SUPERCOLD
4 Week Project
SUPERCOLD is a short demo I created for Game Tech which took heavy inspiration from SUPERHOT.
Solo Developer
Unity
Game Tech Semester
Mechanics & Tech
Timelines & Animations
In the development of SUPERCOLD, one of our requirements was to incorporate timelines and animations. I took this one step further by introducing the player's model running while being fired at, while an emergency siren is sounding to set the atmosphere.
Dynamic Pathfinding
An essential requirement was to incorporate pathfinding. This is an incredibly important tool, and I am glad that I learned how to use it and apply it to different characters in the same scene to solve issues that occurred during active gameplay. Also, fun cameo from M-O!
Level Triggers
An additional requirement was to incorporate triggers which would lead to the timelines. This trigger had remained throughout my development, and I never thought about changing it. I figured, "Oh, the grate is a perfect spot for a trigger, can't be missed."
I was very wrong once I brought the game to testing, and realized that I had to make the trigger more obvious and impossible to miss without fail. Lesson learned in UI/UX signposting!
The "Supercold" Swap
Finally, the reason why this game is titled SUPERCOLD. In the game I created a mechanic where the player can swap places with the enemy. While they swap places, time is slowed down for a short duration which gives the player the upper hand in attacking and dodging enemy fire (which may be their own). In addition, the player heals a slight bit of damage just to make it easier.
Lastly, a great strategic advantage of the swap mechanic is that it allows the player to gain vantage points. In the current build, the player must teleport up to the enemy in order to hit the button to win. It is an oversight as I watched many players fall and kill the final enemy which was the original target. Due to crunch, I had to opt for the button, but in a future build, I would absolutely refine the script interactions to allow the enemy kill to be the true win state!