Breakpoint
An Unreal Engine 4 platformer with Arduino integration
About
Breakpoint is a platformer built with Unreal Engine 4 where the player attempts to 'debug' their Arduino code by destroying bugs in the game. If the player is successful, their connected Arduino is 'fixed' and turns on. Breakpoint was built in two weeks as the final project for EECS 183 (Elementary Programming Concepts) at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It won the grand prize for best project (Fall 2016).
Development
Breakpoint was built by a team of four, each member fulfilling an important role in completing the project. I was responsible for all coding, while other team members focused on level design, balance, and art design. All in-game music tracks are original compositions, courtesy of Alexander Vidinas, a fellow student. All in-game art is original as well, courtesy of team member Navanas Chetsanditkhun. The project had a two week deadline, and, since nobody on the team had ever attempted game development, we needed to do research quickly. We settled on the Unreal Engine, mostly because its blueprint system allowed fast development and its C++ backend supported Arduino integration (one of the requirements of the project was an integrated Arduino). Progress went smoothly until we got to the Arduino integration. The handoff was more complicated than anticipated and our deadline was fast approaching. Thankfully, after two full days of research and muddling with backend Unreal Engine 4 code, we finally got it working.
My Contribution
I wrote all the game code, the Arduino code, and the Arduino interface code. I was also responsible for level design and testing.