Sneakeasy
Role: Area Lead / Designer
Tools: Unity
Project Duration: 98 Days
Team Size: 64~
Created For: Spartasoft Studio
Sneakeasy is a 2D, side-scrolling, stealth platformer in which you play as a thief completing a heist in a 1920s, retro-futuristic world while using parkour movements and EMP grenades to evade robotic guards. Platform, parkour, and pilfer your way to victory to steal a diamond from Goliath Inc!
Designed core gameplay systems and features
Responsible for designing and iterating on the tutorial level
Provided leadership and guidance to new members
Lead half the design team on the creation and implementation of gameplay area 1
Created a developer scene with tools for designers to better create levels and make decisions on gameplay values
Lead the ‘Interactables pod’ which was a small multi-dicipline team responsible for all of the elements the player can interact with.
Responsible for redesigning large portions of the game world to meet our quality control standards and improve cohesiveness
Prepared level builds from area 1 for demonstration and QA at weekly meetings
Organized and attended meetings with designers and other team members outside of the scheduled club hours to tackle large issues
Contributions
Reflection
What Could’ve Been Better
We could have avoided crunch better. Spartasoft Studio is a learning environment intent on fostering positive experiences. Being a voluntary club we wanted to exercise leniency and give newer team members every opportunity to complete the work themselves. With two weeks left on the project however, it became evident to myself and the other design leads that if we wanted a complete game we needed to intervene. This resulted in a massive amount of crunch for us. We practically rebuilt the entire game world from the ground up. We did the best we could given the circumstances as they unfolded but in hindsight we should have intervened sooner.
Quality Assurance is an area that requires additional attention. 60 people participated in the Studio which is a lot to manage and organize. Often freshman new to game development were placed on QA. Since everything is getting developed at the same time it takes a while to get a build to QA. The lack of tasks early on mixed with the fact the team was comprised of people who didn’t chose to do QA, lead to a mass exodus in that team. How to manage a QA team and how to organize play-tests and get that information to design, while maintaining interest in the team was difficult. Play-testing is invaluable but when that is internal you completely miss what the experience is like for someone going in blind which will be the majority of players.
What I Learned
An important lesson from this project was the value of ideas. As consumers of games we have wild ideas about how a game could be better. Often these ideas boil down to making the game bigger, better, and more complex. As developers we realize that this mindset is not sustainable or feasible. Constantly ratcheting up the scope of a game is a surefire way it never gets finished. This project reinforced that the most novel ideas don’t always translate to a viable product. It is far more important to focus on game and team balance rather than what sounds the coolest.
A key lesson this project taught me was how to adjust, refocus and navigate the complexities of working through adversity. Rallying in the wake of tragedy is extremely difficult and I wanted to do my part to be supportive. After a collective pause to regroup and restructure, understanding the varying impact on team members, we endeavored forward. Mindful this is entirely a volunteer project it would have been easy for the team members to just walk away and not complete the game. We didn’t. Instead we showed everyone why we are Spartan Strong and exhibited the spirit to complete what we started. Honoring the sacrifices made by everyone involved got us to where we are today.
What Went Well
Job complete! We developed a game. It may sound silly but our first two shipped titles at Spartasoft Studio weren’t quite complete. This project involved much greater focus. To ensure quality from start to finish we were strategic in our efforts which resulted in our most successful project to date.
Not only did we succeed in creating a game on a technical level, we made the game we set out to make. Being new to the game scene we strived to innovate rather than replicate. Our aim every semester at Spartasoft Studio is to create a unique gaming experience in just a few months. Sneakeasy for the most part lived up to these lofty ambitions of being both a new IP and a fun gaming experience.
For me personally I think I evolved along with the game as both a leader and respected project manager. Although at the onset I did not plan to run for a management position as I wanted to concentrate on level design, during development, the team needed me to take on more responsibility. I was eager and willing to do more. I took the role of Area 1 Lead, in charge of all the designers in that group. I also led a ‘pod’, a small interdisciplinary group of developers focused on one aspect of the game. My involvement grew exponentially as did my role. I was now tasked with being a manager on the team while maintaining my duties as a designer. As the challenges increased so did my enthusiasm and appreciation of project members.