Drop World

Prerequisites: None
Levels: Newbie, Trainee, Dandy, Progidy.

In this challenge, your spuCraft is dropped into a deep hole. With the three thrusters, you are able to slow the vehicle down and even turn it around to head upward. The challenge is broken into two parts. The first part of the challenge is all about getting the feel for piloting the craft. Feel free to control it by hand. By default the thruster signal, is connected to the right thumbstick on the gamepad, vertical axis. Try to land safely. To progress to the next part of the challenge, though, you might need to make a stop on the way down. The second part of the challenge is where you are truely tested. To avoid touching deadly flowers, you are going to have to deploy a protective halo. But it’s harder than it looks. To match speeds properly requires super-human precision. This is an engineering problem that requires an understanding of Newton’s Second Law and position/velocity/acceleration kinematics, as well as some computational thinking.

Table of Links

• Reference Sheets
• Video: Drop Challenge – Top Landing
• Video: Drop Challenge – Beware of Flowers
• Video: SpuPilot – Input Scripts and Switches
• Video: SpuPilot – Automatic Switches
• Video: Figuring Out Drop Dandy
• Help! I can’t figure it out…

Reference Sheets

Here are the reference sheets from the SpuPilot. Click to enlarge.

    

Video: Drop Challenge – Top Landing

The video (2:56 min) provides an overview of the top part of the challenge.

Video: Drop Challenge – Beware of Flowers

Now, on to the challenging part of the challenge. This video (3:57 min) outlines what you need to get done, leaving you wondering how you’re going to be able to do it.

Video: SpuPilot – Input Scripts & Switches

To complete the challenge, you will need to be able to provide exactly the right amount of thrust at exactly the right moment. In this video (10:33 min), we address that first part.

Video: SpuPilot – Automatic Switching

Now it’s time to get Spumone to activate your thrust script automatically at a specified moment.

Video: Figuring Out Drop Dandy

Dandy can seem tricky. In this video I describe the Dandy-level challenge and then offer some things to think about… that might help steer you toward a solution.

Help! I can’t figure it out…

Can’t figure something out? Here are some posts aimed at getting you on track.

• Landed on pad. Now what?
• How do I get the spark?
• I’m not a gamer. I’m not able to maneuver to spuCraft well enough to pass.
• Can’t figure out how much thrust to give.
• Can’t figure out how to approach the first belt.
• Should I use an automatic switch?
• Damn lasers. (Trainee challenge)
• How do I pass “Prodigy” level?

Do you have other help topics you want to see? Ask on Piazza.