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S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F Game Design
The project, titled S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F., was a group endeavor where I took on the role of lead developer and coder. We utilized tools such as Unity, Blender, 3ds Max, and Photoshop to create an engaging first-person shooter experience. The primary focus was on implementing key objectives, including a wave-based AI system and a seamless combat experience. Throughout development, I worked on overcoming challenges related to the wave-based system, ensuring that AI enemies spawned in a balanced, strategic manner to provide players with a challenging and immersive combat experience.
Role
Lead Developer/coder
team size
4 person
development time
4 week
Game Engine
Unity
Genre
rogue-like
Technologies used
Unity
C#
GIT
Photoshop
Trello
Role and Responsibilities
As the lead developer for the project, I spearheaded the design and implementation of essential gameplay systems using C#, ensuring the team stayed aligned with the project goals. My responsibilities included leading the group, setting achievable milestones, and actively contributing as one of the primary coders. I played a key role in developing systems that formed the foundation of the game, enabling player interaction and dynamic gameplay.
For example, I implemented the player movement system that provided smooth and responsive controls, ensuring the player could navigate the environment intuitively​. I also developed the gun system, which included features like shooting mechanics, ammunition management, and impact physics, allowing players to engage enemies effectively​. Additionally, I created the wave spawning system, responsible for dynamically generating enemy waves and managing transitions between them, which added a layer of challenge and progression to the game​.
Throughout the project, I collaborated closely with my team to troubleshoot issues, optimize performance, and ensure the game delivered an engaging and cohesive experience. This included integrating animations, refining system interactions, and rigorously testing features to address bugs and enhance the overall gameplay. My role required a balance of technical expertise and leadership to ensure the successful execution of the project.
design Process
In developing S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F., the team followed a five-step design process, which was thoroughly elaborated on throughout this university assignment. Each phase played a crucial role in shaping the game's mechanics, systems, and overall player experience, ensuring that the final product was well-structured and cohesive, with a strong focus on both gameplay and technical execution.
1
DESGIN DOCUMENT
prototyping
rought blockout
2
3
refinement of level design
4
passover and feedback
5
Design Document
The first step in our design process was creating the Game Design Document (GDD), where the group organized all the initial ideas for S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. and planned out the key features to be included. In this document, we outlined the core gameplay mechanics, establishing a clear vision for how the game would function and what players could expect in terms of experience and interaction. This foundational step served as a blueprint, guiding the subsequent phases of development and ensuring alignment on the game's objectives and design direction.
Core Game Pillars
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replay-ability
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wave based ai spawner
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seamless combat
Gameplay Breakdown
The core gameplay loop of S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. involves the player navigating small environments while fending off waves of enemies. Armed with a gun, the player must strategically fight back and eliminate the incoming threats, all while managing their surroundings to survive the relentless onslaught of enemies attempting to overwhelm and kill them. This loop emphasizes action, survival, and tactical decision-making.
Explore the city
getting ready for the next wave
fighting enemy's
Key Gameplay Elements:
Navigational Combat:
Navigational combat in S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. involves the player moving through small, tightly designed environments that are intentionally crafted to heighten tension and encourage quick decision-making. The presence of obstacles, chokepoints, and limited mobility creates dynamic challenges that continuously evolve as waves of enemies advance. To maintain a strategic advantage, players must constantly reposition, using the environment to funnel and effectively manage the relentless onslaught.
Wave-Based Enemy Spawning:
Wave-based enemy spawning in S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. is designed to escalate difficulty over time by introducing stronger, faster, or more numerous foes as the game progresses. To maintain a balanced experience, the spawning system dynamically adapts to the player’s performance, ensuring that the gameplay neither becomes too easy nor overwhelmingly difficult.
Environmental Interaction:
Environmental interaction in S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. is integral to the gameplay, as the level design encourages players to exploit the environment to their advantage. Narrow corridors can be used to limit enemy movement, while barricading entrances provides temporary safety. Additionally, destructible elements and interactive objects, such as explosive barrels, introduce strategic opportunities for players to set traps or create diversions, adding depth to combat scenarios.
Level Breakdown
Project Goal:
In this project, our team aimed to create a level that felt lived-in and realistic—an immersive urban environment designed to give players a sense of exploration and authenticity. Our focus was on crafting a cityscape that felt dynamic, believable, and rich with environmental storytelling.
Research and Inspiration:
The first step our team took was to analyze games within the same genre to establish a clear creative direction. We examined titles like Call of Duty: Zombies, Risk of Rain 2, and Killing Floor, among others, to understand how they crafted immersive, explorable environments.
Once we identified our primary inspirations, we studied the level design within these games, paying close attention to how they structured urban areas and maintained a sense of realism and player engagement. Additionally, we researched real city layouts to gain insight into how we could replicate the feeling of a lived-in, authentic space within our own project.
Level Design and Layout Planning:
​Our initial design phase involved drafting various layout concepts to establish a dynamic and engaging game environment. The goal was to create a level that felt diverse and realistic, offering players four distinct areas to explore.
We brainstormed potential zones, including a park, a school district, a shopping center, dockyards, and a skyscraper area. After considering the gameplay flow and thematic consistency, the team worked together to narrow down the most feasible and impactful areas to develop. This collaborative approach ensured that the final layout would offer variety while maintaining a cohesive urban atmosphere.
Prototyping and Playtesting:
Once the layout was established, we began creating a small, playable version of the level to test its scale and spatial design. Our focus was to ensure the environment felt expansive and engaging while maintaining a natural flow.
By walking through the prototype, we assessed how the different areas connected and whether the city layout felt intuitive and immersive. This hands-on testing allowed us to fine-tune the proportions and transitions between zones, ensuring the level felt both large and cohesive.
Visual Design and Aesthetic Planning:
After finalizing the layout, we shifted our focus to the visual identity of the level. To create a believable and immersive urban environment, we researched real-world architecture and cityscapes. We examined local buildings and structures to gather references, drawing inspiration from their design, materials, and overall atmosphere.
This research helped us develop a cohesive visual style that reflected the level's intended realism while also maintaining a distinct and engaging aesthetic.
Asset Creation and Visual Cohesion:
After finalizing the visual concept and layout, the team focused on creating key building assets that would define the urban environment. We settled on five distinct building designs, each carefully crafted to reflect the diverse architectural styles typical of a lived-in cityscape.
The buildings were modeled to balance visual variety with thematic consistency, ensuring the city felt both diverse and cohesive. This selection of structures served as the foundation for populating the game world while maintaining performance optimization.
Environmental Detailing and Prop Placement:
After positioning the primary buildings throughout the level, we noticed that the environment felt somewhat empty and lacked a sense of realism. To address this, the team decided to introduce additional props to enrich the urban landscape.
We focused on creating environmental assets such as trees, barricades, and other urban clutter to break up open spaces and add depth to the world. This approach not only enhanced the level’s visual appeal but also provided practical cover and points of interest for gameplay.
By thoughtfully placing these props, we were able to create a more dynamic and believable environment while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic.
Level Design Conclusion:
This project challenged our team to create a dynamic and immersive urban environment that felt both realistic and engaging. Through careful planning, research, and collaborative asset development, we crafted a diverse cityscape that balanced visual storytelling with gameplay functionality.
AI Document
During the development of S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F., the team focused on creating two distinct AI enemies that would challenge the player throughout the game. The primary goal was to design enemies that not only posed a threat but also complemented the game's fast-paced, wave-based combat system.
The AI enemy was designed to be agile and relentless, capable of quickly closing the distance to overwhelm the player. The second enemy type, contrastingly, emphasized durability and brute strength, forcing the player to adopt different strategies depending on the situation.
The first AI enemy in S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. was designed to be agile and relentless, capable of quickly closing the distance to overwhelm the player. The primary goal behind this design was to instill a sense of urgency and tension, making the player feel like they are facing a small yet unstoppable force. This fast-paced and aggressive behavior challenges players to think on their feet, constantly repositioning and using the environment strategically to survive the relentless pursuit.
The design the team chose for the first AI enemy was a crab-like robot. This distinctive and unconventional aesthetic was selected to add a unique visual identity to the enemies, setting them apart from typical humanoid adversaries. The mechanical, multi-legged design not only provided a striking silhouette but also enhanced the perception of agility and relentless pursuit, aligning perfectly with the gameplay goals of creating a fast and formidable opponent.
The design of the crab-like robot enemy included a distinct weak point: the eye, represented by a prominent red dot. This feature was intentionally integrated to encourage strategic combat, allowing players to focus their attacks on the vulnerable spot to deal increased damage. By rewarding precision and accuracy, this mechanic added depth to encounters, prompting players to adapt their tactics and aim carefully during fast-paced battles.
The second AI enemy in S.M.G.V.B.S.S.H.F. was designed as a ranged adversary, forcing the player to stay mobile and avoid remaining in one place for too long. This enemy's ability to attack from a distance disrupted the player's sense of safety behind cover, encouraging dynamic movement and strategic repositioning. By introducing this ranged threat, the game balanced the combat experience, preventing players from becoming too comfortable in static defensive positions.
The design the team chose for the second AI enemy was a spherical robot, intended to visually contrast with the agile, crab-like melee enemy. The spherical form emphasized its role as a ranged attacker while also presenting a compact and distinct silhouette. To balance the challenge, the robot was designed with a destructible weapon system, allowing players to shoot off its gun. This mechanic not only made the robot less of a threat once disarmed but also rewarded precise shooting, adding a strategic layer to encounters.
Due to the nature of this project being a university assignment, the team was unable to fully implement the ranged attack and the destructible weapon system for the spherical robot enemy. While the conceptual design and initial prototypes were developed, time constraints and technical challenges prevented these features from being finalized. Despite this, the foundational work laid the groundwork for potential future improvements and demonstrated the team’s commitment to innovative enemy design.
Weapon Design
The team began designing a weapon that would feel engaging and enjoyable to use, focusing on creating a satisfying gameplay experience. To start, the team conducted research into various weapon types that would complement the game’s fast-paced combat and wave-based enemy encounters
The team decided to use an AK-style model for the primary weapon, as it is a widely recognized and commonly used firearm in many games. This choice not only provided familiarity for players but also allowed for a straightforward modeling process.
The team decided to use an AK-style model for the primary weapon, as it is a widely recognized and commonly used firearm in many games. This choice not only provided familiarity for players but also allowed for a straightforward modeling process.
The team began the process of building the AK-style weapon model, iterating through several design variations until arriving at a final version that met both aesthetic and gameplay requirements. Each iteration focused on refining the model's shape, proportions, and visual details to ensure it looked realistic while fitting the game’s overall art style. This iterative approach allowed the team to fine-tune the weapon's appearance, ultimately creating a model that was both visually appealing and practical for gameplay.