Team 29

Team Members

Problem Statement

With the traditional Connect 4 game, play is impossible if there are not two players infront of the board. Online Connect 4 games solve this problem—allowing play against an AI, random player, or invited player. However, the online format completely removes the physical aspect of the game. Online users must use a computer screen to play the game.
Research has shown a concerning decline in the eyesight of children over the last fifty years. Myopia, or nearsightedness, has doubled in this period. Doctors attribute this to envirnmental factors, namely digital eye strain.

Connect Four Bot is geared toward children, offering them an innovative, alternative to online versions of Connect 4. Kids can play against the single player AI when a second player is unavailable. This AI has three difficulties: easy, medium, and hard. With added randomness, each game is different than the last!

A two player mode is also available! If a relative or friend is available, no matter where they are, they could play with the child. Connect Four Bot does this by enabling a remote player to play Connect 4 in a browser. Their moves are recieved over the internet by Connect Four Bot, the piece dispenser moves to their chosen column, and a token is dispensed into the board. The child plays normally, avoiding a screen and dropping a piece into the board's column. The child's move is sent back to the remote player, and the game continues.

Specifications

Allow for a single player to physically drop their piece to play Connect 4 with an automated opponent
Implement a Connect 4 bot that can be beaten with 3 levels of difficulty
Dispense opponent's piece in the appropriate column
Detect when a Connect 4 piece is dispensed into the gameboard by the user or opponent
Move an apparatus to dispense a single piece in less than 2 seconds with a precision of 5 mm
Maintain accurate gamestate in software
Allow user to reset and begin multiplayer game through web app and single player games through a physical button
With 10 seconds allocated to the MCU, total time for making a play takes less than 23 seconds

Allow for a remote player to control Connect Four Bot to play against a physical opponent through remote UI (web app)
Display messages to in-person user including game difficulty mode, current player's turn, and outcome of game
Sounds are played when the player achieves victory, experiences defeat, or takes too long to play their turn
Allow user to connect to the MCU and enter their network credentials for a new network connection
Allow user to connect to the MCU to a saved network (previous network connection)
MCU can connect to the internet and retrieve data

Documentation

Final Project Review presentation (above).

Thanks for checking out Connect Four Bot!