Side Effects (of being human)
A narrative game exploring different biographies using dialogue and puzzles.
Narrative Game | Student Group Project | Co-Programming | C# | Unity Engine | 6 Weeks
My responsibilities included:
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Implementing Puzzles
I developed two of the four puzzle types in the game: a jigsaw puzzle and a riddle in which dots need to be connected in a certain order. -
Isometric World and Movement
I integrated all assets and worked on player movement and animation to create an immersive isometric world for the players to explore. -
Project Management Tasks
I oversaw tasks and helped communicating between teams, planned sprints to keep the project on track and ensure timely delivery. This involved working closely with the team to identify and resolve any issues that arose during development.
Behind the Scenes
Background
For our second semester project, we were given the prompt „when will I be loved?“ As a team, we decided to tell a story about an otherworldly entity’s quest to understand the complexities of human emotions. Our game follows them as it explores the inner worlds and biographies of various characters, each illustrated through dreamy isometric environments.
To truly capture how human emotions can be a series of riddles, we incorporated puzzle elements into the gameplay. We hope that players to feel the same sense of discovery and curiosity that our otherworldly protagonist experiences on their journey!
Development
This project was off to a great start with a lot of momentum. As one of the programmers, I quickly put together a prototype for the isometric movement and environment, utilizing sprite sorting to create the impression of three-dimensional depth. Meanwhile, our narrative designer and co-programmer created a dialogue system using articy:draft.
Both my co-programmer and I collaborated on the puzzle elements of the game. As a first-year programmer, I was grateful to have a teammate that I could consult with any technical issues or questions that arose during the development. Turns out, some of the puzzle logic was more intricate than I had initially anticipated.
To ensure that everyone’s work was aligned and we were working towards common goals, I took on project management responsibilities. I established clear milestones with each department of our team, ensuring that our work was coordinated and heading in the right direction. I made sure to keep a close eye on bottlenecks to which we were able to respond with adjusting the scope as necessary. Finally, we could deliver a solid proof of concept and prototype for three full levels of our game.
More Game Projects!
AaaaAAdventure!
A series of arcade games using the microphone as input for playing in different ways.
Experimental Game | C# | Unity Engine | 6 Weeks
My responsibilities included:
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Gameplay for Platformer / Sidescroller Minigame
I developed the gameplay mechanics for the platformer game and sidescrolling game. This included spawning enemies as obstacles, collectibles, the attack and making everything easy to tweak for the design team. -
Producing Sounds
I designed all sound effects in the game, ensuring that each sound accurately reflected the action on screen and aligned with our chosen artistic language and arcade game format. -
Pitching
I used my knowledge gained during my study course about Media History support the design team with special attention to historical trends and design philosophies.
Behind the Scenes
Background
In our 4th semester, we were tasked with creating an „Experimental Game“ – a project that encouraged us to break free from traditional game development practices and explore new creative possibilities. For our experiment, we decided to work in the style of multiple game jams during our six-week development timeline. This led us to create a series of unique, compact arcade games that pushed our skills and creativity to the limit.
On top of that, we also decided to experiment with technology, thus using a microphone as an alternative input device for the games. This novel approach led to some innovative way to create fun experiences that we couldn’t have achieved with traditional input methods. The end result was a collection of four small, yet engaging games that share a cohesive, minimalistic visual style.
Development
Our team worked on this project during the early days of the pandemic, when remote work was our only option. In line with our experimental theme, we organized our development process into weekly sprints, with the goal of completing one game per week.
As one of the co-programmers on the team, I collaborated closely with my teammate who was responsible for developing the microphone controls and provided valuable support when obstacles arose during the development of our side-scrollers and labyrinth game.
As someone who values polish, I also took on the additional role of the sound designer for the project. Using the bfxr tool, I created sounds from scratch that were tailored to the arcade-style format of our compilation of games.
Despite this game being an “experiment” and the turbulent circumstance of the pandemic, I gained first important experience at collaborating remotely on a game. I am happy to say that the scope of our project was perfectly well chosen to the best interest of the team and the game – and the results are definitely something we are proud of up to this day!
