DASH 'N' MASH

3-Week game jam that challenged our small 2 person team to create a monster themed game with a special modifier (1st October - 22nd October)

Project Brief

Create a game involving monsters and a special modifier, the list includes; a tooth, a hammer and a fish. Following this we created an endless runner with an attack implemented into the gameplay.

Game Page

Tools

The game

Dash 'N' Mash is an endless runner developed by a small team of two. We each took on a technical and design role to complete this game within the short time frame. Before development to ensure we fit the theme of the game jam we located some asset packs within the unreal engine marketplace which would be effective towards the task, we aimed to only use one or two packs to keep it simple and avoid art styles clashing.

Responsibilities

• Develop the game handling functionality within blueprints to record and save player data from each run.
  

• Design and implement UI to accompany gameplay and help the player navigate
  

• Add a small cutscene for the character death to further the gameplay narrative
  

• Create UI art assets that work well within the theme and assets in the game
  

My Role

My role was to ensure the game ran through and transitioned the correct stages, all the data saved such as the high score was handled correctly, and develop the user interface and experience which followed along well with gameplay and aesthetic. This was a big technical role within our development and it provided a great learning opportunity for me develop a better understanding of this genre of game and gameplay progression.

Development

Over the course of development, we undertook many meetings to communicate and develop ideas to add touches that made the game feel more complete. When provided with an issue the two of us would analyse the game and try to find the cause which we consistently managed to identify and develop a solution. Our teamwork and communication ensured our development went smoothly and any disputes were talked about to prevent clashes.

Opinions and Future Plans

Overall, my experience with this project was extremely enjoyable and the gameplay was a fun and new take on the endless runner genre as I would always find myself using the attack mechanic as much as possible. Furthermore, I was very proud of my work when creating the UI within such a short time frame as it created a simple game flow for the players and complemented the theme very well.