Example outline
Here's an example outline for the "Climate Quest" text adventure game, focusing on decision-making and its impact on the environment.
The format here is intentionally simple.
- There are five locations to visit.
- At each location a decision has to be taken to combat the effect of climate change.
- Depending on the choice made the overall score is adjusted.
- Having visited each location a final challenge is played.
There are many places where the game can be enhanced and improved both in terms of the functionality of the program e.g. there is no check on whether a player visits the same location more than once, and on the game play itself. You may make changes as you see fit to this example for your own solution.
You might like to have a look at Survive the Century for additional ideas!
Here is the outline of the game with the sample prompts at each location:
Introduction:
Welcome to Climate Quest! The Earth is in peril as climate change accelerates, leading to devastating environmental consequences. Rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and increasing natural disasters threaten life as we know it. Your mission is to travel across different locations, make crucial decisions, and combat the effects of climate change. The fate of the planet lies in your hands.
Location 1: Forest
Challenge: Deforestation
As you enter a lush forest, you witness large-scale logging operations threatening to clear vast areas of trees. The forest is home to countless species and plays a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide.
- Choice 1: Confront the loggers and demand they stop.
- Choice 2: Start a tree-planting initiative with the local community.
- Choice 3: Ignore the situation and move on.
Consequences:
- Choice 1: The loggers refuse to stop, but your protest raises awareness, leading to stricter logging regulations in the future.
- Choice 2: Your tree-planting initiative is a success, restoring parts of the forest and providing a habitat for wildlife. The forest's health improves.
- Choice 3: The deforestation continues, resulting in habitat loss and increased carbon emissions.
Inventory:
- Collect a recycling bin if best choice is made
Location 2: Ocean
Challenge: Coral Bleaching
You arrive at a coral reef, once vibrant with life, now turning pale due to rising ocean temperatures and pollution. Marine life is dwindling, and the reef's ecosystem is on the brink of collapse.
- Choice 1: Launch a clean-up campaign to remove pollutants from the water.
- Choice 2: Advocate for stricter regulations on carbon emissions.
- Choice 3: Harvest the remaining coral for commercial purposes.
Consequences:
- Choice 1: The clean-up helps restore water quality, allowing some corals to recover. Marine life slowly returns.
- Choice 2: Your advocacy leads to international agreements to reduce carbon emissions, contributing to a gradual cooling of ocean temperatures.
- Choice 3: The coral is harvested, leading to the complete destruction of the reef and loss of biodiversity.
Inventory:
- Collect a reusable water bottle if best choice is made
Location 3: City
Challenge: Urban Pollution
In a bustling city, smog fills the air, and trash litters the streets. The city’s energy consumption is skyrocketing, with fossil fuels being the primary source.
- Choice 1: Implement a city-wide recycling program.
- Choice 2: Promote the use of public transportation and electric vehicles.
- Choice 3: Do nothing and let the city continue on its current path.
Consequences:
- Choice 1: The recycling program reduces waste and pollution, making the city cleaner and more sustainable.
- Choice 2: Encouraging public transportation and electric vehicles reduces the city's carbon footprint and improves air quality.
- Choice 3: Pollution worsens, leading to health problems for the city's residents and further environmental degradation.
Inventory:
- Collect an electric vehicle if best choice is made
Location 4: Arctic
Challenge: Melting Glaciers
You travel to the Arctic, where glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, threatening to raise sea levels and displace millions of people.
- Choice 1: Invest in renewable energy projects to reduce global warming.
- Choice 2: Support indigenous communities in their efforts to protect the land.
- Choice 3: Ignore the melting glaciers and continue with business as usual.
Consequences:
- Choice 1: Renewable energy projects help slow down global warming, reducing the rate of glacier melting.
- Choice 2: Supporting indigenous communities leads to sustainable land management, preserving some of the Arctic's critical ecosystems.
- Choice 3: The glaciers continue to melt, leading to severe sea level rise and the displacement of coastal communities.
Inventory:
- Collect solar panels if best choice is made
Location 5: Desert
Challenge: Drought
In a once fertile desert region, prolonged drought has dried up rivers and made farming nearly impossible. Local communities are struggling to survive.
- Choice 1: Implement water conservation techniques and build reservoirs.
- Choice 2: Introduce drought-resistant crops to the area.
- Choice 3: Abandon the region and relocate the population.
Consequences:
- Choice 1: Water conservation efforts help sustain the community, allowing for some recovery of the local ecosystem.
- Choice 2: Drought-resistant crops thrive, providing food and income for the local population.
- Choice 3: The region is abandoned, and the desertification spreads, leading to further loss of arable land.
Inventory:
- Collect a water purifier if best choice is made
Final Challenge: Global Environmental Crisis
Scenario: As you complete your journey, you receive news of a global environmental crisis. Climate change has reached a tipping point, and a major crisis is unfolding: a massive hurricane is approaching a heavily populated coastal city.
- Choice 1: Coordinate a massive evacuation and disaster response effort.
- Choice 2: Focus on long-term solutions by pushing for global climate policies and renewable energy initiatives.
- Choice 3: Accept the situation as inevitable and do nothing.
You may be able to use an item in the inventory to help with this disaster.
Consequences:
- Choice 1: The evacuation saves thousands of lives, but without addressing the root causes, similar disasters continue to occur.
- Choice 2: Your push for global climate policies leads to a united effort to combat climate change, significantly reducing future risks.
- Choice 3: The hurricane devastates the city, and without any action, similar crises become more frequent and severe.
Endings:
- Best Ending: Through wise and environmentally conscious decisions, you have significantly mitigated the effects of climate change. The planet is on a path to recovery, with healthier ecosystems and a united global effort to protect the environment.
- Moderate Ending: Some of your actions have had positive effects, but others have worsened the situation. The environment is in a precarious state, with some areas improving while others deteriorate.
- Worst Ending: Your decisions have accelerated environmental degradation. The planet is in crisis, with widespread disasters, loss of biodiversity, and little hope for recovery.
Conclusion:
Climate Quest highlights the importance of individual actions in addressing climate change. Your journey through forests, oceans, cities, and more has shown that every choice matters. The future of our planet depends on the decisions we make today.
Example Game
Follow the link to play an example game. Note, this is just an example and other approaches can be used. The interface you will develop will, of course, be different as you will be using a text-based console interface but the game play will be more or less the same.