Created by Anjali Gali and David Duarte (2025). All Rights Reserved, please do not modify or use without permission. 

Plant Code Rooms is a 3D educational game that teaches players the basics of Lua programming through interactive plant growth puzzles. Players explore a sequence of rooms where they solve challenges by editing Lua code to influence how a virtual plant grows—controlling aspects like stems, branches, leaves, and flowers in real-time 3D.

This game was created for the Educational 3D Game Jam. It consists of entirely customized art, and robust programming for a unique and engaging learning experience for young programmers using Lua. 

The theme for this game jam was Rooms. Our game fits this theme because we have created the following rooms as levels for players to scaffold their learning experience: 

Room 1: Stem Room

Objective: Teach basic Lua syntax and function return values.
Mechanic: Grow a stem upward by modifying length and thickness.
Visual: A single vertical cylinder representing the stem.

Room 2: Branch Room

Objective: Introduce branching structures and angle manipulation.
Mechanic: Define multiple branches using angle and length properties.
Visual: Lateral branches forming in various directions.

 Room 3: Leaf Room

Objective: Introduce decorative elements and conditional flags.
Mechanic: Add leaf and flower flags with shape/color control.
Visual: Leaves and flowers attach to branch ends or stems.

Our game teaches introductory computer science topics, with a focus on logical thinking in programming. Our game teaches arrays, variables, booleans and lists in Lua. 

For the programming, we developed an iterative environment using Moonsharp plugin with Lua, and David developed a Unity plugin that can iteratively modify plant based elements in the environment. He also developed a ragdoll movement for the 3D model of the robot, programmed NavMesh-based movement, and developed the functionality of each room in the environment.

For the art, Anjali used Procreate and Canva to develop textures, emission maps, etc. from scratch. She used Blender to create metallic maps and custom 3D models, and we  developed the entire UI from scratch, along with the programming. We aimed to create a Solarpunk - themed environment, with an inviting, bright atmosphere and the promise of sustainable use of futuristic technology

Credits 

David Duarte, 
Lead Engineer & Game Developer

Anjali Gali, 
UI/UX, 3D and Concept Artist

---

Special Thanks to:

Anuj Gali and TJ Wilder for playtesting.
Gabriel Pessôa for Sound FX.
Skybox by https://mooham3d.artstation.com/