This is a guide I wrote mostly for my future self on how to set up an ergonomic development environment for writing Arduino programs in c without any Arduino-specific tools and using an Arduino to make a simple circuit with some flashing LEDs. I’ll also discus options for powering the Arduino from a 12v DC power supply.

One problem with using the rust programming language for game development is the notoriously slow compile times. For my recent 7DRL project Boat Journey an incremental debug build takes about 6 seconds on my main development machine. This is frustratingly slow when making many minor gameplay tweaks during playtesting.

Boat Journey is a turn-based game where you drive a boat through a procedurally-generated landscape on a voyage along a river destined for the ocean. Accept passengers to have them help you on your journey. Fight monsters, collect junk, trade the junk for fuel, use the fuel to travel to the ocean.

You can play it in a web browser or download the game from gridbugs.itch.io/boat-journey.

The source code for the game is at github.com/gridbugs/boat-journey.

The sun is peeking beneath my curtains and another 7DRL draws to a close. Today I implemented the passenger mechanic, the trading mechanic, collectable junk (the game’s currency), the combat system via abilities gained from passengers, and added 7 different passengers you can pick up, each granting you a unique ability.

The game is playable and downloadable on itch.io at gridbugs.itch.io/boat-journey.

During playtesting I found some interesting emergent mechanics.