SUN::STAR

An artefact designed for a course module to show attention to diegetic UI and immersive aesthetics.

Download SUN::STAR here.

A prototype created in Unity, a free and open-source game engine.
Uses Unity's URP render pipeline.
Developed for a third year university module.
C# was used for various coded elements in the game.
I also created all visual UI assets in-game.
Single person project lasting roughly three months, from January 17th to April 6th.

Project Overview

SUN::STAR was a third year project created with the intention of creating a new experience in the god game genre. The artefact was designed to showcase my strengths mixed with an interest in immersive experiences and novel mechanics. The game is card-based, featuring various cards representing planets, moons and asteroids. Using just the mouse, the player must create a habitable planet in a solar system. This artefact heavily involved creating 3D UI elements, pooling management, and RNG control, to create unique but consistent experiences of the game, as well as friendly UX to keep the game immersive and easy to follow.

Project Challenges

Using 3D models meant learning about shaders for the first time, meaning a chunk of development was spent finding ways to get the game to interact with shaders in real time.
The game required various algorithmic optimizations to keep the game running smoothly and efficiently to avoid the player's GPU from overheating.
Whilst the core gameplay mechanic of playing cards was simple, explaining the win condition took multiple iterations of playtesting to make it easy to understand.
The card system, whilst diegetically implemented, needed gradual improvements to avoid common UX issues and bugs.

Feedback

Upon review, the game was received relatively well, with particular note towards the consistency of the game alongside the attention to detail and feel. However, the feedback noted that some factors of the game could have been clarified better with further explanation, such as extra camera work and graphical settings to help immerse the player.

For this artefact, I received a grade of 68%, contributing to an overall grade of 70% for this module.

Gallery