What is QUT Storm?

QUT Storm puts players into the shoes of a group of STEM professionals who must construct a weather-proof shelter to withstand an approaching super-storm. This occurs through a series of mini-games and puzzles, gamifying the research and application process commonly found within STEM workflows.

The game, generally speaking, is a cooperative puzzle-based game developed for the QUT Widening Participation Program. This program is a branch of the University purposed with inspiring discouraged students into following a STEM-based career path.

Role

PROGRAMMER, LEAD ARTIST & LEAD DESIGNER

Download

IP Owned By a Third Party

Skills Used

Across the entirety of the project’s development, i was solely responsible for the development and iteration upon the terrain generation algorithm. This involved prototyping out the code, converting across languages and eventually adapting the code to 3D.

In addition to leading the development of the environment, I also took charge of the design of two of the core minigames and the general overall gameplay loop.

One of our core goals for the project was demystifying STEM professionals for the younger players who would be experiencing the game. To achieve this, I sketched out character designs to personify the professions; giving them each unique personalities conveyed through body language and their outfits. Following these designs, I then modelled, rigged and animated the characters in line with these designs.

Through playtesting feedback, we discovered the environment of the game did not appear lively enough for some players. In response to this, I created some wild bush turkeys to roam the island at random. The AI scripting was simplistic, but was mixed in with animations and areas of randomness to give it a less robotic feel.

Grading

High Distinction 85%

Main Contributions Over Development

Prototyping Stage

Prior to the beginning of development, I had previously prototyped a basic terrain generation algorithm in JavaScript. Following the ideation of this project, I took on the responsibility of converting this code to C# and further adapting it to work in 3D. Additionally, I also took on the initial responsibility of designing the overall gameplay loop and concept for the game.

Mechanics & Procedural Testing

Following the initial prototyping stage of development, I was then responsible for the iterative design process and gameplay programming for two of the four minigames. Additionally, I was also simultaneously developing character designs, further iterating on the environment generation and modelling a variety of assets.

Release-Ready Version

Following the final stages of testing and iteration, the project was in its final stages. Whilst my team and I began implementing final designs for the user interface and tutorial sequences, I also began implementing a basic bush turkey AI to roam the island in response to player feedback. Additionally, final changes and modifications were made to the terrain generation script to avoid soft-locks and another issues with the game’s core mechanics.

Screenshots & Grabs

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