Cornell Tower Defense

Project Overview
Cornell Tower Defense is an intermediate-level Embedded Systems project designed for B.Tech/B.E students.

Objectives
- Understand the problem statement and define clear functional requirements for the system.
- Select, interface and calibrate the required hardware modules and verify each block individually.
- Design and implement the complete solution using RP2040, C.
- Test the implementation, document the results, and prepare a working demonstration.

Software and Tools
- C
- Arduino IDE

Technology Stack
RP2040, C

Working Principle and Implementation
The system is built around RP2040 which acts as the main controller. Input modules and sensors are connected to the controller, the firmware reads and processes the data, and the results are used to drive the outputs, display information or communicate with a connected application or dashboard. Each stage — power supply, wiring, firmware upload and testing — is covered step by step so the project can be reproduced reliably.

Applications
- Academic mini/major project submission for B.Tech/B.E (Embedded Systems).
- Base platform that can be extended with additional features for real-world use.
- Hands-on practice with RP2040, C.

Learning Outcomes
- Practical understanding of RP2040, C.
- End-to-end project workflow: requirement analysis, design, implementation and testing.
- Documentation and presentation of a complete engineering project.

Project Details
- Domain: Embedded Systems
- Level: B.Tech/B.E
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Estimated Duration: 4-6 weeks

Detailed Project Description

Cornell Tower Defense implements complete game logic — board/state, rules, turns, scoring and win detection — behind a responsive interface.

How It Works
1. The game state (board, players, score) is modelled in data structures.
2. User input is validated against the rules before the state is updated.
3. The screen is redrawn after each move and win/lose conditions are checked.
4. Scores and settings are saved between sessions.

Technology Roles
- RP2040
- C

Implementation Steps
1. Design the board/screen layout and list the rules precisely.
2. Set up the project in C, Arduino IDE and create the game screens.
3. Model the game state (board, players, score, turn) in data structures.
4. Implement move validation, turn handling and win/draw detection.
5. Add rendering, animations, sound and score persistence.
6. Play-test extensively for rule errors and edge cases; polish the UI.

Key Features
- Rule enforcement
- Smooth rendering
- Score tracking
- Restart / settings

Expected Output
On completion the student will have a playable game with correct rules and score keeping.

Deliverables
- Complete source code with comments
- Database schema / data model and screen flow
- Project report with screenshots and results
- Demonstration-ready build