific LED while waiting for an input from its corresponding pressure sensor. If no input is received within a predetermined time then the player loses and will be given the option to put their time on the leader board. However, if an input is received then the game continues while decreasing the time the player has to activate the pressure sensor until they eventually lose. A video showing this and explaining it more in depth is available to the right.
The Final Prototype
Although it may not be pretty, I managed to complete a physical working prototype of "Sucka Punch!", viewable on the left. I removed the circuitry from the breadboard, seen in the explanatory video above, and soldered each individual circuit myself to make sure they wouldn't come apart during use. I had originally wanted to use a sand based leather punching bag so I could sew the parts to it, however, due to financial reasons I had to use a blow up version and lots of super glue instead (the insulation tape is used to cover wiring due to the "health and safety nightmare" my lecturers so graciously pointed out). This was my first ever time attempting to create a usable physical prototype with custom controllers and to not only my own, but everyone's, surprise it stayed together after multiple uses and is something I look back fondly on still to this day.
