Description

Pitched as a mix between Mastermind and Pokémon Go, Socialmind offers the classic Mastermind gameplay wrapped in a package that incentivizes players to get out there and play against each other. At the end of the day though, it just serves as a proof of concept developed for a class assignment, but the idea of finding other people and duelling it out to progress in the game is still at the core of the app. Regarding Mastermind's rules, each player competes to be the first to figure a colour code set by the other player, by guessing through trial and error/deduction.

Contribution

Being built in the context of a mobile development class, there were several requirements we had to meet, such as the integration GPS features, some type of database use, implementation of hardware features through camera and gyroscope use, among others. With all members of the group being part of a game development course, we obviously pushed to make some type of game related app instead of the usual "lifestyle-type" application. Our initial idea was to make something akin to what became the final concept, but based on Pictionary, and probably using Bluetooth as a means of communicating locally.

Luckly, our teacher set us straight, alerting us to the possible complexity of the idea, pushing instead for a simpler type of game that would involve a simpler type of data transmission, pushing us also in the direction of using an MQTT broker to achieve this. That way, I became responsible for everything MQTT related, and by developing the back and forth between both players around this. In the end, regarding some of our initial goals, only the online leaderboards and profile progression, were abandoned, mostly due to time constraints, making it so that every match happens in an isolated manner, not contributing to player progression. Players can still customize their profiles by setting a profile pic though.