8.4. Day 4: (Jul 11) Electrical Theory

Notes for Jul 11, 2018. See also the Calendar.

8.4.1. Notes from Day 3

1. Great job on negotiating a game theme. Now on to ball mechanics!
2. Emailed question: how can the expressive details of the idea be translated into expressive movement of a pinball?

Rationale: the concept right now (“CMU” aka “The SAMS Experience”) still largely exists as symbolic elements (photos, icons) but the essence of the game is kinetic; the player, ball, and playfield together create a performance which carries the narrative through success and failure. It’s fine to include iconic elements like the miniature AC and photos, but you won’t have a game until you have ball motion, ball paths, and dynamic playfield features. Ideally we could come up with a small set of playfield mechanisms which recreate the drama and then compose them into a game layout. Driving that narrative forward are the scoring rules and programmed behavior.

8.4.2. Agenda

1. Administrative
   1. Friday trip to Kickback Cafe, 4326 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201, 412-621-2794.
      1. The 93 bus leaves at 3:14PM from Craig St, arrives at 4326 Butler St at 3:36PM. The next bus leaves at 3:44PM.
      2. Returning: the 93 leaves 4326 Butler St at 5:01PM, arrives Craig St. at 5:14PM. The next bus leaves at 5:31PM.
   2. Did anyone talk to the RAs about ReplayFX, Thu July 26 to Sun July 19?
2. In-class
   1. Brief lecture on electrical theory.
   2. Breadboarding and circuit practice. See LTH-1550 circuit
   3. If time permits: MOSFET circuit
   4. Last 45 minutes: design scrum for game features.