Fallout as game for science learning?

[markdangerchen]

Hi,

My background is in making games for a science museum. I've recently started graduate school focusing on computer games for learning and have been toying around with the idea of using a mainstream game engine to create an immersive experience while teaching something at the same time.

There's something about a good computer game which draws people in way better than most educaiton software out there, and so I'm interested in trying to use a traditional game, to see if the same amount of presence or passion can be kept while still teaching something.

So about a year ago I was thinking about using Fallout or Arcanum to teach science topics (for example, you have to fix a steam engine which requires knowledge of the relationship between tempurature, pressure, and volume). I was thinking maybe there'd be a good way of doing this instead of just using the generic science skill.

Would the Fallout editor work for something like this? Any comments? I also read the Fallout 3 FAQ and saw that they hope to expand the science path. Does anyone know contact info I can use to talk to someone at BIS?

thanks!

 

[Corpse]

You could accomplish everything you want through scripting; for this you will need to download Watcom (check downloads section) or Noids Compiler. The editor would be useful if you want to create any items or edit maps.

 

[PsychoSniper]

Heres what you do.

Make an instructor NPC who, when talked to, explains the scientific principle that you are teaching. Then you access a computer and have differnt dialouge options, and those options are the answers.

 

[markdangerchen]

no use of multimedia?

Hey, thanks for the replies...
I was hoping for more than just dialogue/computer access. For example, making a diagram and displaying it through the PipBoy or creating an in-game steam engine where the student can see it working or not working if they get it right... Maybe even having an in-game cutscene like how they play a movie when the village elder tells you to hurry up... Would something like that be possible?

 

[Corpse]

Displaying a diagram would be possible but not on the Pip-Boy; you would have to display the diagram as a cutscene like at the end of the game (you could even play a sound or speech while the screen is displayed); You would have to convert the diagram to frm using the same pallete as the other files in that folder (I can't remember which folder is used, could be art/cuts or art/splash).

Next you would have to create a script where if the operation is succesful that screen is displayed.

Displaying a movie is possible through a script but creating the movie may prove to be a problem; I am not aware of any tools to compress mve files so I can't help you there.