Immersive 3D world
Roam a low poly RPG world built in Unity, where every region hides new programming challenges to conquer.
3D RPG learning for BS Computer Science
Code your way across the frontier.
Explore floating worlds, clear programming quests, and bend finite automata to your will. CSFRONTIERS turns Java, web development, PHP, Python, C#, and the Theory of Computation into an adventure that adapts to how you learn.
Teacher? Open the class portal
Admin sign in
3Year levels, from first code to automata
7Languages across the curriculum
4Question types in every quest
AIAdaptive question generation
Java
HTML
CSS
JavaScript
PHP
Python
C#
Finite Automata
Regular Languages
Adaptive AI
// why csfrontiers
Lectures become levels. Concepts become quests.
Built from the official STI West Negros University learning resources, so every challenge you clear lines up with what you study in class.
Adaptive AI quests
Generative AI crafts fresh questions from your lessons and tunes the difficulty to your current skill level.
Living automata
Walk through state machines as cave puzzles and watch abstract theory turn into something you can see and touch.
Four ways to answer
True or false, multiple choice, drag and drop, and fill in the blank keep every quest varied and focused.
XP, levels, leaderboards
Earn experience, climb your class leaderboard, and track your average score from your personal dashboard.
Real time for teachers
Teachers manage classes, build quizzes with AI help, and follow every student's progress as it happens.
// learning path
A frontier for every year level
Content unlocks with your academic standing, reinforcing the basics early and opening the Theory of Computation in third year.
1
First Year
Build programming logic from the ground up with object oriented fundamentals.
2
Second Year
Design, style, and script interactive web pages with the core web stack.
3
Third Year
Go server side and multi language, then step into the machines behind computation.
// theory of computation
Watch the machine think.
Finite automata stop being symbols on a whiteboard. In CSFRONTIERS you trace every transition yourself, one input at a time, until the machine accepts.
- Read an input string and follow each transition
- Reach the accepting state to clear the cave
- Link regular languages to real code you write
dfa.run("01")
input
0
1
ACCEPTED
// how it works
From sign up to boss fight in four steps
Create your account
Sign up with your student ID and Gmail, then confirm with a one time code.
Join your class
Enter the class code from your teacher and wait for them to approve you.
Play the quests
Launch the game, explore the world, and clear the challenges built for your year level.
Level up
Watch your XP, scores, and leaderboard rank grow from your dashboard.
// choose your portal
One system, three ways in
Students play, teachers guide, and administrators keep the whole platform running.
Students
- Play quests and automata puzzles
- Track XP, level, and average score
- Read modules and class handouts
Teachers
- Manage classes and enrollments
- Build quizzes with AI assistance
- Monitor progress and export results
Administrators
- Oversee students, teachers, and classes
- See who is online in real time
- Review platform activity logs
// executive summary
The study behind CSFRONTIERS
CSFRONTIERS is a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science thesis at STI West Negros University. It brings programming languages and the Theory of Computations with Automata together in one 3D RPG, a supplementary learning tool with challenges that adapt to each student, answer explanations from Google Gemini, and web portals for students, faculty, and administrators.
- Thesis title
- CSFRONTIERS: 3D RPG Gamified System with Adaptive A.I. for Programming Languages and Theory of Computations with Automata Learning
- Institution
- STI West Negros University, College of Information and Communications Technology, Bacolod City
- Program
- BS Computer Science, first to third year students, Academic Year 2026 to 2027
- Researchers
- Eric John M. Cuerdo, Fernando D. Batayola, Rhone Mart N. Lachica, and Joseph Anthony D. Catalino (Team Astartes)
- Thesis adviser
- Lynol I. Ibarra
- Goal
- SDG 4, Quality Education
- Platform
- A Windows 10 or 11 PC game built in Unity (C#), PHP and MySQL portals hosted on Hostinger, and Google Gemini (Gemini 3.1 Flash) for answer explanations and quiz drafts
- Method
- Agile development in sprints and a quantitative design: Google Lighthouse, the CICT System Evaluation Criteria, and an ISO/IEC 25010 questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale
- Respondents
- 85 students in the needs assessment (25 first year, 30 second year, 30 third year), 3 panel evaluators for system quality, and students and faculty for user acceptance
- Ethics approval
- No. REC0303, CICT College Ethics Review Committee, 3 May 2026
- Timeline
- Planning from October 2025, development February to September 2026, testing 14 October to 8 November 2026
// why it was built
The problem and the objectives
Programming and automata are closely linked in the curriculum, yet both are hard to learn from lectures and handouts alone. The study set out to close that gap with one interactive system.
Background of the problem
- Lecture-based teaching limits engagement and deep understanding of complex computational theory.
- Without interactive visual tools, students struggle to picture automata and connect them to real programming.
- Learning resources follow one fixed path instead of adapting to each student's level.
- Faculty have no single platform to monitor progress and manage interactive content in real time.
Objectives of the study
- Develop a fully functional 3D RPG learning system where students practice programming and automata through quests, visual simulations, and progressive challenges.
- Integrate interactive and visual features that link abstract computational concepts to practical programming tasks.
- Implement adaptive learning and content structured for each year level of the program.
- Provide a central monitoring and assessment platform so faculty can track progress in real time and manage instruction.
- Evaluate the system and reach at least a Good rating in performance (Google Lighthouse), system quality (CICT System Evaluation Criteria), and user acceptance (ISO/IEC 25010 questionnaire).
// the game
Six islands, one curriculum
Students travel a World Map of floating islands in curriculum order. Each island wraps its lessons in a story, with puzzles, obstacles, and enemies to clear before the way forward opens.
Tutorial Island
The Guide, Woodworker, Traveler, and Merchant teach movement, casting, combos, the map, and the parts of a computer.
Java Island
The Courier's undelivered letter leads up the Java Tree, through the Lower Root Hall, Upper Canopy, and Palace, to the Termite Prince and his twin, the Dark Prince.
Web Development Island
Rebuild a broken page inside a hedge maze, then clear four manor terms of houseflies and face the Housefly Lord.
Python Island
Four castle terms of Snakefly soldiers, archers, and duelists stand between the student and the Snakefly Regent.
PHP Island
Recover supplies stolen by fire ant raiders, fix Ignivar's server script on the summit, then descend through four Cinderroot terms to the Cinder Queen.
Automata Island
Each dungeon is a DFA: rooms are states and corridors are transitions labeled 0 or 1. Students walk an input string to the accepting room or find the strings the machine accepts. It covers finite automata and regular languages.
Four CastsQuick, Normal, Great, and Super casts cost more MP at each tier and ask true or false, multiple choice, drag and drop, and fill in the blank.
Adaptive AIHarder questions and areas open as level, XP, and score rise. Gemini explains answers.
Quest LogTeacher quizzes and automata cave assignments are played in the game.
ProgressXP, levels, average scores, and class leaderboards.
Saved journeyWorld Map travel, area maps, and checkpoints saved to the server.
// the system
Portals, method, and architecture
The game connects to a web portal for each role. See the portals for sign in links.
Web portal
- Students register with their student ID and Gmail, join classes, launch the game, review quizzes, and follow their XP and leaderboard rank.
- Teachers manage classes and enrollment, build quizzes from Gemini drafts they review before publishing, assign automata caves, and review answers and reports.
- Administrators manage student and teacher accounts and classes, read activity logs, and see who is online.
Method and architecture
- Agile sprints of requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, and review, guided by feedback from faculty and students.
- Unity client in C#, built as a Windows executable for the laboratory PCs, with models made in Blender and assets kept in Unity Version Control.
- PHP and MySQL server on Hostinger for accounts, classes, quizzes, and progress. Only PHP reaches the database and Gemini, so the API key never ships with the game or the browser.
- Security: hashed passwords, emailed one-time codes, role-based access, prepared statements, and HTTPS on every connection.
- Minimum PC: Windows 10 or 11, 8 GB RAM, Core i3-7100, and a GeForce GT 730 or better, plus a web browser for the portals.
// evaluation
Results of the evaluation
Objective 5 set a target of at least a Good rating in three areas. Performance and system quality are complete and both met it. The user acceptance evaluation is in progress.
100 PerformanceAverage Google Lighthouse scores on eight portal pages: 100 Performance, 98.13 Accessibility, 100 Best Practices, and 100 SEO. All are Good.Chapter IV, Table 8
2.66 of 3Overall system quality from three panel evaluators at the 3 June 2026 system defense, on the 54 item CICT System Evaluation Criteria. Good in all eight parts.Chapter IV, Table 10
85 studentsAnswered the needs assessment before development, one questionnaire per year level, chosen by total enumeration.Chapter III, Sections 3.4 and 3.5
Google Lighthouse by page
| Page | Perf | Acc | BP | SEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Student login | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Student registration | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Student home | 100 | 96 | 100 | 100 |
| Student leaderboard | 100 | 96 | 100 | 100 |
| Faculty home | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Faculty My Classes | 100 | 93 | 100 | 100 |
| Admin student list | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Average | 100 | 98.13 | 100 | 100 |
Desktop audits on the development server. Pages appeared in 0.3 to 0.4 s, main content in 0.4 to 0.6 s, with 0 ms blocking time.
System quality by part
| Part | Mean |
|---|---|
| Software developers' performance | 2.94 |
| System source codes | 2.79 |
| Delivery of information | 2.67 |
| Overall system quality | 2.67 |
| Data input | 2.61 |
| General interaction | 2.60 |
| Usability of the user interface | 2.47 |
| System help | 2.33 |
| Overall mean | 2.66 |
Rated Good (3), Needs Improvement (2), or Poor (1). A mean from 2.33 to 3.00 is Good.
User acceptance in progress. Students and faculty rate the system on an ISO/IEC 25010 questionnaire covering Quality in Use, General Interactions, Functional Requirements, and Delivery of Information, on a 5-point scale where 3.41 and above is Good. Its results will complete Chapters IV and V.
// findings
Conclusions and recommendations
The conclusions drawn so far, in the order of the objectives, and what the researchers recommend next.
Conclusions
- A functional 3D RPG lets students practice programming and automata through quests, challenges, and quizzes.
- DFA dungeons, code challenges, and AI explanations make abstract concepts visual and interactive.
- Content is structured for each year level and adapts through spell tiers and level based progression.
- The faculty and administrator dashboards give one platform to manage instruction, monitor progress, and run the system.
- Performance and system quality met the Good target. The user acceptance conclusion follows its evaluation.
Recommendations
- Add help features such as tooltips, on-screen instructions, a help assistant, and examples, since System Help rated lowest.
- Fix the accessibility issues Lighthouse found and repeat the audit on the online server.
- Measure the game's frame rate, memory use, and loading time on the laboratory PCs.
- Load test the online server with many students and faculty at once.
- Expand Automata Island to NFAs, regular expressions, context-free grammars, pushdown automata, and Turing machines.
- Extend the content to fourth year students and other CICT programs.
- Review the Gemini question drafts and explanations regularly for accuracy.
- Run a pretest and posttest study to measure the effect on grades and retention.
// documents
The thesis documents
What each document covers. The user manual is available to download. The manuscript and appendices are not posted online because they contain personal records.
Thesis Manuscript
The full study: the problem, related literature and systems, the methodology and system design, the evaluation results, and the conclusions and recommendations.
Chapters
- I. Introduction: background, current state of the technology, objectives, scope and delimitations, significance, and definition of terms.
- II. Related Literature and Systems: gamification and 3D game based learning, automata theory learning, adaptive AI in programming education, related programming and automata systems, and the research gap.
- III. Methodology: project framework, research design, Agile development, data gathering, respondents, ethics, calendar, requirements, architecture, data flow diagrams, interface design, and evaluation instruments.
- IV. Results and Discussions: Google Lighthouse performance and the panel's system quality evaluation, with user acceptance in progress.
- V. Conclusion: summary of findings, conclusions, and recommendations, with the user acceptance findings in progress.
Not posted online
Appendices A to V
The supporting records: data sources, survey instruments, costs, minutes, the project dictionary, source code, evaluation forms, and certificates.
All appendices
- Data Sources
- Report Layouts and Forms
- Written Communication
- Survey Questionnaires
- Benefactor's Location Map
- Pictures (Data Gathering and Dry Run)
- Project and System Development Cost
- Actual Thesis Expenses
- Minutes of the Proposal Defense
- Minutes of the System Demonstration
- Project Dictionary
- Relevant Source Code
- Performance Evaluation Result
- User Evaluation Questionnaire
- System Evaluation Form (IT Experts)
- Game and Web User Manual
- Final Grammar and Similarity Test Results
- Certification from Statistician
- Ethics Review Certificate
- Adviser's Acceptance Form
- Advisee and Adviser's Agreement
- Certificate of Completion
Not posted online
Game and Web User Manual
An illustrated guide for students, teachers, and administrators, with step by step instructions and screenshots.
What it covers
- Creating an account, joining a class, and reviewing quizzes
- Game controls, the Four Casts, combat, maps, and travel
- Java Island, the JavaTree, and the automata caves
- Faculty dashboard: classes, quizzes, cave assignments, and reports
- Administrator dashboard: accounts, classes, logs, and live status
- Troubleshooting and a quick reference of terms
Download PDF 1.6 MB
Survey Questionnaires
The needs assessment answered by 85 students. They rate the traditional approach and their need for a 3D game on a 5-point scale, then pick the features the system should include.
Subjects and features
- First year: Java
- Second year: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Third year: PHP, Python, and Theory of Computations with Automata
- Features asked about: log in, tutorials, instructional games, test evaluation, achievements, a help assistant, a customizable profile, a progress tracker, leaderboards, adaptive AI difficulty, and quiz challenges
Part of Appendix D
Research Poster
The project at a glance: the island journey from first to third year, system previews of the game and the three portals, key features, the researchers, and the link to SDG 4, Quality Education.
Shown at Research Expo 2026
Your frontier is waiting.
Create your account, join your class, and start turning hard computing concepts into victories.