DELVE
My most ambitious project so far. I was responsible for both producing and programming. I took it upon myself to develop tools to foster a more professional development environment. I initiated and produced the collaboration of 5 multidisciplinary students from 3 universities for 4 months. Throughout this project, we were followed by 3 industry veterans to provide us with valuable feedback.
Project
18 Weeks Development, 5 People
My role : Developer, Producer
DELVE is a first person game that visually combines middle eastern influences with cosmic horror, to provide an explorative journey into the depths of a forgotten temple. Play as Nefertari, a retired fortune hunter who is drawn to the temple by unseen forces, and discover the origins of this abandoned tomb, along with the evil that lurks within.
PROGRAMMER ROLE
Development Tools
Custom development tools to support the team and make processes easier.
Throughout the project, I have spent much of my free time experimenting with the creation of tools to improve workflows. Some of these tools were requested by the team. When making a tool I always think about the user journey and try to make it as intuitive as possible. Tools should help the user and not become a strain.
Systems
I like to keep my code base segmented which helps isolate development and bug fixing.
Building upon the previous projects I have coded. I segmented my code into multiple systems. Systems can be used by multiple features of the game, they do not contain specific behaviours and can therefore be reused and expanded. These systems are improved over time, and I often found myself reusing them through multiple projects.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, supporting the communication between designers and programmers is key.
In this projects I had the time to create diagrams which helped the communication with the game/sound designers. I found this method to be very beneficial especially in the early stages of a feature. Though maintaining such diagrams takes much time. This diagram has been made for the most complex feature of the game, the hook.
Game Initialization
One of the key challenges was the initialization of the game.
Making sure the team could start playing the game from any scene has been a challenge. This has been a challenge worth tackling as I have learned much about architecting my code and making diagrams has helped me structure the key tasks.
Game Frame
For performance and control, I implemented a custom game loop inspired by Unity.
Similarly to the game initialization, structuring the game loop was critical and challenging. My methodology starts with some code experimentation and is then quickly followed by diagrams which helps me identify problems as well as communicate to others.
PRODUCER ROLE
Production Plan
Supporting myself and other team members in the planning and coordination of work.
In the early stages of this project, I have allocated part of my time to the production of the team. I sat with them and discussed the feasibility of their tasks and how it fit within a larger scope. My generalist knowledge has allowed me to better understand the needs of my team's members. My skills as a producer come from my interest for collaborative work in all my past projects.
Communication
Leading meetings and supporting external communication.
During this project I often found myself leading the meetings by asking the questions and making sure ideas were flowing. I initiated multiple collaborative workshops to help align the team. I was also responsible for the external communication with our feedback panel.
