Automata Wizard

Quizzes
Regex question
Finite automata
Automata design challenges
Push down automata
Automata introduction
Turing machines
Learning material

Inspiration

The project was inspired by difficulties students including us faced while learning automata theory at our college.

What it does

The project is a video game where players are first taught about automata and then they are challenged to make automata to recognise languages. The automata designed are tested against predefined test-cases and if they pass, the player proceeds to the next level.

How we built it

We build the game in the open-source game engine Godot, in c#.

Challenges we ran into

We ran into the problem of designing engaging levels and ensuring that the automata introductions we provide are intuitive for newcomers.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of actually designing a game of teaching basic automata theory fully, as opposed to just some slice of it.

What we learned

We learnt that designing a game that is both engaging and informative for most people isn't as easy as it seems, and that pedagogy is very important to ensure that the things one teach is accessible to everyone.

What's next for Automata Wizard

We intend on refining the content we teach to make it easier for everyone, even people new to computer science, about basic automata theory and its uses.