Week 4 (2/28 – 3/6)
Reflections:
Not gonna lie, it was pretty weird coming back from my week long trip away with no internet, then suddenly I'm back and was put into a group working on a game just like that
I got acquainted with the general concept of the Bee Sim game, and it seems quite neat and not too complicated
I also got acquainted with all the other games and what features and ideas they had
If there's one in particular that stuck out to me as notable, it was Pass the Word. The ideal seemed novel, as no other education game I know tackled that specific topic, and the way they seemed to be structuring it as more of a multiplayer experience was different to any other in the class. I remember suggesting that if they have a single player element, they structure it like an arcade ladder in a fighting game, and I wonder if they'll attempt that idea.
HW7:
Game LOs & MDA
Team Members’ Names and emails
Autumn Stubbs, autumn@udel.edu
Trevor Koenig, tkoenig@udel.edu
Brandon Dongfack dbrandon@udel.edu
Chris Clark chrisark@udel.edu
Game Name: Bee Sim
Elevator Pitch
Bee Sim (working title) is a single-player online game for children which allows players to experience life as a bee, from foraging for resources to defending the hive from honey thieves, such as bears humans, all the while fighting against health and time constraints. It is a 2D game designed in the style of classic arcade games, and involves similar gameplay in terms of motion.
Learning Aspects:
Teach about foraging, honey making, and the effects of bees on the ecosystem
Learning Domains
Apiology
Botany (what plants do bees go to, what parts of the plants they use)
Target Audiences
2nd to 4th grade
Target Contexts
This game could be used in free time, as well as in science classes.
Learning Objectives
Describe what resources bees gather and how they do that
Describe the defense mechanisms of a beehive
Describe the roles of different bees in the hive
Determine which plants may be helpful to bees
Prerequisite Knowledge
Able to read at 2nd grade level
Related Games for these Learning Objectives and the Gap
What sets this project apart?
Incorporates real information about honey bees
Is fun
Game Aesthetics
Fantasy, challenge
Overview of Initial Game Play Dynamics and Mechanics
Players: 1
How it achieves the aesthetics:
The challenge element is achieved through various mechanics. For example, some flowers give more nectar and pollen than others, bees have a limited amount of energy for flight, bees can lose health or die from various things, like stinging. These are constraints that create obstacles the player must work with.
Fantasy is created through the mechanics mentioned above. These mechanics are accurate to real bees, and allow the user to temporarily step into the role of a bee
Mechanics:
Bees can only fly for a certain amount of time without food or rest
Bees can lose health through injuries
Different flowers are more or less valuable to bees in terms of nectar and pollen
Influences on your game ideas (Brief)
Classic Arcade Games (E.g., Dig Dug, Bubble Bobble, etc.)
Video Game
We would like to emulate the simple, but interesting art style used in these games, as well as the two dimensional movement of characters
Super Mario Galaxy:
Video Game
We like the concept of a health meter, which we would like to use when bees collect resources outside the hive. Also, the game has an air meter when mario goes underwater. We think we could implement something similar when bees fly. (E.g., they can only fly a certain distance/amount of time without drinking nectar or returning to the hive. BOTW stamina wheel)