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The Game
Ghoul's Best Friend is a quirky reverse-horror where a loyal dog must scare a new family out of its dead owner’s old house.
Edited by Abby Norris (me), narration by Christopher Dichmann
Our goal for this project, and the first major build of the game, was to have two major features implemented: a fully decorated level, and the ability for the players to interact with objects and scare the NPCs family members, both of which were completed for the current build.
Another goal for this project was to become more familiar with the process of creating a game completely from scratch, and learn not only about team collaboration, but elements of our own workstyle and process that we can improve for future endeavors.
The Design
Team & Roles
Abby Norris (Myself) - Narrative / Level Design
Christopher Dichmann - Game / Level Design
Tiggi Pengelly - Artist
Sam Cameron - Programming / Game Design
Carlo Tejeda - Audio Design / Programming
I fulfilled multiple roles throughout this project. While originally taking on the role of Narrative Director and Project Manager, I later adapted my role in the team to better fit the project's demands. While I still built the core narrative, I also took on the role of Level Designer to help progress the build.
For the Narrative aspect, I outlined the core linear storyline and the cutscenes required. As for Level Design, the main tasks I completed were greyboxing the entire house, setting up our animations, creating the materials for the floor and walls, and laying out the house, backyard, and shed with our finished sprites.
When I decided to take on the role of Level Designer, I was still incredibly unfamiliar with level building in-engine, specifically in Unity. This was a real learning experience for me, as I had to figure out a completely new workflow with only a few weeks left. This was yet another experience in game design that has taught me how to adapt quickly and communicate well with my teammates for better efficiency.
Initial level layout completed and metricized by myself and Christopher Dichmann.
Beginning layout of the house in-engine. Sprites and wall textures by Tiggi Pengelly. Setup and materials by me.
Throughout this experience, I have gained not only technical skills, but have also improved my teamwork and soft skills. I am a team player who is willing to and has taken on roles I am unfamiliar with to help my team, and I am always eager to try new things. I pride myself on having an encouraging and positive energy in a team setting, and although there are still many areas I am unsure about in the game design process, I love to learn, and I am eager to learn. I will take these skills into future projects, while continuing to grow my repertoire of technical skills in multiple different roles.
What was Gained
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