Game Design

Space Nomads

Student Group Project - Published by Spilt Milk Studios


Damian Nicolae Roman - Lead Game Design & Audio Design
Andrei Pop - Producer & Game Design
Iris Ieșan - UI  Deisgn
Liam Donald - Procedural & Gameplay  Programmer
Owen McIntosh - Mechanics & Gameplay Programmer
Miguel Anastacio - Mechanics & Gameplay Programmer
Jake Sullivan - 3D Artist
Calum Thistle - 2D Artist


Early Paper Prototyping | Used for Internal Communications with Team for Better Understanding | Made in Paint.net/MarvelApp/Powerpoint

In this Idle RPG Prototype, choose between Sci-Fi versions of Vikings or Pharaohs and their imposing ships as you venture into outer space. Gain a reputation and gear your ship with the best upgrades as you jump from planet to planet choosing the best route for your strategy!


As Lead Designer, my role was focused on interpreting the brief our team received from Spilt Milk Studios which included a general idea and feel for an Idle RPG project. I originally came up with base concepts for mechanics and atmosphere and the team transformed them into our final product. We wanted to put an original spin for the brief, which was centered around a fantasy theme, and transformed the setting into Sci-Fi. I worked closely with our programmers and artists in order to create a cohesive experience which was as satisfying as possible given the gameplay restrictions we had. I oversaw the team from a creative point of view and always ensured that our vision was kept throughout the production proces. I mainly worked in Word and Powerpoint, Google Drives, as well as Trello, but I also helped the programmers with direction and tips for Unreal Engine 5.


I was also the Sound Designer of the game. I mixed and matched original audio soundtracks with outsourced media in order to create a constant audio experience which would fit with the narrative and gameplay aspects of the projects. My best work was the combat soundtrack, inspired by the Viking Bukkehorn and given a futuristic spin, which I've linked just below. I used Reaper for all of my sound creation.




Oster: A Trader's Journey
Student Group Project

Damian Nicolae Roman -  Lead Design
Rotik Karmakar -  Producer and Sound Design
Matthew Bain - Narrative Design
Liam McAughtrie - Environment Artist
Alex Wood - 3D Artist
Thomas Johnston - 2D Artist
Daniel Wikstrom - Programmer

Lead your trade caravan through a high-fantasy journey: barter with merchants, meet with various artisans who you will help create masterpieces and uncover what a huge world has to offer.

As Lead Designer, the scope of my objective was always determined by one factor - creating a relaxing experience.  Everything that was implemented, from  gameplay mechanics to the aesthethic and sound design  was designed by always keeping in mind that the player should feel at ease while experiencing  the game as a whole.  

Thus,  the project presents several experiences, each of them calming in their own way:








Eat and Meet - Global Game Jam 2022

Damian Nicolae Roman - Narrative and Game Design
Adélaïde Masset - Sound Design
Aidan Donald - 3D Artist and Game Design
Samuel Pearson - 3D Artist and Game Design
Iris Ieșan - 2D Artist and Game Design
Ferrel Kennedy - Programmer and Game Design


Nobody's themselves when they're hungry, right?
Through the power of the internet, two ancient enemies, a Werewolf and a Vampire, have arranged a date in the city centre. They must first feed or they risk going feral, even in their human forms! Lead two potential lovers from their homes far away from civilization to a city cafe through challenging minigames. Be careful, you don't want to leave on an empty belly!

My role in this 2 day Game Jam was, first, to help the team come up with a concept. As the group wanted to do something with Vampires and Werewolves, I came up with a story regarding a date night between the two, who must control themselves or else they might just kill eachother. From that, I helped the team with many elements, such as UI placement, mechanics, art direction. Possibly the greatest achievement of the game is when the player gets to control both characters at the same time, an idea the group thoroughly enjoyed. (Seen on the image to the right)

Check out the game in full here:
 

Babushka - Global Game Jam 2021
Damian Nicolae Roman - Narrative, Sound and Game Design
Iris Ieșan - 2D Art (Objects) and Game Design
Samuel Pearson - 2D Art (Environment)
Ruben Mateus - Programmer

Experience a Babushka's (Grandmother) memories by interacting with objects from her good and long life. Find out about her past love, her children and nephews and other fascinating tidbits.

Given the smaller team we had during this 2 day Game Jam, roles were all over the place. After the team agreed on a concept, my main role was gameplay design and narration. Due to constraints, the gameplay became fairly simple, a point and click experience which focused heavily on visuals and story.



Check out the game in full here:

Fish-o-tron
Individual Student Project


For this UI focused project, I designed a game with a strong message regarding the environmental crisis. In this project, the player would assume the role of a robot living in a dystopia in which the Earth has suffered incredible losses due to human behaviour. The goal is simple: find fish. Still, instead of fish, the player would mostly meet plastic objects. The game also features a pond, a small hope, in which all rescued fish are put in and the player is able to view them as they like.

Additionally, each found fish and object has a detailed description in order to teach players about different species or about how some human behaviours damage life all around us.

The project's visuals were made using photobashing and drawings. You can check it out here:

Trainee 

Individual Student Project

This project's sole focus is to demonstrate UI and UX design. Trainee, aimed for students and other "inexperienced" people as a way to gain basic understandings of everyday jobs, has a clean interface that's meant to be easy to navigate and understand. It is also straight to the point, that of learning, without a lot of "mumbo jumbo" that blocks the user from beginning their lessons.

Game design elements come from the reward system, in which users are incentivized to keep playing in order to fill up their reward chest. Rewards are either ad-free periods (as any free mobile app, ads are inevitable) or tips for tricky questions. The loop is simple, an user picks a topic, such as Customer Service, and gives their answer to different scenarios that might happen in the work place or give answers to theoretical questions in that field of work.

Check out the project here:

A Normal Tuesday in My Life

Individual Student Project

This 5 to 10 minutes demo aims to demonstrate my knowledge of both level design and scripting in Unreal Engine. 

The game is a personal view on a student's "bad day", a day in which one might be too tired, stressed or might even be questioning their prior choices which led them to the present. The player starts in their university dorm and is led to their laptop, in which they can play a minigame or access a mock online lecture. The lecture is seen from the student's point of view and understanding and, eventually, they reach a boiling point and the player is transported to the student's inner thoughts: darkness filled with both intrusive and logical thoughts. The player has to choose a path, but, if they change their mind, a secret tunnel allows them to pick the other option. There are no bad or good endings, just real possibilities of what a student might pick any given day, be it damaging or not.