2023

SEE x SAW

a 1D game of balancing

CONTEXT

Interaction

Intelligence

SOFTWARE

JavaScript, P5js, Adruino, 3D Printing, Illustrator, 3D modeling, Rhino3D

COLLABORATORS

Kai Zhang

Two players work together on one controller to maintain equilibrium as they slide along the rail and progress through increasingly challenging levels.

SUPERVISORS

Marcelo Cohelo

Game Objective

The goal of this 1D game is to balance the weight for as long as possible. The longer the players maintain the equilibrium, the more challenging the game becomes.

Game Mechanics

The two players appear as colored bars on the line, and move along it based on the angle of their controller. The weight fluctuates as they play, indicated by the width of their bar. If the blue and red touch or hit the end of the gray bar they bounce in the opposite direction, and disturb the balance.

Drunk Third Player

When the two players reach forty seconds of play, a third colored bar is added to the line. However this 'third player' is not controlled by any of the controllers, it instead randomly moves back and forth and fluctuates around throwing a wrench into the game.

Design of the Controller

Although initially each player was intended to have separate controllers, this design of the controller emerged from the idea of having both players operate on the same controller. One singular joystick Arduino component becomes the elegant solution to the design of the object.

In order to allow for smooth use of the handles, ball bearings were added to the handles of the controller, and all of the components 3D printed.

handle for player 1

interior rods

ball bearings

end caps on handles

central stem

handle for player 2

handle for player 1

handle for player 2

Arduino joystick

joystick to print connector

base

underside of base