FoodForce2 Version 1.0

FoodForce2 was developed with an aim to defy the pedantic system followed in many countries and to help children explore the community, learn importance of food nutrition; and of course, fun always accompanied.
We got an awe inspiring response from the beta release of the FoodForce2, with over 113 thousand downloads from the googlecode and another 29 thousand from the Sugar activities page! Thanks for all the love and support.

We have been working hard on all the feedback and reviews we have got to make the make the game even better. We are pleased to announce the first stable release of the Foodforce2, the version 1.0 . The game has lot of new UI and other improvements to make the game look and feel better.
Some of the new features include:

• Improved Story Board: The story board defines the game, takes the player through the complete journey of building and handling a village right from building Houses to the Natural Calamities like earthquake! The new story board we are very sure will keep the flying minds along. The new story board has a fast paced storyline and snappier dialogues.
• Ability to place buildings: Until now all the buildings in the village had a fixed position, we thought that was boring! Now the player can place all the buildings according to his/her own likes, this gives the game a more personalized kind of feel.
• Graphic User Interface: The GUI has been redesigned completely, pleasing to the eye! Bigger buttons and improved other UI elements. So that you don’t look anywhere else. :)
• Save and Resume: With the version 1.0 the player can save the current state of the game and resume from the saved state anytime later. Everyone needs a break!

Apart from the above features we would also like to mention;

• Improved performance; bug testing and reporting done by a game testing company Chakkilam InfoTech Limited.
• We have our own web-site now www.foodforce2.com. Visit us!
• The new version now supports Apple Macintosh systems (OS X) , the XO 1.5 and even SoaS! Everyone's invited to play!
  

There are many other smaller additions too. Just go and download the game and see for yourself!
We hope you enjoy the game even more with the version 1.0. Stay tuned for more news and updates!! We would love if you give the game a try and give your valuable feedback.

Foodforce2 Beta Release

The Beta version of the FoodForce2 game has been released for the XO, Windows and Linux platforms. The game has been developed in Python and Pygame. It is fun to play and also serves as a learning activity for children aimed at helping them to learn strategies through independent interaction and collaboration for managing community resources efficiently, and solve issues of varied proportions. It can also be used as a tool by the teachers to teach children how to become better and responsible community managers.

The work would not have been possible had it not been for the dedicated efforts by Mohit(who has practically spearheaded the development), Vijit(who has been extremely hardworking) and Peeyush with inputs from Manu Sir from time-to-time.

Some of the innovative features that have been incorporated in the beta are:

• The storyboard has been implemented in the game, which includes different scenarios, each of them is related to a particular key learning area or a social issue.
• The game is playable over the mesh network on XO, the trading scenario has been implemented over the mesh network.
• Drastic reduction in memory footprint of the game along with optimizations for efficient game-play.
• A major UI Redesign of the game has been done to make things more intuitive for the child.
  

For more info about the game click here. The game can be downloaded from here.

We have seen close to around 550 downloads in the past 3 days. (Mostly because of excellent publicity and great review by SJ like this. Go, download the game and give it a try.

We recently organized a hands-on session with the students and teachers of Delhi Police Public School in Safdarjung Delhi, India. We have documented the test methodology and test results here. The storyboard used in the game has been documented here. Please provide feedback at the wiki or through comments and suggestions on this blog.

FoodForce2 Alpha Release

It gives us great pleasure to announce the alpha release of the Foodforce2 Game. The game is playable on Windows, Linux and Sugar based xo laptops. The game has been developed in Python/Pygame and is designed to educate and motivate people towards growing world hunger. It focuses on building self-sustainable communities with focus on the importance of trading, building and upgrading technology. Special focus has been given to the importance of proper nutrition and the components of a healthy diet.

The game can be downloaded from :

http://code.google.com/p/foodforce/downloads/list

We are looking forward towards your feedback, criticism and words of appreciation for the game. As the project is open-source, any potential contributions are also welcome.

Here is how you can contribute:

1. Developers: Download the source code from the downloads section of the project and run it using python from command line as :
python Foodforce2.py
Please note that you need to install Python 2.5 and Pygame before continuing.

2. Artists : We are in need of great artwork and if you think you can help us with the same, please write us a mail on foodforce2@gmail.com

3. Educators/Teachers : Please send us your feedback at foodforce2@gmail.com on the educational content of the game and its suitability for children in the agegroup 7-16.

4. Interested Users : Please play the game and give us your feedback at foodforce2@gmail.com. If you find any bugs, please report them at : http://code.google.com/p/foodforce/issues/list