Infection is an engaging game that will get your students running around. We recommend playing it outside, or in a large open area, to give more space for the activity.
Infection
Infection is a distributed game which simulates the spread of an illness. The goal is to stop the outbreak before every player dies!
- Number of players: 1 Master and 4, or more, additional players. The Master and all other players need a micro:bit with battery pack.
In this game, a Master micro:bit infects a single, initial player (“patient zero”) with the illness. The infected player is contagious immediately but won’t show any signs sickness during the incubation time. The sickness gets transmitted when two micro:bits get close enough to each other to “contract the disease”. After the incubation period, a sad face appears on the screen. After the sickness period, the player will eventually die and a skull displays on the screen. Dead players are out of the game.
If at least one player survives the outbreak, the game is won. Otherwise, try again!
How to play
Press A+B to enter Master mode (there’s only one Master in a game).
Wait for players to be paired. The number of paired players will display on the screen. When paired, a letter appears on the player’s screen, this letter is the player’s identity.
Once all of your players are registered, press A+B to start the infection game.
The game randomly picks a player as patient zero.
A player will transmit the disease to another player if close enough (detecting a sufficient RSSI), and if a certain probability (TRANSMISSIONPROB) of disease transfer is reached.
During the incubation phase (INCUBATION), the player does not show any sign of illness (happy face).
After that phase, the player gets sick and shows a sad face on the screen. After the sick (sad) face, the player dies and a skull shows up.
Once the game is over, the micro:bit will show the player’s id (A, B, C…), health, and
the id of the player who infected them. The Master micro:bit will show the identity of patient zero.
Icons used in the game:
- Pairing:
IconNames.Ghost - Paired:
IconNames.Happy - Dead:
IconNames.Skull - Sick:
IconNames.Sad - Incubating:
IconNames.Confused - Healthy:
IconNames.Happy
Project share
https://makecode.microbit.org/_gymCJCWPbiDu
JavaScript code
/**
* Infection game
*
* Flash all micro:bit will this script
*
* Press A+B to enter master mode (1 per game)
*
* Wait for players to be paired. The number of paired player will display on screen.
* An icon will appear on player's screen.
*
* Press A+B to start the infection game. The master will pick a random
* player as patient zero.
*
* A player will transmit the disease if close enough (RSSI)
* and with a certain probability (TRANSMISSIONPROB).
* During the incudation phase (INCUBATION), the player does not show any sign
* of illness. After that phase, the sad face shows up.
*
* The game will automatically stop once all players are dead or healthy. The master can
* also press A+B again to stop the game.
*
* Once the game is over, the micro:bit will show the player id (A,B,C...), health and
* who infected him.
*
* Icons used in the game:
*
* Pairing: IconNames.Ghost
* Paired: IconNames.Happy
* Dead: IconNames.Skull
* Sick: IconNames.Sad
* Incubating: IconNames.Confused
* Healthy: IconNames.Happy
*
*/
const INCUBATION = 20000; // time before showing symptoms
const DEATH = 40000; // time before dying off the disease
const RSSI = -45; // db
const TRANSMISSIONPROB = 40; // % probability to transfer disease
enum GameState {
Stopped,
Pairing,
Running,
Over
}
enum HealthState {
Healthy,
Incubating,
Sick,
Dead
}
const GameIcons = {
Pairing: IconNames.Ghost,
Paired: IconNames.Happy,
Dead: IconNames.Skull,
Sick: IconNames.Sad,
Incubating: IconNames.Confused,
Healthy: IconNames.Happy
}
const playerIcons = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
class Player {
id: number;
icon: number;
health: HealthState;
show() {
basic.showString(playerIcons[this.icon]);
}
}
// common state
let state = GameState.Stopped;
// master state
let master = false;
let patientZero: Player;
const players: Player[] = [];
// player state
let paired = false;
let infectedBy = -1; // who infected (playerIcon)
let infectedTime = 0; // local time when infection happened
let playerIcon = -1; // player icon and identity
let health = HealthState.Healthy;
// get a player instance (creates one as needed)
function player(id: number): Player {
for (const p of players)
if (p.id == id) return p;
// add player to game
let p = new Player();
p.id = id;
p.icon = (players.length + 1) % playerIcons.length;
p.health = HealthState.Healthy;
players.push(p);
serial.writeLine(`player ==> ${p.id}`)
return p;
}
function allDead(): boolean {
for (const p of players)
if (p.health != HealthState.Dead) return false;
return true;
}
function gameOver() {
state = GameState.Over;
if (patientZero)
patientZero.show();
}
function gameFace() {
switch (state) {
case GameState.Stopped:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Pairing);
break;
case GameState.Pairing:
if (playerIcon > -1)
basic.showString(playerIcons[playerIcon]);
else
basic.showIcon(paired ? GameIcons.Paired : GameIcons.Pairing, 1);
break;
case GameState.Running:
switch (health) {
case HealthState.Dead:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Dead, 1);
break;
case HealthState.Sick:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Sick, 1);
break;
default:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Healthy, 1);
break;
}
break;
case GameState.Over:
// show id
basic.showString(playerIcons[playerIcon]);
basic.pause(2000);
// show health
switch (health) {
case HealthState.Dead:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Dead, 2000);
break;
case HealthState.Sick:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Sick, 2000);
break;
case HealthState.Incubating:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Incubating, 2000);
break;
default:
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Healthy, 2000);
break;
}
// show how infected
if (infectedBy > -1) {
basic.showString(" INFECTED BY");
basic.showString(playerIcons[infectedBy]);
basic.pause(2000);
} else {
basic.showString(" PATIENT ZERO");
basic.pause(2000);
}
// show score
game.showScore();
basic.pause(1000);
break;
}
}
// master button controller
input.onButtonPressed(Button.AB, () => {
// register as master
if (state == GameState.Stopped && !master) {
master = true;
paired = true;
state = GameState.Pairing;
serial.writeLine("registered as master");
radio.setTransmitPower(7); // beef up master signal
basic.showString("0");
return;
}
if (!master) return; // master only beyond this
// launch game
if (state == GameState.Pairing) {
// pick 1 player and infect him
patientZero = players[Math.random(players.length)];
while (patientZero.health == HealthState.Healthy) {
radio.sendValue("infect", patientZero.id);
basic.pause(100);
}
// all ready
state = GameState.Running;
serial.writeLine(`game started ${players.length} players`);
// show startup
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Dead);
} // end game
else if (state == GameState.Running) {
gameOver();
}
})
radio.setGroup(42);
radio.setTransmitSerialNumber(true)
radio.onDataPacketReceived(({ time, receivedNumber, receivedString, signal, serial: id }) => {
if (master) {
if (receivedString == "pair") {
// register player
let n = players.length;
let p = player(id);
// show player number if changed
if (n != players.length) {
led.stopAnimation();
basic.showNumber(players.length);
}
}
else if (receivedString == "health") {
let p = player(id);
p.health = receivedNumber;
// check if all infected
if (allDead())
gameOver();
}
} else {
if (receivedString == "state") {
// update game state
state = receivedNumber as GameState;
} else if (infectedBy < 0 &&
receivedString == "infect"
&& receivedNumber == control.deviceSerialNumber()) {
// infected by master
infectedBy = 0; // infected my master
infectedTime = input.runningTime();
health = HealthState.Incubating;
serial.writeLine(`infected ${control.deviceSerialNumber()}`);
}
if (receivedString == "h" + control.deviceSerialNumber().toString() &&
health < receivedNumber) {
health = receivedNumber;
}
switch (state) {
case GameState.Pairing:
// medium range in pairing mode
if (!paired &&
receivedString == "paired"
&& receivedNumber == control.deviceSerialNumber()) {
// paired!
serial.writeLine(`player paired ==> ${control.deviceSerialNumber()}`)
paired = true;
return;
}
else if (paired && receivedString == "i" + control.deviceSerialNumber().toString()) {
playerIcon = receivedNumber;
}
break;
case GameState.Running:
// broadcast infection status
if (health == HealthState.Healthy && receivedString == "transmit") {
serial.writeLine(`signal: ${signal}`);
if (signal > RSSI &&
Math.random(100) > TRANSMISSIONPROB) {
infectedBy = receivedNumber;
infectedTime = input.runningTime();
health = HealthState.Incubating;
}
} else if (health != HealthState.Dead
&& receivedString == "health" && signal > RSSI) {
game.addScore(1);
}
break;
}
}
})
// main game loop
basic.forever(() => {
if (master) {
switch (state) {
case GameState.Pairing:
// tell each player they are registered
for (const p of players) {
radio.sendValue("paired", p.id);
radio.sendValue("i" + p.id, p.icon);
}
serial.writeLine(`pairing ${players.length} players`);
basic.pause(500);
break;
case GameState.Running:
for (const p of players) {
radio.sendValue("h" + p.id, p.health);
}
break;
case GameState.Over:
if (patientZero)
patientZero.show();
break;
}
radio.sendValue("state", state); // keep broadcasting the game state
} else { // player loop
switch (state) {
case GameState.Pairing:
// broadcast player id
if (playerIcon < 0)
radio.sendValue("pair", control.deviceSerialNumber());
else if (infectedBy > -1)
radio.sendValue("health", health);
break;
case GameState.Running:
// update health status
if (health != HealthState.Healthy && input.runningTime() - infectedTime > DEATH)
health = HealthState.Dead;
else if (health != HealthState.Healthy && input.runningTime() - infectedTime > INCUBATION)
health = HealthState.Sick;
// transmit disease
if (health == HealthState.Incubating || health == HealthState.Sick)
radio.sendValue("transmit", playerIcon);
radio.sendValue("health", health);
break;
}
// show current animation
gameFace();
}
})
basic.showIcon(GameIcons.Pairing)