Frogs in a Pond is an interactive ecosystem in which frogs are lazily sitting on lily pads waiting for their next meal. Flies buzz around, and when they come into contact with the frogs, they are eaten. The frogs get increasingly bigger until they pop, and players can add new frogs with a click of their mouse, as well as new flies by pushing the “up” button.
I was inspired to create this because I’ve always loved frogs, and there is a pond in my backyard. When you walk along the edge, the frogs will become startled and splash into the pond. It is fun to see them suddenly jump into the pond, and it can be very serene to sit and hear the frogs croaking, and the flies buzzing.
When creating the project there were many elements that I initially wanted to include like a day and night cycle, waves, and birds. Ultimately I chose to keep the project more simple, and focus on what brings me joy in the frogs and flies. I started with establishing a background and including lily pads where the first initial frogs would sit. Then I started by creating flies using an array list and wrapped them around the screen. At first I wanted them to bounce off the edge of the screen, but I felt that having the flies wrap and appear on the opposite side made the scene look a bit more realistic. After adding flies I started working on the frogs, beginning with simple shapes then adding on details and faces. I had the most trouble with the interaction between the frogs and flies, and the reaction of the frogs getting bigger once colliding with the flies.
By having player interaction, I believe this makes the ecosystem more fun as the player can create new frogs, and watch them eat the flies, as well as add new flies and watch them be eaten or take over the screen if there are no frogs present. The player interaction allows for the ecosystem to continue despite the original frogs popping.
The final addition to the ecosystem was to add details to the frogs. I think this is what makes the ecosystem more interesting and fun, and I also added smaller lily pads to make the scene more full and interesting. Frogs in a Pond was an exciting and challenging way to put together the skills that I have learned throughout the semester. Throughout the many iterations of this project, I was always reminded of the happy moments watching frogs in my backyard, and hopefully this project will make others feel some of the same happiness I enjoy.
