Perennial
Written on May 13th, 2022 by Jake Wylykanowitz
(Unity- PC/Mac)
(Game Designer)
A roguelike basebuilder where the player explores a post-apocalyptic Chicago to meet new townsfolk and find resources.
Developed 3 basic randomly generated levels which would shuffle into new layouts for players to explore during each playthrough of game
Composed dialogue for main character and 3 NPCs in Yarn Spinner alongside 5 short stories to assist worldbuilding
- Gameplay is split between two unique sections, exploring and basebuilding
- During exploration, the player character Maya can fight enemies, collect resources, and learn more about the world around them *Each visit of the world of Ch’Kay Goh has a new layout inspired by roguelike dungeon crawlers
- While basebuilding, players can use the resources collected by exploring to build new buildings, each with their own unique effects during the exploration section
- As the outpost grows, new characters may join Maya!
- Through the 12 week production cycle, I focused on level design, narrative, and audio
- I was in charge of all of the dialogue and worldbuilding, ensuring it stayed true to the vision of the game
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- I implemented Yarn Spinner for our dialogue system alongside generating all of the dialogue in-game
- I created multiple friendly characters able to join the player’s outpost a
- I wrote 4 short “apocalyptic logs” detailing extra elements and stories set in the game’s world
- Design-wise, I worked on the game’s spatial inventory system, enemy behaviors, audio implementation, and basic combat.
- I was in charge of meeting with students from the Berklee College of Music who were tasked with creating our music and sound effects
- We met once a week to discuss progress, share inspiration, and give feedback
- Once all of our assets were completed, I implemented them into the game, including designing a simple system that would randomly play from a set of sound effects to keep the sound effects diverse and engaging
This project was a major learning experience, particularly when it comes to player behavior and explaining mechanics to new players. We sought to have players make difficult decisions regarding resource management and basebuilding vs exploration and combat, but players were much more invested in the exploration side than the basebuilding. It also taught me a lot about the importance of scope, prioritization, and time management when designing experiences.
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