Hamster Ball Biltz!
May 2024 – July 2024
Programmer, Lead Designer
Development Info
Roles: Programmer, Lead Designer
Team Size: 5
Development Time: 9 weeks
Tools Used: Unity, PlasticSCM, DevToDev
Game Info
Genre: Action
Platform: IOS and Android
Project Status: Complete & Released
Chester the Hamster needs your help in this year’s (c)Hampionship Games! Silly but strong, he just might have what it’ll take to beat the best fighters in the cage! Come join Chester on his journey through the tournament to become the number one (c)hampion!
Contributions
- Established the game’s core design pillars, keeping our vision consistent throughout development
- Designed and iterated on the short and mid-term loops of the game, keeping players engaged and gameplay fresh
- Designed and programmed all maps and obstacles
- Programmed player hamster with character movement and touch controls
- Designed and Programmed enemy hamster AI using navmeshes and a custom finite state machine
What I Learned
- I honed my idea-generation skills by learning how to pressure-test ideas, respond to tough scrutiny, abandon unproductive ideas, and stay focused and creative under pressure
- I learned how to effectively communicate strategies and goals across game design disciplines
- I learned how to foster an environment where team members felt comfortable sharing differing opinions, debating the pros and cons of different approaches in a way that created a stronger end product
- I learned how to take a feature-complete game and polish it for release, giving it more life and character for the end user
- I learned how to break a game down into its fundamental components, using core mechanics, game loops, and design pillars to take a game from concept to publication
Austin Hyatt 