Disc-Go!

Party - Multiplayer - Fast Paced

Gameplay Design
QA Lead
UI/UX

Unreal Engine 5

20+

6 Weeks

Designed and implemented the games control scheme, using Unreal Engine's Enhanced Input System.
Designed and iterated on the games main game mode 'Treasure Tussle' working closely with the design lead.
Constantly iterated on the games stats, such as disc velocity and homing strength, to allow for the most balanced and enjoyable player experience.
Designed and implemented the dash mechanic, giving the players two dashes which slowly charge to allow for more tactical and fast paced play, while keeping it simple enough for the pick up and play design brief.
Worked alongside the animation team setting out required animations and how they would be implemented in game, assisting with the Animation Blueprints when necessary.

Researched the industries most popular titles across various genres to design many of the UI elements for both game modes.
Redesigned and iterated upon the spacial UI to allow for more readability of which character is which, if they have their disc, and how charged their shot is.
Learned Unreal Engines Common UI Plug-In to allow for adaptive controller support across all the menus in the game.
Created and iterated upon a small controls guide in the bottom corner of the screen with the goal being to support inexperienced players whilst being subtle enough to not distract the players from the game.
Added affordance to the Score UI by designing scaling and shaking icons, informing the players of the connection with the in game pick ups and their link to the game modes objectives in a natural way.

In the latter half of the project, organised playtesting sessions, gathering testers and managing feedback, both verbally, visually, and through the use of a form, which I consulted the various teams on to ensure that all areas were receiving relevant and useful feedback.
Created, prioritised, and distributed tasks based on feedback given throughout the playtesting sessions.
Curated and distributed tasks using GitHub Issues.
Adapted quickly to the play testers confusion on certain gameplay elements, reworking various visual elements to allow players more affordances during the fast paced and chaotic gameplay.

View the Disc-Go! Design Board

How to efficiently work as part of a team, navigating the correct channels to maintain a professional work standard.
Working within an agile environment, understanding how to best optimise work to reach daily sprint goals.
The importance of taking charge of certain aspects of the project and producing prototypes as proof of concept to show to producers.
Grew my understanding of game managers and best practices for organising and passing data through different actors inside of Unreal Engine.
Expanded my knowledge of affordance, game feel, and player psychology as I researched various games and did multiple play test sessions to ensure the readability of the game was to a high standard.
Gained a greater understanding of the workflow and methods of adjacent disciplines, such as art and animation, which informed my design decisions and allowed me to approach all tasks with a broader wealth of knowledge.