WHAC-A-MOLE
Class: Digital Logic Design
Year: Spring 2016
GOAL: create an arcade game using only basic logic gates to "program" the game logic.
FEATURES:
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'Timed' and 'Endless' game modes
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​ High score counter​
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Difficulty scaling with score
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Multiple "moles" start popping up at once​
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Moles start popping up faster
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PROTOTYPE VIDEO / FINAL VIDEO
CLICK for video. HOVER for sound.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
DESIGN PROCESS:
After deciding on the game rules, the necessary subsystems were designed and built individually. Before building each circuit, the logic was simulated using Logisim to test the functionality.
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SUBSYSTEMS:
The main subsystems include:
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The pseudorandom number generator, which would pick which "moles" (e.g. pushbuttons) to light up each round.
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The "moles" themselves. The logic needed to light up the buttons in response to the pseudorandom generator, as well as detect "correct" and "incorrect" hits depending on the state of the light when the button is pressed.
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The score counter, which takes inputs from each mole to determine whether to increment or decrement the score on each hit.​​
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The game timer, which refreshes the score counter and resets all the chips for a new game. Also includes a visual display.
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The mode selector, which switches the logic between "timed" and "endless" game modes.
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The sound board, which played different sounds for "hits" and "misses".
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The difficulty adjuster, which increases the game speed with the player's score, and eventually allows multiple "moles" to light up at once, past a certain score threshold.
