Lost Earth 2307

»Lost Earth« 2307 is a 4X strategy game for aerial and satellite image analysis. The player explores and liberates alien planets while learning to evaluate optical, infrared and radar images. The uses of different sensor platforms such as drones, aircraft and satellites are also taught.

Story and Setting

Lost Earth 2307 is a Serious Game following the ideas of Digital Game Based Learning. This means, that players can fully immerse into a fictional world and story, albeit all learning objectives are integrated and are not abstracted from real life. Thus, playing Lost Earth 2307 feels like playing an entertainment game but it implicitly teaches learning objectives. That way, it enables a high learning motivation and a better and sustainable
learning outcome.

Players take on the role of the avatar Alex, with whom they will experience and control the fate of a rebel organization in the year 2307. The whole galaxy has been colonized by mankind. But after a self-induced disaster on Earth, all colonies are ruled by a vicious, arbitrary cult. This cult even prohibits all further technology advancements. The goal of the game is to deliver all colonies from this evil cult.

At the beginning of the game, players have access to an Ark. This Ark is used to travel throughout the galaxy, to accomplish missions and to liberate colonies.

Genre and Gameplay

The game is turn-based and uses a genre combination of 4X-strategy and adventure.

4X stands for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit snd eXterminate. In this game it means that players

• eXplore the galaxy with the Ark, starting from their homeworld
• eXpand their area of infl uence by successfully liberating colonies
• eXploit and manage resources (recruits, taxes, matter, science) from their liberated colonies
• Compete against computer generated opponents, which try to conquer the galaxy (eXterminate)
  

The game comes with two modes: Campaign and Endlessgame. The campaign tells a story with increasing suspense and increasing difficulty with regard to the missions. In the endless mode, it is possible to adapt the game to special course content.

The main game loop follows the same process in both modes. Players gain missions from a tasker. Players starts a mission and deals with it in the given time (turns). The quality of his work determines the further game progress.
 

Keywords

Serious Game, Digital Game Based Learning, Image analysis

Learning Objectives

The game supports the training of image interpreters. Hence, it has to implement the following learning objectives:

• Gain basic knowledge in interpreting and analyzing aerial and satellite imagery (Annotations, Reporting, etc.).
• Understand processes of the Reconnaissance-Cycle
• Understand the differences of visual, infrared and radar sensors, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of sensor platforms like drones, aircrafts and satellites.

These learning objectives are implemented and taught via two different kinds of missions:
 

Reconnaissance mission

• Analyze original imagery according to the problem and task of the tasker, for example if a bridge is still passable.
• Annotate and align images, report and also answer multiple choice questions.
• Pass through the Recce-Cycle with regard to the influences of weather and technology advances.

Deployment mission

• Deploying and controlling sensors.
• Illustrates (dis-)advantages of sensors and plattforms (regarding e.g. weather or materials).
   

Solution

Lost Earth 2307 is a so-called serious game based on concepts of digital game-based learning, i.e. the learning game plays like an entertainment game, but at the same time transports all learning objectives and thus achieves a high level of learning motivation and sustainable learning success.

In the game you determine the fate of a fictitious galactic rebel faction and continuously try to free planets of mankind from a technology-unfriendly, tyrannical cult. This is done through two types of missions. In the first type of mission, aerial and satellite images from different sensors of the corresponding planet are evaluated within the scope of the Recce-Cycle. In the second type of mission you try to find the opponent on the planet surface faster than the player. This is done by planning the deployment of sensors and the corresponding sensor platforms, which in turn helps to learn about their advantages and disadvantages.

Good performances in the missions lead to the liberation of the planet and thus to more resources, with which the player can improve sensor and platform characteristics.

The player is in direct competition with other nations of the tyrannical cult, which want to achieve galactic dominance.