Florigen is a sci-fi houseplant care simulator with the goal of making all the flowers in your greenhouse bloom. Currently on PC, developing for Quest.
1. Refining Prototypes takes time.
Out of all of the projects that I currently have on my portfolio, this one has taken the most time as it is not a prototype. This game has been created from scratch, from concepting to development. I'd love to flesh out future projects more!
2. VR Interactions are very nuanced.
While making a Quest version of this game, the hardest part is to figure out the interactions for the game. How do I make it feel the most like watering plants, and how do i translate things like inventory to my project? I'm currently studying this more to develop the VR version of this game further.
What causes a flower to bloom? A plant’s flowering period mostly depends on their internal circadian clock, as well as the photoreceptors embedded in their leaves.
Before finding this out, Russian scientists speculated on a hormone called “Florigen” being responsible for a plant’s flowering. Florigen takes this hypothesis in a different direction in the form of a PC game experience.
Florigen takes place in an enclosed greenhouse, on a small isolated planet with light conditions much like earth. The player has everything under their control, and they have everything they need. The greenhouse is populated with a variety of plants, hooked up to machines that provide the plants with a constant supply of sunlight, water, and humidity. However, the greenhouse is not able to make the plants flower, and only keep them alive. It is the user’s goal to tend for the plants, and research ways in making the plants bloom.
Overall, the project aims to be visually appealing, relaxing, and comforting to the user. There is no pressure or chance of failure put onto the user, and they can decide what playstyle they wish to have. Players can choose to just walk around the environment and appreciate the details, or they can pull through the storyline. It is open-ended, and can be experienced for a long period of time.
