About:
Xeno Trigger is a fast-paced, FPS, Speed-runner, with finely tuned movement mechanics and a highly polished environment.
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This game is a Bachelor of Game Design Capstone Project (Thesis),
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It took 2 semesters to plan and develop.
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Developed by a team of 6.
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The Gameplay focuses on getting from the start to the end of the level, as fast and efficiently as possible, all while navigating branching paths and hidden shortcuts.
To play the game, please visit this link: https://lo-kigames.itch.io/xenotrigger
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To watch the fastest playthrough, please visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHwR8s03iD8
My Role:
Project Manager & Artist
As Project Manager, I was responsible for:
â–º Task and team management
â–º Establishing milestones and deadlines
â–º Ensuring deliverables were implemented in a timely fashion
â–º Making decisions to cut or include features based on scope
â–º Keeping the team up to date on the project status
â–º Scheduling meetings for various purposes
(Scrum, conflict resolution, vision alignment, marketing, etc.)
â–º Communicating with 3rd parties (Sound developers, print companies, mentors, etc.)
As an Artist, I was responsible for:
â–º Creating modular geometry & game-objects
â–º Establishing and following an agile 3D-asset
pipeline
â–º Ensuring form of objects served their function
(ex. ensuring the shotgun did not look like a rifle )
â–º Creating all UV sets for all assets
â–º Texturing all assets to match visual themes
â–º Creating clutter objects to populate the game
â–º Developing the environment enclosure
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Design Goals:
Our team was dead set on trying to create something mechanically simple yet beautiful. We decided not to be innovative and instead to improve on an existing form of game play. We had a collective love for games like mirrors edge, Titanfall and DOOM and found a lot of joy in the movement mechanics implemented in those games, so we decided to create a modular built game focused on mastering movement. We also wanted to learn and implement a 3D art pipeline at a AAA standard for our team goal. We decided that creating a time-trial or speedrunner game with a high degree of visual polish would best suit our skill sets and learning goals.
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We established 3 pillars to our design and approach to production:
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Fluid Movement Mechanics​ - The way we accomplished this was by rewarding the player for using mechanics like wallrunning and sliding with speed boosts and by constantly tweaking basic player movement controls to best create flow through our level
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Engaging Environment - The way we accomplished this was by establishing a 3D art pipeline, and by having our 3D assets communicate something about their function or history. For example many of our assets feature arrow-like features in their design to communicate speed and direction . We also focused on adding clutter and moving textures to populate our level give it a sense of life rather than stagnation
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Player vs Player/Self Competition - We established a timer and scoreboard in our game to communicate urgency and competition to our players, but we ALSO implemented a ghost of the fastest recorded play through for the players to race against, so that they can compete with themselves if no one has played before them.
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Post Mortem:
Conflict Resolution & Communication
One of the greatest learning out comes of this project was the development of my soft skills and my ability to communicate effectively and productively with team-members. This come in handy especially when dealing with conflict. As Project Manager, I often had to deliver bad news to team-members. For example, if features needed to be cut due to time or scope, despite a team member having already begun development on the feature, I would express gratitude for the work and effort put into the feature, and then proceed to explain the reasoning behind the decision to make the cut. I developed a method to always address the positives when dealing with a negative situation. For example, if 2 team members had a disagreement about a feature that got heated, it was important to address the validity of both of their concerns and focus on the fact that they both wanted what was best for the game. Compromising on a solution that addressed both of their concerns and fitted the needs of the game or team was the top priority, and often lead to more peaceful arguments and resolutions.
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3D Art Production Pipeline
Through research, trial & error, and proper feedback; our team managed to develop a proper art production pipeline. The process required doing proper research into the function of our assets, testing them early in rough states in order to understand correct size, position and form, and iterating on them to get them looking as good as possible.
For example, the process for modelling our shotgun, required researching the existing forms of shotguns in and out of games. This meant recognizing iconic features and understanding how their form communicates function.
Next came creating concepts on paper, and highlighting features we felt communicated a shotgun the best, while also searching for a unique aesthetic. Shortly after, we created a rough maquette of the model we needed in ZBrush for testing in engine. After testing in engine we iterated on the design to suit the needs of the game better (ie, scaling up/down certain sections, adding and removing features to communicate function better to the player).
After correcting proportions and features, I corrected the UVs, and baked a high poly version of the object to a low poly in order to maximize on performance and keep the object looking good! then came iterative passes on the textures of the shotgun until we felt satisfied with the end result.