Project Reflection

Project Reflection:

In this project we set out to design and develop a vertical slice based on the GDD of Those Left Behind. The primary objective was to, as a team, develop a functional game build based on the assigned GDD, i can say with confidence that both games that I ended up coding as the technical designer captured both sides of the GDD. My first game build approached the development of Those Left Behind by focusing on the narrative branching mechanic and built the game based on the mechanics that were outlined explicitly in the GDD, this obviously was unsuccessful as an enjoyable and engaging game and as such on our second approach we used the GDD as a development guide to build a fun, engaging game that focuses on resource generation, camp management, task progression, and narrative elements. As a team we pulled together and combined all our work to produce a final version of Those Left Behind that in the time frame of 3 weeks I am extremely proud of. I was able to develop a modular and scalable system that split the game’s functionality over 8 core scripts and 5 front end scripts with the help of Anna. By approaching the game in this way I was able to create a game that is efficient at managing the complex functions and facilitates a smooth gameplay experience. There were many ups and downs in this final copy’s development but with the help of Sophie bringing us back together we ended this project strong with a game anyone should be happy with. There are obviously still issues and bugs with the game, however, as a fairly new developer, I feel I ended up developing a game that I am proud of. 

Now, before I finish this portfolio off there are still more aspects of this game’s development that I need to explain. 

Team collaboration and role:

Although I have already spoken about my role at the start of this project and I’ve documented how I have communicated with my team throughout development, I want to explain how our team’s dynamic played out during our final time crunch as I alone was not able to develop this game in this time frame. As the lead technical designer, it was my job to communicate and obtain the artists and narrative designer work and implement them into the game, however, as time progressed and the deadline approached everyone seemed to disappear, we all had a lot of work to do before the deadline and I still had the UI to design and i wasn’t chasing anyone up to check their progress. Sophie was able to collect us all together and made us discuss what needed to be done and what was going to be realistic by the end of the project, as i had reached my limit in working 3 weeks straight just coding i had run out of time and needed help with development, as such Anna stepped in and started to work on all of the UI and implemented everyone else’s work into the game whilst also adding core front end features that made the game playable. 

At the start of this project when we were at uni we had no issues with communication as we had weekly group meetings and feedback exchanges, however, during the break and as uni lectures came to and end communication broke down, everyone focused on their own work, including me at some points, but we did pull together in the end and ensured that we ended this project completing the main objective of creating a vertical slice based on Those Left Behind GDD. 

Skill development and improvements:

It is undeniable that during this project i have significantly developed my skills in both coding in C# and Unity, especially in areas like event handling and data management. I have overcome major bugs and issues that will be required for all future projects such as save and load synchronization and scene data management.

Additionally, my soft skills such as problem solving, iterative development, team work, and communication had drastically improved in order to successfully develop this game.

Like any project, I do wish I had more time to complete it to perfection, I wanted to do so much more like develop upon the narrative system to create a more intricate branching system to give the player more control on the later parts of the game. Additionally, I would’ve loved to have another week to re-do the save system and make sure everything worked in tandem to limit the amount of bugs and issues caused by the current system. 

Last thoughts and reflection:

I am so proud of not only myself but my team in coming together and developing such a complex and interactive game. I feel this version of Those Left Behind has improved the players experience significantly by addressing the players concerns from our playtests. I have faced and overcome too many issues and bugs in this project but it has meant that I have developed my understanding of coding and Unity. This project has given me invaluable learning and experience that will lead me towards becoming a competent game developer. 

Link to Github:

https://github.com/UniversityofSouthampton/ThoseLeftBehindV2