CDSYS:ONLINE // CD_RUNNER_2026

CYBER
DEFEND
RUNNER

🎮 Godot 4⚡ Supabase 🤖 Android⌨️ GDScript
Laxman  Samuel  Sandesh  Abhishek  //  2026
02 / 15
// PROJECT BRIEF

Why This Game Exists

🛡️  Teaching cybersecurity to teenagers — disguised as a game.
🎯
0%
of attacks start
with human error
🏫
3/4
teenagers disengage
from lectures
🌍
0B
active gamers
worldwide 2026
📖
0
lectures in
this game
💡  The answer:  make the education the game itself.
THE TEAM

Meet the Builders

Four university students. One game. Built with Godot 4, Supabase, Blender & determination.

Laxman
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01
Laxman
Fullstack Developer
Godot 4  ·  Supabase  ·  PostgreSQL  ·  GDScript  ·  REST API
Samuel
✦
✦
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02
Samuel
3D Artist & Modeller
Blender  ·  Godot 3D  ·  UV Mapping  ·  Rigging  ·  Lighting
Sandesh
#
#
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03
Sandesh
UI Concept & Sound
Figma  ·  HCI Research  ·  Audacity  ·  Colour Theory  ·  UX
Abhishek
{}
{}
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04
Abhishek
Game Logic Developer
Godot 4  ·  GDScript  ·  Physics Engine  ·  Game Design  ·  AI
04 / 15
// AGILE SDLC

How We Built It

An iterative, collaborative approach — every phase repeats each sprint.

PLAN→ DESIGN→ DEVELOP→ TEST→ REVIEW→ RETROSPECT
↻ ITERATE & IMPROVE — REPEAT EACH SPRINT · 3 SPRINTS TOTAL
01SPRINT 1

Planning & Design

  • Requirements & user stories
  • Figma wireframes & mockups
  • Sprint planning & backlog
  • HCI heuristic mapping
  • Persona & user research
02SPRINT 2

Build & Iterate

  • GDScript core mechanics
  • 3D assets & environment
  • Supabase backend setup
  • Mini-games & HUD system
  • Daily standups & reviews
03SPRINT 3

Test & Ship

  • HCI heuristic evaluation
  • Playtesting with users
  • Bug fixes & refactoring
  • Android & desktop build
  • Sprint retro & feedback
AGILE MINDSETIterate quickly · Collaborate daily · Deliver incrementally · Improve continuously
DELIVER VALUEA working, shippable increment at the end of every sprint — better with each iteration
05 / 15
// USER RESEARCH

Who We Designed For

Primary user research — understanding the target player before designing the game.

Hari Ram persona🧒

Hari Ram

👤 12 years🎓 Year 8 Student📍 London, UK
❝ Cybersecurity matters but lessons are boring — I just want to play, play. ❞

🎯 Goals

  • Engaging, competitive experiences
  • Motivated by leaderboards
  • Learns by doing, not reading

⚠️ Frustrations

  • Cyber lessons feel dry & irrelevant
  • Tests kill motivation
  • Disengages after 5 min of lecture

🖥️ DEVICE & BEHAVIOUR

  • 📱Android smartphone
  • 🎮2–3 hrs mobile gaming daily
  • 🏆Driven by ranks & scores
  • ⚡3–5 min attention span

🛡️ HOW CYBERDEFEND SOLVES THIS

Passive BYTE tips→Learn while playing — no forced quiz mid-run
Rank progression→Script Kiddie → Grandmaster career path
Leaderboard→Global real-time competition
Short sessions→Runner fits 3–5 min sessions
06 / 15
// GAME CONCEPT

3D Endless Runner — Cyber City

🏃

Run & Dodge

Auto-running 3D city. Swipe left, right, or jump to dodge incoming cyber threats.

💀

6 Cyber Threats

Hacker · Virus · Phishing · Ransomware · Spyware · Deepfake — all real threats.

🛡️

3 Shields

Each hit removes 1 shield instantly. Lose all 3 → Respawn Quiz: answer 3/5 correct to continue.

⬆️

10 Levels

Speed scales 13 → 40 units/sec. Score thresholds: 1K · 2.5K · 4.5K · 7K … 32K pts.

🎓

Learn to Win

Every obstacle shows educational tips. The quiz forces real understanding before respawn.

👑

Grandmaster

Complete Level 10 → earn GRANDMASTER rank + downloadable personalised certificate.

HACKER dmg 30 VIRUS dmg 20 PHISHING dmg 25 RANSOMWARE dmg 35 · L3+ SPYWARE dmg 15 · L5+ DEEPFAKE dmg 20 · L4+
07 / 15
// UI / UX DESIGN · SAMUEL

Figma Mobile Screens

All screens designed in Figma — reviewed and approved in sprint design critiques before implementation.

Figma — Login / Sign Up screen
📱ADD IMAGE:
images/figma-login.png
Figure 1 · Login / Sign Up
Figma — Main Menu dashboard
📱ADD IMAGE:
images/figma-menu.png
Figure 2 · Main Menu Dashboard
Figma — In-game HUD
📱ADD IMAGE:
images/figma-hud.png
Figure 3 · In-Game HUD
Figma — Leaderboard screen
📱ADD IMAGE:
images/figma-leaderboard.png
Figure 4 · Leaderboard Screen
08 / 15
// HCI PRINCIPLES

Usability Heuristics (Nielsen)

NIELSEN HEURISTIC
HOW CYBERDEFEND RUNNER APPLIES IT
01Visibility of system status
HUD shows score, shields and distance in real time
02Match with the real world
Threats use real names: phishing, malware, hacker
03User control and freedom
Pause, restart and quit available at any moment
04Consistency and standards
Same neon palette, icons and layout on every screen
05Error prevention
Confirmation before quitting a run or logging out
06Recognition over recall
Labelled icons; security tips repeat between runs
07Flexibility and efficiency
Guest mode lets new players start instantly
08Aesthetic, minimalist design
Minimal HUD keeps the focus on dodging threats
09Recover from errors
Game-over screen explains the miss and offers Try Again
10Help and documentation
How to Play guide built into the main menu
ALL 10 NIELSEN HEURISTICS SATISFIED · EVALUATED DURING SPRINT 3 PLAYTESTING
09 / 15
// GAME LOGIC · ABHISHEK

Game Architecture

⚙️
_process (delta)Runs 60×/sec
📦
Spawn System0.4–2.2s interval
🎯
Hit DetectionReal x-distance
🛡️
Shield LossInstant −1
🔁
Respawn Quiz3/5 to survive

⬛ 4 AUTOLOADED SINGLETONS

👤 PlayerData

Score, XP, badges, profile — persists across all scenes

🗄️ SupabaseHelper

All HTTP calls — save score, load profile, leaderboard

🎨 UITheme

Shared fonts, colours, constants across all screens

🎵 AudioManager

Music crossfade, SFX pool, volume persistence

⏱ LEVEL SPEEDS: 13.0 · 15.5 · 18.0 · 21.0 · 24.0 · 27.0 · 30.0 · 33.0 · 36.0 · 40.0 units/sec
🛡 ENEMY POOL: HACKER · VIRUS · PHISHING · RANSOMWARE (L3+) · SPYWARE (L5+) · DEEPFAKE (L4+)
🔵 POST-RESPAWN BUBBLE SHIELD: 4 sec full invincibility · sphere radius 1.1 · flickers 8×/sec · fades in final second
10 / 15
// BACKEND · LAXMAN

Real-Time Architecture

Direct HTTP to Supabase from GDScript. No external SDK. One row per player.

PLAYER DEVICEGodot 4 · GDScript
→
REST APIDirect HTTP · No SDK
→
SUPABASEPostgreSQL · Realtime
→
LEADERBOARDBest score · 1 row/player
// DATABASE TABLES
leaderboard

alias · score · level · distance_m · updated_at

run_history

per-run log — score, level & distance of every run

profiles

player profile — alias, XP & rank linked to user_id

UPSERT LOGIC:  single POST + merge-duplicates  ·  one row per player guaranteed  ·  guest runs stay local
11 / 15
// LIVE LEADERBOARD

Global Real-Time Rankings

32,100
2ND
GhostNull
48,200
1ST
CyberFox_4829
28,750
3RD
Shadow_Fox
4THNetDefender15,400
5THByteRunner9,800
// HOW IT WORKS
01
Run Ends

Score is calculated locally — PlayerData fires save_score().

02
One-Shot Upsert

A single POST with merge-duplicates updates the player's row in Supabase.

03
Live Board

The leaderboard fetches the global top scores in real time on every visit.

Best score only — one row per player — synced worldwide in real-time

12 / 15
// CHALLENGES

Problems We Solved

MAPTiles teleported visibly as the player moved →OKRecycle only when 20+ units behind. Exact loop maths.
QIZForced quiz frustrated players on every hit →OK2.5s passive tip card replaces the mid-run quiz. Game continues.
DBDuplicate rows on leaderboard from the same player →OKUpsert with merge-duplicates — one row per player, kept at the database level.
WINPortrait game appeared as a tiny box on desktop →OKstretch/mode=viewport in project.godot. Auto-resize on any screen.
EVERY BLOCKER DOCUMENTED → SOLVED → SHIPPED
13 / 15
// ROADMAP

What Comes Next

01 [ NOW ]

Current Build

  • 6 cyber enemies with labels
  • Passive BYTE tip system
  • Real-time Supabase leaderboard
  • 5 educational mini-games
  • Guest mode — no account needed
STATUS: LIVE
02 [ NEXT ]

Next Sprint

  • Real GPS city map integration
  • Daily missions + badge system
  • More enemies (DDoS, Trojan)
  • Player archetype selection
  • Push breach notifications
STATUS: IN DEVELOPMENT
03 [ V1.0 ]

Final Release

  • Teacher dashboard & tracking
  • Full cyberpunk glitch FX
  • CISO certificate reward
  • iOS + Android submission
  • Accessibility high-contrast
STATUS: PLANNED
14 / 15
CD

Secure.
Learn.
Defend.

  • 3D cyberpunk runner — genuinely enjoyable for teens
  • Educational features — all passive, zero forced lectures
  • Real-time Supabase leaderboard — best score only
  • All 10 Nielsen HCI heuristics satisfied
  • Android + desktop — responsive viewport
HCI & APP DEVELOPMENT · 2026 · TEAM CYBERDEFEND — LAXMAN · SAMUEL · SANDESH · ABHISHEK
"Education disguised as play."
6ENEMIES
5MINI-GAMES
10RANKS
10LEVELS
✓ 10/10 HCI HEURISTICS · SCRIPT KIDDIE → GRANDMASTER
15 / 15
// REFERENCES

References

01

Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R., Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J., & Thomas, D. (2001). Manifesto for Agile software development. https://agilemanifesto.org/

02

Godot Engine contributors. (2024). Godot Engine documentation (Version 4.x). Godot Foundation. https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/

03

Irvine, C. E., Thompson, M. F., & Allen, K. (2005). CyberCIEGE: Gaming for information assurance. IEEE Security & Privacy, 3(3), 61–64. https://doi.org/10.1109/MSP.2005.64

04

Nielsen, J. (1994, April 24). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

05

Supabase. (2024). Supabase documentation. https://supabase.com/docs

ALL SOURCES CITED IN APA 7TH EDITION FORMAT
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