Robits is an educational programming game where players build and program robots to solve combat challenges. The core mechanic is a visual hex-grid programming system that teaches control flow through play, not instruction
Damen Birtola, Luke Mason, Zack Lawrence, John Khaw, David Kirkpatrick, Theo Erickson, Kennan Billimoria, Matthew Reed
UCSC Games Showcase Capstone Award for Technical Innovation
UCSC Art Dean's Fund for Excellence Recipient
The robot editor puts part customization and programming on one screen: parts on one tab, the code grid on the other. Arms stack in the menu with individual icons. The color selector exposes per-part RGB control.
The hex grid is the heart of the game. Programming chips drag onto the grid to create executable logic. Energy flows visually through connected chips, giving immediate feedback on whether your code is running. The closed-circuit hex structure teaches energy flow as an intuitive metaphor for control logic.
Sharp angular buttons paired with soft animation curves in Unreal: the shape language reflects the world's rough, edgy aesthetic while the motion keeps things approachable. The main menu uses muted colors to let the environment breathe. The pause menu pulls in more vibration to keep players anchored to the world.
What I Came Into
The Prototypes
The prototype had foundational problems: octagonal chips on a square grid created visual dissonance, the color scheme lacked hierarchy, and the parts display was disconnected from the robot itself. Playtesting confirmed it. Users struggled to understand the grid and could not map parts to their robot. That became the design brief.
Where does this go?
Point in the Right Direction
The next iteration placed the robot at center stage with parts highlighted directly on it. Playtesting showed users were experiencing a mental disconnect between the robot on the right and the parts being selected in a disconnected panel. Highlighting the editable parts directly closed that gap. This version also let users click the robot's body to begin programming, which was more intuitive in concept but still unclear in execution. Back to the drawing board.
The consistent critique was that the UI felt detached from the world. My solution was semi-transparent panels that let the environment show through, with the robot placed in a live garage setting. Players could now click directly on it to modify parts, which aligned with the familiar mental model of selecting an object and being prompted to act on it.
Robits was my deepest early experience with iteration driven by playtesting. Each version uncovered new friction that pushed the next solution. The capstone award for Technical Innovation confirmed that the programming system, and the UI carrying it, worked. Looking back, I would push the visual language further: more distinctive style, more character, less generic.