Documentation

This page contains spoilers for the Mission to Planet C-128 Escape Room!

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Project Description

Mission to Planet C-128 is a science fiction themed escape room built in a custom-built spaceship set with an electronics system that runs on an Arduino Mega. Playable within an hour, this escape room leads 1-4 players through a thrilling adventure as they work to fix different parts of a spaceship in order to complete their mission.

Story Hook

You’ve just been hired by Cobalt Energies, a research and technology company desperate for a new employee to take over after their previous pilot quit unexpectedly. Untrained and uninformed, you’ll have to navigate the mess the former pilot left behind. Face faulty electronics, locked doors, and damaged systems to complete the emergency mission and unearth the secrets your new employer has been hiding.

1-4 players

1 hour target play time

1 room

Linear puzzle order

Family friendly

5 puzzle modules

Unique interactions

Easy difficulty

Immersive design

Wheelchair accessible (small confines)

Puzzle Modules

Flow Board

Given a set of wires, players will connect colored hubs to complete 5 circuits. The wires magnetize to metal pads on each hub to complete all circuits without crossing any of the wired connections. This game is a physical replication of a level in the game "Flow Free" and is meant to look like a circuit board.

Launch System

At the start of the game, the players insert a plexiglass "access card" into a slot to complete a circuit and turn on the screen interface. Later, players are asked to launch the ship. According to a diagram hidden in the room, players must push four switches to the correct positions, then press a large button in order to complete this task.

Navigation Chart

A UV flashlight reveals constellations on a starmap on the wall. The constellations, labeled with nearby star systems, correspond with both trading cards and a short parable. Players use a keypad to input the 5 star systems in the order they appear in the story.

Administrative Access Chips

After inserting a key into the wall, players receive a red lens. Looking through it at the screen interface reveals 3 letters. In a drawer, players find lettered chips made of plexiglass with copper tape on one end. The 3 hidden letters correspond to three of the lettered chips, and the chips fit into slots in a compartment, which complete a circuit with the copper tape.

Fuse Boxes

Players find a battery that powers a number wheel. Using the wheel to convert numbers to colors. Using panels in each fuse box, the players can identify numbers that correspond with each fuse connection. The players finish the puzzle by inserting the correct fuse into each box based on this number and the colored stripe on each fuse.

Missile Guidance System

To end the game, players must "repair the missile guidance system" to protect the ship from an alien attack. To do this, players place mirrors in specific places in the room to reflect the beams of three different laser pointers into three sensor boxes. These sensor boxes use light sensors to read a change in luminosity and record if the laser is shining at the right spot.

How it works

Screen Interface

The screen gives instructions to the players as they progress through different stages of the escape room. Using Open Processing, the screen shows different text, images, and even plays sounds according to the serial data (a string of numbers) recieved from the Arduino.

Electronics System

Nearly all of the modules use some kind of component that completes a circuit. In order to keep this complex project as simple as possible, I picked the simplest input possible: a button. To work, a circuit must be a complete loop. Buttons work by breaking the circuit (causing a physical gap) and completing it. The Arduino microcontroller reads if there is power running through the circuit (the loop is complete) or not (there is a physical gap). In this game, players complete simple circuits by placing game objects with some kind of conductive material in a specific area.

Servo Boxes

To keep the game linear, servos were used to automatically unlock compartments at specific times. When players complete a certain action like pressing the right button or inserting a circuit-based key, a servo arm would rotate, releasing a tensioned piece of monofilament and letting a compartment door open. This allowed players to receive certain game objects only after completing specific tasks.

Tool Bits & Locks

Instead of using traditional locks and keys like most escape rooms, I created a tool with interchangeable tool bits, that fit the style of the game. The tools bits have different sizes of hex bits, and are color coordinatd with the different locks. For each new stage of the game, the players receive a new tool bit to gain access to new game objects.

Fabrication

By reusing flats from a CU Theatre show as walls, I was able to build a small custom-shaped spaceship room. This allowed me to fully build out the space in whatever way I needed to, including cutting holes in the walls, attaching components, and painting.

Most game objects are either 3D printed or lasercut, with the exception of some commercially-made componenents like laser pointers and mirrors.

Playtesting

Formal playtesting happened in the three weeks before the experience opened to the public. Four groups were observed while playing room, then interviewed after the experience based on a set of predetermined questions and observations made during play. Small changes were made after each test to improve the play experience.

Final Project

Walkthrough Video

Coming Soon!

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