Originally designed by Ben and me, after multiple discussions as to what we were going to develop. Deciding on a Platform Fighter we began outlining the game's main features.

• Local Coop

  • I had a mantra that was repeated to the team and when pitching the game "If it's not a fun local coop game it won't be a good multiplayer game" This allowed the project to remain in scope when developing with a smaller team

• Deathmatch

  • Quick-fire gameplay that allows players to jump in and play a few rounds fitting to many time schedules and not requiring a large commitment when playing

• Class-Based

  • Each character has a Basic and an Ultimate attack. these basic actions were what was used as a basis to design characters. We wanted it to be easy for new players but with complex uses for advanced players

    • • We later added a tactical ability which allowed characters to have a unique ability  and something to use other than the Basic 

I created this spreadsheet with the designers as a way to design characters and plan out all the variables needed when implementing them. I also encouraged every team member to create a character that we would strive to implement in-game, this was a great icebreaker activity for the team.

Using Unity's new input system to handle multiple players I began work on creating the wizard. He was a ranged character which is something I have created in the past so implementation would be quick. With most of the variables needed defined in the spreadsheet the transition from paper to programming was smooth. 

This is when we encountered our first major hurdle. What kind of aim controls were we going to use?

Twin Stick (360 Control)

This is what was originally created, but during playtests many players were confused by it even when explained. Players found it challenging to get to grips with the controls and play the game without them getting in the way. 

4 Directional

Having the player shoot only in the direction they are facing, with up and down having to be held using the movement stick to aim in those directions. This also lets players use either the face or back buttons for shooting. Players found this limiting but easy to understand, they wanted to be able to shoot in the opposite direction they are moving.

8 Directional 

This was planned but heavily decided against as it felt like it would be a worse version of the 360 still needing both sticks and not solving any of the issues. 

Each level comes with environmental interactions to provide varied battlefields for each match. Throughout play testing, we tweaked and changed levels until they had the right amount of interactable features many of them focusing on just one feature.

Lengar's Dungeon

The basic level of the game includes instant kill crates when dropped on a player's head, ramps for angled shots and drop shafts for repositioning.

Made entirely of ice the level is completely destructible leading players to fall to their doom. Unleashing a super here can rapidly destroy large sections of the level.

A ship sailing in the middle of the ocean that's getting bombarded periodically by a blimp dropping TNT and missiles.

Battle on an array of platfroms that when destroyed create updrafts for the player to navigate the level with.

This level changes based on the formation of the lasers which will damage players when crossed. Players can use the portals on the sides to help navigate the map and shoot through.

Press the buttons found on the sides to flip gravity knocking players around and into spikey objects. Watch out if the beehives are hit they will chase down and damage the nearest player.

I was also tasked with creating all the promotional materials for the game including the trailer above.

With the promotional character art outsourced I began work on the logo of the game that would appear in all areas. The general shape and outlines first came to mind and I wanted to stretch sharp text this is also when we decided on the colour palette for the game consisting of blues, purples and gold reinforcing this epic battle look.

The trailer needed to sell the fast-paced chaos that is playing Eternal Championship and it does just that, the fast-paced music and quick cuts make the trailer intense and it shows a lot of information about the game that can be almost overwhelming but the game and its features justice.

Running a booth for the game with my team at Falmouth University's Games Academy Expo 2023. We had done hours of playtesting and balancing throughout development and this was by far the largest and widest range of players.

The overall gameplay and balance were met with positive responses by players, this was especially true for groups and younger age groups (5-16) where our game shined.

Games Expo Link