GEARS OF MISCHIEF
MY ROLE
Project lead, programmer, and game designer.
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Served as the project's producer, lead, and primary programmer.
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Worked on the game's overarching logic alongside the core hoverboard throwing and platforming mechanics.
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Designed the feel of these mechanics, as well as debugging throughout the project.
TEAM SIZE
5 team members. Three developers and two artists.
DESCRIPTION
An atmospheric steampunk platformer where players take on the role of a hoverboard-riding sneak thief navigating a factory filled with puzzles and contraptions, all whilst trying to obtain powerful gears for his next project.
YEAR & PROJECT LENGTH
2023 - 3 months
GENRE
Platformer, Puzzle
PLATFORM
Engine
Unity
PLATFORMING & GAME FEEL
DESIGN CONCEPT
Gears of Mischief was designed to tackle a platforming design challenge. Instead of designing movement mechanics and then building levels around those mechanics, we began with a simple level design and then designed mechanics that would allow our character to traverse this level. You can see the basic level template on the right. Using these building blocks, we then designed our own level complete with unique challenges.
KEY DESIGN CHALLENGES
Everyone involved in Gears of Mischief was comfortable working alone but had little experience in a team. As project lead, I identified that a key aspect of successfully designing Gears of Mischief was ensuring each of our designers felt ownership over the project, knew their responsibilities, and shared a united vision for the game.
Alongside this, the team quickly established that we wanted to make a more precise platforming experience. This goal meant that fine-tuning the platforming and overall game feel was even more important, as even slight changes in physics, character size and spacing could drastically alter difficulty.
ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES
In our initial project kickoff meeting, I set two primary goals: splitting responsibilities and establishing a core game concept that our initial design work and ideation could be based on. All team members, including artists, were included and given a voice in this meeting. Through this initial group brainstorming, I suggested a mechanic which we eventually settled on as the central premise for the project.
The game would feature a character on a hoverboard, and the player could choose to throw this hoverboard as a method of creating new platforms.
The whole team contributed to establishing this core mechanic, which ensured a central vision for the project and simplified task delegation. Simultaneously, with the whole team united on the core premise, new ideas became increasingly focused, many of which made it into the final game, including my idea to throw the hoverboard into buttons which would transform the environment.
As the main programmer on the project, I also became the defacto technical designer and did much of the game's physics balancing. As part of this process, I relied heavily on external playtesting to gauge platforming difficulty and the feel of physics-based interactions, including recruiting family, friends, and housemates with varying gaming experience.
Using this playtesting feedback, I was also able to identify a host of other issues including how to make the game more accessible and easier to learn, resulting in a more well-rounded and enjoyable experience.
Basic Level Template
Initial Sketch of the Core Mechanic
Project Overview Video