Natedog769: Game Designer and Software Engineer
Encrypt Keeper
Project Description
I created this WPF application where you can save log in credentials used for the many websites we must have accounts for. While this is not the most original idea it is a strong example of many software engineering principles such as dependency injection, model view view-model, and encryption. This program also uses the MahApps Library for that modern styling.
The user will be able to enter in their credentials where they are saved to a JSON file which will then get loaded into the grid view for browsing. In the grid view is an added effect to hide the password column until the user moves their mouse over it to view it.
Planetary Defense:
An Orbital Turret Defense System
Project Description
A 2D turret defense game with an orbital spin to it. Players are tasked to defend the planet by building missiles in the Munitions Plant to load into defense assets, creating Satellite Turrets to orbit around the planet, launching Combat Drones to patrol an area of space, and upgrade their Surface Cannon and Planet Shields for the incoming invasion of UFOs and barrage of Asteroids.
Initially created in a matter of 12 weeks I created the code base, the 2D art assets, and published the game to Steam. Over the following weeks after launch I kept up development adding new quality of life improvements and gameplay challenges. Notable game design elements are
- Game Modes: Invasion, Asteroids, UFOs, and Lunar each feature a different hazard arrangement with the Lunar game adding the options to use the moon for more orbital action
- In Game Currency Mechanic: Players can choose a digital currency at the start of the game which will affect how they earn the coins needed to spend to build their defense assets
- Modular Defense Assets: Players can build their Sat-Turrets, Combat Drones, and Missiles by selecting different modules to create unique systems for defense
Dead-Tective
Project Description
An interactive 3D murder mystery game where players take control of the victim as a ghost who must interact with the physical world to help the detective solve her murder! As a ghost you must interact with lights and electronics to lead the detective to clues around the house and along with him learn why you were murdered
In this project I worked in a team of 4 as a capstone project at the U of A where I largely help design and built the dialogue system. As a narrative based game we needed a way to output all the text that player needs, from spoken dialogues and monologues, to event and item descriptions. I designed the system so that all text was an object, conversations were objects with conditions that the characters held and must be met to be conversed. Descriptions were in world objects the player walks into to describe what the player character is seeing and its relevance. My teammates contributed the following;
- Aure Guerrero: Created the game concept from gameplay controls to character design to story and backgrounds. Also he helped largely in how the detective would learn about the mystery at hand with a inference engine he developed
- Taylor Woodman: Created the path finding system for the detective agent and the player controls. She was also a major contributor for the writing of the dialogue and in game story telling aspects.
- Souvie Games: Created many of the 3D models used in the game as well as rigged and animated the game characters for their walking and talking cycles.
Rewind Rentals
Project Description
Rewind Rentals was a game I made in about 7 days. Reminiscent of the by-gone era of video rentals players man the rental shop where customers browse shelves and find tapes they want, need, or will settle with. If a customer is satisfied they will be more likely to return the tape rewound, otherwise players will use the VCR to rewind the tapes before returning it to the shelf.
This game features many dynamic systems one of which is the console computer system. Players can interact with the classic system where they can type in commands to buy more tapes for a genre, buy a new shelf featuring a new genre and buy new VCRs to help with the rewinding work load. Many play testers mentioned the sort of haunting atmosphere which would lead to my next iteration of the project
- Samwise: Music and Audio engineer, created the awesome guitar sounds as well has helped transform sound effects for this and the Midnight Rentals iteration
- Jesus Fong-Kee: 3D Model artist created the iconic VCR, VHS tapes, IBM pc models and cash drawer fully models with individual components to help make them dynamic and interactable
Midnight Rentals
Project Description
Its closing time and you have a few more tasks before you can close up for the night. Customers are pesky so its best to turn the lights off and complete those tasks in the dark and hide under the desk if they come a knocking. You never know who or what could be wanting to come in after midnight….
This game was built for another game jam but I took the existing level from Rewind Rentals and gave it a horror makeover. Players still have to interact with the cash drawer and rewind tapes like before but they must also listen for footsteps, knocking on doors, and other audio clues for when to hide under the desk from what lurks outside.
Natedog769 