Ronin Duck
3D action-adventure platformer
Team of 5 programmers, 3 artists
Project spanning 2 semesters (8 monthes)
C++ and DirectX, level editting interops C# with C++
Role: game designer, level editting tool, primary game mechanic, post-process graphics
Ronin Duck is a 3D action-adventure platformer where the player takes the role of a samurai duck. Spanning the course of a school year, it is the primary game project of my degree program, to be completed in May 2009. The primary mechanic of Ronin Duck is the targetting system, which is activated by using the mouse to draw through all desired targets using a mode called "Zen Mode." When first entering this mode, everything moves in slow motion while the player draws lines through their targets. This is meant to capture the feel of samurai movies as the protagonist analyzes his moves. Then, the player bounces between their targets, initiating whatever actions are relevant to the type of target. For example, if it is an enemy, it will be hit.
For Ronin Duck, I wrote the Game Design Document that was used as reference throughout the project. I also made a level editing tool that allowed for the placement of objects on maps as well as hooking up the event system that allows for map transitions, dialogue, and puzzles. I worked on the primary game mechanic, "Zen Mode" and the post-processing graphics system, which was used for effects and also conveying information to the player.