What I Did
Mechanics and System Design, UI-UX Design, Programming, Narrative Design
-Through extensive iteration created an atypical mobile control interface with a satisfying ergonomic design.
-Designed a gratifying currency and skill-based reward system.
-Designed and completed an 3 lane/3 hero auto movement system, which resulted in simple and intuitive gameplay.
-Programmed all features of the game and completed a functioning mobile build.
-Designed clear and appealing interfaces and menus.
-Wrote all instructional dialogue, and designed menus to increase player attachment to the NPC to assist in driving narrative elements.
Iris
Iris is a solo project I designed and programmed in Gamemaker Studio over a period of approximately 9 months.
I wanted to create a new type of blend between RPGs and infinite runner style games. To this end, I designed Iris for Android for the purpose of making a new mobile experience. My core focus for the gameplay was to create a simple, yet gratifying combat system. This resulted in the 3 lane/3 hero system present in the final build.
About The Project
Design Processes
A Requirement for my design was to be played vertically, as horizontally played phone games don't perform as well due to the console style of play turning off more casual players. This vertical mentality then permeated other aspects of my designs, for example how the controls focusing on swiping up and down to move characters.
With this one-handed swipe motion in mind, I built the second major control of swapping around the thumbs natural curve of movement to ease play fatigued as much as possible. Descending hero buttons increase in size due to the ease of reaching vertically and the strain of overextending horizontally.
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After several attempts of adjusting the curve, I had finally built a comfortable and satisfying control scheme. I would have also introduced a setting the would have allowed left-handed players to flip the curve, but my time was limited and I was unable to complete that feature.
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Besides movement, Iris's other major mechanic is its hero swap.
Three heroes were the easiest to keep track of without becoming too simple or complex. As well as mirroring the three lanes of player movement. Initial concepts had the player rotate through available heroes, but this became too complicated during faster moments of gameplay so I opted for switching to a hero with the press of a button.
This simplifying of actions came up again with the player attacks. Where initially the player had to initiate each attack, when tests showed following a movement with an attack required too much dexterity from the average player. I set an attack to automatically follow movement or swapping, allowing the player to keep track of their actions much more easily.
How to Play
The goal of Iris is for the player to use the spirits of heroes to charge through an increasing variety of opposition. the player can maneuver between lanes and swap between heroes to avoid obstacles or defeat enemies.
While in battle players can move up and down by swiping on the swipe button in the bottom right of the screen. Players can also switch between heroes by tapping their respective buttons. Heroes can also unleash devastating special attacks after defeating enough enemies.