OVERVIEW
Perma is a ten minutes farming game aspiring to make the player question modern agricultural practices through the theme of permaculture. It was developed by a team of four in three months.
GAME DESIGN
We subverted some tropes usually found in farming games to showcase permaculture principles:
1 - Species interaction: each plant has an influence on the soil around them and needs specific conditions to grow. The player can't use monoculture to optimize his harvest.
2 - Adaptation: the field is small and can't be transformed. The player has to think about which crops are more appropriate for which spot.
3 - Autonomy: the player doesn't sell his crops to gain money. Instead, he can donate them to the village inhabitants and help his community gain autonomy.
SKILLS DEVELOPED
- Designing a combo system in which neighboring crops have an effect on each other
- Designing a level suited to the combo system
- Writing dialogues and quest lines
- Designing UI
- Designing and implementing playtest protocols
- Managing the work of a team of four and giving constructive feedback
- Designing a level suited to the combo system
- Writing dialogues and quest lines
- Designing UI
- Designing and implementing playtest protocols
- Managing the work of a team of four and giving constructive feedback
DESIGN DOCUMENTS
One-page design
Combo system conception and level design
NPC behaviors across 24 hours
PLAY