Trilingual
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Platform: PC
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Software: Unreal Engine, Jira, Trello, Perforce
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Creation Length: 4 months
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Playtime: 1-2 hours
Trilingual is a first-person puzzle game where the core gameplay consists of exploring and determining the definitions of an alien language based on context clues and various level mechanics.
Responsibilities
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Design and implemented mechanics including:
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Rune drawing/tile flipper
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Rune scanning functionality
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Designed and implemented City Level
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Lead team by:
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Organizing team meetings
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Ensuring work is done effectively and efficiently
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Steer team to better design/coding techniques
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Communicate with art team to help develop conceptualized assets
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Pre-Production
The very crude prototype of the base idea
The reference game Chants of Sennaar
A prototype was developed in one week drawing inspiration from Chants of Sennaar's mechanics and gameplay loop. Though initial player experience was frustrating due to lack of direction and feedback, the core intent of providing a profound player epiphany guided subsequent design decisions throughout development.
The Paper Process
I began all design by drawing out ideas on paper, whether for systems, levels, or mechanics. This kept the design process on track and prevented distractions. This also allow easy implementation during the creation process
A simplified prototyped version of the various levels of communication to achieve our rune scanning and guessing system.
Paper prototyping came in handy during early brainstorming sessions where I would write down various ideas pushing the promising ones to more brainstorming time and eliminating those that were lacking.
Core Loop Mechanic Development
Decoding started in the player where it would be recognized if the item scanner was a rune
I utilized the gamemode to be the main brain of the operation. Once scanned, the rune reported its value and transmitted its data to the gamemode.
The gamemode would then report the proper information to the HUD where the menu for guessing would appear.
After inputting a guess, this the guess was sent back to the gamemode for proper evaluation which would result in further communications depending on this result. This flow of information allowed for easy implementation of new runes which was crucial to development.
Mechanic Development
Balancing the emphasis on deciphering alien text while introducing engaging player interactions was a significant challenge during this phase of creation. We realized we needed to be cautious in creating new mechanics so that they would not overshadow the game's core loop. My approach to this problem involved the development of a tile-flipping system which enabled players to "draw" the rune through a mouse click based on the context clues in the environment.
Throughout its development, I prioritized simplifying the implementation of the mechanic. This allowed me to concentrate on enhancing the player's learning experience within the mechanic's rules.
This was implemented through a system that used the input of XY coordinates of the correct tiles (the rest would fill in automatically).
Tiles spawned based on coordinates, and each was programmed to recognize correctness. When clicked the "manager" blueprint would record the location of the tile and, after reaching a limit, evaluated if all correct tiles were flipped, providing feedback accordingly.