Team Name
The Beaver Team
Timeline
Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
Students
- Declan Quinn
- Mai Tran
- Cecilia Romero
- Viswateja Abburu
- Viena Milla Orridge
Sponsor
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Abstract
The primary goal of our project was to create a game that serves as an educational tool for river dam management while being fun and engaging for younger audiences.
Background
The current interactive display for use in our sponsor’s River Dam visitor centers is outdated and fails to both attract the target audience and effectively convey information about river dam operation. Our client tasked us with creating a more interactive display in the form of a short video game designed for visitors of all ages but primarily in the elementary to middle school age brackets that is fun, short, and informative.
In this game, players will take on the role of a river dam operator and respond to simple challenges that test their knowledge of river dam operation. In the case they need assistance, they can travel around the city to find clues in a scavenger hunt-style minigame that will aid them in the operation of the dam. This game highlights the importance of river dams in modern society to emphasize their utility to communities around them, effectively conveying the information through a series of short scenarios that have been repurposed from the prior interactive display.
Project Requirements
• Run both on mobile and desktop machines
• Run independently of any network
• Elucidate the benefits of River Dams
• Detail River Dam operation
• Be fun for all ages
• Allow the player to explore and interact with the city and its inhabitants
• Contain at least 3 weather scenarios that test the player’s knowledge of river dam operation
System Overview
After extended consideration, we settled on a simple, straightforward game loop with well-defined terminators. This was implemented using Unity, so much of the background architecture is obscured. However, much of the High-level systems and elements are well-understood
System Overview Diagram:
Game Loop Overview:
Results
Game Demo (link)
Player and Van:
Weather Scenario:
Player Collecting Hints:
Water Level Changing:
Player Driving:
Future Work
Currently, there is no future work planned for our project. Our sponsors were happy with the results and plan to begin using the game in their visitor centers.
Project Files
Project Charter (link)
System Requirements Specification (link)
Architectural Design Specification (link)
Detailed Design Specification (link)
Poster (link)
