Software
The software was developed for Windows 95 using Borland C++ v5 and the Object Windows Library. It is supposed to be object orientated but in the confusion of writing my first windows program, the OOness of the programming was lost.
User Interface
On startup of the program, the user is asked to calibrate the hardware. The calibration routine is used to make-sure a sufficient signal is detected by the amplifier. This is achieved by adjusting the gain of the amp and asking the user to contract the muscle under examination. After a few seconds the user is presented with the results, if it is adequate the games can commence, if not the user must increase the gain and retry.
After calibration, the session begins. The user must open at least one window (to provide minimum feedback) and at most 3 windows. The main windows are
- The Game Window
- The Averaged Signal Window
- The Raw Signal Window
The first two windows provide the greatest feedback. The game window contains the game area and the game status section whereas the averaged signal window provides the user with a visual indication of the strength of the EMG signal in relation to the required threshold.
The Game
The object of the game is to move around a 9x9 grid collecting the crosses and bonus points while avoiding the traps and monsters. Each object that can be collected has an associated contraction time. This requires the user to contract the muscle for the specified contraction time to collect the object while ensuring that the level of the signal is above the required threshold level. This threshold level can be set dynamically via a dialogue box whereas the contraction times are set on program startup. To change these settings is just a matter of editing a text file.
The layout of the maze is set at run time. A text file, which contains an array of characters, is read in at program startup. Each character corresponds to a bitmap that will be displayed on the grid. This allows the grid to be reconfigured to provide many new games once the first five levels have been mastered. This should extend the interest in the game though it is no match for the high graphics content of the current generation of games.
