R2 Feedback: Engagement and gameifying a reactor

[karl-alex-pauls]

Similar games/play styles to be inspired by:

• Infinifactory
• Minecraft mods like Immersive Engineering, Thermal Expansion (try using the Curse/Twitch launcher)
• Satisfactory

These games are focused on assembly and sourcing materials. The payout is incremental operational progress and rewards at those progress steps. Game loops are introduced by gating off escalating complexity: the player achieves experience and some payout with one game concept before being introduced to the next.

[partofthething]

I like how http://nuclearpowersimulator.com/ gives little hints as you try to do things you aren't supposed to do. Like: "Hint: try turning on the pump before increasing its speed".

Maybe if we get this off the ground we could have different levels of difficulty. Though we'll have to make some trade-off between exciting and realistic. Nuclear plants are fairly boring to operate by modern gaming standards. I am currently hoping that it will be neat-looking and interesting enough to have some wow factor, giving whoever's standing there time to explain a few things.

We also face a conflict in user. If it's for entertaining the children of the general public, it should be more fun and maybe less realistic. But if it's to give interested parties (engineering students, nuclear advocates, reactor designers who have never operated a reactor, etc.) a little taste of the dynamics of a operating a nuclear reactor, then realism is more valuable.

Perhaps we can make this configurable somehow.

[karl-alex-pauls]

Simulation vs training vs game mode sounds like a good set of milestones.

[jakehader]

@partofthething, check this out - https://github.com/wgurecky/pyReactor