EcoGrid Connect

Credits

Time In Development: 15/01/24 - 09/02/24

Person	Role(s)
Declan Lloyd	Everything
James Stevens	Pixel Art Tile Map

Below is a playlist of short gameplay videos showcasing everything that was achieved during each key moment of development. This shows how the project evolved, and what was changed in order to make the project more fun to play!

Level 3 Year 2 (SGS College) - EcoGrid Connect

About The Game

EcoGrid Connect is a top-down 3D sandbox game prototype developed in Unreal Engine 5.2. This was the 4th project I worked on at Level 3 Year 2 of my games design course at South Gloucestershire & Stroud College. It is based around the theme of renewable energy, and was designed with the goal of making a portfolio ready mechanics test in only 4 weeks.

My job was to convey how renewable energy is better for the environment with the use of solely gameplay. As additional work due to good time management, I worked on basic 3D models to better convey the theme. These also allow for easy identification of the structures placed in the world.

You have the goal of connecting randomly spawning houses up to renewable energy sources. These houses are powered by coal by default, which starts to build up smog around the edges of the screen. To stop this smog, 75% of the houses must be powered by renewable energy sources. Leaving the smog to expand for too long will result in a game over, but pushing it back allows for more space in the map.

In order to place down renewable energy sources, as well as the wires required to connect them to the houses, you require funds. These funds are acquired once a new house spawns, as well as when you power them with renewable energy.

How To Play The Game

You begin with 3 houses placed in the level and 25 funds to start off with. Use the list at the top right of the screen to select what to place, and simply click on the grass to place it on the grid. Placed objects can be removed by holding shift and clicking on them. You can click and drag to spawn multiple tiles in one go. To keep track of how may funds you have, look at the top left of the screen.

You have to power each house with a renewable energy source. This can be done directly from any side, or by connecting the energy source to the house with wires. Only when 75% are powered renewably will the smog expand, giving you access to more space!

To leave the game, press Alt+F4.