Roles: Designer Time: 5 Weeks
Team Size: 2 Engine: Unreal Engine 4
KnightSquad is a single player character action game where you control an archer in charge of a squad of knights. Using hit and run style tactics, delve deep into the dungeon, conquer foes, improve your skills, and fight your way through.
Knightsquad was a solo project I worked on for two weeks before collaborating with a technical designer. I created initial mechanics and enemies as well as designed three different levels at various stages of the game's development. It is currently shelved for the foreseeable future.
Initial Sketch For Prototype Level
Taking BSPs into Maya for rebuilding. I decided to build it as one large piece.
Building out a more cave-like and visually appealing Prototype Level
Prototype Level final look
The Prototype started as a personal project that was then pitched to our capstone team for potential development. While the game was not picked up, I decided to continue working on it in my spare time, and eventually collaborated on exploring systems with another designer.
In it, players act as an archer, who can aim and draw powerful shots, but lacks the movement capabilities of more agile protagonists. She relies heavily on the abilities of her Knights: a bruiser who tackles foes, and a floating wizard who throws out fireballs. Both characters also featured combo abilities that allowed for potential benefits in well timed and aimed attacks.
The campfire scene was meant to house both the level up screen and potential narrative moments that would be carried out through dialogue.
I spoke to professors, gaining feedback about the project as development continued. Creating a consistent campfire location and deciding to go from a linear experience, to something with an effort towards repeatable level. While this wasn't a completely successful venture, it allowed me to explore mechanics and environmental interactions in layers. For example, our Blue Knight character, Arkus, would charge when summoned, and could knock over enemies. The idea was expanded upon by creating potential objects he could charge into, that could be destroyed depending on what tier of charging Arkus had unlocked. This let me hide larger potential areas (and in the future, more dangerous enemies and powerful loot) in levels that would be featured early in the game, and potentially create a richer, more dense feeling world.
Original size of level one
Whiteboxed level one environment, using the map I created in photoshop.
The original final room featured a large slime creature, and several mini slimes.
Updated size of level one. The design of early rooms were updated as well, based on feedback.
Hidden behind Arkus Crash Walls were items like chests, in order to reward players for revisiting old levels and exploration.
The 2nd level (known as the main level by the end of development) went through multiple stages of iteration, mostly used to explore how to create an environment with replayable sections and an interesting layout.
A collection of screenshots showing off some of KnightSquad's combat. Players could fire arrows at targets, or lock onto targets in order to point their squadmates at them. HUD elements would fill and notify the player when certain Knights were ready to be called.
