Super Sudden Death Land
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Responsibilities
Game Design, Software Development
High Concept
I assembled a team to take on a turn-based RPG that we could all use to show off our skills. I played the roles of game designer, technical designer, and team manager. So part of my work was to ensure teammates had opportunities to grow and show off their existing skills.
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In our five-week dev cycle, I spent most of my time modifying the shazam out of a turn-based JRPG template. I worked with virtually all core scripting systems in Unreal. As the sole software person, my work encompassed AI function libraries, user interface graphs, battle systems, interactive object classes, animation blueprints, Niagara particle systems, dynamic materials, modular construction scripts, dialogue system programming, and level blueprints. Hard work and good planning supported our success.
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My ability to deconstruct gameplay and deeply understand the genre allowed us to create an innovative, one-of-a-kind battle system that gives JRPG fans a taste of what they love. Since we used good production practices, reaching Alpha halfway through development, we had time to make it extra polished and enjoyable.
Development Timeline
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Last 2 days
Preproduction
First Playable
Alpha Milestone
Beta Interim
Beta Milestone
Release to Manufacture
PoCT. Proof-of-concept mods to the template blueprints.
Game Design Document & teammate onboarding.
Playable from start to finish with representative gameplay..
Blueprints the level designer needs to reach Alpha.
Core game implemented. First round of playtesting.
Evaluation, planning, design pivots.
Addressed issues that arose in playtesting.
Got ready for beta testing with gamers, non-dev audience.
Addressed feedback from beta playtest.
Refinements & polish. Systems balancing.
Final low-risk improvements.
Put together release materials.