CODENAME: TIARAS
Custom 2D Engine
9-member team | Online work
Codename: TIARAS is a 2D Platformer made using Custom Engine for our Sophomore Project class.
This was a 2-semester project and is currently out on Steam.
The player takes the role of Mia, a cyborg who aims to collect the missing data cubes in the dangerous part of the city
My Responsibilities
Level Design
Paper Prototype: For figuring out the length of challenges and level
Whiteboxing: Blocking out with neutral assets to test systems
Set dressing: With Environment Artists to maintain vision and theme
Documentation: Level Design Intention to help other departments
Encounter Design
Whiteboxing: Blocked out different challenges for testing
Challenges: With programmers to build varied challenges
Set dressing: With Artists to support challenges and theme
Documentation: Recorded Encounter Design Intentions
Other tasks
Bug fixing: Level and Encounter related bug fixes from Playtest data
Playtesting: Blind playtests with Students to test the builds
Lead Design Role: Worked with co-leads to maintain vision
Documentation
Process
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TOOLS I USED FOR LEVEL BUILDING
I used Tiled for placing all art and system assets in the game. I transferred the JSON file to the custom engine to generate a game and iterated with the playtest data.
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VERTICAL SLICE
At the end of Semester 1, we were required to show the basic movement systems, art, and a small level segment in the Custom Engine to the Professors for grading.
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UNITY PROTOTYPE
We were required to prototype our game's system using Unity to show that we could replicate the same with our Custom Engine in the middle of Semester 1.
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LEVEL 1
This is our end goal for Semester 2 - to make a 3-minute 2D platformer in the custom engine. We had to cut down a few mechanics like wall jumping, and tracking enemy drones for the scope of the project but we were happy with the final output.
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LEVEL 2
We thought it would be fun to have another level for the Steam submission, and a few of us worked on this for a few weeks. We reused most of the assets, and the environment artist made an alternative background and environment assets to showcase the difference between levels. I also changed the flow of the level to both directions to create chaos.