Manic Mail
Software used in the project:
Autodesk 3ds Max
Adobe Substance Painter
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Unity
Trello
Github
Description:
In This project I worked as a games designer, and is a result of my work during the first year of university, later being presented Infront of university stakeholders, open day guests and even the Director of GCHQ. The project was further developed with the team during our second year of university and considerations are being made for a future remaster with the development team.
Game Designer Responsibilities:
Creation of game levels via iterative processes to create a variety of balanced co-op environments.
Creation of gameplay mechanics designed for co-op experiences, focusing on adding joy to the moments between players and the chaos-filled environment.
Testing development and shipping builds before playtests and the full release of the game
Conduct and review playtest sessions using results to fix bugs, improve mechanics and adjust levels as needed.
Creation of all 3D assets involving PBR Pipelines through Autodesk 3ds Max, Adobe Substance Painter and Unity.
Keeping up-to-date tracking of project management and DevOps software via Trello.
Provide bug-fix solutions and replication methods to programming team members.
Verify fixed bugs after solutions have been created.
Support artists and programmers in addressing gameplay and performance issues.
Game Description:
Manic Mail is a co-op couch-based chaotic game where you and a friend rush to keep the post office running. Keeping customers happy, making deliveries on time and stamping parcels correctly is what it’s all about in this game created in Unity as part of a 4-person team.
Manic Mail was inspired by games such as Overcooked and Plate Up. The goal was to recreate the fun, chaotic nature of both games and bring the theme into a postal setting.
This game has made it to several events, such as GameX, held during my first year in university. This is a prestigious student work showcase event that the team and I presented to future students to represent the work being done at the University of Gloucestershire.
In my second year at university, the team and I were asked to present the game at an open day. This was the first time the university had showcased a games project during an open day event, and we were very successful at bringing attention to the games course on the day. The university is considering making this a standard practice.
Later in my second year, the team and I were asked to update and present Manic Mail to their stakeholders at an event they called Future Park.
This was a very rare occurrence as the work we had first produced in the first year was now being asked to represent the university in front of their board members, stakeholders and VIP guests, one of whom happened to the the Director of GCHQ, who closed the event with a speech. You can find out more about the event in this newspaper article.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjwldp5z0vxo
Please enjoy the gameplay video below: