The capstone project focuses on simulating autonomous vehicle behavior using game development tools, specifically with the Bevy game engine. The main goal is to create a simulation where a driverless car can drive and interact with obstacles to test its decision-making and adaptability. Recently, our team faced an unexpected setback when one of our members had to leave, which meant that the responsibilities and workload increased for the rest of us. While this heightened the stress level, it also brought our team closer together as we adapted to the situation, reassigning tasks and finding new ways to work effectively together.
My contribution to the project has been implementing the UI for displaying the car’s speed and creating weather effects to add complexity for the vision system. At first, these tasks seemed straightforward, but they turned out to be more complex than I anticipated. Working with Bevy was quite challenging, mainly due to its UI framework which does not feel as intuitive as other tools I am used to. Additionally, coding in Rust a completely new language was a big learning step. Writing even a simple placeholder for the speed text felt really daunting. But after struggling with the syntax and fixing errors, I finally managed to get it done. The moment of successfully implementation was very satisfying and made me feel proud that I actually broke through the barriers.
In learning more about Rust and Bevy, I got new insights into these technologies. The focus of Rust on performance and safety makes it a really interesting to me, which explains its growing demand in the technology industry. Despite its complexity, it’s satisfying to know that I’m building skills in a language that could open doors to future opportunity. Working on Bevy is challenging but I feel that it holds a lot potential as a game engine. Its modular design and focus on simplicity make it very promising.
Although these experiences were hard, they have motivated me to explore these tools further and to improve my skills. The challenges our team has faced, from technical to logistical challenges have emphasized the importance of flexibility and cooperation. The loss of a member of our team could have hindered our progress, however we relied on one another and worked well together to keep our course. This has proven the vital role of teamwork in a project of this nature. It is very motivating to see everyone rising to the occasion, sharing their expertise, and offering each other support, as the demands of the workload intensified.
Looking back on this, it has been a wide path of learning and discovery. Tackling these complexities of Rust and Bevy has deepened my technical skills. Lessons learned from this project will stay with me for a long time after it concludes. I am excited to see the final simulation come together and am proud of the hard work that our team has put in to make it a reality. Moving forward, I hope to expand on these experiences and continue exploring game development and autonomous technology.