Curio Collector

Theme "Antiquated Future" (Sept 2023)

Unreal Engine 5 - Epic Megajam 2023 Submission

Working in a team of 3 over the course of a week, this gave us more time than the usual 48 hours.

I developed the world with landmarks that would feel interesting to reach and explore, emphasising player discovery as they search for their goal. I also maintained visual consistentcy through material and lighting changes. Finally defining our tutorial space, that introduced our mechanics.

Dragon Daycare

Theme "Roots" (Jan 2023)

Unreal Engine 5 - Global Gamejam 2023 Submission

A 48 hour jam, we wanted to make something first person. The goal was to extinguish fires around the level, but the challenge came from finding which routes to take to get there.

I built a network of vines that crossed between different platforms, like a woodland tube map.

The player can jump between vines whenever they want, changing when they feel like a line will take them in the right direction. A big portion of my time was spent setting up these lines and trying to make appealing vistas for the player to view as they rode around.

Vlad's Decent

Theme "As above, so below" (Sept 2022)

Unreal Engine 5 - Epic Megajam 2022 Submission

This was the only jam that I have built alongside a second level designer. I proposed we build the levels in the same way the Titan Fall 2 level, 'Effect and Cause' was built. With two identical layouts spaced 5000 units on the Z axis. Allowing you to swap between them at will by changing one value.

We initially split the work between us, building half of the map each. Then we split our focus between the upper and lower worlds. They took the demon world and I took the human world.

My focus was on the tutorial space at the beginning, and working out how we would pace each section. I re-organised the level to have you start in the cemetary and enter the outskirts of the town, having the backdrop become more dense as you progressed. I also ensured we had enough blood to open the gates and fleshed out the level with details.

While I was doing this, they worked on more of the moment to moment traversal challenges and enemy placement, aswell as detailing their own sections. Very much a team effort.

Koko 'n Dillo

Theme "Duality" (Jan 2022)

Unreal Engine 4 - Global Gamejam 2022 Submission

I'd liked the idea of controlling two characters with alternating sides of the controller for a while, when the theme 'duality' came up, it fit this idea perfectly. This was also the first jam where we leant on an art pack for our 3D visuals and introduced our UI artist.

I worked on the tutorial space. A closed off room that forces you to move both characters onto separate buttons to show you've grasped the basics. Then I spent the rest of the time building little scenarios that you'd need to use Koko 'n Dillo to solve using our established systems.

Blocking out consisted of me building the space using the art pack, then refining details by dropping into game and playing it as I went. When polishing, I stole the lighting from the example scene and adjusted it to better fit our needs.

Stick it to em'

Theme "Running out of space" (Sept 2021)

Unreal Engine 4 - Epic Megajam 2021 Submission

Although not traditional level work, I created the 'evidence' that the player needs to link together.
I wanted them to feel like absurd items that are funny in their own right, like sandwich fillings, a cookie jar and clippings of big foot sightings.

My goal was to build them as a set of Tetris shapes.

Ensuring we had lots of varying sizes, so as the game went on, you would find the odd shapes slowly eating up the cork board as you search for the connections between suspect and crime.

Adrift

Theme "Lost and found" (Jan 2021)

Unreal Engine 4 - Global Gamejam 2021 Submission

I love Adrift. The level expands slowly so you aren't punished for gathering too many tiles.

I also made the tutorial text be a part of the water at the start, contextually denoting how to move and spin your raft, with a small challenge at the beginning to help players understand the systems.

We never ironed out how the scoring system should work, but I feel like it nails the atmosphere.

Feather Away From Home

Theme "What home means to you" (Jan 2019)

Unreal Engine 4 - Global Gamejam 2019 Submission

This was my second jam. The premise came from an artist in the group, linking home to leaving the nest and finding your place in a new location. This jam went well with everyone playing their part.

For me, I wanted to create pathways that would flow well and feel really nice to fly through. I was interested in pulling the player down into the environment, so the focal point of the level became the ravine. The trench had collectibles that would encourage the player to engage in the 'fun'.

After getting it playing well, I then meshed the entire level overnight, hand placing rocks and building my points of interest into the scene. On the Sunday, I had help placing more collectables and adding decals to the world, then we were done.

Feather won the 'SideFX: Made with Houdini' competition.

For Your Entertainment

Theme "Make me laugh" (Jan 2024)

Unreal Engine 5 - Global Gamejam 2024 Submission

The theme was a really tricky one, I'm happy with the end result but I used this as a chance to improve my MAYA skills. I spent the jam modelling the weapons that the player swaps between.

After some experimenting with the systems, we found that it was fun to have the stickmen clump up AND walk from one point to another, so I built some walkways to allow both to be possible.
Theres also a hidden section with no collision, that looks as though the physics system has broken, which is always fun when it feels like you achieve an unexpected result.

Le Retour

Theme "Roles Reversed" (July 2023)

Unreal Engine - Game Makers Toolkit Jam 2023 Submission

When discussing the theme, we decided what game to make based on the narrative.

We chose a 'reverse stealth game'. Where the player returns paintings rather than stealing them.

This falls down since, mechanically, it's the same actions that you perform in a normal stealth game.

I created the Gallery and setup the cameras, but I don't think I executed it as well as I could have.

Soar

Theme "Whats hidden in snow comes forth in thaw" (May 2020)

Unreal Engine 4 - UE4 SpringJam 2020 Submission

This game forever lives in Feather's shadow. After Back on Track went poorly. (see below)
It was my suggestion that we build something similar to Feather in feel.

The idea was to have the world defrosted by destroying structures around the level.

The speed of the ship meant the level was much larger than anything I'd done previously, and so certain sections feel rushed in comparison since I didn't have enough time to build it all properly.

Although I don't believe the end result was awful, it was another lesson in scope and the dangers of re-treading ideas without taking away why they worked so well intially.

Back on Track

Theme "Repair" (Jan 2020)

Unreal Engine 4 - Global Gamejam 2020 Submission

This was the jam after we had created 'Feather Away From Home'. A competition winning game that all just came together and worked. Foolishly, we thought we'd cracked the code to game creation.

We then went on to make every wrong decision you can imagine.

The plan was a PBR 1920s style train, with 6 puzzles for the player to complete. The goal was to complete them all before the timeloop you were in reset you to the start. This is the jam I realised how tough it can be to create one interesting puzzle that clicks, forget the other 5 I had planned!

Overjunked

Theme "Junk" (March 2019)

Unreal Engine 4 - Tranfuzer Jam 2019 Submission

This was another 48 hour jam, I think the systems built were fun, but the elements I worked on didn't come together to showcase them in the best light.

I created the layout and setup the visuals. As you can see from the thumbnail of the youtube video, the objectives aren't communicated well, a scene noisy with symbols, colours and markings.

The perspective and lighting also don't help when trying to tell apart height differences.

The Deep

Theme "Transmission" (Jan 2018)

Unreal Engine 4 - Global Gamejam 2018 Submission

The first jam I was a part of! It's bad, but thats why I've put it here.

I burnt my time making an entertaining intro video, not realising how much time that would take.

The game itself was nothing like intro, a sidescroller able to be completed within a few minutes.

This was a really important step for me, since it showed that I could make 'something'.

I met some of the friends I continue to make jams with even now from this experience, and despite my poor planning and lack of focus, I made up for it with my work on Feather the year after.