v0.1.5-alpha - Telemetry Update!

The backend data collection is almost fully functional! See the documentation for information on Telemetry.

The last step is to host the backend server and replace the connection to localhost (which will not work) with a connection to the server.

v0.1.4 - Content Hotfixes

In this version

• Text has been updated in response to Dr. Rycyk's comments
• Manatee School has been optimized to be less laggy (the seagrass no longer waves)

Issues

• The seagrass is still not moving. Playable framerate is the priority, but waving seagrass should be revisited as a stretch goal.

What's next?

• Aside from any other quick changes to the texts, it is time to work on the backend!

v0.1.3 - Game Complete!

In this version, the gameplay changes have been completed.

• Player health now starts at 40% instead of 0, creating less concern when the player starts the game
• Personal space now follows the player so that manatees do not accidentally collide with the player as often
  • Personal space has also been increased to match the distance from the GUI
• In the final scene, the camera will be forced to start the scene looking in the correct direction (the player will see the game's final message)
• Sun ray particles no longer show up in front of the manatee presentation if the particle is located behind the presentation

Existing problems

• Seagrass still does not move
• Manatee school is still too laggy for comfort

Next steps

• Work on connecting a backend for user studies
• Get expert review on the game's text dialogues

v0.1.2 - Nearly Polished

This is the second revision of the semester! The next steps are to have some people playtest the game for further feedback to direct the end of development.

After that, the backend must be created/implemented to prepare for official user studies.

Changes

• Changed mailbox color
• Added mailbox particles
• Added manatee waving goodbye at the end
• Made info textboxes larger in the first exploration scene
• Fixed textbox / task progression in the eutrophication scene
• Lowered the floating seagrasses
• Made the text in the entire game more readable in terms of vocabulary
• Reworked the letter to humans - now has visuals and your manatee friend's name
• Made the eutrophication scene less visible
• Changed water sound

Known bugs / Things that still need to be changed

• Seagrass does not move (intentionally to reduce lag)
• Manatee school is especially laggy
• Final scene should rotate the player to face the final screen
• Fish collide strangely

v0.1.1

From the previous version, a few edits have been made to improve the overall experience. This includes:

• Fixing typos
• Adding text to the text boxes
• Removing some seagrass for optimization
• Moving seagrass for smoother objective transitions
• Messing around with the OnTriggerEnter event for manatee interaction
• Adding image credits to the first scene

v0.1.0: First Full Release

The first full release of the game! 🎉

Everything is subject to change, but the game is now in a playable state from start to finish.

This release marks the end of our work on the simulation as part of the Environmental Discovery Awards Program (EDAP). The game is playable, but it is not yet ready for conducting a user study since the backend is not yet connected. Some small changes have been made to finalize this "version" outside of the EDAP, for my senior thesis. I will continue to develop this game for a period of time for my senior thesis project.

What's next?

In future releases, get ready for:

• Small tweaks to the simulation
• Addition/changes to the game's textboxes
• Connecting a backend for data collection in user studies
• More!

Test Release

This release is not meant for public use. It is only meant for testing.

This release contains an early version of:

• The opening scene on the boat
• An unfinished version of the Indian River Lagoon scene
• Manatee school

The main purpose of this release is for me to get familiar with GitHub Releases, and to test the download-to-play process so that I can document the download process.

- Alex