THE 16TH DAY

ROLE

Programmer, Designer

DESCRIPTION

The 16th Day was created as the final game of my first year, with the theme being that I had to make a collectathon game. The Game achieved a grade of Distinction and was the first game that I made in a 3D environment, and I am extremely proud of how it turned out.

It is about a samurai that outlived all of his family and the only thing he had left was the cherry blossom tree in the garden. The tree and the samurai then died and his spirit entered the tree on January the 16th this made the tree blossom. Every year since it is said to bloom on that day.

Engine

Unity

Timeframe

9 weeks

GENRE

3D COLLECTATHON

PLATFORM

Computer (PC)

The Inspiration

The inspiration for this game came from the research of previous games that were developed and had a similar collectathon playstyle, such as Mario Odyssey, Snake Pass and Banjo-Kazooie. I also wanted to create a game that was set in a Japanese environment, therefore I did further research and looked at games such as Ghost of Tsushima, Shenmue and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

My Responsibilities

I was responsible for researching the project and making sure that it was accurate for the time the game was set.
To ensure the level's design wasn't too big or too small so that the player was always progressing through it.
I had to make sure that the movement felt responsive as the mechanics for the game were simple, therefore I wanted the movement to be perfect.
To create a cinematic experience. To do this I reduced the amount of UI clutter and only made it appear when a counter was collected.
The audio was explicitly selected to make the game a relaxing experience and also fit the theme of Japan.

Project Goals

I wanted to create a game that had a simple mechanic but was also challenging, therefore is appropriate for all ages as it is easy to learn and play.
I also wanted to create a game that was very cinematic, with little clutter on the screen as I think that it would fit with the story better.
To make the game interesting enough for the player to want to continue playing it and finish the level.
To make the game fit the era it was set in, and make sure that the assets were correct for the theme.

Greyboxing and Early Concept Ideas

I started creating the game by first greyboxing my game character and making sure that the code that I had written for the movement was working. I also then started deciding what size I wanted my level to be. I think this is quite an important process, as I don’t want to start building the game and then come across problems, such as the level being too big, or the player movement and collect item scripts not working. I made sure that the player movement felt fluid and wasn’t clunky, I also made sure that I could jump onto objects, and that my character could collect the sphere.

Challenges I Faced

Time Frame

One challenge that I faced was that in the time frame we had, I had a lot to do. Therefore, this helped when deciding what I wanted the playable character to be. I believe that animating a character to a standard I was happy with wasn't possible in the time frame I was given. To make sure I kept to the deadline and still provided a game I was exceptionally happy with, I decided to make the playable character a whisp/ghost, which I could create with a particle system.

Conclusion

I'm extremely proud of what I achieved in the timeframe I was given. The game was a great success and I achieved a distinction level.

Throughout the project, I have learnt so much. From how a level should be designed to make sure the play was constant and enjoyable, to making sure the mechanics of the game run smoothly.

I had a vision of what I wanted the game to be, and I worked extremely hard to make this idea a reality.