Summary​

• ​Developed the initial game concept of juggling combat and text messages based on client prompt of "bad timing"

  • Identified our target demographic and defined inspirations for gameplay, tone, and style​​

• Involved in the planning, design, and refinement of all systems, mechanics, and any redesigns​

• Wrote and maintained a game design document as well as other documentation throughout development​

• Conducted A/B testing for mechanics to gauge which variations worked better​

• Designed enemy types and their behaviour​

• Worked closely with artists and programmers to gauge the feasibility of design concepts, given time constraints and limited skillsets

  • Development took place in-person every day, with stand-up meetings every morning​

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Notable Challenges

• Designing around the limited time and skillsets available

  • Identified the team's shortcomings, as well as personal goals for learning and portfolios, and designed the game with them in mind

  • The enemy movements and attacks had to be designed around Mixamo animations, as we had no animator on the team​

• Iterating on the phone as a mechanic

  • Using the phone was inherently a distraction and annoyance from the text messages at first, so we attempted to change it into a more positive design loop

  • Flipped the penalties from poor/no text message replies to be less harsh, and instead rewarded the player more for answering well

  • Created a currency-like Battery system that the player can spend on abilities to use in combat or to heal, to turn the phone into something that the player wants to use​​

• Finding a synergy for all the mechanics 

  • We essentially had to skip pre-production and start development right away, so mechanics were being made and implemented until the very end

  • We managed to find a good balance of systems in the end, but throughout development many unused mechanics muddled the direction of the game

  • Scoping was a big perpetrator for this, as everyone on the team was eager to create something great we kept adding more and more, but we found the solution to be in cutting back and refining what we had​

• Tutorialising the amount of systems we ended up with and how they are all interconnected within a short playtime (the game was mainly being played at events and conventions)

  • Created a dedicated tutorial level at the beginning of the game to gradually introduce mechanics to the player, as well as on-screen tutorial prompts​​​​

• Communicating ideas to other team members in documentation, as well as to our client

  • Since team members had varying degrees of experience with games, I incorporated examples with visuals and video links to games and other media to get ideas across​