Grid Game: Developing a Java/Android version for increased accessibility and usability

Gameplay User Experience • Recreate the LabView based Grid Game in a Java based web-browser / mobile format. • Implement a Android mobile version. • Browser/mobile format allows universities, companies, and individuals to use the game without overhead. • Java is a more popular format than LabView, increasing opportunities for future developers to expand and improve upon our design. • Thanks to Michael Guryan and IRON (Idaho Regional Optical Networks) for the supporting infrastructure and repositories making the multiplayer functionality possible. • Main objective of the Grid Game is to keep the frequency of the grid, governed by the Swing Equation, near 60 Hz for the entire duration of the game. • The player can buy more generators, which generates more power for your grid. • The player can buy more customers, which increases the load upon the system. • The battery allows the user to keep their grid balanced even if the power generation and load are not. • Players can draw power from the battery or add excess power to it. • Automatic controls will draw and add power to the battery as needed to keep the grid at 60 Hz. • Time based events that can occur that may either help or harm the player. • Events include generators breaking down, a large influx of customers to your area, the loss of automatic controls, and more. All of these serve to make the game more challenging and different every round. • Scoreboard functionality to allow players to see how they rank against others. Future Possibilities • Multiplayer functionality with energy trading and cyber attacks • Clean energy generators • Dynamic weather based changes to the grid • Wind generators produce more on windy days • Solar panels are less effective on cloudy days • User interface / user experience for the Grid Game needed to be intuitive • UI designed to promote an environment for learning and constant player feedback • Required separate layouts for both desktop (and web) application and the Android app • Limited screen size on Android devices prevents displaying as much information to the player • Delegated certain elements of the desktop application UI to a tabular setup in the Android app • Player still has available all information available to them via the desktop application in a more compact environment UI Controller GameThread