D3.5 Serious Game Beta Version

Transcription

1 Document number D3.5 Document title Serious Game Beta Version Version 1.0 Status Final Work package WP3 Deliverable type Report Contractual date of delivery 31/01/2017 Actual date of delivery 27/02/2017 Author Vincent Vimont (FRE), Ryan Granville (FRE) Contributors UOP, ISEP, UPC Keyword list Game Development; Serious Game; Gamification; Data Integration Dissemination level PU

2 Amendment history Version Date Author (unit) Description /01/2017 Vincent Vimont (FRE) Ryan Granville (FRE) First draft for review /02/2017 Miquel Casals (UPC) Comments on the first draft /02/2017 Vincent Vimont (FRE) Ryan Granville (FRE) /02/2017 Miquel Casals (UPC) Marta Gangolells (UPC) Content update Final review This project has received funding from the European Union s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No Disclaimer: The sole responsibility for the content of this material lies with the authors. It does not necessarily represent the views of the European Union, and neither EASME nor the European Commission are responsible for any use of this material. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 2 of 43

3 Executive summary This report represents Deliverable 3.5 (Serious game beta version), developed in the course of WP3 (Design and development of the integrated serious game and metering system solution) of the EnerGAware project. This deliverable is one of the five complimentary reports produced in WP3 that provides information on the beta version of the game Energy Cat: The House of Tomorrow. In particular, this document presents the current state of development of the beta version of the game through a user guide explaining how to install the game on an Android tablet. This deliverable also includes a link to download the game as well as some screenshots of the game. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 3 of 43

4 Table of contents 1. INTRODUCTION GAME FEATURES ASSETS Graphics Text Sounds PROGRAMING Game server Level design Artificial intelligence Customization Second floor Heating system Satisfaction and energy balance INSTALLING THE GAME DOWNLOADING THE GAME DIRECTLY IN A TABLET DOWNLOADING THE GAME IN A COMPUTER AND INSTALLING IN A TABLET FIRST STEPS IN THE GAME GAME SETUP STARTING THE GAME STARTING A NEW GAME OR ADDING A NEW PLAYER SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURES REFERENCES APPENDIX A. ADDITIONAL IN GAME SCREENSHOTS APPENDIX B. INSTALLING THE GAME IN THE PILOT EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 4 of 43

5 Figures Figure 1. Screenshot of the Youtube video entitled EnergyCat Short Gameplay Teaser Figure 2. Screenshot of the Youtube video entitled EnergyCat Gameplay Futur en Seine Figure 3. Visual assets Figure 4. Mission debriefing window Figure 5. Sound wetting window Figure 6. Game login windows Figure 7. Neighbouring houses Figure 8. Artifical intelligence characters Figure 9. House customization possibilities Figure 10. Second floor of the house Figure 11. Heating options Figure 12. Satisfaction and energy balance gauges Figure 13. Installing the game on a tablet Figure 14. Downloading the game on the computer (1) Figure 15. Downloading the game on the computer (2) Figure 16. Unblocking unknown sources (1) Figure 17. Unblocking unknown sources (2) Figure 18. Installation button of the game on a tablet Figure 19. Game creation window Figure 20. Login window Figure 21. Game connection mode Figure 22. Account login window Figure 23. Starting or continuing the game Figure 24. First steps in the game (1) Figure 25. First steps in the game (2) Figure 26. Restarting the game (1) Figure 27. Restarting the game (2)

6 Figure 28. Accessing social media features (1) Figure 29. Accessing social media features (2) Figure 30. Accessing social media features (3) Figure 31. Customization of the house (1) Figure 32. Customization of the house (2) Figure 33. Energy efficiency colouring system (1) Figure 34. Energy efficiency colouring system (2) EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 6 of 43

7 Glossary and abbreviations AI APK Artificial Intelligence Android Package EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 7 of 43

8 1. Introduction Energy Cat: The House of Tomorrow is a serious game for tablets linked to the actual energy consumption (smart meter data) of the game user s home and embedded in social media and networking tools. Figures 1 and 2 show the screenshots of two videos that have been produced in order to disseminate the game. In the game, the players take the role of an Energy Cat who dreams about living in the house of tomorrow, a house both energy efficient and comfortable. To attain this objective, the Energy Cat needs to pay attention to the behaviour of its human and neighbours in order to improve their bad habits and make energy savings for them. Figure 1. Screenshot of the Youtube video entitled EnergyCat Short Gameplay Teaser. Source: EnerGAware (2016a). Through missions and interactions, players will manage Energy Cat s home to make energy savings and keep an eye on the well-being of the humans. Players can make energy savings and buy new awesome items in the shop to personalize their home. They can also visit the neighbourhood and meet the Brightest, the Aye O Tea, the Green and Mrs Young. Some are strong adept of smart energy consumption while others not and players have to teach them.

9 Figure 2. Screenshot of the Youtube video entitled EnergyCat Gameplay Futur en Seine Source: EnerGAware (2016b). Players can also follow their real energy consumption. In this way, they can learn how to reduce their real energy bill and be rewarded in the game if they make real energy savings. Appendix A shows additional pictures of the game, related to game customization features and the energy efficiency colouring system. 2. Game features Developing a game is highly resource intensive in terms of programming and interface design. At the same time, it is an iterative work requiring updates, reworks and evolutions. However and in addition to that, a video game also requires a great effort to create the rewarding game mechanics and to develop a large range of visual assets such as animations, characters, decors and interactive elements. This section showcases the efforts done by Fremen Corp to develop the game Energy Cat: The House of Tomorrow. The following subsections the main features developed for the game. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 9 of 43

10 2.1 Assets Graphics The game includes a high number of assets. The integration of a single asset is a highly effort intensive work requiring many steps and involving more than just the artist. As a matter of fact, every single visual asset must be first conceptualized, then developed, textured, exported, integrated in the game and finally configured in the game. The assets integrated in the game can be classified into four different categories. Structures: 71 assets including floor tiles, wallpapers, grass Characters and animations: 21 assets for humans and Energy Cat. Decorative assets: 126 assets, such as tables or sofas, that have no direct impact on the gameplay but are essential for the player to be able to customize his house. Interactive assets: 49 assets that are the core of the gameplay of the game. By interacting with those assets, the player achieves missions, impacts on his energy consumption and the household global satisfaction. Interactive assets allow the players learn how to use energy more efficiently. In total, the game includes a bit more than 300 assets. Figure 3. Visual assets. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 10 of 43

11 2.1.2 Text To push the pedagogic contents of the game, a large number of missions have been implemented. These missions provide learning through action. At the end of each mission, the game shows a visual debrief with the impact of the undertaken action (figure 4). In some cases, technical advice and a link to more complete information are also shown (figure 4). The current version of the game includes 79 missions. Other items in the game such as object descriptions, advices and buttons etc., also include a great amount of text. In total, the current version of the game has 17,836 words. Figure 4. Mission debriefing window Sounds The game has background music and sound effects on actions happening in the game. This provides a better sense of immersion for the player. The background music lasts for1.36 minutes and plays in a loop. For in-game actions, 27 sound effects have been implemented. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 11 of 43

12 Figure 5. Sound wetting window. 2.2 Programing Programing is the most effort intensive part of a game development. In this case, the game has 47,532 lines of code and 4,029 total number of files Game server Users can play the game on different devices with the same account. In order to enable this feature, a game server was implemented. The progression of the players in the game is kept up to date on the server. In this way, the player connects can connect with the game on another device and he/she will start at the same point where he had left on the previous device. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 12 of 43

13 Figure 6. Game login windows Level design Players can access other places than their own house by going to visit their neighbours. Once at a neighbour s house, players cannot buy or sell objects but they can interact with all the objects. Level design therefore refers to the work necessary to: Design all the houses in the neighbour s map Furnish all the houses of in the neighbour s map Design and furnish the starting house of the player Design the house of the player for each house customization option available EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 13 of 43

14 2.2.3 Artificial intelligence Figure 7. Neighbouring houses. In the game, human characters are controlled by an artificial intelligence (AI) which acts semi randomly. Having artificial intelligence is necessary to give players the opportunity to correct, and at the same time learn from the actions made by the human characters. The artificial intelligence is thus able to: Take actions based on the items available in the room. Walk randomly among the different rooms of the house. Leave/enter the house at given moments of the day. Implementing the artificial intelligence required approximatively 1,149 lines of code. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 14 of 43

15 Figure 8. Artifical intelligence characters Customization Customization was already implemented trough the equipment and furniture shop but the ability to customize and extend the house layout itself was also added. This allows helping the player understand what he could do to improve the energy efficiency of his own house. Figure 9. House customization possibilities. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 15 of 43

16 2.2.5 Second floor Having a second floor is an important element to provide a realistic game experience. Implementing a second floor involved a lot of development since both floors need to be managed on the same map with artificial intelligence moving from one floor to the other. The user receives a starting house with a single floor but he/she can later increase the size of the house. Figure 10. Second floor of the house Heating system Using the model produced in Task 3.4 by UOP, an in-game heating system was developed. The system takes into account both player actions and external influences such as the wheatear that is randomly simulated in-game. The player can interact with the heating system in many ways. For instance, he/she can buy a thermostat for his house and use the thermostat window to specify how his house should be heated. The player can also directly interact on heaters or perform actions such as opening and closing the curtains. Finally, the player can improve his house insulation to reduce the heating required to keep his house warm enough. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 16 of 43

17 Figure 11. Heating options Satisfaction and energy balance The purpose the satisfaction and energy balance game mechanics is to teach players with actions that are not only energy efficient but also are not detrimental for their well-being. This is shown through a system of two gauges that must be balanced throughout the game. Finding the proper way to challenge the player and display this balance was an iterative process, which required multiple declinations before getting to the final version (figure 12). Figure 12. Satisfaction and energy balance gauges. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 17 of 43

18 3. Installing the game This section describes the procedure for installing the game in a tablet running on an Android operating system. The game can be downloaded directly from the EnerGAware website ( Download credentials are consortium (login) and ega7m4d7m (password). The download of the game is secured via an htaccess protocol. In case of having a tablet with Wi-Fi connection, please refer to section 3.1. On the contrary, please refer to section 3.2. In this case and a part from the tablet, you will also need a computer and a USB cable. The last apk of the game (file name of the game for mobile) is always named as EnergyCat_VersionNumber.apk. 3.1 Downloading the game directly in a tablet If Wi-Fi is available on the tablet, you can directly download the game application. 1. Connect to Wi-Fi, launch the browser and go to the download link ( Download credentials are consortium (login) and ega7m4d7m (password). 2. Once downloaded, select the file and click on the install button (figure 13). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 18 of 43

19 Figure 13. Installing the game on a tablet. 3.2 Downloading the game in a computer and installing in a tablet First of all and on your computer: 1. Launch the browser and go to the download link ( Download credentials are consortium (login) and ega7m4d7m (password). 2. Copy the Apk of the game after the download. 3. Turn on and connect the tablet to the computer. 4. On the computer, go to the File Explorer and double click on the tablet icon (figure 14 shows an example with a Galaxy Tab A). 5. Go to the download directory (figure 15). 6. Copy and paste the apk downloaded previously. 7. Disconnect the tablet from the computer. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 19 of 43

20 Figure 14. Downloading the game on the computer (1). Figure 15. Downloading the game on the computer (2). Then, on the tablet: 1. Access the download folder. 2. Find the apk of the game and select it. 3. Click on Settings, if a security message appears (figure 16). 4. Allow unknown sources only for this installation (figure 17). 5. Go back to the file, launch the game and install the Energy Cat by clicking on the install button that will appear such as in the example shown in figure 18. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 20 of 43

21 Figure 16. Unblocking unknown sources (1). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 21 of 43

22 Figure 17. Unblocking unknown sources (2). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 22 of 43

23 Figure 18. Installation button of the game on a tablet. Appendix B shows the instructions for downloading and installing the game within the context of the pilot of the EnerGAware project. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 23 of 43

24 4. First steps in the game The following subsections describe the game setup and the first steps in the game. Subsections also explain how to create a new game or add a new player and how to access the social media features of the game. 4.1 Game setup The game setup includes six different steps: 1. Select one of the empty game slots (figure 19). 2. Enter your name and click on validate (figure 20). 3. Select the Online Option if you want to play online. If you select the offline option, then you can go directly to the Starting the game section below. It must be taken into account that the offline option will not allow you to access your house energy consumption data (only accessible for players in the pilot) (figure 21). 4. If you do not have an account, you must create one by clicking on Sign in. For the account creation steps, please go to the section Account Creation of this guide (figure 22). 5. If you already have an account, fill in your Username and Password and click on the button Connect (figure 22). 6. Only if you have already played Energy Cat online before you can choose to (a) start a new game or (b) continue your previous online game (figure 23). 7. If you do not have an account, you must create one by clicking on Sign in. For the account creation steps, please go to the section Account Creation of this guide (figure 22). 8. If you already have an account, fill in your Username and Password and click on the button Connect (figure 22). 9. Only if you have already played Energy Cat online before you can choose to (a) start a new game or (b) continue your previous online game (figure 23). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 24 of 43

25 Figure 19. Game creation window. Figure 20. Login window. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 25 of 43

26 Offline Online Figure 21. Game connection mode Figure 22. Account login window. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 26 of 43

27 a. b. Figure 23. Starting or continuing the game. 4.2 Starting the game In order to start the game, the user should follow these steps: 1. The exclamation point above the cat means he has something to tell you. Select the cat with your finger to find out what he wants to say (figure 24). 2. A message is displayed. Once you have read it you can pass it by pressing the OK button (figure 25). 3. You can now follow the in-game instructions, which will teach you how to handle Energy Cat and your new house. Have Fun! EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 27 of 43

28 Figure 24. First steps in the game (1). Figure 25. First steps in the game (2). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 28 of 43

29 4.3 Starting a new game or adding a new player In order to start a new game or add a new player in the game, the following steps are needed: 1. From the game interface select the settings button on the bottom left of the screen (figure 26). 2. Select the main menu button in the settings window (figure 27). 3. Proceed to step 1 of the Game Setup section of this guide. Figure 26. Restarting the game (1). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 29 of 43

30 Figure 27. Restarting the game (2). 4.4 Social media features Accessing the social media features will enable you to compare your score, comment and discuss with other players. This feature requires you to be connected to the internet. You can access the social media features by: 1. Going in the cat head icon on the left of your screen (figure 28). 2. Selecting the star from the buttons that appeared (figure 29). 3. Select the continue button on the popup window, this will transfer you to the webpage where the social media features are located (figure 30). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 30 of 43

31 Figure 28. Accessing social media features (1). Figure 29. Accessing social media features (2). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 31 of 43

32 Figure 30. Accessing social media features (3). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 32 of 43

33 References [1] EnergyCat Short Gameplay Teaser. Available at: < accessed on 09/02/2017. [2] EnergyCat Gameplay Futur en Seine Available at: < accessed on 09/02/2017. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 33 of 43

34 Appendix A. Additional in game screenshots Figure 31 and 32 show how to customize the house whereas figure 33 and 34 show the energy efficiency colouring system. Figure 31. Customization of the house (1). Figure 32. Customization of the house (2). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 34 of 43

35 Figure 33. Energy efficiency colouring system (1). Figure 34. Energy efficiency colouring system (2) EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 35 of 43

36 Appendix B. Installing the game in the pilot In order to install the game within the context of the EnerGAware pilot, the following items are needed: A Samsung Galaxy Tab A A computer and a USB cable link or a Wi-Fi connection The last apk of the game, named EnergyCat_VersionNumber.apk Access to the document to register DW code and Serial Number. Downloading the game directly in a tablet If you have access to Wi-Fi on the tablet, you can directly download the game application. In this way, you can launch the installation on lots of tablets at the same time and you do not need to have a computer to make the installation. However, the time for the installation on a tablet depends on the speed of the internet connection. In addition and if the player deletes his game, the player cannot reinstall it, except if the player knows the link to download it with his browser. 1. Connect to Wi-Fi. 2. Launch your browser and proceed to the download link ( Download credentials are consortium (login) and ega7m4d7m (password). 3. Once downloaded, select the file and click on the install button (figure 1).

37 Figure1. Installing the game on the tablet (1). Downloading the game in a computer and installing in a tablet In case you do not have access to Wi-Fi on the tablet, the game can be installed using a computer. In this way, the installation time does not depend of the speed of the internet connection. In addition and if the player deletes his game application, he or she can reinstall it by making a search in the My File App. However, you cannot launch the installation on lots of tablets at the same time. The time installation for all the tablets can be very long because we have to process to the installation one by one. First of all, an in the computer: 1. Launch your browser and proceed to the download link ( Download credentials are consortium (login) and ega7m4d7m (password). 2. Copy the Apk of the game after the download. EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 37 of 43

38 3. Turn on and connect the Samsung tab to your computer. 4. On the computer, go to the file explorer and double click on the Galaxy Tab A (2016) icon (figure 2). 5. Go to the download directory (figure 3). 6. Copy and paste the apk previously downloaded. 7. Disconnect the Samsung Tab from your computer. Figure 2. Downloading the game in the computer (1). Figure 3. Downloading the game in the computer (2). Secondly and on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A, 1. Go to the My Files App (figure 4). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 38 of 43

39 2. Go to the download directory in the local storage (figure 5). If you have another versions of Energy Cat, delete them and choose the last version to install it (same as the apk file downloaded). 3. Click on Settings if a security message appears (figure 6). 4. Allow unknown sources only for this installation (figure 7). 5. Install the game by clicking on the install button (figure 8). Figure 4. Installing the game on the tablet (2). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 39 of 43

40 Figure 5. Installing the game on the tablet (3). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 40 of 43

41 Figure 6. Installing the game on the tablet (4). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 41 of 43

42 Figure 7. Installing the game on the tablet (5). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 42 of 43

43 Figure 8. Installing the game on the tablet (6). EnerGAware Version 1.0 Page 43 of 43