Honors Link

By: Jana Zvibleman

Levi Hayden says his “bucket list” of things he wanted to accomplish in life used to include creating an app for mobile devices. And this July, the Honors College senior was able to use his Honors thesis to check that item off.

Working with Ron Metoyer from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Hayden – a mechanical engineering and marketing major – developed and released Drone Drop, a simulation of a flying device that, with the player’s click of a button, drops packages into crates.

Before beginning his work, Hayden had little knowledge about making games. “I was a little concerned at first,” says Metoyer, “but that’s what we’re here for, right, to facilitate learning. [This] was not your typical Honors thesis, but it was clear early on that Levi was driven to succeed, so I was pretty confident that he would be able to pull it off. It was a great experience for Levi, and as always, I learned a lot as well.”

“I didn’t want to do a typical thesis,” says Hayden, who planned to graduate in summer term, 2014. “I wanted to accomplish something on my list, before hitting real life and getting a real job.”

Though Hayden was an avid game player on his computer, he knew that most gamers use mobile devices. He surveyed some of the most popular mobile games, such as Flappy Bird and its spinoff, Splashy Fish, to identify the qualities that successful games had in common.

“A good game is easy to learn and difficult to master,” he determined. “It should be simple, with intuitive controls. And its design should be clean – not overburdened with graphics. But it should be a challenge. Games are a love/hate relationship. People typically can’t do well at first; they get frustrated that their friends are making better scores. So they try more and get addicted.”

Hayden was confident that he could build a game with those attributes. But he found it difficult to find a faculty member who would agree to serve as his thesis mentor. “Probably because the topic was outside my field, and they thought they’d have to hold my hand a lot. But people recommended Dr. [Ronald] Metoyer, in the computer science department. He said ‘yes’ – he believed me, that I just wanted him to let me learn.”

And the learning curve was relatively steep, at least at first: Not only did Hayden have to develop Java coding abilities, he became familiar with graphic design and customization, using royalty-free sound effects, and marketing the completed application.

Hayden’s career goals involve designing mechanical systems. He says his talents and education have uniquely equipped him to “bridge the gap between engineering and marketing.” In his final year at Oregon State, he developed management experience as the head staff member of the University Honors College Student Learning Center, leading a seven-member staff.

In the meantime, turning in his thesis does not mean the end of this project. “Now that I’ve checked creating a game off my list, I plan to at least bring Drone Drop to iOS and create additional themes and graphic sets – like, it’s now trees and cityscape, but we could eventually make the game with a background of stars, with aliens.” He’s recruited his former roommates into this effort; “by the end of the year, the game will be out for a larger audience, iPhone and iPad users. Then we’ll really start marketing and see the downloads rise. If Drone Drop is successful, I would consider incorporating as Island Studios (LLC) and making more applications.”

Drone Drop FREE!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fmi.game.android
This game will test your coordination with a simple two-button control system. The objective is to drop packages into crates as you fly by them. With realistic physics, your task is not as easy as you may initially believe. Tap the bottom-left of your screen to fly your drone and tap the bottom-right to release a package.
But watch out! There are four different pick-ups that will make your task more complicated. Boost your score by picking up a bonus point. Hurt your score by colliding with a penalty point. Speed up your drone by hitting a speed boost. Or end your game instantly by colliding with death.
This game is kid friendly, but will challenge anyone who plays it.
Comments are invited at IslandStudiosUS@gmail.com