Turbo Tomy

Description‎

• The game was developed as part of the Entertainment Systems course, where we were tasked with creating a game and a controller using materials that were no longer in use.
  • We repurposed an old 1980s children's car racing toy from Teacher João Cabral.
  • Input: Steering wheel, gear stick, ignition key to turn on the controller.
  • Output: Speedometer on the controller displaying the car's speed, headlights on the controller that turn on when the ignition key is used.
  • The game is a retro car racing game in pixel art, with a top-view perspective, where the goal is to drive as far as possible without crashing into other cars. The game includes a timer and a leaderboard for players to compete with each other. Additionally, the game can also be played without the controller using keyboard inputs.

Components Used for Controller

Here's a breakdown of the components used in the construction of the TurboTomy controller:

2 LEDs

• Used to simulate the headlights of the car. These turn on when the ignition key is used, providing visual feedback to the player.

10 Female-to-Female Jumper Wires

• Essential for connecting various components on the breadboard, including the LEDs, potentiometers, and Arduino. These wires create the necessary connections between different parts of the controller.

2 Male-to-Female Jumper Wires

• Used to connect components like the micro servo motor and other elements directly to the Arduino Nano. They allow flexibility in connecting different parts that require different pin types.

2 Rotary Potentiometers

• Integrated as analog inputs, these potentiometers control game parameters such as speed or gear shifts, simulating the car's manual controls. Players can rotate them to adjust in-game mechanics.

1 Micro Servo Motor

• The servo motor provides tactile feedback, possibly for steering or some other mechanical function within the controller. It helps replicate the mechanical feel of driving, enhancing immersion.

1 Arduino Nano with Expansion Board

• The Arduino Nano acts as the microcontroller for the entire system. It reads input from the steering wheel, potentiometers, and gear stick, and sends data to the game software. The expansion board offers extra connections for the numerous components involved.

Mechanical Toy

• This was the core of the project. Repurposed from an old children's car racing toy from the 1980s, the toy provided the structure and certain interactive components (steering wheel, gear stick, etc.). We retrofitted the toy with electronic components, turning it into a functional gaming controller.

Keyboard Controls:

(Toggle On and Press Q) - Start Game

A - Move Left

D - Move Right

Credits:

A project by M^3 (Margarida Teles, Mariana Marques, Miguel Rodrigues).