During my second year at Bath Spa University, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to gain some real industry experience by working on a project with Aardman Animations in Bristol. This project was almost a dream come true for me, as a lifelong fan of Aardman and their work. The brief was simple: to create a prototype for a mobile game which could be used to promote the then-upcoming sixth series in the studio's beloved Shaun the Sheep franchise. Of course, there was never any intention of the game being publicly released, but the project nonetheless provided vital experience of working with a client in an industry setting. The game, produced as part of a five-person team, was Shaun the Sheep - A Porky Predicament, a tower defence-style game in which the player must protect the farmer's house from an attack by the mischievous pigs.
To defend the farm from the pigs and their antics, the player must use the sheep as obstacles in order to hinder their progress. Each named character from the show has their own unique ability, and must be strategically placed to keep the pigs at bay until the timer runs out, at which point the farmer will be alerted to the commotion. This style of gameplay was inspired by other tower defence games such as the iconic Bloons Tower Defence and Plants Vs Zombies.
For a more comprehensive overview of the project, including design goals, concept art and prototyping, please feel free to read our game design document here.
Many thanks to my fellow Bath Spa University alumni George Belt, Jack Cotton, Joel Robinson and Clarke Williams for their involvement in this project, and to Aardman Animations for allowing us the opportunity to work with them.
You can check out more of Joel's work at joelrobinson.co.uk.