Game Design
Unreal Engine
This is a 1-minute preview video. For the complete gameplay video, please check out https://youtu.be/YVnFIdIO6dA or scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the video.
Explore the Mysteries of the Planet:
A Science Education Adventure Game
Awarded: The Gold Medal in the 2nd Caohua Cup Digital Culture Innovation Competition
(The moment I received the gold medal.)
Role: Team Leader & Game Developer
Duration: 2021.05 - 2021.12
Tool: Unreal Engine
Platform: iOS & Android
This game aims to let players explore the natural environment on the Mysterious Planet in a playful way, understand the balance of nature and all living things, and stimulate their interest and curiosity in scientific knowledge.
Players need to explore each scene, collect items and clues, and use the knowledge and experience they have gained to unlock the puzzles in each scene, ultimately discovering the whereabouts of the eight mysterious patterns and uncovering the answer to the entire game.
In addition, the game also features various mechanisms such as character transformation, synthesis, upgrade, clues, backpack, cooperation, friends, map, picture book, teleportation, and more, allowing players to better experience the fun of adventure and the education of natural knowledge during the game.
The Search for the Mysterious Patterns: A Journey to Discover Secrets of the Planet
In the year 8000 AD, players take on the role of an explorer from the planet D812 who is sent on a mission to an unknown planet. Prior to this, a group of explorers had landed on this mysterious planet and brought back a treasure chest inscribed with eight mysterious patterns. Surprisingly, even with D812's advanced technology, the chest could not be opened. Researchers speculate that the chest contains secrets about the mysterious planet and opening it requires finding the whereabouts of the eight patterns. This is why you were sent to the mysterious planet...
Eventually, after collecting all eight patterns, players will discover that the planet they were exploring is actually the Earth, which had suffered ecological destruction but managed to recover.
Characters
JAMS
The explorer from planet D812 had a strong curiosity for unknown things and was skilled in operating advanced technology. After many experiments, the explorer mastered the method of implanting chips into living organisms to manipulate them.
However, what frustrated JAMS the most was the limited capacity of the backpack due to the shortage of upgrade materials.
LUCKY-16
JAMS' spacecraft not only allows for soaring through the skies, but also enables underwater exploration. Any excess materials collected can be stored within the spacecraft. With the ability to quickly shuttle between continents, JAMS has the freedom to explore at will.
Deep Blue
"Deep Blue" is one of the maps in the "Natural Organisms" section of our game. It focuses on ocean knowledge and exploration. In this map, players will have the opportunity to search for clues and collect various items, such as glowing bacteria, coral, and seashells. By using these items to craft a glow stick, players can uncover a mysterious pattern hidden deep within the ocean. Through this map, players can deepen their understanding of ocean creatures and ecosystems.
The Realm of the Sand River
"The Realm of the Sand River" is one of the maps in the "Natural Phenomena" section of our game. This map focuses on mudslide knowledge and exploration. In this map, players need to follow clues to locate a dried-up riverbed and then make a quick decision when a sudden thunderstorm triggers a mudslide. Players must navigate their way through the treacherous landscape and reach safety by climbing up a rock face. Through this map, players can learn about natural disasters and develop problem-solving skills.
The adventure mission requires players to collect clues, explore different terrains, and find the eight mysterious patterns to unlock the treasure box. Along the way, players will encounter challenges and need to collect items to create useful tools. Players can gain experience points through collecting items and leveling up, which unlocks new skills or enhances existing ones. The knowledge section of the game offers players the opportunity to scan and collect information on different creatures and learn from the natural environment to solve the mysteries of the game.
Exploration Missions
The previous group of explorers left some clues. Upon entering each section, you will receive a photo that hints at the next clue. All the clues lead to the mysterious pattern that unlocks the treasure chest.
During the exploration, you will encounter various difficulties. Collect items along the way and try to combine them to overcome obstacles.
Collecting items earns experience points, which can be used for upgrades. Upgrades can grant new skills or strengthen existing ones.
Your backpack has limited capacity, so plan ahead.
Science Education
Your scanning goggles will automatically scan basic information about the creatures within your sight and add them to your collection, which you can consult at any time.
Nature is full of mysteries, and everything you encounter has a meaning. You need to think carefully and explore each region to reveal all the secrets, including the mysterious pattern.
In the game, we opted for a realistic environment and a futuristic UI design, creating a contrast that emphasizes humanity's return to Earth on the mysterious planet.
The game features various mechanisms such as character transformation, synthesis, upgrading, clues, backpack, cooperation, friends, map, encyclopedia, and teleportation, providing players with an immersive and educational adventure experience.
Crafting Mechanism:
Collect items according to prompts and try to combine them. Only by crafting the correct tools can players overcome the difficulties they encounter.
Leveling Up Mechanism:
Players can accumulate experience points by constantly collecting and crafting tools. Upon reaching a certain value, players can level up and have a chance to acquire new skills. Experience points can also be used to level up equipment and expand backpack capacity. Higher-level equipment can provide more convenience and help players improve efficiency.
Clue Mechanism:
Previous explorers left behind some photos related to the mysterious pattern. Find the location in the photo to obtain the second clue and follow the hints to find the final pattern (the clues can take various forms, including images, sounds, and environmental changes).
Friend Mechanism:
Players can add friends in the game.
Map Mechanism:
Each area on the map has a different theme, and players can navigate to any area to explore by driving their flying cabin.
Encyclopedia Mechanism:
The glasses worn by the character have the function of scanning and identifying biological information. The scanned biological information is automatically stored in the handbook, which players can browse anytime from the menu.
Mission Mechanism:
The game features a variety of tasks to complete, including daily quests, main storyline missions, and exploration challenges, each offering unique rewards and experiences.
Other Mechanisms:
Character Transformation Mechanism: Players can capture animals in the environment and switch to their perspective by implanting chips to control their actions.
Backpack Mechanism: Players need to put the collected items into the backpack, which has limited capacity. Players can store excess items in the flying cabin. Due to the limited capacity of the backpack, players must choose the most necessary items or tools each time they leave the flying cabin to maximize the use of the backpack capacity.
Cooperative Mechanism: Different players can exchange items and cooperate to complete tasks. For example, one player can control an agile eagle to lead another player across a difficult canyon.
Teleportation Mechanism: The previous explorers set up teleportation stations at random locations that can quickly transport players back to their flying cabin. However, due to the need for rare resources to build teleportation stations, there are only a few of them. The unknown power contained in the mysterious pattern can be used to craft simple teleportation stations.
Our game was created with the aim of promoting nature education through an interactive and immersive experience. In contrast to traditional methods of education such as books and videos, we believe that games provide a unique opportunity to engage with and learn about nature.
In this context, we explore the current state of nature education in China and the potential for games as a new form of education. Our analysis highlights the advantages of games in providing interactive and accessible content for a wider audience, and we propose strategies for future development and application of the game, including partnerships with schools, content expansion, and volunteer engagement.
Education of Natural Knowledge and Current Situation
1. Science Popularization Books
Currently, there are few science popularization authors in China, and most of the books circulated are translations, resulting in a lack of high-quality science popularization book resources.
2. Video and other online media
Publications like "Museum" magazine are developing video forms of science popularization content, but currently, science popularization videos in China are just beginning to develop, and related resources are still insufficient.
3. Online and Offline Science Popularization Activities in Science Museums
Now there are forms such as "Mobile Science Museum", "Science Museum into Campus", and "Science Lecture Hall". However, due to the influence of local development, the uneven distribution of science popularization resources of different types of science museums between regions is a problem.
Prospects
1. What is the difference from current science popularization methods?
Books, videos, and online science museums are mainly for imparting knowledge, while games have interactivity, allowing audiences to participate in the process. Through the "interaction-feedback-education" process, games can better help audiences understand natural science popularization content.
2. Serious games are rapidly developing
Serious games have positive social public welfare value and promotional value and have become an important means of expanding the business field of the game industry. In the future, they can be used as a new educational form in addition to books, film, and television.
3. The communication advantages of digital resources
Compared with "experiential science popularization activities" that can only be experienced in offline places such as science museums, games are more inclusive and can enable more audiences in different regions to receive natural science popularization education.
Follow-up Development and Application Ideas
1. School-Enterprise Cooperation
Today, the natural science courses of elementary schools are also evolving with the development of various technologies, among which a promising medium is interactive media, allowing children to freely explore through interactive content. Therefore, our content will be further developed for the science courses and quality education of primary and secondary schools, combined with textbooks and teaching requirements, and become a part of the classroom.
2. Expand Content (DLC)
Through further research on schools and children, we will introduce more scenario maps that combine current events (such as the floods in Henan) to expand more corresponding science popularization content on these new maps.
3. Establish a Volunteer Database
We will recruit more volunteers (such as university practical teams) to enter primary and secondary schools to conduct science popularization in the form of roundtable classrooms. They will explore this game together with children, and this is also a way to promote our game.
Mysterious Planet Gameplay Full Video