TRAIN INFINITY PROTOTYPE
Role: Solo Developer and Designer
Train Infinity is a 2D Roguelite Looter Shooter Game developed by Jaison Fan, for PC.
It features a extraction shooter mechanic unique to 2D Roguelites.
It was developed from June 2022 to August 2022, by Jaison Fan. The total production time took about 1.5 months.
I took part in this project as the only developer, the programmer and the designer. I had to learn Unity 2D and C# from tutorials and my peers, and also design the game mechanics that bring life to this game.
This being my first solo project, I took time to learn many design and programming skills that will greatly aid me as a designer.
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2D Looter Shooter
After watching various tv shows and playing some games, I conceived an idea of a 2D roguelite looter shooter in Mid 2022.
After doing initial theme and conceptualization, I started developing this prototype to showcase the idea of the mechanics I had conceived.
Prototyping
With little to no programming experience, I learnt Unity 2D from my peers and colleagues. Soon, I had basic groundwork done with a Game Design Document that I wrote at the same time.
Game Design Flow
To iron things out in the Game Design Document (GDD), I created a flowchart of the gameplay loop featuring its core gameplay and mechanics.
Main Mechanics
I also brainstormed and created a mindmap of how the mechanics work with each other, as well as how it relates to its sub-mechanics and the level mechanics.
What I would have done better
Due to my lack of experience, this was a tough task for me. However, I was determined to push out my game idea and the mechanics out into a prototype. Hence, I feel that the game requires more nuances and polishing. For example, the inclusion of bosses may spice up the gameplay.
Additionally, the game could have been more polished in terms of art and design, but due to my lack of technical skills, it was left as a prototype.
Conclusion
This project being my first solo game, I learnt many programming and technical skills, that I used to develop this prototype. With these skills, it aids my ability to better understand the programmer's point of view and can better communicate with them as a designer.
Through developing this game's mechanics, it taught me how to balance game mechanics and game data as well, which I consider valuable as a game designer.