Brandon Badger
Game Designer
Unreal Co-op RPG
Responsibilities
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Led all Design conversations and oversaw general direction for the project.
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Created technical documentation for our programmer on how to implement features for the designers to utilize in-engine.
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Scripted various world interactions, enemy AI behaviors, abilities, and events.
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Utilized an Agile development process to prototype, iterate, and refine mechanics based on design goals.
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Created levels to test various mechanics, combat encounters, and exploration mechanics to solidify the game’s direction.
Core Features
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Class-Based multiplayer ATB Combat system​
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Other players and enemies in proximity will join the fight whenever a fight is initiated
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An Energy Bar that drains from most actions taken in and out of combat
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Gather ingredients and cook at set Rest Areas to restore your Health and Energy bar
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You can enter a rest area with an ally to cook a group meal.
Cooking meals restore both your Health and Energy Bars
You can enter a rest area with an ally to cook a group meal.
Jumping costs 5 energy to use
Certain interactables are heavy enough to take energy to move
Even swinging your weapon costs a bit of energy
Jumping costs 5 energy to use
Each combatant has their own ATB bar (blue bar in the bottom left) and abilities to use in combat
A growing pink circle appears whenever a combat scene is initiated that brings any combatant into the fight on contact
Actions such as jumping, interacting with heavy objects, swinging your weapon, using abilities, taking hits, and even running all drain your energy bar (shown as the pink bar on the bottom left
Finding campfires allows players to use their shared inventories to prepare delicious dishes to restore their Health and Energy.
About the Game
Abstract
Since October of 2022, three colleagues of mine and I have been working on a co-op RPG concept during our free time. The core concept is that it is a co-op RPG where players have to maintain an Energy bar in order to survive. This bar drains from any action players can perform (running around, using abilities, taking hits, etc.).
The only way to restore this bar is by eating food you pick up or preparing dishes at rest areas. We have recently pivoted our direction back in February 2024 after a year of developing a similar type of game with a different overall design goal (see MONOCHROME if you are interested).
Our team consists of myself ( Level Design, Technical Design, System Design, Producer), a Programmer/Technical Designer/Audio Designer hybrid, a Combat/System Designer, and a fourth who occasionally joins as a general design consultant. Since we are lacking in the art department, all art in the game is currently placeholder as we are focusing on nailing the game’s feel and mechanics first and foremost. Sounds/Music are also placeholders and are mostly taken from other games we just like to have audio feedback for the time being.
Current Progress
We are in the process of iterating on a level blockout to showcase all of our mechanics to see how well they fit together in a large 30-minute dungeon. After going through a few more iterations internally, we will be testing it with naive playtesters to get further observations and solidify if we are headed in the right direction.
Here are a few screenshots/gifs of the level as it is right now:
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