QA_W91238-16-Q-0031_Video_Game_for_Nevada_Multimedia_Outreach_REV_May_4_2016.pdf

Questions and Answers for W91238‐16‐Q‐0031

1. By sandbox, would you mean implementing such techniques as games like Minecraft? Yes. A Sandbox Game (from a Glossary of video game terms, Wikipedia) is "a game wherein the player has been freed from the traditional structure and direction typically found in video games, and is instead given the ability to choose what, when, and how they want to approach the available choices in content. The term is in reference to a child's sandbox in which no rules are present and play is derived from open‐ended choice. While some sandbox games may have building and creation aspects to their gameplay, those activities are not required.

Sandbox games usually take place in an open‐world setting as to facilitate the freedom of choice a player is given." Minecraft is one such example of a sandbox game.

2. How realistic should the statistics used in the game be? The modeling code provided by the example in the Statement of Work is based on a real‐life watershed, but the game is not intended to be used as a true decision tool, so the statistics should be accurate, but not necessarily precise. The Corps can provide reliable data for use in the game, and will be involved in testing the reliability of the gaming code to reflect accurate reactions to gamer decisions.

3. Should the game be hyper‐realistic as a simulation of time/cost? eg Plague Inc https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miniclip.plagueinc&hl=en? Game development will be based on time and cost constraints of the contract, and the artistic choices of the contractor, with input from the Corps.

4. Should the graphics be realistic or cartoonish? Who are we appealing to? The target audience is middle‐school or high‐school aged youth. The artistic choices of the Contractor, with input from the Corps, will determine the quality, look and feel of the graphics.

5. The term Sandbox ‐ please can you explain? See Answer #1

6. Can we use scripted solution? such as ‐ would it be acceptable to have the solution based on one of the characters as opposed to showing interaction between multiple characters. See Answer #3. The vision of the game would be dictated by the conversations with the Contractor and the Corps, and gameplay (e.g. single player vs. multi‐player game) would be at the discretion of the Contractor, based on these initial meetings.

7. Do we have a list of scenarios that can be shared? Roughly how many scenarios should be considered? The link provided in the Statement of Work illustrates the work done thus far, and provides four potential water management scenarios, focused on four different science curriculum topics (Earth Science, Physical Science, Physics, and Trigonometry) ‐ http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Missions/FloodRiskAwareness/EducationResources.aspx. It is not necessary to limit the game to four scenarios, nor is it the intent of this Contract to provide all scenarios. See Answer #2 and #3.

8. Do we require different languages? At this time, it is not required to provide multiple languages for the game. However, this has not been determined as a requirement, nor as a limitation. See Answer #3 and #4.

9. Could you please confirm the target audience for the video game? Section 1.1 of the Statement of Work mentions that the goal of the game is to increase public awareness about water management and flood risk in Nevada. This suggests that the target audience for the game will be the general public in Nevada (of any level of education), and it will not be developed for supporting (professional) stakeholder communication. See Answers #2, 4, and 7. The goal is to communicate water management and flood risk to the general public, and the vision is to make this communication appealing to gamers (primarily middle or high‐school age youth, who are intuitively a more game‐prone demographic). The State of Nevada is a project partner and would be interested in using this product to increase awareness of its residents, not for use as a professional decision‐making tool.

10. What is intended role of the extra footage and interviews that need to be included in the video game? Section 2.1 of the SoW mentions the need to capture interviews, voice/on‐camera talent, and background footage. Is the assumption correct that these are mainly intended to provide background information to the users on the topic of water management and flood risk? Is it correct to assume that these video/audio captures should be easily and logically accessible from the game, but not be fully integrated in the interactive parts of the game? If there is a need for recorded game scenarios to teach the use of the game, and/or promotion of the benefits of the game (see the interviews on http://code.org as an example) and any talent needed to provide that footage, it will be the responsibility of the Contractor to secure and provide this aspect of the final product. It is not necessary for this aspect to be integrated into gameplay for the product to be successful.

11. What will be the preferred game platform: mobile, online or both? Section 1.1 states that the final video game should be provided with a GUI that can work on web‐based or mobile gaming platforms. Could you specify your preference for one of the two, or for having both? In case also mobile platforms should be supported, is the any preference for Android, Apple or again both?

The preferred platform is web/online with a mobile friendly interface and controls.

12. Who has the responsibility for hosting and facilitating the distribution of the game? Section 4.1 (bullet 3) states that the game and associated materials have to be provided to the Corps on an external hard disk. We therefore assume that the Corps will be responsible for hosting and distributing the game after delivery. We also assume that the project will not have to deal with the details of how to host/distribute the game via the Corps’ server systems. Are these assumptions correct? Hosting the game on a platform, and providing routine maintenance of the updates and patches necessary, are topics for discussion. It is not known at this time whether the Corps will be responsible for hosting the site, but access to the site is necessary, and DoD firewalls are a consideration in the discussion with the Contractor. If it is not possible to access the game from a computer in the DoD network, some provision needs to be made to enable access to the games and code. Advertising and distribution of the game is not part of this contract.