NOVA UTOPIA
Project Type
City Building/Management
Date
September 2023 - January 2024
Nova Utopia is a City Building / Simulation game that promotes Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) through the inclusion of sustainability-related game mechanics. The player can use a range of sustainable and unsustainable infrastructure to successfully manage their cities.
This project was a University portfolio piece and showcases the different concepts for the games mechanics. Also included is a preview of the building assets made to represent each building class.
Currently this project is in the backlog but may see further updates in the future.
Project Brief
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
GAME CONCEPT AND MECHANICS
Humans have caused irreversible damage to Earth and are forced to start a new civilisation on the newly found, Earth-Like planet, 'Nova Utopia'. The planet holds five unique regions, each with their own climates, landscapes, unique resources and sustainability challenges.
Click on the labels below to view more information on the different regions.
Nova Utopia features a range of sustainability-related game mechanics that aim to strike the player with thought-provoking decisions and difficult challenges.
The overall 'Game Over' mechanic of Nova Utopia is the Tipping Point bar. The Tipping Point refers to the 'point of no return' where enough unsustainable changes has accumulated to become a larger, significant impact that cannot be reversed.
Every single decision the player makes will accompany a positive or negative change to the Tipping Point bar. For example, deciding to use wind turbines as the primary energy source of your city will have a long-term positive effect on the sustainability of the city and gradually decrease the Tipping Point bar. Of course this would have an adverse effect on the energy capacity of the city, as it may be unable to meet demand in less windy conditions. This pushes the player to make an important decision and consider the trade-offs of using less sustainable, city management methods to ensure the needs of the residents are met, while avoiding the completion of the Tipping Point bar.
Mock-up UI for the 'Tipping Point' bar.
BUILDING CLASSES AND UPGRADING
In Nova Utopia, players have access to a range of different building classes from Housing to Energy Generation, each having their own purpose and benefits. Within each class are different options for players to choose from to match their needs. For example, the Energy Generation class features a variety of different methods that are commonly found in the real world.
Most infrastructure can also be upgraded to reach further benefits at the cost of more resources, and in some cases, additions to the Tipping Point bar. For example, players can upgrade a simple apartment building to house more residents and provide more income, however, this would result in more waste generation and pollution.
Additionally, upgraded buildings receive new visual designs and can sometimes increase or decrease the amount of land they take up.
Most negative effects a building provides can be countered in some way, whether its reducing waste production through re-using it for farming purposes, or reducing vehicle gas emissions by investing in public transport. Players are advised to utilise all the different building classes to successfully manage their city sustainably.
When constructing a new building, players will be able to see the overall costs and benefits. In the case of Level One Solar Panels, players can see the additional energy generation and resident satisfaction the new infrastructure will bring. On the other hand, the cost in money and certain resources are shown in addition to the space needed to construct the Solar Panels. A similar UI will be shown when choosing to upgrade buildings featuring a list of the costs and benefits, allowing for players to decide if this upgrade will be truly beneficial in that moment.
Mock-up UI of the 'Building Purchase' / 'Building Upgrade' screens.