"How will I make the fantasy of a hamsterball delivery job feel tangible, freeing, and satisfying?"
I made this game starting with a simple rolling ball player controller, and loaded on progression mechanics and feedback to make a cohesive hamster fantasy simulator.
Competencies
- Implemented a rhythm game that generates notes based on a beats-per-minute value entered for each song.
- Tuned upgrades and made them appear on the character to give the player a short, satisfying progression loop that makes the early game and end games both enjoyable but still distinct.
- Created contextual, legible UI using widgets and animations based on the player's current state. This only shows them what they need to see and clears screen real-estate when possible.
Findings
- Using three connected islands made paths clearer and improved flow, but more landmarks and terrain types would've improved players' route and survey knowledge.
- While testing remotely during the COVID pandemic, I should've focused on testing with video streaming as opposed to self-report tests without footage.
- Refactoring old code took nearly half my project time, as opposed to the one or two weeks I expected.
Context
I made a version of this game first for a class focusing on general 3D game development in my sophomore year, then added and refined features for a User Experience-focused class in my senior year.