Sander Hoogervorst

Full List Personal Role & Tasks:
Design
Code

Plugin for:
Unity Engine

Software used:
Unity Engine
Visual Studio
Google Spreadsheets

Total Team Size:
Solo project

As mentioned before the tool is flexible enough to handle an evolving game project. The user can add new builder buttons and prefabs to the tool to place in the level and programmers can inherent from bases which makes components automatically supported by the tool.

The tool also gives the user concise and detailed information in plain English and with the help of colour coding.

The tool was a personal project of mine and I adapted it to use it as a project for my University.

Full List Personal ​Role & Tasks: Scripting (C#) Design

Engine: Unity

Platform: PC

Total Team Size: Solo project

For the project I scripted all the mechanics within blueprints. I created easy to use blueprints which we could drag and drop in the level, and simply adjust some public variables. This made implementing mechanics and iterating an easy job, so we could focus on the puzzle design.

As for the design, the first step we took was designing the puzzle mechanics of the project. Once these were established, we created a graph to illustrate when we wanted to introduce each mechanic, and where we wanted the difficulty to increase. We also created a second graph with a general overview of the difficulty level. This gave us a clear overview of the level we wanted to create, making sure the player would be eased into the mechanics, all the while maintaining the challenge.

After creating the puzzles, we began playtesting with a lot of people to see if everything was clear, doable, fun, and challenging, and iterated if this was not the case.

Full List Personal ​Role & Tasks: Scripting (visual scripting) Level design Puzzle design UX design

Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Platform: PC

​Personal Software, Tools & Programming language: Blueprint visual scripting Microsoft Excel

Total Team Size: 2 team members

Development Duration: ±3 Weeks (Part-time)

A major part of the project was analyzing Banjo-Kazooie and researching the design style of the original game to apply it in the level we wanted to create. Once we made ourselves familiar with the style, we started designing the theme of the level, as well as its special themed object and transformation.

We designed a flowchart of all major areas and kept a general rule that there should never be more than three main routes to an area. Once the first iteration of the flowchart was completed, we assigned themes, landmarks, as well as potential content, such as mini games, and jiggy locations to the individual areas.

We used the flowchart and assigned information to sketch a map. We especially kept in mind: landmarks, field of view, and hight levels. The map was imported into the Unity engine, and we began building the level itself. Playtesting was done by importing parts of the level into a Banjo-Kazooie rom and playing it using a Nintendo 64 emulator. We were able to see and feel how the level played, and iterate if necessary.

Full List Personal ​Role & Tasks: Level design Flow design Theme design Game analysis (Banjo-Kazooie)

Engine: Unity

Platform: Nintendo 64 emulator

​Personal Software, Tools & Programming language: ProBuilder Basic (Unity plugin) Banjo’s Backpack Gliffy (Flowchart tool) Adobe Photoshop Sony Vegas C#

Total Team Size: 2 team members

Development Duration: ±3 Weeks (Part-time)

The story follows a simplified narrative structure in which The Little Robot leaves his lonely ordinary world filled with garbage to help animals who are affected by garbage. It is designed to teach children the importance of cleaning up as well as the importance of helping others and allowing others to help.

The Little Robot and his Little Bird friend will come across various animals affected by garbage; such as a beaver Family which dam is overrun by garbage and a Skunk family who can’t handle the smell of the garbage. Each time The Little Robot helps the animals and gains more confidence by doing so.

In the end the story comes full circle as the animals The Little Robot helped help him clean his home and The Little Robot is no longer lonely but instead surrounded by his animal friends.

Full List Personal ​Role & Tasks: World Building
Story
Characters

Target Audience:
Children age 4 to 5

Total Team Size:
2 team members

The project had a focus on flow design and environmental storytelling (including some additional narrative and character design) as well as improving my Unreal 4 level design skills.

I analysed the way The Last of Us designed their level and in part recreated this. Additionally I also did research on mall structures and such things as stores.

Full List Personal ​Role & Tasks: Level design Flow design Environmental storytelling Game analysis (The Last of Us) Research on mall structures

Engine: Unreal 4

Platform: PC

Total Team Size: Solo project

Development Duration: ±1 Week

– Flynn Rider Lua [PDF]
– Frying Pan Lua [PDF]
Character-and-Item-Lua-scripts

I was in charge of all things non-art related. I did the character design, scripting within Lua, as well as all the dialogue of the character.

To create a character, I used a template and researched the Don’t Starve API as well as the code of the original characters. I also looked at the code of other mods in order to understand and script a unique character. This project was the first time I used the programming language Lua, and while it was different from what I was used to, I managed to grasp the parts I needed to create the character.

Full List Personal ​Role & Tasks: Scripting Design Dialogue

Game: Don’t Starve

Platform: PC

​Personal Software, Tools & Programming language: Visual Studio Lua

Total Team Size: 2 team members

Development Duration: ±1 Week