Projects

Tempo Punk

Role - gameplay design and programming

The main focus of this project was on gameplay design, prototyping and gameplay programming, and user interface development. Additionally, I have been collaborating closely with team members from animation, visual effects, sound, and concept art to ensure that all aspects of the project align with the overall design vision.

I am particularly proud of having designed, prototyped, and developed the weapon gameplay; during demo presentations, players consistently highlighted the quality and responsiveness of the weapon mechanics. Watch the gameplay video above.

Challenges:

• Designing specific weapons to integrate seamlessly with the rhythm and scoring systems has been a challenging yet rewarding task.

• The biggest challenge of this project was to synchronize character abilities, animations, and UI with music (rhythm subsystem).

End results:

• Led the design and implementation of the combat system, collaborating with the sound engineer and animator, delivering a highly engaging and polished experience.

• Improved my programming skills, which in turn enhanced my abilities in systems design.

• Led UI/UX development and expanded my knowledge in this field.

• Implemented the UI, including motion design elements.

• Learned a lot about Materials usage in UE and explored how it can be utilized to create visually striking UI.

Project Overview

Tempo Punk is a rhythm-driven FPS, with dystopian vibes. The player should fight for his life through cutting-edge graphics while the pulsating beats of electronic music get his brain synapses firing at highspeed.
Steam: Tempo Punk in Steam (Demo is available)

• genre: action, first person shooter, retro, rhythm

• company: Matima Studio

• role: gameplay prototyping and programming, UI/UX desing leading and implementation, player combat design, game design

• used tools: Unreal Engine 5, Click-up, draw.io

Katana Inu (MVP)

Role - game design, game direction, prototyping

In this version of the project, I was responsible for game design and direction, defining core systems and mechanics according to the client’s vision, while collaborating with a small team to prototype and iterate on gameplay.

I also directed the UI/UX design, implemented the UI, and managed communication with the product owner. And collaborated with a colleague to oversee asset and character development, as well as all visual and art-related aspects, including the creation of the art style.

Challenges:

• Networking has been a significant personal challenge, and I have consistently used my free time to strengthen my programming skills and expand my knowledge in this area.

• Development has been in a very fast pace, and since I was leading the majority of processes, I not only needed to master my own responsibilities but also pushed myself to learn the work of others in order to support them and plan their tasks more effectively.

End results:

• Independently developed a complete game design from scratch, which played a key role in securing significant investment for the project.

• Player combat I designed for the prototype, which provided a simple yet effective solution for long-, mid-, and close-range combat, with the mid-range ability as the core.
  This ability featured an engaging mechanic where the projectile type changes based on the character’s movement direction - a creative solution for a small prototype that laid the foundation for further gameplay development. Watch the gameplay video above.

• With a very small team and limited resources, I developed a strong prototype that was successfully showcased at several major exhibitions, including the Tokyo Game Show.

• Improved management skills and got better undestanding on development pipelines within different parts of the project.

• I gained a foundational understanding of multiplayer and replication.

• Learned basics of Gameplay Ability System (GAS).

Project Overview

Katana Inu is a third person fast pace action game with focus on small scale but skill-based combat. Target of MVP version was to prepare foundation for future battle royale experience.

• genre: multiplayer, action, third person, fast pace, skills-based

• company: Matima Studio

• role: game design, game direction, team leading, prototyping and gameplay programming, art direction (partial involvement)

• used tools: Unreal Engine 4, Visual Studio, C++, Gameplay Ability System, Click-up, draw.io

Overall, I am very proud of my contributions during this stage of the project. Personally, it was a significant achievement, as there is nothing more rewarding than seeing players enjoy the game during Tokyo Game Show 2022 where I had the opportunity to present it publicly.

After completing a strong prototype, our team began planning the next phase of development, including the introduction of new systems and mechanics, such as a deck system, in which certain abilities are placed into a 'deck' and shuffled during matches.

Final character created based on my direction

Example of weapon concept made under my guidance:

Project Black (V1RAL)

Role - game design, level design

I joined the project when it was already halfway through development, with my first and primary responsibility being the design and development of the tutorial level and several combat arenas. Later, I was entrusted with designing another level—the metro station—and became involved in the development of the lore and script. Over time, I also took on a leadership role in guiding the concept artist during the design of enemies.

Challenges:

• The challenge was to represent complex mechanics in the tutorial level and prepare the player for a hardcore game.

End results:

• In this project, I collaborated with colleagues to design a unique concept of interactive phenomena. When players engage with these phenomena, the game rules change, creating a series of unique encounters that blend fast-paced shooting with dynamic platforming, adding variety and excitement to the gameplay experience.

• Developed a large number of level blockouts of varying complexity, scale, and narrative focus - ranging from simple combat arenas to fully designed levels that conveyed a story.

• I strengthened my skills in level design, game design, and storytelling.

• Epic MegaGrants recipient.

Project Overview

Project black is a first person boomer shooter inspired by FPS of the 90' but with bringing new and modern mechanics like wall running, advanced gore system and objects destructions.

• genre: first person shooter, single-player, boomer shooter

• company: Matima Studio

• role: tutorial level design, combat arenas level design, campaign design, script and lore development, leading concept artists, testing and tuning.

• used tools: Unreal Engine 4, Trello

Katana Inu

Role - game direction, gameplay design and programming

I was tasked with building a new team within a short period of time, migrating the project from UE 4.27 to UE 5.3, and resolving long-standing technical issues. In essence, my responsibility was to establish a solid technical foundation and prepare the project for further development and scaling.

Challenges:

• Refining and rebuilding old documentation and redesigning gameplay based on the client's vision, upon the legacy work left by the previous team.

• Development with a focused budget and constrained human resources.

• Tight timelines in terms of development itself as well as team formation.

End results:

• I implemented several new mechanics that were simple to integrate but provided a wide range of gameplay options for players and enabled future combat systems scalability.
  A strong example is the implementation of different damage over time effects and the split between base and bonus damage, which increased replayability and provided players with more options for customizing their builds.

• Reorganized a large amount of fragmented documentation into a clear, cohesive vision, as example, adding part of UI wireframes.

• With the support of a few great team members and effective planning, we successfully migrated the project to a new engine version, and recreated the gameplay systems to ensure scalability

Project Overview

Katana Inu, a free-to-play fighting game, offers players the opportunity to earn exclusive NFTs and Katana Inu tokens as in-game rewards. These rewards can be acquired by winning tournaments against other players and teams, completing in-game quests, playing solo, or teaming up with others
Steam: Katana Inu in Steam

• genre: multiplayer, action, third person, fast pace, skills-based, battle royal

• company: Chainvision Games

• role: game direction, team leading, crysis management, gameplay design and programming, architecture planning

• used tools: Unreal Engine 4/5, Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, C++, Gameplay Ability System, Click-up, draw.io

Unannounced project (in-progress)

Role - game direction, game design, mentoring

I was invited to collaborate on a project based on unique backend technologies. I handled the planning, pitched my idea and vision, and after receiving positive feedback, I was asked to lead the project.

I began defining the vision and planning the technical architecture with the technical lead. Currently, the project is in early prototype stage, with the core systems partially implemented and the GDD developed.

Challenges:

• Indie game development.

End results:

• Although the project is still in its early stages, I am very satisfied with the progress I have made in developing the idea, design, and worldbuilding.

• Even at an early stage of idea development and prototyping, I made significant progress in producing a clear and cohesive game design document.

• I developed unique gameplay mechanics by integrating mech progression within missions with in-game progression and mech customization, creating nearly limitless options for replayability.

• Planned the technical architecture, rapidly prototyped core elements, and implemented key features to ensure the project could scale effectively in the future.

Project Overview

In the aftermath of a devastating third world war, humanity struggles to rebuild, seeking its place in a transformed world while racing against time to save a fragile environment from total collapse.

• genre: mech, co-op, action, top-down, roguelite, rpg, tactical

• company: Meritocracy Games Studio

• role: game direction, game design, vision, team leading, worldbuilding, technical architecture planning, gameplay programming

• used tools: Unreal Engine 5, Visual Studio, C++, Gameplay Ability System, Visual Studio Code, draw.io