Design Projects
'The Tower'
Role: Level Design / 3D Design (Solo Project)
Duration: January 2021 - May 2021
Genre: First-Person Platformer
Engine: Unity
The aim of this project was to develop a polished demo of a playable stage in Unity, displaying an understanding of level design and 3D design pipelines. It was also to showcase personal development in these areas and address skill gaps to increase my employability.
The game is a first-person controlled walk in the park, with an added modicum of challenge. The idea was to make a stage that the player will know how to traverse, with no prior context or explanation. Similar to Journey (2012), a towering point of interest is visible in the distance, indicating your destination and beckoning you towards it. It demonstrates a key understanding of level design principles and features a range of 3D assets I modelled to breathe life into the scene. As it was my first time modelling in Blender, I focused on making low-poly models for scope.
This project greatly developed my level design skills, and reaffirmed that this was the direction I wanted to take with my career.
What I Did:
Researched modern design principles to establish the direction the project would go in.
Thoroughly planned the level's design with sketches, then mock-ups and greyboxing.
Assembled the level in Unity by sculpting a terrain and modelling architecture with ProBuilder.
Modelled the 3D assets to be included in the level with Blender.
Sent out builds to be tested, and iterated upon the project with the feedback received.
Documented the design process in a Personal Development Portfolio.
'Android Development Programme'
Role: Audio Design (Solo Project)
Duration: September 2020 - January 2021
Genre: First-Person Shooter, Puzzle
Engine: Unity
In the third year of my studies, we were given the choice of several modules: character design, mechanics design, and audio design. I chose the latter to better broaden my horizons.
We were given a Unity project containing a simple, clinical environment for a level, which you could walk around in first-person. It was devoid of sound effects and music, and my task was to populate the project with them to show an understanding of audio development pipelines in Unity. Over the course of the project, I brought each element of the project to life with home-made sound effects and developed a convincing audio project which was aesthetically reminiscent of Portal (2007) and The Stanley Parable (2011).
What I Did:
Researched Foley art to design convincing sound effects.
Recorded 100+ individual sounds at home to be edited and implemented into the project.
Generated ambient background music with Ableton Live.
Recorded myself to provide dialogue, guiding you through the level.
Learned and utilized Wwise as middleware to manage implementation of all audio assets.
'Onirico'
Role: Level Design / 3D Design / UI Design (Team Project)
Team Size: 7
Duration: January 2020 - May 2020
Genre: Stealth
Engine: Unity
Onirico is the result of my first team project. We intended to design a stealth game with a World War II aesthetic, where you awaken in a small town crawling with mysterious, masked foes that are hunting you down.
My initial role was level design. In our small town, we had a cathedral which would be the end of our level, and I was tasked with designing it. I researched stealth design to make an a fun challenge that would adhere to modern design principles, and to avoid making something frustrating.
After designing the level, I modelled the entirety of the cathedral's interior for the second half of the challenge, where the masked foes are patrolling and you must sneak past them. Unfortunately, I was only able to design the interior before the first lockdown happened, and my responsibilities shifted due to not having a powerful enough PC at home.
For the rest of the project, I focused on the game's UI design. I ended up wearing many hats due to working from home, but I'm proud of the work we submitted as it was a valuable team experience. We worked hard and made it come together, despite having never worked from home before.
What I Did:
Researched modern stealth design principles to design an appropriate level for the project.
Modelled the interior of a cathedral in Maya, as well as props and decorations such as pews and rubble, and delivered an asset pack to the team.
Developed the prototype's UI elements, including a main menu, danger and alert indications, a dialogue system, a pause menu and a game over menu.
Managed contributions with Github.
Documented the game's design process in a Game Design Document.
Second Year Level Design Project
Role: Level Design (Solo Project)
Duration: September 2019 - December 2019
Genre: 3D Platformer
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
This was my first stab at level design work, as well as my first project in Unreal Engine 4. I researched basic level design principles and took various courses on UE4 to make a level that reflected my daily trip to and from campus, in alignment with the project brief.
You begin at the peak of the level, and must travel down into the arena to collect items. Once you've collected them all, you unlock the ability to double-jump, which allows you to travel back to the top of the level and access the end of the stage. I incorporated enemy AI, as well as various level design mechanics inspired by Super Mario Sunshine (2002).
What I Did:
Designed my first level based on industry research.
Learned the basics of Unreal Engine 4 and assembled a level in the engine.
Designed mechanics to populate the level, including enemy AI, complex moving platforms and collectible items.
First Year Programming Project
Role: Programmer (Solo Project)
Duration: January 2021 - May 2021
Genre: Platformer
Engine: Unity
This is the first prototype I ever finished. It demonstrates the results of a research project I undertook, wherein I wanted to explore the intricacies of jumping in classic platformers. Based on the original Super Mario Bros. (1985), I made a small platforming game which recreated the jumping feel of Mario. Holding the jump key for longer allowed you to jump higher, and you could also tap the key for a small jump.
This was also my first experience working in Unity, and it allowed me to familiarize myself with its interface, scripting with C#, importing assets, UI design, and animation.
What I Did:
Researched 'game feel' and developed a comfortable jumping mechanic.
Learned the basics of C# to develop my research.
Imported an asset pack from the Unity Asset Store and used its contents to improve the project's presentability.
Used Unity to create my first playable prototype.
