My Role: Lead Game Designer

As the Lead Designer, I was responsible for guiding the team through the development process while taking on multiple design and technical roles:

• Game Design & Documentation: Authored the Game Design Document (GDD), balancing core mechanics, combat flow, and deck-building integration. Created detailed spreadsheets for weapon stats, skill progression, and enemy attributes.

• Enemy Design & AI Collaboration: Designed a diverse enemy roster, ensuring distinct behaviors and combat strategies. Worked closely with the AI programmer to fine-tune enemy movement, attack patterns, and difficulty scaling.

• UI/UX Design: Took my first deep dive into UI/UX, designing intuitive interfaces and menus that complemented the fast-paced gameplay.

• Technical Contributions: Beyond design, I stepped into programming roles, creating state machines, scripting combat prototypes in C#, and iterating on experimental features to refine the game's feel.

Challenges & Solutions

With a highly inexperienced team and a tight deadline, adaptability was key. I took on multiple responsibilities outside my comfort zone, from programming gameplay systems to handling UI development. By remaining flexible and proactive, I ensured the project progressed efficiently despite the constraints.

Tools & Software Used

• Unity (Game Engine)

• Photoshop (UI & Visuals)

• Google Suite (Project Management & Documentation)

Outcome

Despite the challenges, Overflow was successfully completed, serving as a valuable learning experience in rapid development, cross-disciplinary teamwork, and game design leadership.