In this experiment, a haptic glove with vibratory motors on the fingertips was tested against the standard HTC Vive controller to see if the additional vibrations provided by the glove increased immersion in common gaming scenarios where haptic feedback is provided. Specifically, two scenarios were developed: an explosion scene containing a small and large explosion and a box interaction scene that allowed the participants to touch the box virtually with their hand. At the start of this project, it was hypothesized that the haptic glove would have a significant positive impact in at least one of these scenarios. Nine participants took place in the study and immersion was measured through a post-experiment questionnaire. Statistical analysis on the results showed that the haptic glove did have a significant impact on immersion in the box interaction scene, but not in the explosion scene. In the end, I conclude that since this haptic glove does not significantly increase immersion across all scenarios when compared to the standard Vive controller, it should not be used at a replacement in its current state.

The process of learning a new skill can be time consuming and difficult for both the teacher and the student, especially when it comes to computer modeling. With so many terms and functionalities to familiarize oneself with, this task can be overwhelming to even the most knowledgeable student. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methodology used in the creation of a new set of curricula for those attempting to learn how to use the Dynamic Traffic Simulation Package with Multi-Resolution Modeling. The current DLSim curriculum currently relates information via high-concept terms and complicated graphics. The information in this paper aims to provide a streamlined set of curricula for new users of DLSim, including lesson plans and improved infographics.

Speedsolving, the art of solving twisty puzzles like the Rubik's Cube as fast as possible, has recently benefitted from the arrival of smartcubes which have special hardware for tracking the cube's face turns and transmitting them via Bluetooth. However, due to their embedded electronics, existing smartcubes cannot be used in competition, reducing their utility in personal speedcubing practice. This thesis proposes a sound-based design for tracking the face turns of a standard, non-smart speedcube consisting of an audio processing receiver in software and a small physical speaker configured as a transmitter. Special attention has been given to ensuring that installing the transmitter requires only a reversible centercap replacement on the original cube. This allows the cube to benefit from smartcube features during practice, while still maintaining compliance with competition regulations. Within a controlled test environment, the software receiver perfectly detected a variety of transmitted move sequences. Furthermore, all components required for the physical transmitter were demonstrated to fit within the centercap of a Gans 356 speedcube.

Cornhole, traditionally seen as tailgate entertainment, has rapidly risen in popularity since the launching of the American Cornhole League in 2016. However, it lacks robust quality control over large tournaments, since many of the matches are scored and refereed by the players themselves. In the past, there have been issues where entire competition brackets have had to be scrapped and replayed because scores were not handled correctly. The sport is in need of a supplementary scoring solution that can provide quality control and accuracy over large matches where there aren’t enough referees present to score games. Drawing from the ACL regulations as well as personal experience and testimony from ACL Pro players, a list of requirements was generated for a potential automatic scoring system. Then, a market analysis of existing scoring solutions was done, and it found that there are no solutions on the market that can automatically score a cornhole game. Using the problem requirements and previous attempts to solve the scoring problem, a list of concepts was generated and evaluated against each other to determine which scoring system design should be developed. After determining that the chosen concept was the best way to approach the problem, the problem requirements and cornhole rules were further refined into a set of physical assumptions and constraints about the game itself. This informed the choice, structure, and implementation of the algorithms that score the bags. The prototype concept was tested on their own, and areas of improvement were found. Lastly, based on the results of the tests and what was learned from the engineering process, a roadmap was set out for the future development of the automatic scoring system into a full, market-ready product.

This project is a video game implementation of the Filipino ruleset of Mahjong for the purpose of increasing awareness of the Mahjong game and Filipino culture. The game, titled Todas!, is built from scratch using various free resources and contains a Tutorial for teaching players the basics of the game and a Multiplayer mode that enables remote gameplay for up to four people.

For my Spring 2022-23 Barrett Honors College creative project, I designed and created my own analog game. The created game is a tile-management game for 2-4 players called Plash. Players collect tiles and manipulate the board to complete goals and win the game. The paper for this project details the inspirations and research done for the game’s design, the game's design journey, and detailed instructions on how to play.

My creative project is an extension of my Computer Science capstone project, a Tamagotchi-style game in which the user takes care of an ocean animal. It focuses specifically on expanding upon two of the project’s design goals: improving user retention and fostering a bond between the user and the virtual character they are taking care of. The project consists of researching Human Computer Interaction principles, selecting an assortment that are most relevant to my project, and integrating them into the design of mechanics for the game. The goal of this project is to demonstrate how integrating HCI design principles into game design can foster new ideas and improve the experience of the game for its users.