Over the course of the first six or seven months of the Master’s Degree all of the programming students at Algoma University work together to create a game project.  It is done in conjunction with art and management students studying at the University of Abertay Dundee.   We chose to do a game called Happmann, a third person deathmatch-style network game using Torque Game Engine Advanced.  The original idea was to create a game that would be played by all players on one system, but we changed this to a networked multiplayer because of Torque’s strong networking capabilities.  In the end we had a game that allowed players to battle over a LAN with several maps, two weapons, and several powerups.

Happmann in action

The first half of development is dedicated to preproduction design.  So this time was used by our artists and managers to create concept art and design documents based on our input given about the game idea.  The second half is the actual game development, where the programmers really got to work.  Most of the work was completed in TorqueScript with some C++.  The project was a great experience which gave me another taste of team collaboration, along with the added complexities of long distance communication.

My Role

I spent most of my time as a programmer, but I spent time on a wide range of tasks.  I took a backseat when it came to early game design because on most projects I am given a significant amount of control over the game’s direction, even on a group project like Flux.  So I chose to adhere to the vision of other teammates who had a clearer idea of how the game should be.

Particles for the Triple Damage powerup

During development I spent time working on powerups, setting up the HUD and menus, adding particle systems to the players, creating levels, and controlling the map rotation.  I had a hand in almost every aspect of the game.  I also spent a lot of time testing and implementing art assets when the artists completed them.  I created the menus and HUD based on the art concepts provided, with some changes to make them work in game.  Organizing assets became one of my routine tasks.

That organization became very important towards the end of development.  The amount of work I had put in throughout development meant as the game finished up I was one of the students who had the best understanding of what needed to be done.  Prioritizing tasks leading up to the final date was essential and I often took it upon myself to keep a list of important things that needed to be done.

To see more of Happmann you can visit the other pages for screenshots and videos.  You can also see Happmann at the project website.