This was my team’s final project for our GSD 405: Video Game Development Process course. For this assignment, our team selected a previous design concept from a past semester of the (separate) game design course. We were tasked with modifying and refining this existing design, creating a comprehensive implementation plan, and executing the full game production cycle over the semester. The project emphasized professional game development workflows including pre-production planning, milestone tracking, and iterative development based on feedback.

Features

  • Procedural dungeon generation - Randomly generated floor layouts using an algorithm that creates varied, interconnected rooms
  • Strategic combat system - Dynamic combat with melee and ranged weapon options, dodge mechanics, and tactical positioning
  • Character progression - Multiple playable character classes with unique stat distributions and playstyles
  • Inventory system - Item management with stacking, consumables, and descriptions
  • UI/UX systems - Class selection screen, main menu, pause menu, death screen, resource bars, and dungeon minimap
  • Enemy Variety - Basic enemy and boss with different behaviors and stats
  • Room-based exploration - Handcrafted room designs translated into Unity prefabs for procedural assembly

My Contributions

As one of two Programmers on a 6-person team, I was responsible for implementing core gameplay systems and UI functionality. My work focused on player interaction, combat mechanics, and creating the user-facing systems that translated the design documents into playable experiences. I also contributed to the level design with handcrafted rooms and helped make decisions for the design modifications in the initial phase.

Player Systems

  • Controls - Implemented core player movement mechanics
  • Resources - Health, mana, and stamina resources that can deplete and regenerate
  • Stats - Hidden RPG stats for Defense, Strength, Dexterity, Lethality, Intelligence, Wisdom, Agility
  • Combat mechanics - Programmed melee and ranged weapon systems, and dodge mechanics
  • Class selection - Developed player class selection screen and system

Progression & Inventory

  • Class and weapon stats - Implemented stat system using Unity Scriptable Objects for quick, data-driven class and weapon configuration
  • Inventory system - Built full inventory management including item selection, stacking logic, and description panel UI
  • Consumable items - Implemented item usage and effects system

UI Implementation

  • Menu systems - Created main menu, pause menu, and death screen
  • Class selection UI - Designed and implemented class selection interface
  • In-game UI - Created inventory panels and item descriptions

Content & Polish

  • Room prefab creation - Designed and translated room layouts into Unity prefabs for the procedural generation system
  • Basic enemy implementation - Programmed base enemy functionality and behaviors
  • Bug fixes - Debugged and resolved issues throughout development cycle

Collaboration

  • Worked closely with designers to ensure technical implementation matched design intent
  • Playtested and implemented balance adjustments
  • Contributed to team discussions on scope management and feature prioritization

Design Documentation

The following comprehensive design documents were modified / created by our team during pre-production and production. Since these are all living documents, we kept a detailed Changelist to track any modifications we made throughout the process.

Pre-Production Documents

System Design Documents

  • Game Loops - Visual diagrams showing system interactions and player flow
  • System List - Comprehensive breakdown of all game systems and their requirements
  • Technical Design Document - Technical specifications for system implementation
  • Beat by Beat - Detailed progression through gameplay experience

Art & Polish Documents

Quality Assurance

  • QA Test Plan - Testing procedures, bug tracking, and quality benchmarks