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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.