Über Dash

Inspiration

Because of everything I learned at Uberposition, thanks to the partnership between Uber and Superposition, I was inspired to build a driving-based game using Unity and C# that not only flexes players’ problem solving and motor skills but also inherently introduces the concept of the famous Traveling Salesperson Problem.

Transportation is the single largest source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions). While many people rely on transportation, anyone can help reduce their harmful effects by planning ahead and being more intentional when it comes to driving.

What it does

Über Dash is a delivery driver simulation game whose name has German influence because of Germany's efficient and environmentally friendly transportation practices.

Here’s how the game works:

You just started your door-to-door delivery service company for people who want flexibility in scheduling pickup and don’t want to pay exorbitant amounts for local mail that needs to arrive at its destination same day. Today, you have five packages to pick up around the same time and deliver.

First, you study a map of where the packages are and where they need to go. With the goal of saving time and gas, your job is to map out the best route to pick up and drop off packages quickly and efficiently. Afterwards, you drive off and make that happen.

How we built it

I built this using Unity and coded in C#.

Credits

All graphics, music, and sound assets came from Unity's online store whereby I searched for free assets. The Quick Outline folder and scripts also came from Unity's free assets; this enabled me to make visible an outline of the house after the package it's expecting was picked up by the driver.

The tie-in to the Traveling Salesperson Problem came from chatting with mentor Chand Anand.

Challenges we ran into

Because I'm a novice at and don't regularly code in C# or use Unity, I basically start from scratch when creating a new game. I had trouble creating a singleton so that screen assets aren't destroyed upon loading a new scene. While I'm thankful that's not pivotal for game play, it's definitely something I want to revisit and implement successfully.

Designing the map to be challenging enough to flex problem solving skills was also a challenge in itself.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I love seeing ideas come to fruition like implementing a moving camera to always follow the driver! I also made a game that required some thought in game design, from how it relates to the track themes to how the map and packages were laid out to how to ensure the scope fits my skill level.

What we learned

I learned about game design, how to use Unity to create a game, how to scope out a project that fits my skillset and time constraints, and I learned about the traveling salesperson problem!

What's next for Über Dash

If I had more time, I would add some potholes to slow players down, traffic lights and streets where you can only go a certain direction to simulate what happens in real life. I would also factor in money so that the quicker packages are delivered, the better the tip received, or going down the wrong way on a street may result in being fined by police.

Built With

• c#
• unity