The Shared Bucket

🌵 The Premise

In a sun-scorched land, water is life. You are the keeper of the Shared Bucket — a precious resource that must be delivered to villages, farms, hospitals, schools, and even a neighbouring camp. Every drop counts, but so does your speed and precision.

Will you pour gently and cooperate, or will you rush and waste water? The choice is yours — but the community depends on you.

🎯 How to Play

1. Drag the Bucket – Click and drag the bucket to any station on the map.
2. Deliver Water – When the bucket is near a station, water automatically transfers.
3. Choose Your Style:
   • Gentle pour – Hold the bucket over a station for a slow, precise transfer (minimal waste).
   • Rapid click – Quickly click the bucket on a station to transfer a large amount instantly (wastes ~40%!).
4. Refill at the Well – Drag the bucket to the well to refill (takes a few seconds).
5. Share with Neighbours – On later levels, you can split water with the neighbouring camp.
6. Survive – Every station slowly loses water. Keep them alive until you complete all rounds!

📈 Key Features

• 🪣 Realistic Water Physics – Gentle pours transfer more efficiently than rapid clicks.
• 🏘️ 5 Unique Stations – Farm, Hospital, School, Homes, Market – each with its own icon and personality.
• 🌊 Neighbour Camp – On Level 3+, share your water with a struggling neighbour (or let them run dry!).
• ⏳ 3 Difficulty Levels:
  • Level 1: Learn the basics, 5 rounds, generous refill time.
  • Level 2: Faster depletion, tighter timing.
  • Level 3: Neighbour camp appears, and the well takes longer to refill!
• 📊 Real‑time Feedback – See exactly how much water each station has.
• 💧 Waste Tracking – Every rapid pour wastes water — watch your efficiency!

🧠 What You'll Learn

• Cooperation vs. Competition – Does rushing help or hurt the group?
• Emotional Regulation – Impatience leads to waste; patience leads to abundance.
• Resource Management – Balance speed, precision, and prioritization.
• Empathy – When you share with neighbours, everyone benefits.
• Systems Thinking – Every action has consequences for the whole community.

🎮 Controls

• Mouse/Touch – Drag the bucket to move it.
• Click near a station – Triggers a rapid pour (quick but wasteful).
• Hover over a station – Initiates a gentle pour (slow but efficient).
• Keyboard shortcuts:
  • 1, 2, 3 – Jump directly to Level 1, 2, or 3.
  • R – Restart the current level.
  • T – Open the Teacher Toolbox.

🎨 Visual Design

• Warm, desert palette – Sandy tones, terracotta accents.
• Hand‑drawn style – Each station is lovingly illustrated.
• Water animation – Flow effects, splashes, and reflections.
• Particle system – Evaporation and splash particles add realism.
• Dynamic UI – Badges update with bucket status and round progress.

📚 Educational Value

"Why does rushing cause more waste? How does cooperation feel different from competition?"

<span <the="" game="" includes="" a="" built-in="" <="" span="">Teacher Toolbox>span class=""> (click the 📋 button) with:</span>

• Discussion questions about cooperation and resource scarcity.
• Activity prompts for tracking waste and sharing.
• Core lesson: Impatience physically wastes resources — cooperation requires emotional restraint and precise action.

Perfect for:

• Social‑emotional learning (SEL)
• Environmental studies
• Mathematics (measuring, fractions, percentages)
• Teamwork and leadership training

🏆 Who Is This For?

• Students learning about cooperation and resource management.
• Teachers looking for interactive SEL or environmental lessons.
• Anyone who wants to reflect on their own decision‑making under pressure.
• Gamers who enjoy thoughtful, slow‑paced strategy.

💡 Pro Tips

• Gentle pours are always more efficient – take your time!
• Keep an eye on the well timer – plan your refills wisely.
• On Level 3, share with the neighbour early – they can be a lifeline later.
• Don't let any station hit zero – you'll lose the game!
• Use keyboard shortcuts to quickly restart or change levels.

🎮 Play Now!

The community is counting on you. Will you be the hero who shares wisely, or the villain who wastes it all?

Grab the bucket and make every drop count!

Made with ❤️ for a better world, one drop at a time.

📊 Difficulty Overview

Level	Stations	Neighbour	Well Refill Time	Rounds
1	3	❌	4 sec	5
2	5	❌	5 sec	5
3	5	✅	6 sec	5