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The Pack
An Open-World Game Created by NYSCI and Design I/O
Welcome to Algos, a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered, water and food are scarce, and it’s up to you and your Pack to help fix the environment!
You find yourself waking up in a barren land where the only way to bring balanced life back is to replenish water sources and find varied seeds that are scattered all over the world. You can’t do it alone, and can’t stray too far from water, so you and a “Pack” of helpful creatures set out an algorithmic adventure across Algos.
The Pack is an all-ages game inspired by NYSCI’s groundbreaking Connected Worlds exhibit and was created by NYSCI and Design I/O.
The Pack has also been featured as Apple’s App Of The Day!
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This project was supported by The JPB Foundation. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1543144. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Play NYSCI’s – The Pack
The Pack is an open-world game that is procedurally-generated, meaning each new game you start will be in a completely unique world.
The Pack is based around two timely STEM subjects – environmental awareness and computational thinking. Set in a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered and resources are scarce, it’s up to you to restore the environment by collecting seeds that will help regrow the land.
You embark on an open-ended quest to find food and water by using your “Pack” – creatures that have unique functions like digging, moving, holding, grabbing and repeating. When your Pack has more than one type of creature, you can combine them in a computational sequence (also known as an algorithm) to perform tasks like digging up water and seeds, bumping food off trees and creating a complex algorithm to achieve multiple things at once.
As you advance, you must create more complex algorithms that allow you to do new things. Learning and mastering how to use these algorithms is the key to finding all of the seeds and restoring harmony to Algos!
Download on The Apple Store →
Download For Windows →
How To Play NYSCI’s The Pack
Need some tips and tricks on how to play The Pack? Download the official NYSCI guide to help you in your journey throughout Algos.
Download The Tips and Tricks Guide →
More Helpful Links
Watch NYSCI’s official closed-captioned video by clicking the video on the right or the link below.
How To Play The Pack on Vimeo →
We had some grown-up game testers from our education partner, Participate, stream a play-through of The Pack on Twitch.
Click here to watch on Twitch.tv →
If you’re enjoying the game, consider submitting your best algorithm ideas to help our research.
Click here to go to TheWonderment.com to give us feedback on the game via a secure, family-friendly platform →
Download The Teacher Guide
NYSCI’s Teacher Design Team, a group of middle school teachers who represent a variety of schools and subjects, were deeply involved during the design of The Pack. By working through the app with their students, they created five different examples of how The Pack could be used in their classrooms. Read and download the teacher guide to get inspiration on how to use The Pack in your own classroom.
Download The Teacher Guide →
More Helpful Links
Hear us chat with Robofun on a Facebook Live interview about how The Pack is one of our favorite modern educational resources.
NYSCI x Robofun Facebook Live Interview →
Build Complex Algorithms • Hunt For Seeds • Invite Characters To Your Pack • Bring Water To Dry Land
