Software and Protocols

This project is powered by quite a few microcontrollers and applications which communicate via different protocols.

There are several different devices that run their own program.

PlayerController ESP32 which controls all player specific functionality
BaseServer NodeJS based Basestation running either on raspberry or on an online server which controls the game setup and execution
Mobile application which display live game information
The Weapon Attiny IC which controls the weapons functionality
The Detector Attiny IC which handles the IR signal detection and processing
The GenericSender Attiny IC on the GenericSender PCB providing a configurable beacon functionality

These programs communicate with each other via individual connections and dedicated connections:

Weapon Control (C header): I2C between PMD and Weapon IC
- Master/Slave - Communication only initiated by PMD
Detector Control (C header): I2C between PMD and Detector IC
- Master/Slave - Communication only initiated by PMD
- Additional GPIO) line to allow the detector to indicate available data
Game Control/Game WS: TCP websocket via cellular network or 433MHz between Basestation and PMD during game phase
- "Connectionless" - Single messages broadcast (websocket messages are broadcast to other websockets serverside)
- Low bandwith, collisions possible (on 433MHz)
Setup Control/ESP API: HTTP(s) based communication over WiFi or cellular between Basestation and player controller during setup phase
App WS: TCP websocket over WiFi or cellular between web/mobile application and baseserver during game phase
IR Transmission (C header): Modulated IR signal "shooting" from weapon to detector
- 940nm - toggled with 38kHz and modulated with low frequency on/off keying
- Low bandwith, collisions possible

Software