Loddlenaut, the product of a two-person MFA thesis collaboration, was awarded the Alfred P Sloan Foundation Game Production Award in 2020. After relocating from NYC to Austin, the team got work making Loddlenaut a game that raises public understanding of science and technology–specifically on the topic of ocean pollution. This short update from the team outlines just a few of their accomplishments in the last quarter. You can follow their ongoing development and eventual public launch on their mailing list here, or on their Twitter here.
Since October, we have focused more on production and revisited the game’s world. After researching ocean topography, we have incorporated more typical features of an ocean floor to our game, including guyots, seamounts, and a trench.
We have finished creating a new biome called “Flotsam Flats.” We designed the biome around guyots (flattened underwater peaks) and added a shipwreck as well as abandoned cargo/shipping containers for players to clean up. We have also begun designing the surrounding areas, which include an area centered around underwater oil rigs and a biome contaminated by microplastics. During our next milestone, we will continue to add more and more detail to the world to create a richer player experience in the demo.
A sunken ship and its surrounding cargo in Flotsam Flats
We have also added a new tutorial in the demo where players can find wild loddles and bring them back to safer, more oxygen-rich waters. To build this tutorial, we created a new dialogue system that connects the player to their supervisor who informs and directs them on what to do.
As we polish our demo in this next milestone, we are hoping to have it ready and available for public playtesting. We are planning on first reaching out to those who are subscribed to our mailing list as well as interested Twitter followers. Follow along friends!
