Marine Protected Areas demo/game

Arcade Show & Tell
#1

This is my first original game made using Microsoft MakeCode. It doesn’t have a proper name yet.

I made it today for my mum, who’s an ecologist:

Description:
It’s a cooperative game. You control a shoal of fish. You can move around to try and avoid the fishing boats, but they’ve got hi-tech equiptment on board, so your chances are slim. Just when it looks like you’re done for, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) is approved – so you can recover and even thrive alongside a sustainable fishing fleet (no more giant boats).

Try to co-exist. The fishing fleet earn points for every catch they make. The shoal of fish can only earn points from thriving, which only happens when the MPA is there. At that moment the game becomes a bit like a space shooter game, except you only win once both P1 and P2 have scored 100 points.

I would love to know what you think.

Here is my todo list for tomorrow… I’m especially looking for advice on how to achieve No.4 (make the fish look really caught):

  1. Splash screen.
  2. Music.
  3. Flip sprites when turned left.
  4. Make fish catch in nets.
  5. Whatever feedback I get in the forum… :slight_smile:
7 Likes
#2

Idea:

Have this fishers randomly wander around until they see you
Also make the map a bit bigger so you can dodge.

Then when the fish only area comes you can go collect food that spawns randomly to grow.

2 Likes
#3

I really like the game! all i can say is that it’s hard to control around the boats when there’s a lot and maybe that’s what you’re going for but if you wanted you could instead have maybe other fish sprites following one fish that you’re controlling? so it creates this line of fish. And about your 4th point, i think you can have this code saying when the boats overlap the fish, the boat sprite changes so it looks like it has fish in it!

2 Likes
#4

Thanks your feedback both!

I’ve added plankton, and tidied up a few other things. Still lots more to do, but it’s getting there I think:

4 Likes
#5

I like it so far!! the plankton/green dots are kinda hard to grab at times so maybe you could fix that? but keep up the good work!! can’t wait to see more!!! :smile:

2 Likes
#6

Like it, but when I got to the MPA trigger the game started a countdown and did not advance, and every subsequent a presses restarted the countdown, I think the long dialog text broke?

#7

Thanks for the feedback @charliegregg

I’ve made another update, and hopefully fixed that bug. The fish turning left-right is still a little buggy… but it’s getting there… and now the game has a name too:

3 Likes
#8

This is a really nice game! I don’t know the objective of the game but it’s fun

2 Likes
#9

Have a look at this controller I made


Uses Velocity calculations to feel more like swimming!

And this has maybe fixed the two button glitch?


Although it uses the controller extension but that can be circumvented using game update so no worries.
1 Like
#10

Also about No.4

You could make the Fishers stop for say 1-2 secs and play an animation of the fishing, then change the sprite to one with a net full of fish and slowly leave so you have time to see it.

Hey we both got an award for being a New User of the Month!

1 Like
#11

I played it and it’s cool. Also love that you are using the feedback. But just one question; what is the objective of it?
All in all a cool creation :smiley:

#12

Thanks! Objective? Good question! Hehe… In order to “win” both Player 1 (the fishing fleet) and Player 2 (the shoal of fish) must score more than 100 points each. That can only be achieved though if you use the Marine Protected Area and sustainable fishing practices (i.e. no fishing in that area, and no more monster-sized nets).

#13

Thanks!