It is exciting to have stepped into the digital realm in regard to game and video game development. Going from initial design document and ridiculously naming the game “SAVING COOL CYBERNEON BUDDY” (working title) to a (barely) functioning prototype concept is a big step in just starting. Just getting the proverbial foot in the door helps the whole project begin to roll towards the eventual final. Unity is surprisingly empowering in terms of making an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and creating a concept that can be called a “game” is very satisfying. I discovered that Digital prototyping and its similarity to physical prototyping for model making in Industrial Design—once my partner and I began using Unity and figuring out how to tie mechanics in with the visual assets, we immediately began to see what did and did not work. My role as the artist in the mini pipeline had a few difficulties, especially since I was also performing the role of the producer and pushing deadlines. It was interesting being the producer, as when I began to create more assets, I began to have more ideas that I wanted to push. My designer had to remind me of the deadline and the need to just create a working prototype for the alpha.

(Here’s a Windows and a Mac link to the game.)

Our first playtest was an exciting event to build towards. Showing people our product was gratifying, and the responses were positive. People enjoyed the art and figuring out the mechanics (while comparing them to Flappy Bird), and multiple playtesters enjoyed the concept of “flying” in the game. However, our game still needs a lot of work. Playtesters were not sure of the objective, and one playtester said that the controls actually felt too powerful. In response to that, I would like to incorporate more constraints and incentives to build towards to grant abilities for the achievement of objectives and exploration of the map and backgrounds. Additionally, we will be creating a splash screen to introduce the player to the narrative. The narrative is currently barely existent, but I would personally like to enforce it as more central to the gameplay (to reference and explain the title). I’m excited to continue developing.