DISASTER GOLF
Game Development Senior Capstone Project
9 Months | Aug. 2021 - May 2022
Launched Jan. 23, 2024
DESCRIPTION
Disaster Golf is a fast paced golf game where players use disasters as clubs. I was one of approx. 30 members on the team and acted as one of its engineers with a focus on UI and Tools.
My biggest strength in this project was my ability to rapidly adapt to new tasks. I was frequently moved around the team to relieve code-based blockers that manifested during development.
Working in the UI team, I touched nearly every UI element and ensured reliability and usability. I also redesigned the tutorial levels when that task was left unassigned.
I was tasked with creating tools for our team's Level Designers. Creating an easy to use asset spawner, the Level Designers quickly built new levels.
Responsibilities
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Created and maintained level tools.
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Created the initial art pipeline.
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Coded the tutorial.
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Implemented various UI elements.
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Advised other programmers for UI.
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Dialogue system [CUT].
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Dedicated bug fixer.
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Was available to assist other sub-teams.
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Reworked tutorial design.
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Playtested game weekly.
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Experimented with gameplay to find interesting interactions.
Engineering Skills Learned
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Compartmentalizing data.
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Working with pipelines on a large project.
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Working with GitHub on a large team.
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Thoroughness with code comments.
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Reading and implementing design docs.
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Reading and debugging others' code.
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Utilizing existing documentation to quickly learn new systems.
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Writing documentation for systems.
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Estimating time and complexity of tasks.
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Following up on completed systems for feedback.
Design Skills Learned
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Working with Agile Development over an extended period.
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Communicating on a large team of mixed disciplines.
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Processing feedback from multiple, sometimes competing voices.
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Thinking from players' perspective.
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Iterating with limited resources.
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Utilizing Jira with a dedicated producer.
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Broking down core gameplay into teachable steps.
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Scrapping work that didn't work.
Engineering
Compartmentalizing Data
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Working with UI department, data kept needing to be repeated and managed, so compartmentalizing data became vital.
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After details like a Disaster's name and icon were compartmentalized, they could be edited in one place. It was easy to update UI to read and load this new format.
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This streamlined the pipeline for updating Disaster information throughout the UI and was expanded to other areas, such as level select.
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Level Tools
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I developed two tools for the Level Designers, the Object Spawner and Object Modifier.
- The Object Spawner scanned assets folders with keywords to sort all complete assets. They found it easy to navigate and never used an unprepared object by accident.
- The Object Modifier was an interface to modify to objects. It organized Unity's functionality into a form the Level Designers found easier to use.
- These tools allowed our Level Designers to rapidly build levels and the increased productivity let our level scope to expand.
- I entered this project with no experience creating tools. Researching tutorials and documentation, I delivered these tools in two weeks.
Dialogue
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We wanted to expand player communication and flavor with narration, especially in the tutorial.
- I was tasked with preparing the dialogue player for the game, handling both its audio and subtitle implementation.
- The dialogue was wanted for scripted moments and random moments, so I ensured it was flexible to handle both scenarios.
- Although the system was feature complete, it was cut due to other complications. While my effort was scrapped, I was glad the decision bettered the game.
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UI Development
- I was one of 4 total engineers who worked on the UI team.
- I often completed my tasks with spare time so I lend my assistance to others on the UI team, often debugging or taking backlogged tasks.
- With multiple programmers working on UI, I had to learn to quickly read other's code to continue my work.
- When I was allowed to restructure the level select screen to the left, I compartmentalized it so it'd be easier to add more. This proved profitable as more levels were added after I left the project.
Golf Hole
- No golf game is complete without a proper hole! It was decided to make the hole via code to allow for rapid level iteration.
- This was my first time working with Unity physics layers and render ordering in depth and needed to research solutions.
- A combination of changing physics layers and special shaders allowed it to carve out a spot in any terrain it was placed on.
- This task taught me a lot about how to understand an engine and utilizing its documentation.
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Design
Tutorial Layout
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Our game's tutorial was mistakenly created too early during development and kept being left behind. I decided to take up the task of reworking them before the task became out of scope.
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The main constraint was that levels couldn't undergo any major layout changes so I had to get creative with what we had.
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Some changes included reversing the level direction, using parts from other levels, and changing the tutorial order.
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The hardest to change was the Combo Tutorial where the ball must cross a gab via comboing Disasters. The gap was either too big or too small and was either too hard or skippable.
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My solution was to add a freeze frame part way through and wait for the player to combo with Lightning. This ensured the player engaged with the concept without any difficulty.
Hover to grow video
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Hippos
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While working with another department, I worked with the Hazards team to implement the hippos!
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I worked closely with the designers on the hazards team to ensure that what I made fit their specifications.
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Aside from following directions, I also offered additional options that revealed themselves during the implementation that the designers utilized.
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This was the first time I worked with a pure designer. It took some adjusting to adapt to the difference in language but I was able to manage and code these wonderful hippos.
UI Design
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While working on UI, I was given the chance to add input to the UI design.
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I did my best to maintain the consistency of the UI, learning to mimic our UI lead's design style when preparing menus.
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I influenced the Disaster Help menu the most, assisting with the spacing and designing the "Expanded View" screen.
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I made sure not to overstep my role. I consistently stayed in contact with the UI team and ensured they knew changes I made, could give any feedback, and grant or deny approval.
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