The purpose of this project was to design and create a game that would attempt to address and solve some real-world problem. The first step in this process was to select a problem that could be solved or addressed with a game. For this, I ultimately decided to create a game trying to address the problems of creating a food system that can adequately distribute food to a population. Next my advisor and I discussed how to gamify this problem into a relatively easy to digest form while also using such game mechanics to help inspire a solution. Ultimately, I decided that the tower defense genre has a very similar planning element to what is needed in a successful food system; thus, this was the genre chosen to make the game in. Additionally, I created a survey with the purpose of gauging how well the game addresses the problem of food system planning. I then built the game using the Unity engine. This process involved starting with a tower defense toolkit in Unity to create two levels, then introducing new sounds, 3D models, and user interface elements to make the game better express the message that I wanted it to communicate. Lastly, I gathered a small group of people to play the game and take the survey. While the sample size was small, the consensus among them was that the game was fun and did have some message attached to it, though that message was not entirely clear.
- This game is only supported on Windows machines.
- Click the "Clone or download" button.
- If familiar with Git, clone the repository. Otherwise, click "Download ZIP". (Note: This is a large file)
- Unzip the ZIP file.
- Run "Food_Distribution_TD.exe".
- Select a resolution, graphics quality, and monitor ("1920 x 1080", "Medium", and "Display 1", respectively should be acceptable).
- Click "Play!".
- Click "Level Select" and choose a level to start with (Level 1 is recommended).
- You begin with $10 to spend, and buildings cost the amount indicated under their respective symbols on the bottom right of the screen.
- You can pan the camera by moving your mouse to the side of the screen that you want the camera to pan towards.
- Place a building by clicking its symbol, then clicking on any available space indicated by a grid or a hexagon.
- Placing a building on the grid takes up a certain amount of space per building.
- Hexagons can fit any one building.
- Grocery stores and health food stores fit in any 2 x 2 section of the grid space.
- Supermarkets fit in any 3 x 3 section of the grid space.
- Mom & pop stores cannot fit onto the grid space and can only be placed on the hexagonal spaces.
- You can sell any building by clicking on it after it is placed and selecting "Sell".
- Note that you do not get a full refund on sold buildings after the waves of incoming people have started.
- Once your initial layout is complete, begin the game by clicking "Start Wave".
- People will enter the system from the top of the screen.
- Your goal in each level is to feed 5 waves of people with varying degrees of hunger, indicated by their appearance.
- The yellow haired people are less hungry than the brown haired people, who are less hungry than the red-shirted people.
- You fail the level,and thus your food system fails, if ten people leave the system without being properly fed, indicated by them reaching the red hexagon at the end of the level.
- People will move throughout the level somewhat randomly, so be prepared for them to not follow the level straight to the end.
- The fewer people that leave the system without being properly fed, the better your ranking at the end will be.
- Once you have completed Level 1, you can click "Next Level" to try the harder Level 2, click "Main Menu" to return to the main menu, or click "Restart" to restart the level.
- Clicking the pause button will also allow you to restart the level or return to the main menu.
- You can quit the game from the main menu.
- Clone the repository or download a ZIP as explained in "Instructions for Use".
- Unzip the ZIP file.
- Open Unity.
- Click "Open".
- Navigate to the "games_for_good" folder that was created by unzipping the ZIP file or cloning the repository.
- Select the "Food_Distribution_TD" folder.
- Click "Select Folder".
- Unity will compile the code and then open the project for you to edit.