Technical Games Designer
Personal Projects
Project_S
This project focused on creating advanced weapon and vehicle systems, I chose to create a game where the players main character is a spaceship. This prototype was heavily inspired by Everspace 2, the end goal being to emulate the animation from said game. To help show the created assets in their proper context, I created a number of supplementary world elements and a playground environment to test the systems out in.
One of the main outcomes of the project was also creating a research paper on a subject of our choosing, I chose to research the effect of game feel on immersion, focusing on perception in space action-shooter games.
Engine: Unreal Engine 5.1
Duration: 3 Months
As this was a solo project I was the only contributor
Key Mechanics
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Hierarchical Ship system
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Data asset based weapon system
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Dynamic Ship Animation
Documents
Character Project
This project focused on creating a series of character systems with the idea being too explore the unreal engine movement component to the fullest as well as creating and expereimenting with more complex character systems such as inventories. This would then be supplimented by some interactable world elements and NPC to create an interesting test area for the player mechanics.
For this I focused on creating a smoot player flight system, taking inspiration from the Superman prototype and MARVEL Spiderman game.
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Duration: 3 Months
As this was a solo project I was the only contributor
Key Mechanics
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Player Flight Movement
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Combat Instance Manager
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Rudimentary Player Inventory
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Wind System
Documents & Links
Digging Through Death
The brief for this project was to try and create a game inspired by a retro videogame, using it as a jumping off point to create a more modern take on some older design theories. For this I took the game Dig Dug and reimagined it as a Zombie Adventure-Shooter.
There are some more obvious thematic elements shared, such as the underground theme and killing enemies to progress. However one of the less obvious similarities is a special abi9lity the player can use to show hidden elements around the map in a similar way to eagle vision, this is a more experimental way of emulating how the player can see the entire level in dig dug.
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Duration: 3 Months
As this was a solo project I was the only contributor
Key Mechanics
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Level Progression Upload System
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Versatile Triggers System
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Balance Friendly Weapons
Document Links
Tactical Galactical
For my final year project at university I decided to create a fantasy x-com prototype with enemy movement based on chess. All world elements are spawned in through an in-depth spawn system using data tables to create the level layout as well as the enemy and player spawns. This was also my first exploration into a complete game with a finished gameplay loop.
The above video shows the development cycle and the various stages the prototype went thorugh.
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Duration: 24 Weeks
As this was a solo project I was the only contributor
Key Mechanics
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Level Design System
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X-com Style Movement
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First Compelte Game Loop
Documents & Links
Miscellanious Projects
This is a showreel of some of the smaller projects I've created over the course of my undergraduate degree.
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Duration: 3 Years
Roles and areas covered:
Game Design
Technical Design
Level Design
UI Design
Narrative Design
Production
Research
Game Jams
Farming Isle
Global Games Jam 2023
This game was made for the 2023 Global Games Jam, the theme for this Jam was Roots. Using this we decided to create a farming style 3D game similar to slime rancher in gameplay but leaning more into a stardew valley theme.
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Team Size: 5
Duration: 7 Days
Roles and responsibilities:
Game Design
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In collaboration with the other designers I planned out the key gameplay mechanics and core loops.
Technical Design
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My core areas of focus were creating the farming elements such as crops, plots, UI. And the enemies with their supporting mechanics such as spawners and managers.
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Due to the small team size I also had a hand in most technical elements for the game.
Documents & Links
Ocean Flow
Ukie Student Game Jam 2021
I submitted this game to the Ukie Student Game Jam 2021 in a group with 2 others. The theme was water so we made a pipes turning puzzle game as it presented a new and unique challenge to both me and the other technical designer in the team.
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Team Size: 3
Duration: 32 hours
Roles and responsibilities:
Game Design
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Along with the other team members I planned the core gameloop and mechanics such as which pipe types to include and other core design decisions.
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I imported the sprites for the tile icons and ensured all artistic elements of the game were setup and working correctly. e.g, pipes, the pipes filling and the background.
Technical Design
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I mainly focused on the level spawning, pipe rotation and the basic breadth first search.
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I also assisted the other technical designer in creating a system to store and check the tile orientations as the system checks each tile.
UI Design
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I created the very basic Menu, pause and in game UI
Links
Coming Home
Ukie Game Jam 2020
This was a game I made for the 2020 Ukie games jam in a team of 3 others. The Jams theme was diversity and since all 4 of us are lgbt in some way or another we decided to do a game narrativly focusing on coming out. I was the only technical designer in this jam so I tried to create a simple match three puzzle game.
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Team Size: 4
Duration: 32 hours
Roles and responsibilities:
Game Design
I was the sole designer for the jam so was in charge of most of the design considerations for the game e.g. whether matches would include all surrounding tiles or just striahgt lines, how many matches would be needed to progress.
Technical Design
I was responsible for creating every technical aspect of the game, from the level spawning and tile matching to the UI functionality.
UI Design
I created the very basic Menu, pause and in game UI.
I also created the mechanics for the text to be revealed and the story panels between levels.