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Videogame Helps Flood Defense Planning

Posted by simoniker on from the not-flood-planning dept.

Thanks to BBC News for its article discussing a videogame called 'FloodRanger' helping UK authorities work out strategies to cope with real-life flooding. According to the piece: "As in other virtual world games, like SimCity, players have God-like control, so social, economic and environmental decisions have knock-on effects", but this sim "was developed as part of the [UK Department of Trade and Industry]'s Foresight flood defence project." The official 'FloodRanger' page has more information on this also commercially released title, in which it's "...up to the player to decide where best to build appropriate sea or river flood defences, like dams, reservoirs or groynes, whilst keeping their public generally happy."

5 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. interesting.... by Clockwurk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It would be nice (since it was a government developed sim), if they could release it as a free download like americas army. Granted, it wouldn't be the most thrilling game, but it would be interesting to mess around with.

  2. Pity It's Not Entertainment by Umgawa71 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This game could be just the thing to sell to the SimCity crowd, because I'm quite certain that there are people like myself out there: We build utopian societies in which the people are friendly, the garbage is picked up regularly and the grass is green... and then comes THE FINGER OF GOD! Actually, that's how I refer to whatever disaster I'm using, but here's hoping that The Finger of God will actually be a usable disaster in the next revision of SimCity. Building the cities just isn't as much fun as destroying them.

    In any case, I've always found SimCity's disasters somewhat lacking, since there's fairly little control over them, and the cities just don't burn very well. With FloodRanger, I could do away with entire communities as I please just by routing drainage. Pity the game's not built with fun in mind, which leaves me waiting for SimCity 5 and the Finger of God disaster, as well as the Starbucks On Every Corner cataclysm.

  3. About time by Ymiris · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have always wondered why people didn't use sims for real life issues. What they should do is allow people to upload their configs on the web and award the best and most efficient sim some sort of prize. This would give them access to a bigger idea base.

    --
    **It runs through my veins like radioactive rubber pants! Do not deny my veins!**
  4. might as well by cgenman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What you missed...

    God sims, tower sims, restaurant sims, mob sims, sim coaster, sim copter, ant sims, sim life, airline sims, golf sims, ski resort sims, newspaper sims, snowboarding/skiing/driving/surfing/flying/skatebo arding/painting sims, trucking sims, empire sims, isle sims, sports sims, photography sims, horse sims, music sims, dance sims (well, not so much a sim), dating sims, pizza sims, casino sims, a moon sim, trailer park sim, sim farm, sim safari, sim hospital, sim fish, sim pets...

    There was also a sim sim sim game, "the best simulator simulator you have ever played... simulated!" But that was only available in Space Quest IV.

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    The ______ Agenda
  5. Do they offer the choice of... by wowbagger · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Does this sim offer the choice of

    NOT BUILDING WHERE FLOODING HAPPENS?

    Too damn many times "flooding" happens because stupid people said "OOOH, predddy! I want to build my house here, by the river!" "OOOH, preddy! I want to build my house on the beach here!"

    How about telling these morons that they will NOT receive government money to rebuild their house, and that the insurance companies are NOT required to insure a new house built on the site?

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