Based on the "Hoop Fever" arcade basketball game, our iteration fixes many shortcomings of the original, with modifications to allow for a new gameplay mode: teams. The original could not detect 'rapid-fire' shots entering the hoop, so we used an algorithm based on hill climbing, to detect the shape of objects entering the IR reflection area, and increment the score counter accordingly. Layout improvements were made to optimize the user's interactions with the machine, allowing for easy access to key information even during gameplay. EEPROM high-score storage allows for bragging rights to remain in the event of system failure or power loss. The aforementioned improvements allow for two players to play on one machine in teams, and improve reliability for more serious competition.
Jason Thibodeau received his B.S. Engineering in Computer Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2007. He has been employed by the New York Stock Exchange in the computer architecture department, as well as OEM Controls Inc. as an embedded software engineer. He currently attends UConn full time, pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. In what little spare time he has, he enjoys programming interactivity on FPGAs and uC's. www.jayt.org