In Project 1, the user can only have micro-scale interaction with a mouse click. To extend the user's interaction experience on this game, I want to make a physical device to play it like a game controller. I am interested in seeing how my code can follow objects like buttons, led lights, and other sensors. Project 2 will test my starry night system capabilities and what kind of interface options users can afford.
At the beginning of the stage, I am unfamiliar with Paricle.io and electronic components. I first start with a button representing the Star (user). When the user presses the BUTTON, the Star will jump with a LED light. As I got more familiar with it, I revised my controller and made it more advanced.
I plan to add one flex sensor to assist with my button for the user Star. Although it serves the same feature as the flex sensor, I still keep the button. Because my flex sensor is unstable, sometimes it will stop working. I keep the same button to be its backup. LED light is like a signal; it will light up when users use other controllers. When the user bends it, the Star will jump and keep accelerating. The second button changes the background music, and the third restarts the game. So the user doesn't need to use the mouse to click the restart button on the screen.
In Project 2, I utilize the three types of sensor, and each of them is served in different purpose and create a different interactive experience. The physical peculiarities of each sensor influence the game's interaction from different perspectives.
When users see the button, they automatically understand how to use it because it is one of the most common interactive controllers. There is only one direct output that comes from the button. The LED light is also an everyday object. It only lights up when it detects the signal. The user's mental structure will help them understand its usage and purpose. The flex sensor can be hard to know because it is not common in daily life. However, the pattern on the flex sensor suggests user press down. The Project 1, the user click once the Star jumps. If the user clicks and holds, the ball will keep accelerating. This is a similar interaction that I can implement on the flex sensor. When the user bends the sensor once, the Star only jumps once. But if they change the amount of pressure, they add one the bending. They will see the acceleration of the Star will change.
The overall experience should be like playing with the game controller. Fourthly, I discovered that the old iPhone box is the perfect size for putting the bread, so the overall shape is a rectangle. Based on what I set up on the breadboard, I dig the button, LED light, and flex sensor holes. I use the chopstick pieces to insert the spot to reach the switch. The LED light is concise, with almost the same height as the cover surface. The length of the flex sensor is long. Although inserted into the hole, the user can still bend it and control it.
Here is the process I build my controller. I used a suitable iPhone box to be my box and cut the hole for the button. The controller button is the chopstick piece. The package will hide all the wires so that the overall appearance can be clean and organized. The user does not need to worry about touching and causing it disconnected accidentally.
I never know that Project 2 will become the most complicated project in all four projects. In the beginning, my button sensor only needs two-wire. One connects to a negative power, and another relates Inputs.
However, it does not work after few weeks. When I press the button, it does not read the number that I assigned to it. It will randomly pop up other number. So I add the resistor that will force the transmission to stabilize the electrical frequency.The negative adds on resistor becomes a pull-down resistor.My flex sensor also has the issue. It will be no resistor when I am not bent it. If I bend it, the value range will be between 700-900. However, it is 4000 for not bending it and 3000 for bending it when I use it. So I add the delay value to reduces the jitter on electricity.
Overall, Project 2 takes me five weeks to figure out, but fortunately, in the end, I accomplished it.
In the future, I would add another star as a new player. So the two users can have a competition on this game. I will recreate the game controller and to make it looks more clean and more fun. The chopsticks might be too long for the user to press down. It seems more like a spin button rather than a press down button. There is also no indication for the user to know the function of each sensor.
All of these little details will disappoint the user's experience. I am the creator of everything, so I know how to interact with it. However, if I want to introduce it to another user, it can be tricky and complicated for them to use. When the user deals with a confusing system or product, they will likely give it up. Then the product will turn in into waste.
