Aidan McHugh, Gamedev @ Coatsink.
Farming Wannabe Animal Reckoning Simulator HD
A comical online multiplayer game created as a vertical slice for a live brief provided by Mediatonic Limited.
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A vertical slice created in Unity, a free and open-source game engine, and using the plugin Photon to allow for a multiplayer experience.
- Developed for a second year university module, in which a live brief was set by Mediatonic Limited.
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C# was used for various coded elements in the game.
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A four person project that lasted roughly three and a half months, from January 11th to April 26th.
Project Overview
Farming Wannabe Animal Reckoning Simulator HD (or F.W.A.R.S. HD) was an online multiplayer vertical slice conceived of as a team to fulfil a live brief from Mediatonic Limited, creators of the popular online multiplayer game Fall Guys. In order to match "Mediatonic Sauce" (or, as stated in the live brief, a bright and quirky all-ages online multiplayer game), we as a team decided to create a game that was a cross between Stardew Valley and Mario Party. I primarily worked on User Interface and SFX, but also worked on network variable consistency, blend trees, and creating a bug-free user experience. A prototype of the game was also demoed to representatives of Mediatonic near the end of development.
Project Challenges
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As all members of the team were new to Photon, we all had to learn how to use the plugin alongside supporting each other when stuck on a glitch relating to the plugin.
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Mid-way through development, we had to change multiplayer plugins and re-implement code quickly to keep up with development.
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As roles were not solidly set between programmers in the team, we had to be flexible to accommodate unexpected programming errors, and maintain clear commenting so we were each aware of what the others were doing.
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As programmers were new to working with an artist, I had to learn how to communicate with artists effectively to help them understand how the development cycle worked and how to get them familiar with the software used.
Feedback
When prototyped to the representatives from Mediatonic, they were satisfied with the clarity of gameplay, UI and UX. They noted that with a little more development time and playtesting, the game could be polished enough to be a playable game.
When reviewed by the module lecturer, they had positive feedback on the user interface, sound, tutorialization of gameplay, and style of the game, but noted that the gameplay could have been more complex in areas such as player interaction and level design. I received a mark of 74% and achieved an A grade in this module.
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