PLANET GARDEN SIMULATION GAME

Completed

INSTRUCTOR

Digital Damjan Jovanovic

Team work: was in charge of UI/UX design

Planet Garden is an intriguing game that enables players to construct a self-sustaining robotic garden within a harsh environment by strategically organizing resources. This simulation presents a cutting-edge approach to modeling and depicting non-linear systems, potentially shaping the future of architectural design. Developed as part of SCI-Arc’s Games & Worldmaking seminar, Planet Garden is a collaborative effort with the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time Exhibition, as part of the Planet City research project.

The game’s development was motivated by a curiosity to examine the representation and visualization of non-linear models. Video games employ techniques derived from System Dynamics, which focuses on modeling complex, unpredictable, and non-linear phenomena. This field has its origins in the cybernetic theories of Norbert Wiener and was formalized in the mid-1950s by Prof. Jay Forrester at MIT. Donella H. Meadows later expanded the field in her influential book, ‘Thinking in Systems’. Planet Garden provides an engaging and novel method to investigate these intricate systems, with potential far-reaching implications for architectural design in the future.

Watch video here: https://worldmaking.xyz/Projects/Planet+Garden

When the player enters the game they are exposed to an empty dessert landscape. Using the build menu the player is able to start using the available resources. The resources are limited in the beginning and no oxygen is present in the landscape.

The player is able to increase the resources by placing the respectable blocks in the scene, except from the seeds that are limited. The player should always be considerate of the amount of the resources they have in order to maintain a functioning garden.

The player enters the world of Planet Garden.

The time is now ticking....

The ENVIRONMENT OVERLAYS provide the player with all the information needed to start placing the blocks.

After placing a block the player cab hover over it to retribution its performance. For the Solar and Wind blocks energy collection is displayed, for Water blocks water collection and for Trees the oxygen produced is calculated.

The main element needed to start building the new ecology is energy. There are 3 blocks that generate energy-solar, wind, and carbon. The solar blocks generate energy only during daytime, contrary to the wind and carbon blocks that continuously generate energy units.

Energy is important for being able to increase water levels, that helps placing and maintaining the tree blocks. Water blocks are needed to collect water for the trees. After the player has enough water supply they can start planting tresses using the available seeds.

The blocks produce oxygen when they are placed, provide that there is enough water collected. Given this information, the player is able to start creating their own garden in the Plant Garden universe, After planting 500 trees, the player has successfully transformed the desert landscape!

The resource inventory provides the player with the resource quantities, Throughout the game the player must keep in mind which resources are available to be able to maintain their garden.

As the game progress the resource quantities increase or decrease according to the player’s actions.

When seeds are not longer available the player can either maintain their garden or exit the game.

Thermoforming is now down!