Summary

Scarred Mansion is a strategy game in which you craft cards in your deck with effects you earn and use those cards in the hopes of overcoming encounters with dangerous creatures and hazardous obstacles on your way to escape a haunted house.

Roles

Creative Lead, Game Designer, and Developer

Development

The core concept of this project stemmed from my desire to make a non-combative, systemic deck-building game in which the player has the power to shape the environment of a grid-based terrain using the cards in their deck. What would make this game mechanically unique from the other deck-building roguelikes on the market would be its approach to crafting decks. Rather than adding and removing cards from one deck built by the player, they would maintain a twelve-card deck and change it by adding and removing effects from the cards themselves. Through extensive playtesting and iteration with the goal of "finding the fun", I cut most of the systemic mechanics in order to focus on the narrative and character development of a twelve-year-old boy's journey through a run-down mansion.

After deciding on the core gameplay loop based on a deck-building roguelike structure, I designed the encounters, hazards, and enemies around the core pillars of Grid Traversal, Exploration, Deck Manipulation, and Card Manipulation. Grid Traversal includes mechanics such as moving objects in the world from one grid space to another as well as placing and removing objects from grid spaces. Exploration indicates the action of searching grid spaces (or un-searching) and increasing or decreasing the default search radius of the main character. Deck Manipulation features game mechanics such as drawing or discarding cards from the player's hand or deck of cards or modifying the cost or playability of a card. Card Manipulation refers to the action of adding and removing effects from cards as well as changing the effect of cards based on the board state of the game.

Play

Gameplay

A deck-building roguelike game in which each encounter takes place on an isometric grid and the goal is to explore a certain percentage of the area in order to find your way out of the mansion. Each level has procedural hazards that you must overcome on your way towards the exit. The main mechanical difference between this game and most other conventional deck-building games is that instead of adding and removing cards from their deck, the player maintains the same number of cards in their deck and instead adds and removes effects from cards themselves.

Screenshots

Summary

I ported the digital version of Viticulture, a board game originally created by Jamey Stegmaier & Alan Stone, for the Last Gameboard's tabletop console platform.

Gameplay

In this worker-placement board game, players have access to different tasks during each season. By strategically using workers and visitor cards, players expand their vineyards and fulfill client orders by constructing buildings, planting vines, and producing wine.

Development

After receiving the source code from the original developers of the digital Viticulture version, DIGIDICED, I examined the project architecture and established a plan for extracting all of the unnecessary scripting and logic related to other platforms such as integrations with Google Play and Steamworks, while still maintaining the structural integrity of the project and ensuring that future source control merges from their main branch could be sorted out smoothly.

Much of the work involved in the porting process involved changes to the UI and UX of the game. In addition to changing the overall HUD to support showing the stats for up to six players at the same time (up from one), I changed the aspect ratio of the entire experience from the 1920x1080 desktop environment to the 1920x1920 environment of the Gameboard. This involved designing and implementing a custom board rotation solution that dynamically turned to the active player or the player who had to perform an action at the moment.

Play

Access Viticulture through the Last Gameboard website here.

Screenshots

Narrative

Set in rustic, pre-modern Tuscany, each player starts with a few plots of land, an old crushpad, a small cellar, and three workers. Their ultimate aspiration is to be the first to achieve success and establish their winery.

Roles

Lead Porter / Co-Developer, Interaction Design Consultant, Development Team Liaison

Summary

Creature Feature is a game of hand management and bluffing designed by Richard Garfield, mastermind behind the design of games such as Magic: the Gathering, RoboRally, and KeyForge. I developed a digital port of this project as part of Last Gameboard, Inc. for their eponymous tabletop console platform.

Gameplay

During each round, each player selects a Co-Star and a Star (cards with numeric values and, in some cases, special abilities) to compete for a role (a tile worth points). After revealing their Co-Stars, players have the option to switch their audition and aim for lower-rated films that offer fewer points. Winning a role earns points, but here's the catch: if your Star has a lower value than your Co-Star, you cannot win unless you are the only player competing for that film. However, the risk you take may pay off in the form of additional points!

Development

My team and I worked closely with the publisher of the original Creature Feature card game to develop comprehensive wireframes that accommodated all possible gameplay scenarios based on predefined rules.

Once we defined the project scope and established a cohesive visual style for the assets and animations, we focused on constructing a project architecture that integrated the unique features of the hardware we were developing for. This involved implementing multi-touch support to facilitate simultaneous interaction among multiple players, ensuring stable connections with multiple handheld companion applications, and optimizing the game's performance to prioritize speed even when the maximum number of players were connected.

An essential aspect of our development process was the creation of artificially intelligent bots that could join play sessions with insufficient players. Given that bluffing is a central element of this game, I programmed the bots with various strategies, randomly assigning their risk-taking approaches from reckless to chaotic to apprehensive.

Play

Access Creature Feature through the Last Gameboard website here.

Screenshots

Narrative

Play as a movie agent representing actors who excel in portraying particularly monstrous roles. Your goal is to secure them the leading role in a feature film or, if that proves unsuccessful, at least a part in any film.

Roles

Lead Gameplay Programmer, Quality Assurance Tester

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, GIMP, Github, Jira, The Last Gameboard proprietary tabletop console and its software development kit

Summary

I developed a digital version of The Night Cage, a cooperative horror board game, as part of the Last Gameboard for their proprietary multi-user tabletop game console.

Gameplay

In this tile-placement game, the board wraps around in an impenetrable loop of darkness. Prisoners move through the gloom with the hopes of collecting keys and finding a gate to escape the monsters that lurk below. Escape won't be easy, since the players’ candles only illuminate tiles directly connected to their own, and when they move, tiles that fall into darkness are removed from the game entirely.

Development

The main aspect we focused on during the development of this project was to ensure that players of all skill levels could engage with the game without being overwhelmed by its inherently challenging nature. To achieve this, we placed significant emphasis on incorporating multiple tutorials and rule aids, along with offering dynamic difficulty options ranging from Easy to Extremely Difficult. This allowed us to cater to a wide range of players with varying levels of experience.

Once the foundational elements such as the grid system and player movement were implemented, I devoted myself to guaranteeing the reliability of the monster system. The presence of these creatures is what truly intensifies the suspense when exploring the dark labyrinth. It was necessary to carefully consider the different positions and abilities of various enemy types, as well as the positions and rotations of players, when designing the code structure and functionality for enemy attacks and player blocking mechanics.

Play

Access The Night Cage through the Last Gameboard website here.

Screenshots

Roles

Lead Gameplay Programmer, Quality Assurance Tester

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Github, Jira, GIMP, The Last Gameboard proprietary tabletop console and software development kit

Summary

I ported the digital version of AEG’s Cat Lady to The Last Gameboard’s multi-user tabletop console, working closely with the original developers Nomad Games to maintain a familiar aesthetic direction while also implementing additional features that the new hardware afforded.

Gameplay

Draft cards three at a time, collecting toys, food, catnip, costumes, and (of course) lovable cats. If you don’t have enough food when the deck runs out, your hungry cats will subtract points from your score.

Development

Because the original project’s source code I was working with had been structured for an Android application, the same OS that the Gameboard ran, much of the development work was trivial. I worked with an interaction designer colleague who wireframed the basic interactions that needed to be changed between the version available on Google Play and the one we would put on our own storefront. The implementation involved ensuring that all four players could see and interact with their cards simultaneously instead of only having one player’s Cattery visible at a time. Additionally, I integrated features from the Gameboard’s software development kit into the game so that the company could differentiate this version of the game from its original version using the unique hardware.

Play

Access Cat Lady through the Last Gameboard website here.

Screenshots

Roles

Lead Porter / Co-Developer, Interaction Design Consultant, Quality Assurance Tester

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Github, Jira, Last Gameboard tabletop console and software development kit

Summary

KOI is a chill strategy board game that was originally designed by Bill Lasek and published by Smirk and Laughter. I developed a digital port of this project as part of Last Gameboard, Inc. for their eponymous tabletop console platform.

Gameplay

Each movement card has from two to four programmed moves — straight, turn, rotate any direction and leap over a space — with some moves being mandatory when played and others being optional. Lily pads spawn dragonflies every turn, each of which is worth 3 victory points when eaten. Cherry blossoms cause all living things to scatter in the opposite direction. Stones prevent fish from entering a space. Frogs net players 1 VP when eaten, and they can also eat dragonflies in adjacent spaces.

Development

I worked alongside an Interaction Designer who created mockups and wireframes and another Game Developer who helped code some of the game logic, modeled the assets, and textured the models.

Because the game mechanics had been finalized before the board game was published, much of the work involved in this project consisted of designing a project architecture that addressed the whole scope of the game's mechanical logic, coding the basic core interactions between players and their game pieces, and scripting the visual layout and animations that occurred when those interactions happened.

We took advantage of the enhanced capabilities of the Gameboard's 16x16 inch multitouch screen to enable custom piece rotation and movement and showing cards secretly to players when they placed their hand on the screen as a shield.

Play

Access KOI through the Last Gameboard website here.

Screenshots

Narrative

As koi fish, players spend their days swimming to and fro by playing movement cards, with the goal of gobbling up as many dragonflies and frogs as they can every day.

Roles

Gameplay Programmer, Quality Assurance Tester

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Github, Jira, Last Gameboard Inc. proprietary tabletop console and software development kit

Summary

Restoration Games chose to work with The Last Gameboard to develop a digital version of Downforce for their eponymous multi-user tabletop console. My team developed a faithful recreation of the physical board game that incorporated many digital features afforded by the unique hardware that eased onboarding for new players and assisted play for veterans of the game.

Gameplay

The main appeal of this racing game is the auction and betting aspects. After placing bids in secret, players race on the track with the hopes of securing the largest prize pot. However, played cards affect not just your own drivers but those of each player! The real strategy comes from secretly betting on who you believe will win, no matter if your choice is your own driver or someone else’s.

Development

Working with a team of developers and interaction designers, I implemented robust project architecture that ensured that each player was equipped with an ability and a hand of movement cards with which to dominate the race track. We put emphasis on the social features this game had to offer, promoting a design that encouraged players to bluff and form alliances based on the cards their neighbors played and what abilities they had.

We increased replayability and drove up retention by implementing additional maps and game modes so that players would find it easy to find something new with every play session. Additionally, I implemented artificially intelligent bots to play with groups that did not have enough players to start a game by themselves, which helped bring more attention to this title.

Role

Game Developer

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Github, Jira, Last Gameboard Inc. propietary tabletop console and software development kit

Play

Access Downforce through the Last Gameboard website here.

Screenshots

Summary

Skippy Trip is a hybrid casual mobile puzzle game that requires a balanced and synergistic mix of strategic forward-thinking and reflexive speed as you guide an alien creature to its home temple. Manipulate the environment by raising and lowering obstacles at the right time and in the correct order. Hone your skills by lowering your time and decreasing the moves you take to complete levels, and collect stars to progress further in difficulty and complexity.

Gameplay

The core mechanic of Skippy Trip is the act of tapping on triangular obstacles in order to raise or lower them. Skippy passes over lowered obstacles as though they’re part of the ground and hits raised obstacles, reacting by changing its direction according to the angle of the obstacle. Complete a level by reaching your home temple as quickly as you can!

Development

After I showed my prototype to the team, Turkish startup Veloxia gave me the go-ahead to lead its development as we re-built it from the ground up, applying a fresh coat of paint for the visuals and theme. Initially its narrative followed an alien tadpole on a journey to find its home waters, but after a test round of ad creatives we determined it would be more marketable to change its theme once more to follow a creature adventuring through a mesoamerican-inspired temple with traps and gold coins. I designed bite-sized levels throughout its development, publishing more than sixty of them in its soft launch and introducing new mechanics at a pace that retained new users while maintaining the interest of veteran players.

Roles

Lead Game Designer, Level Designer

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Google Suite, Jira, Github, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office

Screenshots

Inspiration

This game was born of a desire to make Tetris into a dungeon-crawling deck-building game with roguelike elements like Slay the Spire.

Gameplay

After prototyping my first version of the game, where I restricted tetromino movement to match held cards, I realized that completing lines with this system in place became much harder. To adapt, I combined this idea with a cooking game I had in mind. I transformed the falling tetrominos into food and changed the goal to fulfilling customer orders by merging nearby food blocks.

Roles

Lead Game Designer, Core Programmer, Art Director, Pixel Artist, Sound Designer

Design & Development

The main tasks involved were developing a robust ScriptableObject and GameEvent-based project architecture in Unity, creating unique gameplay mechanics for each chef class, optimizing the code for small file size and fast loading times, and designing a player progression curve to encourage daily engagement. To improve player retention, I introduced unlockable cards that rewarded users for completing games. Additionally, I implemented optional video reward ads to expedite card unlocks, with a 24-hour waiting period between each unlock using this method.

During development, I noticed that there were usually very few customers in the mid-to-late game, resulting in an accumulation of unused food at the bottom of the player's grid. To mitigate this issue, I implemented a solution where playing a card would deduct one second from the customer arrival timer. This straightforward adjustment ensured that more customers arrived when the player's hand was full and their restaurant was empty.

Based on playtesting and the principle of "following the fun," I made the significant design decision to alter the timing of card drawing. Instead of drawing a card when a food landed at the bottom of the grid, I changed it to when a food was instantiated at the top. I implemented this change to address situations where a food failed to reach the bottom or got destroyed, resulting in the player not receiving a card to guide the next spawned food. This could be frustrating, especially when the player had an empty hand and a new food appeared, leaving them with no actions to perform. The new approach ensured that players could take at least one action on each falling food, even if their hand was empty when it spawned.

Read the full Game Design Document here.

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Shotcut, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Audition

Screenshots

Narrative

You play as a hibachi chef desiring to feed as many customers as possible in order to gain more experience to become a better chef.

Code Sample

									
public class Card : ScriptableObject
{
	// Each asset has a unique resource ID so it can be saved and loaded correctly.
	[SerializeField] private string uniqueResourceID;
	public string UniqueResourceID { get => uniqueResourceID; }

	// Effects are ScriptableObjects and are assigned here to determine what the card will do when played (and when played with a doubling effect, and when a new effect is added)
	private Effect[] effects;
	public Effect[] Effects { get => effects; }

	private Effect[] doubleEffects;
	public Effect[] DoubleEffects { get => doubleEffects; }

	private Effect[] effectsToAdd;
	public Effect[] EffectsToAdd { get => effectsToAdd; }

	private string cardName;
	public string CardName { get => cardName; }

	private string cardDescription;
	public string CardDescription { get => cardDescription; }

	private string effectDescription;
	public string EffectDescription { get => effectDescription; }

	// Drag and drop these from the Inspector in order to assign them correctly
	[Header("Scene References")]
	public TextMeshProUGUI cardText;
	public Canvas cardCanvas;
	public Color imageColor;

	public enum ChefClass
	{
		Balanced,
		Aggressive,
		Methodical,
		Quirky
	}

	public enum Rarity
	{
		Common,
		Uncommon,
		Rare
	}
	
	// Each card is assigned one or more Chef Classes to ensure it only can be used by a player of that class
		public List<ChefClass> chefClasses;
	public Rarity rarity;

	// Set these to tell it which animation and sound to play when it is played
	[SerializeField] private string animationTrigger;
	public string AnimationTrigger { get => animationTrigger; }

	[SerializeField] private string soundName;
	public string SoundName { get => soundName; }

	// Index is to determine the sprite index of its art from the main effect sprite sheet
	public int spriteIndex;

	public bool isShuffle, isPersistent, hasTrail, performEffectsOnce, isMovement, isUnlocked;
			
	public GameObject card;
	CardScript cs;

	public GameObject CardObject()
	{
		GameObject cardWithValues = Instantiate(Resources.Load("Prefabs/Card Prefab", typeof(GameObject))) as GameObject;
		
		// Load card art from public library of resource.loaded sprites based on index on sprite sheet
		Sprite image;
		
		if (PublicLibrary.Instance && spriteIndex < PublicLibrary.Instance.effectSprites.Length)
		{
			image = PublicLibrary.Instance.effectSprites[index];
		}
		else
		{
			image = Resources.Load("Sprites/Placeholder Sprite", typeof(Sprite)) as Sprite;
		}

		// Set values for CardScript
		cs = cardWithValues.GetComponent<CardScript>();
		cs.cardName = cardName;
		cs.card = this;
		cs.cardNameText.text = cardDescription;
		cs.effects = effects.Clone() as Effect[];
		cs.doubleEffects = doubleEffects.Clone() as Effect[];
		cs.cardImageRenderer.sprite = image;
		cs.cardImageRenderer.color = imageColor;
		cs.animTrigger = animTrigger;
		cs.hasTrail = hasTrail;
		cs.performEffectOnce = performEffectsOnce;
		cs.glow.SetActive(false);

		if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(SoundName))
		{
			cs.soundName = "Whoosh";
		}
		else
		{
			cs.soundName = soundName;
		}

		LerpAlpha lerpAlpha = cardWithValues.GetComponentInChildren<LerpAlpha>();
		
		if (isPersistent)
		{
			cs.canvasColor = new Color32(217, 206, 186, 255);
			lerpAlpha.enabled = false;
		}
		else
		{
			cs.canvasColor = new Color32(117, 117, 117, 255);
			lerpAlpha.enabled = true;
		}

		return cardWithValues;
	}
}
									
								

Inspiration

Caldera is a puzzle game in which the goal is to defeat enemies by moving tiles around. One crucial pillar of game design was to ensure that each level could be solved with multiple solutions. Into The Breach was the primary inspiration.

Gameplay

Tap adjacent tiles to move on a grid, moving tiles in your row or column the chosen direction, similar to 2048. The catch was that there were enemies, and to defeat them, the player had to push them off of the edge of the grid.

Roles

Lead Level Designer, Sound Designer, Programmer

Development

The first part of the process was designing enemies. We had one enemy that moved one space toward the player each turn (using the A* pathfinding algorithm) and attacked one space in front of it, and we immediately knew that we could take that one step further by creating an enemy that shot a beam to each tile in front of it rather than just one.

The next step involved creating the terrain, starting with movable sandy land and then progressing to non-movable mountainous land. We also introduced chasms, which acted like the ocean at the grid edges but were located within the land. The levels are intended to showcase each enemy and land type individually, gradually integrating new mechanics with previously introduced ones. We thoroughly tested each level to ensure validity and multiple potential solutions.

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Aseprite, Adobe Creative Suite, XCode, Github

Play

Media

Inspiration

Ygritte is a prototypical slice of gameplay from an isometric boss-battle-themed RPG. Its main design goal was to create a dynamic AI-controlled Boss Monster entity which the player must defeat using a suite of meticulously designed abilities.

Gameplay

The player is equipped with a crossbow and a shield. They have various actions available, such as shooting the crossbow from a distance, engaging in melee combat, using the shield defensively, bashing the Beast to stun it momentarily (which can also deflect projectiles), or dashing in their current direction.

Roles

Lead Game Designer, Programmer, Art Director, Sound Designer

Design & Development

My goal was to create four distinct boss stages that could be defeated by the player in multiple ways. The challenge for the player was to find the most efficient "damage-taken-to-damage-dealt" strategy.

To determine the player's location and actions, as well as the boss creature's variables, I developed a State Machine system using Scriptable Objects. This system analyzes the situation and selects the optimal action for the boss accordingly. The boss goes through four stages. The first involves pursuing and attacking the player relentlessly, the second focuses on a defensive approach where the boss retreats until unable to do so, resorting to shielding, the third stage involves maintaining distance from the player and using ranged projectiles, while the fourth stage involves charging recklessly towards the player with the intent to impale them using its antlers.

One crucial aspect of the project was the inclusion of dynamic difficulty, allowing the player to choose the level of challenge with minimal scripting or game design changes. I implemented a system that adjusted the UI visibility based on the chosen difficulty. A player opting for a "no UI" experience would rely solely on visual and auditory cues to determine the boss's stage and ability cooldowns.

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Adobe Creative Suite, GIMP, Shotcut

Play

Media

Inspiration

This project originated from my aim to raise awareness about the shortcomings of the U.S. Electoral College and ways to enhance it. Based on a research project I conducted the previous year, I discovered a correlation between the happiness level of a population and their ability to vote freely.

Given that, in the 2016 election, the majority of voters did not witness their preferred candidate winning the presidency, it implies that the majority of voters were less satisfied than they could have been. Change The Vote is my response to this issue, exploring alternative voting systems that strive for more equitable outcomes, eliminating the possibility of a majority-winner losing due to the Electoral Vote. The intent is to educate users about large overarching abstract voting systems, thereby assisting them to understand how broken the current mechanics of the Electoral College are.

Gameplay

As an interactive narrative experience, the main action performed by the player is simply to choose responses to chat prompts from other characters in the narrative.

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Adobe Creative Suite, Twine, Inky

Narrative

The story follows the hijinks of a dysfunctional friend group consisting of characters with personalities based on the mechanics of different voting systems like First Past The Post, Approval Voting, Ranked Choice Voting, and more.

Play

Media

Inspiration

Sour Tooth is an unconventional “shoot-em-up” in which, in addition to cleaning as many teeth as possible, the player must manage navigating a slowly shrinking game space. The catch is, the more teeth they clean, the faster the level area which they can move around in shrinks!

Core Mechanics

Dirty teeth advance from the top of the screen, and the player, as a toothpaste bottle, moves around shooting teeth and collecting more toothpaste for their arsenal. As teeth become clean this way, instead of blowing up or disappearing as they would in Space Invaders or Galaga, they fall to the bottom of the mouth and stay there, impeding the player’s movement.

Roles

Lead Game Designer, Programmer, Art Director, Audio Designer, Illustrator

Design & Development

After the initial prototype and some speed balancing, I found that the impediment afforded by the fallen teeth was hindering too much as the game progressed, clamping the maximum scores achieved to a more or less set number. I wanted this game to be more or less infinite, stopping only when the player ran out of toothpaste to fire or when the playable screen area became miniscule. To aid in the longevity of the player’s existence, I implemented a feature that made the player smaller the less toothpaste they had in their bottle. This meant that, in the later stages of the game, as the moveable area was getting smaller, so too was the player. The less movement the gameplay area allowed, the smaller the player became, making it easier for them to move around.

Play

Concept Art

Aesthetically, I went for a cartoon-y vibe, with bright colors and outlines around each sprite to make it pop.

Narrative

Play as a toothpaste bottle with the goal of shooting dirty teeth in order to make them clean.

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine, Visual Studio Code, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Illustrator iPad App

Inspiration

Born out of a prompt to create an asymmetric multiplayer game, SUPER TURKEY BOY is a 3-vs-1 top-down battle royale between a family and their turkey at a Thanksgiving dinner.

Gameplay

The turkey player’s goal is to survive for a set amount of time, and the family players’ goals are to work together to catch the turkey before the time runs out. Each character has a unique ability that they can use after a cooldown, and each of the family members has a net which they can swing in an attempt to catch the turkey. The turkey is smaller and faster than any other character and has the ability to flap its wings to send any adjacent characters sprawling and the ability to dash to get away from any potential threats.

As for the family; the son has a slingshot that can be used to stun the turkey at a range; the mother has a shout that boosts the speed of adjacent family members for a short time; and the father has no unique ability but rather a larger net.

Roles

Game Designer, Project Manager, Art Director, Pixel Illustrator, Quality Assurance Tester

Design & Development

Through playtesting, we noticed that the primary piece of feedback we received from players controlling the turkey was that their objective of “escaping family members and letting the time run out” was too abstract, offering no concrete strategy or goals. The only visual indicator of goal completion was a small timer in the top right of the screen. To aid the turkey player, we decided to add carrots on random places in the map, which, if collected, reduced the timer by three seconds and immediately spawned another carrot in a random location. This simple feature afforded a goal for the turkey with a less abstract visual cue and a strategy with a more physical nature to it, resulting in gameplay that was more rewarding for the turkey.

Tools Used

Amulet, Lua, Adobe Creative Suite

Play

Media