Table of content:
1) Gameplay mechanics
2) Level Design
3) UI & VFX, Management
Engine:
Unity
Platform:
Genre:
Team Size:
Time:
PC
Strategy
6
7 weeks
Visual Studios
Photoshop
After Effects
Perforce
Trello + Miro
Software:
Concept
Clanker Gangs is a turn-based strategy game,
where you control a band of robotic outlaws in a
steampunk-western frontier.
Defend your settlement against opposing bands with a trio of distinctive units, amass gold to deploy reinforcements and plan your approach to crush
your enemies!
This game was developed for my final project while
studying at Futuregames. Read more below!
Gameplay Footage
My Contributions
Product Owner
Project management
Held scrums/sprints
Supervised kanban board
Level Designer
All levels + blockouts
Paper prototypes
Setdressing
Gameplay Designer
Core mechanics & rules
Daily agile iterrations
C# Scripts
UI Artist
Menues, icons, interface
Portrait renders
Sound & VFX
Audio mixing
Handled voicelines
All special effects
Trailer + cutscenes
Character spotlight
Emphasis on strong unit designs,
with distinguishable silhouettes and characteristics
that clearly communicates their purpose & function.
1. Gameplay Mechanics
I designed a framework for a tactics-style game with a visual
identity as a deep-diving exercise in strategy fundamentals.
Central to the game is the unit trinity; early on we determined the game to be built around
three key units in a lenient rock-paper-scissors system, and build the game around said units.
Other important core aspects were to focus on the player's decision-making and anticipation
of enemy actions before they make a move.
Skill Synergy
Unit skills & interactions that synergize to create satisfying, creative combos when executed that rewards the player and reinforces unit identity.
Lay plans
Open, visible levels in a turn-based system that encourage the player to stop and strategize their next course of action against an elaborate AI.
The goals for the set of two levels was for the player to seamlessly grasp the basic mechanics in the tutorial, then apply those skills in order to beat the main level's AI equilvalent by combining the units' capabilities in emergent ways to their own liking.
While other games that share similarities have grid-based movement systems, we decided to try and innovate with a grid-free system allowing us to
design levels more unconditionally - with greater accommodation
for movement options, level interaction and player agency.
2. Level Design
#1: Pre-production mockup that I pitched, originally having a cold-war era setting and tile-based
isometric board. We decided to cut the tiles and floor elevation in favor of open navmesh movement.
isometric board. We decided to cut the tiles and floor elevation in favor of open navmesh movement.
#2: Paper prototype of the earliest planned level.
The paddock in the bottom right was to prototype raytracing for when ranged units were shooting behind cover.
#3: Very early blockout of the test level, which at the time was for prototyping with the camera rig and unit pathfinding.
#4: Appropriately sized blockout with some WIP props and clutter added. Working UI placeholders and core mechanics in place.
#5: Blockout of the quarry, adding more interactivity and hazardous elements to the level layout.
At this time we had to concentrate our resources on fully scripting the core mechanics.
At this time we had to concentrate our resources on fully scripting the core mechanics.
#6: Minor changes while we are still implementing functionality.
Placeholder textures, effects and shaders while using the probuilder plugin.
Placeholder textures, effects and shaders while using the probuilder plugin.
#7: Game fully playable, still with placeholder textures. Next was to focus on the release build's main level.
#8: Rapid paper prototype of the proper main level, with a more clear and open-ended layout.
#9: Framed perspective of the ideal layout. Secondary mechanics such as control points and gold nugget nodes added.
#10: Implemented level layout, designed with three branching pathways around the central point. Buildings textured.
Working on a tutorial level at the same time, which limited allocation of time for setdressing.
Working on a tutorial level at the same time, which limited allocation of time for setdressing.
#11: Final level layout with improved lighting/polish.
#12: Final level layout.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
3. UI & VFX, Management
Sample: damage effects (medium & gibbed)
Full VFX reel
Graphics
For this project I did the majority of the UI graphics,
as well as programming the menu wrapping & navigation.
This included sprite texture sheets for particle emitters,
animation trees for the turn wheel components and icons.
Other contributions were early concept sketches.
Animated portraits
Early on during pre-production we deliberated that we
wanted animated portraits and voicelines for the units
reminiscent of classic strategy games.
To go about learning how to do this I did some research on
other games with animated portraits and discovered that
characters are often pre-loaded inside the level, hidden
out-of-bounds within the scene while partially disabled.
Using this as an inspiration I set up a few camera props
with backdrops for the dummy units and rendered the projections into raw image textures which could be
called on demand within the script.
Art Direction & Management
As product owner, my role was to make sure the product and direction was consistent
with our established goals. Because of team size, in this case it also meant that I was
involved in all aspects of the project management.
I was responsible for establishing the vision of the game and conducted the daily standups,
of which there was two (one in the morning, one quick midway through the afternoon)
to keep communication and problem-solving conscious throughout the whole
development cycle. This was largely necessary due to the fact that we were
working from home during the pandemic, from start to finish.
I handled the whiteboard, scheduling and some of the open playtest sessions.
In accordance with the 3D artists I worked with them to create a mood board collage for
the style direction, as well as overseeing the Kanban board flow for each weekly sprint,
user stories, individual requests and task prioritization.
Lastly, I also booked and arranged for the original music out of my own pocket.
I made it clear that while our workflow had milestones and deadlines to adhere towards,
I wanted everyone to focus on what they wanted to produce themselves in preparation
of our portfolios, as that was the end goal of the project.
Scout
Sniper
Miner
Because gold deposits are static level elements and are perishable once depleted,
they
force the player to steadily seek out and replenish their gold. This puts
pressure on the player to strategize on the fly, keeping the game and pacing dynamic.
The miner required a lot of tuning so that it felt satisfying to use, without feeling
restrictive or uninteractive due to its economic nature and lack of range. By being
able to create setups for big, thundering explosions it secured a healthy role in the game.
The Miner is a bulky melee unit that is centered around economy and forwarding progression.
They have the ability to mine gold from ore deposits and place explosive Dynamite Barrels.
The Miner is a key component of the unit trinity - enabling players to push the
frontlines, sustaining the economy by gathering resources & complementing
other synergies. They allow other units to interact with barrels that can be used
to blow up enemy clusters, obstructing ranged AI targetting or triggering
knockback chain explosions. (Enemies can also shoot these barrels.)
MOVE
RANGE
HEALTH
The Sniper is a long-ranged, aggressive unit centered around damage and area denial.
They have the ability to shoot from great distances and to bounce ricochet shots between targets.
Snipers were designed as the lynchpins of the combat system - they can shoot
from behind smaller obstacles, deny points of interest and detonate dynamite
barrels without consequence. They excel at hitting wide swaths of targets
and dealing damage, but have meager movement options as a tradeoff.
Initially the Sniper was a very powerful unit which playtesters became fond of.
Because our aim was for the player to never single out a particular unit
archetype while playing, we tweaked it so that it required the support of other
units and designed the level with multiple approaches around obstacles, such
as the scouting jumping over pitfalls in order to close the distance.
MOVE
RANGE
HEALTH
Icon made by Marcus Bildtgård
The Scout is a nimble support unit centered around crowd control and infiltration.
They can dash around the battlefield and manipulate the environment with their Air Blast ability.
Scouts are a versatile hit-and-run unit a toolkit that allows for multiple styles.
They are nimble units that can be used to leap over hazards, boost units around,
shove enemies into environmental kills and launch barrels into enemy clusters
with its handy ability.
They are particularly useful for bypassing and flanking down Snipers, an
important counterbalance within the unit trinity. Their frontline presence
is comparatively mild.
MOVE
RANGE
HEALTH
It was designed specifically for players to interact more with the level design.
Apart from using its ability, it’s also ideal for more advanced approaches like
"back-dooring" by claiming uncontested control points, which can prevent enemies
from spawning in new units. Early on we wanted an archetype that could flank
and sabotage, adding depth to the combat system in an easily understandable way.
Scenes I worked on / setdressed:
Introduction
Tutorial level
Main level
Title Screen
Level showcase: "Bandit Quarry"
An illicit mining town vista that has
been overtaken by a rival gang.
The main level was designed to wrap around discernible central landmark with various open paths to get there, serving as a point of interest and way to gauge
distances cohesively within the level layout.
This large gold node is initially claimed by the AI and
serves as a crossroad between the different sections of
the level, telegraphing to the player a suitable
go-to destination.
