"Tokyo Game Show 2024" was held from Thursday, September 26 to Sunday, September 29, 2024.
Saiga NAK's editorial team once again brought full coverage over the course of the four days!
This time, we'll be reporting on the "Omega Crafter" booth by Preferred Networks, Inc.!
Experience Programming at the Omega Crafter Booth!
Preferred Networks is a startup company known to those in the know.
They specialize in AI and deep learning and are developing various cutting-edge technologies.
Preferred Networks also offers the programming education tool "Playgram," which has been adopted by over 700 classrooms across Japan.
The development of the open-world survival crafting game "Omega Crafter" is a new initiative that leverages this expertise.
The booth featured a corner where visitors could easily experience programming.
University student Fujii (@MTNRFG) took on the challenge while receiving an explanation from Sato, the development manager.
Saiga NAKOn the screen were "Grammi," a character who also appears in "Omega Crafter," and three fishing spots.
By giving instructions to Grammi using simple programming blocks, he was able to reel in a fish!
Saiga NAKHe combined the following blocks:
- Go to fishing spot 2
- Dance
- Fish
...and hit the huge Enter button!
Saiga NAKHe succeeded in catching the fish!
In "Omega Crafter," you give instructions to Grammi in a similar way while you go on adventures and develop your town.
Playing "Omega Crafter" for Real!
From here, Kiyoaki (@kiyoaki_gohan) will actually play "Omega Crafter"!
Saiga NAKAfter a series of events, the protagonist arrives in this world from a transfer pod.
First, they cut down the surrounding trees to build a base.
Saiga NAKIf you manually cut down every single tree, you'll be at it all day...
That's where Grammi comes in.
Give Grammi the command to cut down nearby trees...
Saiga NAK...and Grammi automatically starts cutting down the trees around him!
Saiga NAKYou can use the wood and stone that Grammi collects to expand your base.
Crafting a mass of arrows will get you ready for your adventure!
Experience the Appeal of Town-Building
Saiga NAKA town created by an "Omega Crafter" player over more than 300 hours of gameplay was also on display.
Saiga NAKLed by a symbolic object, the incredible detail in the houses, restaurants, and shops is amazing!
It seems you can also use programming to make a Grammi standing like an NPC say lines.
The development of "Omega Crafter" began when the team saw children seriously engaging with the "Playgram" programming tool for kids and beginners and thought, "Maybe we can make something that adults will find interesting, too."
Currently, the game is only available on Steam.
Sato said that while there are no concrete plans at the moment, he said "I hope to port it to other platforms in the future."
Saiga NAKThe effectiveness of using games for educational purposes is already clear from the number of classrooms that have adopted them throughout Japan at the time of this writing.
Learning just by having fun will likely become an even more refined next-generation teaching method in the future.
And with that, this concludes our Omega Crafter booth report!
