Summer Devlog 1

Our team is thrilled to announce that we’ve been selected for the IMPACT Summer Grant! Our production work will continue throughout the summer and we’ll be working with stakeholders in environmental science to fine-tune how our game comes together.

The original game was made at the request of the United Nations’ Disaster Risk Management team, so the game was largely based around the amplified natural disasters that were occurring due to climate change. As we’ve seen within the past few years, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, there are many interconnected areas of our day-to-day life that can be interrupted by something outside of our control, whether that’s a natural disaster (such as an earthquake or tornado) or a social one (such as a pandemic or an economic recession).

We’ve also been hard at work rebalancing the game after receiving detailed feedback from the DePaul Games Fest. We want the game to be flexible and enjoyable to play outside of an educational model. One part of our design philosophy is trying to replicate a simplified version of real-world systems without losing sight of our game’s purpose. Instead of having all players work as city alderpeople, we’ve decided to expand the pool of influence to include forces outside of politics, notably industry leaders and grassroots activists. We’ve also tightened the win state of the game; doing away with the point system, players still win or lose together based on the number of goals they’re able to accomplish.

The tension of the game is increased by giving each role an asymmetric play style, as well as “selfish goals” that each player strives towards. Politicians want the lowest social unrest possible to have a chance at re-election. Capitalists want the most money possible in order to turn a profit. Activists want to invest in social protections as fast as possible to strengthen their community. While these goals aren’t necessarily diametrically opposed, it encourages players to switch up the way they approach the game— everyone wins together, but one group can win “more” than everyone else. Focusing on their selfish goals can negatively impact the progress the group is able to make as a whole, but ignoring them altogether means less pay or other debuffs. Much like real-world politics, players must balance teamwork with personal ambitions in order to create the best outcome possible.

Outside of mechanical changes, we’ve been working hard communicating with potential graphic designers to solidify the final look of the game. Taking inspiration from the “corporate-style” often seen in modern advertisements, we believe that Sunrise City can be a pastiche of its colorful and gentle sensibilities. Coupling this design with the disasters that occur in each round brings a darkly humorous meta-commentary, as serious disasters are softened by rounded shapes and neutral tones, a stark contrast by corporations meant to assuage the average viewer’s fears of climate change.