Progress Review: Thumper Space Beetle

1. Thumper is a self-proclaimed “rhythm violence game”; it features a single character, the so-called space beetle, traversing a track and focuses on timing player actions to the music and queues in the environment. Options include speeding up to break through barriers, jumping to activate glowing platforms or fly over obstacles, and leaning either left or right to slide off of barriers that appear when the path comes to a turn. My controller focuses on that visceral aspect of the game by recreating the space beetle and allowing the player to mimic its ingame motions. Rotating the beetle left or right with the X accelerometer leans the character while squeezing the wings down allows them to gain speed or jump. Angling the beetle down on the Y accelerometer allows them to open their wings and turning it up slows them down.

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4. Video

5. Pseudo Code

//////////////////////////////////////////

//  Instructions:                //

//  W = Rotate Down       //

//  A = Rotate Left           //

//  S = Rotate Up            //

//  D = Rotate Right        //

//  Space = Left Wing     //

//  Space = Right Wing   //

/////////////////////////////////////////

///////////////////////

//  Variables  //

///////////////////////

// Create turn int

///////////////////////////////

//  Keyboard Map  //

///////////////////////////////

// Loop

// Accelerometer X

// Map X to turn

// If equals -1 

// Keyboard write 'A'

// If equals 1

// Keyboard write 'D'

// Accelerometer Y

// Map Y to speed

// If equals -1

// Keyboard write 'W'

// If equals 1

// Keyboard write 'S'

// Force Resistor 1 or 2 Read High

// Keyboard write 'Space'

6. Questions

Does including wings to press into the force sensitive resistors seem too complex?

Does the control scheme make sense?