Master Cracker: A Hacking RPG

Inspiration

This device was inspired by old school hand-held electronic lcd games, as well as commonly used (but simplified) "hacking" mini-games in modern day popular video games.

What it does

When the device is powered up, it guides the user through a story. Afterwards, the user is prompted to do many tasks using the provided input methods. All the while, a timer is ticking down. When it reaches zero, the completed tasks are weighted and added to form a score. Higher scores can be achieved if the user discovers the secret level. (and boss fight!)

How I built it

I hooked up the output devices to their respective digital or analog pins on the arduino (LCD, LEDs and piezos) and creatively used them to present information to the user. I also hooked up the input devices to their respective digital and analog pins on the Arduino as well (joysticks, buttons and keypad). The user uses these input devices to complete the tasks that are specified in the mini-games.

Challenges I ran into

A challenges that I ran into was not knowing how to use some of the hardware coming into the hackathon, although I figured it out pretty quickly by Googling. Additionally, since my laptop was out of commission. I has to use a Raspberry Pi as the primary computer for developing the code. This, was much easier than I expected it to be, but in the process I learned more about the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi 3.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm proud of the fact that I came into this hackathon with no idea of what to do, but I figured out an idea to run with that I am very satisfied with.

What I learned

I learned about important coding conventions that are important for making code that can be revisited. I tend to be sloppy when it comes to coding, especially when it is just me that is reading the code.

What's next for Master Cracker: A Hacking RPG

If I were to continue to expand on this project, I would:

Add portability by swapping the power supply with a battery and designing a case.
Move the components from breadboards to pcbs. Move away from the Arduino Mega.
Add more variety to the actually game, possibly more input methods, more mini-games and secrets.