We needed to create a game in a month since the other game we were working out gained complications due to external forces. I had this idea for a game in the back of my mind for a while now: pushing and pulling a particle from one end to another through points you placed. I learned how to communicate my own vision and to use multiple mediums in order to get it across. Some people preferred me drawing out how I wanted some features to work while others preferred a bullet point of features that it needed to accomplish. It was also neat to see the progression between an idea in your head to see it all come together in the end. Made in Unity.
A bunch of first-year students tried to make a top-down RPG with real-time combat in one semester. Yes, it went as bad as you think it would. With about three weeks left, the conclusion came to that this game wouldn’t work. The writers were on different pages, our one artist couldn’t produce all the art needed, the level designers felt like they had no say, and the programmers felt like they were stuck doing all the work. No one was happy. Therefore, we pivoted to a beat-them-up and I ended up being placed in charge (and also as the main character, as suggested by the lead designer). I was able to help steady the ship as we made a playable game centered around destroying our teachers. It was a hit with the students there. Made in Unity.
A project was done through a group of classmates to test out our ability to create an online working game. Discovered through it the difficulties that come from creating a game that is online. There was a learning curve to figuring out how to sync up all the variables, especially with real-time combat being a feature in it. Made in Unity.
A short project focused on learning how to create simple AI. Rather than a whole game project, this focused on the logic behind the game and ignored the majority of the other elements. Stripped down UI. Built out the card game "BS". Written in Java.
This project was done solo. The main premise of it was that you would control a character through a 2D grid and go from start to finish. Every time you would press a button though to move, the directions each button was mapped to would switch. With the simple programming of the game, it helped push me to look at the design of the game. Hazards were introduced through the isolation principle. Playtesting was a recurring element in order to help balance levels and to help the game feel. Also, the simplistic programming helped push systematic and streamlined thinking. I made a whole level creation system to help minimize the amount of time it would take to create a level. I used to have building blocks of certain sizes that I would need to piece together to create a level and every level had to be the exact same size. After rebuilding the game from the ground up, I was able to create levels through clicking points instead of building blocks and had dynamic level sizes. Made in Unity.
An interactive fiction piece about solving the riddle of a snarky dragon. The goal of this one was to focus on puzzle design and writing elements. Also, learning how to program within Inform 7 and seeing what the program was all capable of. Recommended knowing the basics of how to pilot an Inform game first. Made in Inform 7.
A interactive fiction piece about someone desperately trying to spin a tale that gets them out from being attacked by skeleton pirates. Learned quickly how much a game can grow when you give the reader branching paths. Made in Twine.
A interactive fiction piece about trying to navigate through someone's first time playing Dungeons and Dragons. Focused more on storing variables and allowing the player to have more of a voice. Made in an attempt to capture the spirit of D&D. Made in Twine.
A collection of ten poems that have writer's commentary embedded into them. Written over the course of 2018. These poems take more ordinary situations and imbue humor into the subject matter and into the poem's structure.