F24: Space Fire
Contents
Space Fire
Abstract
Space Fire is an action-packed space shooting video game. The player pilots a spaceship that can move horizontally across the screen while enemy asteroids descend toward it. By using strategic maneuvers, the player must dodge incoming asteroids and fire projectiles to destroy them before they reach the spaceship. The objective is to survive as long as possible while accumulating a high score by eliminating asteroids. The game challenges the player with an increasing number of asteroids over time, at random sequences, requiring quick reflexes and tactical control. A detailed score breakdown and objective status are displayed on the screen, and immersive sound effects, generated through an attached speaker system controlled by an MP3 module, enhance the gameplay experience.
Objectives & Introduction
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Team Members & Responsibilities
- Mehul Mangave
- Parth Mhakavekar
- Smitha Kedila
Schedule
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Parts List & Cost
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Design & Implementation
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Hardware Design
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Hardware Interface
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Software Design
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Implementation
The implementation of the "Space Fire" game involves several key components that work together to deliver a seamless gaming experience. The following subsections outline the high-level steps required for each component within the game.
1. Game Initialization
Hardware Setup: Initialize the SJ2 board and configure GPIO pins for user inputs (buttons) and other hardware interfaces (e.g., display, audio). Set up the UART interface to communicate with the MP3 module for audio playback. Game Variables: Initialize global variables for game state, score, lives, and current level.
2. Input Handling
Button Polling: Continuously check the state of the buttons in a loop. Accelerometer Polling: Continuously check the readings from accelerometer. Respond to user inputs for spaceship movement (left/right) and firing projectiles.
3. Asteroid Management
Asteroid Generation: Randomly spawn asteroids at the top of the screen at regular intervals. Each asteroid is assigned a position and marked as active. Asteroid Movement: Update the position of each active asteroid as they descend toward the spaceship. Collision Detection: Check for collisions between asteroids and the spaceship or projectiles. Implement logic to handle these collisions (e.g., decrease lives, destroy asteroids).
4. Projectile Management
Firing Mechanism: On user input, create and fire projectiles from the spaceship. Store active projectiles in an array or list for tracking. Projectile Movement: Update the position of each active projectile, moving it upward on the screen. Collision Check with Asteroids: Detect collisions between projectiles and asteroids, and trigger appropriate reactions (e.g., destroy asteroid, increase score).
5. Display Management
Rendering Game Elements: Continuously refresh the display to render the spaceship, asteroids, and projectiles. Clear the display and redraw all game elements in their updated positions. Score and Lives Display: Render the current score on the display.
6. Audio Management
MP3 Playback Initialization: Initialize the MP3 module and set the desired volume level. Audio Playback Control: Trigger background music or sound effects based on game events (e.g., start of the game, collisions). Handling Input for Sound Effects: Implement playback logic for different sounds (e.g., shooting, explosions) when certain events occur.
7. Game Loop
Main Game Loop: Continuously check for user inputs, update game state, manage asteroids and projectiles, render graphics, and control audio in a timed loop to keep the game responsive. State Management: Implement state transitions (e.g., from playing to game over) based on game events, ensuring a smooth user experience.
Testing & Technical Challenges
Describe the challenges of your project. What advise would you give yourself or someone else if your project can be started from scratch again? Make a smooth transition to testing section and described what it took to test your project.
Include sub-sections that list out a problem and solution, such as:
<Bug/issue name>
Discuss the issue and resolution.
Flickering Display Due to printf Statements
Issue: During debugging, the use of printf statements to monitor game states caused the display to flicker. This was due to blocking calls that interfered with the continuous rendering of graphics on the display.
Resolution: Minimizing printf Usage: Reduced the frequency of printf calls within the display rendering loop. Implemented logging to UART for debugging purposes while ensuring the critical rendering loop remained responsive.
Game Restart and Semaphore Issues
Issue: When attempting to restart the game, deadlock situations arose due to mismanaged semaphores. The semaphores used for signaling game state transitions were not properly released or cleared, causing the game to become unresponsive and preventing the restart process.
Resolution: Proper Semaphore Handling: Upon game state reset, ensure that all semaphores are properly given (released) or deleted if no longer needed. Special attention was given to ensure that after the game over state, the semaphores would allow a new game instance to start correctly. Implemented a clear reset function that ensures all necessary variables and semaphores are initialized properly at the start of a new game. This approach reduces the risk of lingering states from previous sessions affecting new gameplay.
MP3 Playback Timing Issues
Issue: Audio sometimes started late or unintentionally overlapped with gameplay actions, affecting the audio cues and overall user experience.
Resolution: Task Priority Adjustment: Increased the priority of the audio management task to ensure it could respond swiftly to commands and avoid interference from lower-priority tasks. Synchronized Playback Control: Implemented a mechanism to track the state of playback, ensuring new commands only executed once previous audio finished.
Conclusion
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Project Video
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Project Source Code
References
Acknowledgement
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References Used
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Appendix
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