Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This video is part of a development diary series as I attempt to create a boxed escape room game.
One of the key game design decisions I made early on for my Escape Room In-A-Box was that I wanted the system to be modular - for different sorts of puzzles to be swappable in and out, to make the game replayable and customisable, and for the game controller to detect and adapt seamlessly based on the modules that had been installed.
In this video I'll demonstrate the ESP32 and Arduino code which I've started to develop to enable this (it's actually pretty straightforward) - I'm looping through a range of possible device IDs on the PJON network, and sending a single "PING" packet of data to each one. Then, the controller listens and sees which ones reply. It's much like dialling down a list of telephone numbers, increasing the digit by one each time and seeing if anyone answers... and that lets me know what modules have been installed in the box, and to adapt the gameflow accordingly.
I then describe how I've separated out the specific functionality of each puzzle controller from the generic functionality, which I've moved out into a seperate library, from where it can be included into each individual sketch. That means that, as I change and add to the functionality, I only need to edit it in one place and it will automatically be incorporated in every controller's sketch file, and I can be certain that every individual puzzle will behave in exactly the same way in response to commands like RESET, SOLVE, DISABLE, and that any messages sent *by* them will also follow a standard defined interface. This kind of common agreed base functionality is essential for the modular system to work. At the moment, when each puzzle controller receives the PING message from the controller on startup, they populate and reply with a little config structure that gives their name and current status. Again, this can be extended to include things like uptime, number of attempts made, any hints available etc.
Created with the generous support of my amazing Patreon donors. You can find more details about all my escape room tech projects at patreon.com/playfultech
This video is part of a development diary series as I attempt to create a boxed escape room game.
One of the key game design decisions I made early on for my Escape Room In-A-Box was that I wanted the system to be modular - for different sorts of puzzles to be swappable in and out, to make the game replayable and customisable, and for the game controller to detect and adapt seamlessly based on the modules that had been installed.
In this video I'll demonstrate the ESP32 and Arduino code which I've started to develop to enable this (it's actually pretty straightforward) - I'm looping through a range of possible device IDs on the PJON network, and sending a single "PING" packet of data to each one. Then, the controller listens and sees which ones reply. It's much like dialling down a list of telephone numbers, increasing the digit by one each time and seeing if anyone answers... and that lets me know what modules have been installed in the box, and to adapt the gameflow accordingly.
I then describe how I've separated out the specific functionality of each puzzle controller from the generic functionality, which I've moved out into a seperate library, from where it can be included into each individual sketch. That means that, as I change and add to the functionality, I only need to edit it in one place and it will automatically be incorporated in every controller's sketch file, and I can be certain that every individual puzzle will behave in exactly the same way in response to commands like RESET, SOLVE, DISABLE, and that any messages sent *by* them will also follow a standard defined interface. This kind of common agreed base functionality is essential for the modular system to work. At the moment, when each puzzle controller receives the PING message from the controller on startup, they populate and reply with a little config structure that gives their name and current status. Again, this can be extended to include things like uptime, number of attempts made, any hints available etc.
Created with the generous support of my amazing Patreon donors. You can find more details about all my escape room tech projects at patreon.com/playfultech
