Beer Routing - a different approach to teach routing algorithms.

Created by Jonas Kraus, Matthias Mak, Philipp Speidel, Fabian Widmann. Advisors: Julian Frommel, Katja Rogers.

The game was developed in the WS15/16 term as one part of an individual project in the serious games (see more at the media informatics department) department.

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Goal

• Create a working game
• Teach the basics of several routing algorithms such as:
  • Dijkstra's algorithm
  • Greedy routing
  • Uniform Cost Search (to show the differences to Dijkstra's algorithm)
  • Policy based routing
• Provide decent tutorials

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Comparison between both versions

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Half a year later, the goal is to create two sub versions of this game, one containing the same comic look and one containing a more simulation style. Additionally instead of having all the levels unlocked we only use dijkstra for our study. Generally this game will then be used in a course at the Ulm University in WS16/17 and evaluated.

Todo

• provide logging options

  • Example Log:

  Username=xyz;	 Level= MaxScore=85, Type=Dijkstra	 current Time=2016-10-17T11:07:48
  2016-10-17T11:07:53: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathAC (PathScript);	Score% = 6
  2016-10-17T11:08:00: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathAD (PathScript);	Score% = 12
  2016-10-17T11:08:08: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathAB (PathScript);	Score% = 18
  2016-10-17T11:08:18: Valid Hop;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathAC (PathScript);	Score% = 29
  2016-10-17T11:08:23: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathCB (PathScript);	Score% = 35
  2016-10-17T11:08:29: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathCF (PathScript);	Score% = 41
  2016-10-17T11:08:33: Valid Hop;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathCB (PathScript);	Score% = 53
  2016-10-17T11:08:36: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathBE (PathScript);	Score% = 59
  2016-10-17T11:08:43: Valid Hop;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathBE (PathScript);	Score% = 71
  2016-10-17T11:08:47: No Operation;	Player travels through completely handled destination=PathBE (PathScript);	Score% = 71
  2016-10-17T11:08:49: No Operation;	Player travels through completely handled destination=PathBA (PathScript);	Score% = 71
  2016-10-17T11:08:55: Wrong Hop;	Player did perform a wrong hop. destination=PathAD (PathScript);	Score% = 47
  2016-10-17T11:09:02: Error Recovery;	Recovered from Error, ErrorRecoveryStatus=ERROR_RECOVERED;	Score% = 47
  2016-10-17T11:09:06: No Operation;	Player travels through completely handled destination=PathAC (PathScript);	Score% = 47
  2016-10-17T11:09:28: Valid Hop;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathCF (PathScript);	Score% = 59
  2016-10-17T11:09:32: Valid Hop Discovery;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathFD (PathScript);	Score% = 65
  2016-10-17T11:09:43: Valid Hop;	Player did perform a valid hop. destination=PathFD (PathScript);	Score% = 76
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Level Finished; Player has finished the level;	Score% = 76
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Summary; Printing the Summary of stats for this run:
  2016-10-17T11:09:49:
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Buttons; Professor Button clicks= 1
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Buttons; Routing Table Button clicks=1
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Count; #Error Recovery= 0
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Count; #NOPs = 3
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Count; #Wrong Hops= 1
  2016-10-17T11:09:49: Count; #UndiscoveredPaths= 0
  

• Provide a means to send the log files

  • SFTP
    • Decide the upload dir: either /$username/ or /$username/$gametype and adapt upload.

• Add an option to enter a nickname to eventually link students to their points

• Alternate art version for the "simulation" style

  • Adapted texts
  • Adapted GUI
  • Adapt Sequences for the Tutorial
  • Fix a bug in the level, where the wrong font is displayed in the level finished dialogue
  • Check the position of the scoretexts

• What needs to be logged?

  • Logging for routingtable and professor buttons
  • Logging for NOPs, errors, undiscovered neighbours etc.
  • ... ?

• Find questions for the survey

• Limesurvey version of the questionnaire

• Homepage

  • Generate code for students that completed the study
  • Check status of individuals
  • Display informations for Students
  • Hints on the breadcrumbs

• New Levels (2 comic, 2 simulation, eventually even 2 more for paper exercises)

• ...

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Runs fine on Unity 5.3.4f1 - in newer versions movement seems to be broken without a cause.