DePauw University,
Computer Science Department,
Fall 2011Maintained by Brian Howard (
bhoward@depauw.edu).
Last updated
| Overview | Schedule | Grading | Proposal | Home |
This project is an implementation of tic tac toe. Tic Tac Toe is known across the globe by various names such as noughts and crosses in former British Commonwealth countries. It is designed as a two player game with each player represented by either an X or an O. The goal of the game is to create a chain of three with your symbol. The chain may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, but it must form a straight line. With such a finite amount of possibilities, the game is often regarded as a child’s game.
Since the game is a simple one, it lends itself well for the capacity of learning that a computer can handle. For this project, the definition of learning will be if the computer can decide the best option at any state using past experience and the current state of the board and if it decides incorrectly the computer should then adjust its strategy for the next time. In addition to having a competitive artificial intelligence, the tic tac toe program should also have an enhanced user interface to attract more people to play. The game’s target audience is children between the ages of 6 and 12. Therefore, the design goals for the project are to be "playful" and "simple" and maintain a level of customizability. In terms of customizing difficulty, the program will allow the user to adjust how smart it will be, or rather how "clumsy" the computer will be by adding a degree at which the computer does not choose its best option. For interface customizability, the program will include a few themes that the user may pick from to evoke a sense of ownership and give them a "custom" look.
The project will entail the design and implementation of an Android application that will assist users in finding classrooms throughout DePauw's campus. Initially, the home screen which users will see upon opening the application for the first time will be created. The screen will allow users to choose how they want to search for the classroom and what information they want to get from the application. The users will be able to search for either a building name, a building location, or a room location within a building. The users will be able to search using a building name, a building code, or a room number. The application will also give a user directions to the specified location, however turn by turn directions will probably not be available because of the limits of cellular GPS within buildings. In addition to the regular directions, the application will provide handicap accessible directions as well. Another aspect of the application that is notable is that the user interface will be easy to use so that it can be of help to users.
This project is about designing a web-based online discussion forum for DePauw students and faculty to share resources and information, and be more involved with campus academic and extracurricular events.
The online discussion forum will serve as an interactive version of DePauw e-services, in order for users to share information faster and more efficiently. DePauw students can benefit from this discussion board in many aspects. Students are forced to engage in the matter both inside and outside of the classroom. More importantly, discussions are independent of place and time. The information is always there, and even students from other courses or disciplines can partake in the discussion. Students do not onlyl learn from their teachers, but also from their fellow students.
Additionally, for example, if a student needs a drive to the Indy airport, he or she will not have to log in to e-services first, post the inquiry, consistently check his or her email account to see if there is response, and then write back to the person who is willing to help. If we have an online communication platform where people in DePauw can easily see other people's needs, a person can just post a thread of his or her inquiry, and other people can directly reply to the post if they can help. Users will also have their own homepages and photo albums in the forum open to the public which their friends or parents can visit and leave comments and messages. The index page will include the following major sections: Campus life, Grad School Application and Career Information, Academic Resources and Questions, Flea Market, Entertainment, and Miscellaneous.
This project is a mobile web enabled page that will allow you to check the status of your laundry. Users will be able to log into a web-enabled page and see whether if the washer is in use. A web cam will be embedded into the page so that you will be able to see if someone is already there about to do laundry. It will send a tweet to a twitter account stating when the laundry is done. A device called I O Bridge will allow for the data from the washer to be collected. The I O Bridge device via Ethernet cable will connect to the DePauw Internet network. From iobridge.com I will have web based monitoring of anything that is connected to the device. An analog vibration sensor connected to the I O Bridge will detect whether the washer is on or off. A magnetic sensor to connected to the door to let you know when the washer door is open or closed. The I O Bridge can read the sensors readings as either on or off, which can translate to displaying whether the washer or dryer is running or not running. The data will be stored into an open source web application (ThingSpeak) that will allow for graphs and charts to be produced from the data stored. The front-end interface will display the graphs and readings from the I O Bridge will be stored into the mobile enabled web page. The page will allow users to sign up for times the washer is not in use.
This Senior Project is a software based Wii Remote musical instrument/device that can be intuitively played to create and manipulate music.
This is done by the interpretation of MIDI signals and their correspondence to software/synthesizer parameters. MIDI is a standardized protocol used by musical synthesizers and (now) computers to communicate and interact. MIDI is commonly used to connect a MIDI Piano Keyboard to a computer/software-based instrument to play musical notes as if emulating a real piano. Additionally, MIDI can control parameters of the instrument. MIDI Control Change (CC) numbers and values determine which and how the instruments parameters behave and operate (like volume, clip/loop launching, pause, play, stop, etc.)
The device/instrument will be the "brain" for the WiiMote. It constantly interprets MIDI signals controlled by movement and buttons, and performs specific operations. It will be programmed in Max/MSP completely from the ground up, and have the ability to process or effect an input audio signal along with the ability to play musical notes through/to a software synthesizer. It is possible to have "playing" and "effecting" capabilities stored in two modes or "mappings". This gives the user two different ways to create and/or recreate music. Because the WiiMote has been ported to become a midi device before, many examples can be found on the internet of WiiMote musicians. However, this project is not an attempt to mimic anyone else's WiiMote instrument. Rather, it is aimed to properly coalesce computers and humans' instrumentalism. The user will eventually be able to learn the instrument; having the ability to recall certain routines and combinations that produce multi-layered effects processing.
The goal of this project is to design and implement a Japanese flashcard software program to be used as a tool for studying Japanese vocabulary words. The program will be written in Visual Basic .NET using Microsoft Visual Studio. Initially, the program will not have any flashcards, but the user will be able to create new ones, using standard keyboard input for English characters and buttons to input the Japanese hiragana and katakana characters. The flashcards the user creates will be saved to a file, so the user can still access them after closing and reopening the program.
User feedback will be extremely important during the design process, so data will be collected from students who are studying/have studied Japanese and faculty members who teach Japanese. The students will be the users of the program and represent stakeholders in this project. The faculty members are not likely to be users, but because they teach Japanese, they are familiar with the way students go about learning the vocabulary, so their input will be quite valuable.
This is a computer euchre game for use by those just learning the game, or for advanced players looking to improve their skills. This game will have an AI component that starts out at a very basic level and, as the user wins games, the computer becomes smarter and better at the game, providing a greater challenge for the user, improving his or her skill level. The program will save a user’s progress, allowing them to quit and return to the computer at a different time to the same level of opponent as when they left. The user can also decide to revert back to the original settings, allowing them to start from scratch. As the user interface will be textual, there will be a variety of features that allow the user to check on different aspects of the game, such as the score and what the trump suit is.
This project involves creating a web based application whose purpose will be to encourage collaborative study among students. It will do so by grouping users according to the courses they belong to and this will be taken care by their respective instructors. Once that part is complete, every student user shall update information about what and where they are studying and this information will then be shared with everyone else on that course giving them the option to join this user to study for that course.
The application will cater to two kinds of courses. The first kind would be reading intensive courses such as English and Anthropology courses and the second kind would be problem and exercise solving intensive courses such as Mathematics and Physics courses. For the first one, students would be able to specify the reading they are working on or discussing and for the second one, they will be able to specify what exercise they are working on or have completed by selecting on of three options from "Not Attempted", "Work in Progress" or "Solved". This will better allow students looking for fellow students to find exactly what they are looking for.
Notifications about study sessions will take place via email and a javascript section of the website may be embedded on the website which will show in realtime the updates about study sessions in progress. This javascript if implemented will also allow user to chat with one another and exchange selected formats of document files. These files may be syllabi, work sheets etc.
This project is a first person 3D game. The game, which is yet to be named, will use the Unity3D graphics engine. The game will encompass a first person character, who moves forward through a 3D world composed of platforms and terrains at set speeds. The character will have the responsibility of avoiding obstacles, and using certain level features to achieve points and victory. The character will have the ability to make small jumps and large jumps, as well as a left swerve and a right swerve, which will allow for user control on how each obstacle is cleared. Input controls for the game will include only the arrow keys for general usage and play. The game will also have a scoring system which takes into account total points accumulated, and the stage rating. These scores will be stored locally, in a simple table keeping track of high scores, which will update automatically each time the user achieves a high score. The game will also have a graphical menu which allows users to select the level they wish to play.
The game will be written using Unity3D software for Windows, and scripting will be done in JavaScript and C# languages. The composition of some of the more complex scripting may be done in Microsoft Visual Studio for Windows and then imported into Unity3D. All 3D models, as of this time, I will create and design myself, including the terrains and levels.
This project will be the design of a web site for college coaches to be able to find basic information about high school baseball prospects in their area and vice versa. It will entail constructing a home/login page, a database, and several active server pages. A former baseball coach in Cincinnati who works as an aid and financial consultant to prospects was consulted. He is in need of a professional looking site that will begin as a small database of players in Cincinnati but which soon hopefully will expand to players all throughout the United States.
Visitors to the site will be able to see the home page only. If you create a login and become a member, you will be granted access to the coach and prospect databases. Becoming a member entails being either a prospect or a coach. Depending on which option you choose, the page and profile will vary because the coaches will want to display different elements. For example, a coach will want to display his school's website so the prospect can easily navigate to it and see if he may be interested. On the other hand, the prospect will want to display his position and some statistical information so the coach will find interest in him. A coach member will be able to list his school and the location, this way prospect members can search for schools in a certain area. The prospect members will be able to search for schools in a certain location. At first I would probably hardcode regions to make things simple, but later I am definitely planning on moving to Google services to make things easier and to provide directions. One of the last things to work on would be to build security into the website. This would secure the login names and passwords.
Artist Circle will be a dynamic website that will act as a social network site for artists. It will be a multi-medium website meaning that whether you are a musician, visual artist, photographer, writer, etc., you will be able to post your works to a personal page that will interact with other users' pages. The site will feature a page for every user, like Facebook, but the page will highlight your works as an artist rather than pictures of you or posts from friends. Users will also be able to share works from other artists, creating a network for cross-promotion of other users and a true "social network". Artist pages will differ from Facebook and Myspace counterparts by being more focused on a user’s uploaded work than the personal life of that user. In this sense, it is taking a professional approach to social networking. Artist Circle will allow artists to interact with other artists, even across mediums, and will revolutionize artist interaction on the web.
I am designing an iPhone application that will act as a golf scorecard. The application will keep track of the hole number, the par, and the score. In addition to this, the application will keep track of the number of putts and the green in regulations. This application can be used on any golf course in the world. After a course is played, the vital information (the hole number, the yardage, and the par) will be saved in the application allowing the user to only enter information once. Initially the application will appear empty, with the exception of a demonstration scorecard. When the client wants to use the program for the first time he/she will hit a plus button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. The program will then ask the user to enter the name and location of the golf course. The program will then prompt the user to enter whether they intend to play 9 or 18 holes. This step will determine whether after the first 9 holes, the program ends or continues for the last 9 holes. At the start of the hole the user will enter the par and the yardage of the hole and when they have finished the hole they will tap the score section of that hole and enter the score they shot on that hole. In addition they will enter the number of putts they had on the hole and whether or not they hit the green in regulation. If the player shot a birdie the score will be circled and if it was a bogie it will be squared. At the end of the round the application will sum the score, the putts, and the greens in regulations. The score will be printed on the card and the putts and green in regulation will be displayed as an overall average.
| Overview | Schedule | Grading | Proposal | Home |
DePauw University,
Computer Science Department,
Fall 2011
Maintained by Brian Howard
(bhoward@depauw.edu).
Last updated