Overview
Pond Scum is a dioramic VR 3rd-person platformer where players reach directly into levels to help Snappy the Caiman progress.
đżPond Scum was a finalist for 'Excellence in Emerging' at the 2024 Australian Game Developer Awards.đż
Contributions
I was a producer, co-designer, and level designer on Pond Scum. I was responsible for production efforts, ensuring the project was completed in just 3 months. I created and maintained all game design documentation. I wrote scripts for and designed the aesthetic for World 6, and its novel mechanics.
Production
Effectively utilised Jira, Confluence, and Notion to organise tasks, plan workflows, and prioritise milestones
Managed interdisciplinary dependencies to flag needs and ensure clear communication of deliverables across teams
Collaborated with Leads and Directors to assess features, provide actionable feedback, and refine implementations for optimal outcomes
Supported the Art and Audio teams by creating and managing asset lists to prioritise tasks and minimise dependencies
Systems Design
3rd-person controller and game "feel" design
Dynamic water level system
Dynamic spotlight system
Golden Fang collectable system
Minecart system
Interactables
Enemy AI design
Scripting
Platform/water level behaviour scripting
Minecart behaviour scripts
Various movement scripts
Dynamic lighting script
Level & Puzzle Design
Designing levels in VR based around a mostly fixed perspective was a challenging and interesting limitation. Level concepts were sculpted/greyboxed directly in VR using Gravity Sketch, before being kit bashed in Unity. I designed the levels with a focus on employing spatiality and perspective, with immersive tricks like moving point lights and a request for a water caustic shader (coded by our director, Oliver) for the cave levels. For World 6, which was a 'secret' world I designed, I stripped back the game to its core elements, inspired by the bonus levels in Super Mario Sunshine.
Due to the dioramic nature of the levels, I tried to reuse existing space as much as possible in my puzzle designs. I discovered and employed the 'S' shape level, as a method to most effectively use limited 3D space.
Due to the dioramic nature of the levels, I tried to reuse existing space as much as possible in my puzzle designs. I discovered and employed the 'S' shape level, as a method to most effectively use limited 3D space.
