Shadow Ninjas [2020]

Concept

This game was my group's final project for CS 426.

The original game idea was my proposal and the game is designed as a 3D stealth-based puzzle platformer where the player loses if they get caught in the light.

The player plays as a ninja that must navigate the level in the shadows and has the ability to extinguish certain light sources with a limited amount of ninja stars.

A significantly more comprehensive design document can be found at this Google Docs link.

Contribution

Throughout the development of this project, our professor assigned weekly checkpoints to ensure progress is being made. Most of these checkpoints required each member of the group to equally contribute certain features to the game. By the end of the project, I contributed the following features to our game:

    • Organized and wrote up the entire design document

    • Managed the GitHub repository by assigning tasks via GitHub Issues and separating project checkpoints in individual branches

    • Initial prototype design of game with basic movement and interactivity

    • Created custom models such as torches with a flame particle system

    • Added the patrolling enemy AI, as well as adjusted the animation to support our custom torch model

    • Created a shader to set a constant scale of the stone texture on varying sizes of stone walls

    • Added several menus such as main menu, controls menu, pause menu, and opening cutscene

    • Created a lock-on mechanic for aiming at torches

    • Adjusted movement per usability testing feedback

    • Designed, implemented, and polished first two levels in game (out of four total)

    • Found and implemented several props, models, and audio

    • General improvements and fixes over the project life-cycle

Release

The source code can be viewed on GitHub.

The game itself can be downloaded and played from this GitHub release.

Specifications

  • C# for script logic

  • Unity for its game engine and editor