Engine: Unity | Genre: Arcade Shooter | Platform: WebGL | Timeframe: 3 weeks
Overview
Mirror Force is an arcade shooter that is heavily inspired from the arcade game Zaxxon. Our goal for this project was to iterate off a classic arcade game, while implementing a mechanic that would set us a part from the original game, which we decided to get rid of the player shooting projectiles and would instead incorporate a shield mechanic to reflect enemy projectiles back at them.
Team
Producer - Arjun Shivakumar
Artist - Andrew Lozano
Tech Artist - Chen Hua
Engineer - Yunhao Ye & Roberto Reynoso
Role and Contributions
Role: Game Engineer
Responsibilities:
In this project, my primary role as a Game Engineer was to develop core gameplay mechanics and systems, focusing on designing and implementing features that enhanced player engagement and strategy.
Contributions:
Shield Mechanic:
The shield's primary function was to reflect enemy projectiles, turning them into an offensive tool for damaging enemies.
Integrated a shield meter system to prevent indefinite usage, encouraging strategic timing and resource management.
Height Tracking and UI System:
Collaborated with Yunhao Ye to develop a height-based mechanic that accurately represents the player's vertical position within the 3D world.
Designed a user interface that displays the player's height as a number near the player character and within the top-right corner of the screen. This feature enables players to strategically align their shield with enemy projectiles or avoid collisions.
Implemented movement controls for navigating up, down, left, and right within the game world.
Collaborated on implementing an axonometric (isometric) projection to simulate a three-dimensional environment from a third-person perspective.
Lose Conditions and Fuel Management:
Programmed two lose conditions to enhance the challenge:
The player loses a life if hit by an enemy or projectile, with a game-over condition if all lives are lost.
The player must also manage a fuel gauge, which depletes over time and results in a loss if it reaches zero.
Encouraged interaction with enemies by rewarding fuel pickups upon defeating them, creating a risk-versus-reward dynamic.
Enemy Types and Projectile Interactions:
Designed multiple enemy and projectile types to add variety and strategy:
Green Projectiles: Decreases the fuel gauge upon shield interaction.
Blue Projectiles: Disable the shield entirely.
Red Projectiles: Normal projectiles that reflect without additional effects.
Ensured that all projectile types could be reflected back at enemies with proper shield usage.
Score Tracking and Victory Conditions:
Implemented a scoring system where the score increases with each turret destroyed.
Added a victory condition where the player wins by surviving until the end without losing all lives.
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