Under Development The Paper Prototype is a point in click adventure puzzle game where the player is supposed to defy the developer and figure out the real puzzles to solve in order to complete the game.
My contributions:
- I created all the art assets everything visual in this game was made by yours truly
- I created simple animations to make the game feel more lively
- I did all the level design while receiving feedback from teammates about the layouts and game flow
- Created play testing questions to receive qualitative feedback on our game throughout the semester
- I was the scrum master for my team which consisted of me keeping track of the Trello and project management materials, as well as file management and organization, and making sure we were on track schedule for the project
- Created a particle effect in Unity for the closing scene to make the paper look like it was lit up in flames
Project Goals:
- The main goal of this project was to create a fun point and click, adventure puzzle game with "cartoon logic" that when the player solved the puzzle they would have that "aha" moment.
- Develop 2D art skills
- Work on animation skills
Biggest Challenges:
- Keeping that Underdevelopment style from the first game
- Consistent art style and use of color
- Keeping it niche while still making the game enjoyable for a large audience
- Making voice over narration that made sense and gave enough context while still not giving too much away
The Process:
This project had a intense iterative process. We wanted to create a fun puzzle game that was very niche so that posed a lot of challenges from the start. When we first submitted out most viable product it was not received as well as we hoped. A lot of people were confused and were just clicking around to see what was interactable and tried figuring out where they can go. Also, a big issue we had was that our first script for the voice overs was not clear and just added to the confusion. So we sat down as a team and spent a week going back through it and rewriting as a team instead of having one person. Through our play testing responses we found this to be beneficial and we got better feedback and players had a more clear direction. We struggled a bit to keep that original Underdevelopment style of that it was an unfinished/broken game so we decided to pivot a little changed the initial idea, so that the game was now taking place in an underdeveloped town where objects all over town needed care and the players tasked with fixing the town. This made the game feel more completed and was a more enjoyable and linear experience.
One challenge I faced was keeping a consistent art style and use of color. The main problem was mainly resolution and scaling. This project really showed me the importance of setting a consistent resolution and keeping it throughout the project. We changed the aspect ratio partway through so that also did not help. I also decided to use Autodesk Sketchbook to create the art. This was new software to me that I had to learn on the fly if I was going to fix the aspect ratio issues. I managed to fix the aspect ratio and was able to create assets with the specific look and feel we wanted. Deciding if I should use color and where I should use color became a challenge as well. I think adding color definitely added more life to the game but I was not sure if I should color everything or not. After asking play testers I decided to add it to things that you can interact with or as really small details to fill in the clear backgrounds.
Click below to go to our Itch.io page to see more of the game:
To the right are screenshots of work I contributed to the game:
Assets of the first room when you spawn in with UI elements
Cluckington's Piano Lounge
These were the assets for the shop room
Pause menu
The second room you entered
Game ending scene
Pickaxe sprite sheet and the broken wall sprite
Some inter actable assets
Falling pickaxe sprite sheet
music notes
Breaking sign sprite sheet
Cluckington eating sprite sheet
Chicken coop room assets
clock tower room assets
Open door sprite sheet
egg and hammer assets
clock sprite sheet
