1. Toshio Iwayi- electroplankton.
Iwayi, is well known for the table an interactive game/installation. But this is the Tables evolution, a game launched by Nintendo for the DSlite : electroplankton.
A beautiful example of an aquatic simulation. The creatures, depending on their figures respond differently to various input (move, record, touch) with sounds. This is more an interactive playful experience rather than a game, but the feeling of ‘communicating’ and belonging to this virtual underwater world is greatly successful. I m listing the creatures figures to get an idea.
- Tracy — Moves on lines you draw, with the speed depending on how fast the line was drawn
- Hanenbow — Launches off a leaf, then bounces on the leaves of a plant
- Luminaria — Move arrows to affect their direction
- Sun-Animalcule — Place them on the screen and they will grow, as well as give off different-pitched sounds depending on their position on the screen
- Rec-Rec — Records up to four sound samples and plays them over various drumloops
- Nanocarp — They move around randomly, or they can make formations by doing different things in the mic
- Lumiloop — Spin them around and they will make simple sounds
- Marine-Snow — Each will give off a tone when touched and switch places with the one touched previously
- Beatnes — Plays NES music in the background and they repeat sounds when you touch them
- Volvoice — Records your voice and repeats it with an assortment of effects to choose from
2. Plantasia, Nick Fortugno-Gamelab
In Plantasia, an online casual game, you have to plant seeds, harvest flowers, restore fountains, in order for your gardens to bloom. Meanwhile you have to watch out for weeds, rocks, insects that make things harder for you. The game is time based and the simulation you have especially after climbing up a few levels is that its super hard to keep those gardens flourish. But the mechanics are more than addictive. In a sense the game teaches you step by step how to become faster, develop a strategy rather than run around planting randomly.
Mechanics : choice between two tools to plant two different types of seeds.
Process: dig-plant-water-collect. Collection gives you points.
Goals: points lead you to goals of each level. e.g. 3000 points gives you a garden statue.
As layers progress, you are given more tools and you begin to face enemies that will eat your flowers. Also, goals are more than one. You can go for the average goal and also the expert goal. Wanting to achieve the expert goal makes you develop strategy. That leads to the most interesting part about plantasia. At the end, the gardens you make (space) reflects your play (strategy).
3. Electrocity, Genesis
In electrocity, you basically play the mayor of a town. You are given a small town in New Zealand (genesis is the country’s leader leading generator and retailer of electricity) and you have to plan ahead in order to keep balance and make your city sustainable.
What is successful about it is the simulation of how complicated it is to sustain a city. That is conveyed to you not only through game play but also when you give a look at your final score. It is an additive procedure of varied scores you achieve in different domains, for example popularity, environment, population, security of supply .
game play&mechanics. : In electrocity you have to balance between keeping up numbers in population-money-local body rates, coal supplies, and balance in electricity supply and the environment. From the above only money + body rate are active elements. The rest response to the changes made regarding how much you spend or how high your rates are. All play takes as long as 200 turns. By taking turns you can get profits from your previous turns tax policy. Meanwhile you click on locations on your city and choose between different options. e.g. forest found, what do you do, log it, preserve it. Each choice has an impact on smaller domains but also on the total ’sustainability’ of your city.
4.Spore, Electronic arts
I will have to review this further in the semester if i m lucky enough to get a pre-release version, since spore comes out march 2008. Nevertheless, what is fascinating about spore is that its greatly interactive for a world building game. Instead of choosing your avatar, players can model, skin, and animate creatures using the games intuitive creation tools. As to game play, the game has five evolution phases each related to a different game play.
- Tide Pool Phase :Fight with other creatures and consume them to adjust the form and abilities of your creature. It’s survival of the fittest at the most microscopic level.
- Creature Phase :Venture onto land and help your creature learn and evolve with forays away from your nest. The only way to grow is by taking chances!
- Tribal Phase :Instead of controlling an individual creature, you are now caring for an entire tribe. Give them tools and guide their interactions as you upgrade their state of existence.
- Civilization Phase : Once your city is established, your creatures begin seeking out and interacting with other cultures. Make contact with an olive branch or a war cry. The goal for your creatures is to conquer the planet.
- Space Phase : The time has come to move on to other worlds in your solar system. Make contact, colonize, or terraform, then venture further to find other solar systems. A ‘mission’ structure provides new goals in your quest for galactic dominance.
Now the idea when you start your game, living in a small circle of water is that your goal is to reproduce, alongside with avoiding your enemies and eating. So once you make an egg you actually can add a feature to your creature and evolve it. Give him a horn and he will fight his enemies. Depending on where in the creature you are going to place the horn his fight style may change. Long story short, the choices you make about your creature affect his evolution. Meanwhile you also have a second goal- in the editor you have the brain. Slowly investing to your brain will take you to different levels.
You can see a great video of gameplay here…
