Role
Junior Game Designer
Team Size
Collaborative Module @ University of Staffordshire
6 Game Designers
4 Technical Designers / Programmers
2 Hard Surface Artists
2 Character Artists
1 Concept Artists
Time Frame
January 2023 - February 2023
Genre
Local Co-Op
Casual
Software
Unreal Engine 4.27
GitHub
Jira
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Teams
UX Wireframes
As part of my contribution to the game's development, I was tasked with designing the UX/UI for the game as well. This resulted in me working alongside the Technical Designer, who was tasked with implementing the UX Designs into Unreal Engine and linking them up with the corresponding blueprints.
Summary of Constributions
Junior Game Designer
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Collaborated with a team of Game Designers, Technical Designers, Programmers, 3D Artists, and Concept Artists.
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Conceptulised environmental locations for each level using my knowledge of geography, and history.
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Created visual diagrams to help convery gameplay features to the Technical Designers and Programmers.
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Mocked-up and iterated upon levels based on how individual mechanics worked for the natural disasters, and through constant playtesting.
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Helped obtain gameplay footage for the games trailer.
UX/UI Design
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Designed Low to Mid-Fidelity wireframes within Adobe Photoshop, and handed them off to my Lead Designer.
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Iterated upon wireframes based off feedback from my Lead, and from lecturers (who were acting as the Creative Directors).
UI (In-Engine)
After the UX was implemented into Engine by the technical designer, I worked alongside. I started to work with the concept artist on the team to get the UI Art started. This combined the UI to the theme of the game.
Level Design [Hawai'i Map]
Another task that I was assigned whilst the Senior Game Designers worked on polishing the Game Design Document was to work on the level design for the locations that can be played in.
Starting off with the blockout of the map set in Hawai'i, I began using Google Maps to find locations around Hawai'i that could be suitable, and using Google Images to get closer to the location.
Level Design [Japan Map]
The second blockout I did was for the map set within Japan. Using the same research methods I did for the hawai'i map, I dived into Google Maps to find locations around Japan that could be suitable, and using Google Images to get closer of those locations.
With the Japan map I also wanted to try to incorporate an area that was relatively similar to Hawai'i and the Italian map that was being worked on by another Junior Designer.
Post-Mortem
As this was my first collaborative project on a large scale with multiple different disciplines, I'm quite proud of the work that I was able to contribute to the project. I was able to contribute a variety of UX wireframes, work, and communicate with the respective individuals who were also assisting in the implementation and art of the UI. I also created two maps that went through a few different processes of change to solve problems relating to certain disasters.
Whilst I do wish I could have assisted in coming up with additional game mechanics, I managed to guide the game in its final direction through selecting geographical locations based on the disasters we implemented into the final product. I'm also impressed with the UX/UI outcome, being this was my first time creating UX wireframes for a game that allows up to four players.
Awarded "Best Multiplayer Experience" by Creative Assembly and the University of Staffordshire
Throughout this module, we had a selection of game studios from the United Kingdom and around the world, review the work we students were doing at the University of Staffordshire. During the half-way mark, we got feedback from Rare, who provided some insightful advice, and also immediately clicked with the idea that we were going with. However, when the module came to an end and we submitted our project to be assessed and also reviewed for the Game of the Year award from the University that Creative Assembly was going to be on the panel to review the games, we never expected to earn the award for "Best Multiplayer Experience" and I and the team I got the experience to work with are grateful for.