Ratatosk (2024)
About
This game was developed as part of our first Game Project at Futuregames, with a team of 14 individuals from four different departments. The project focused on the themes of "Forest" and "Accessibility." The game was specifically designed with Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller as the primary input device, ensuring an inclusive and accessible experience for all players.
Project info
Teamsize: 14
Duration: 3 Weeks
Engine: Unity
Role: Game Designer (Technical Designer) / Scrum Master
Genre: Kids
Platform: PC
Introduction
Take a ride through a magical forest full of wonder and hidden treasures! Become the daring flying squirrel, Ratatosk and glide through a mysterious world, with the wind rushing through your fur as you hunt for tasty treats. But watch out, little friend—it’s a treacherous path!
Giant trees stand in your way and vicious creatures will come out from the shadows, and they are not here to play…, so stay sharp and be ready to dash! Can you gather enough goodies to satisfy your hunger and make it through the night?
Idea Creation
The project originated from an exhibition at the Tekniska Museet in Stockholm, which featured a showcase on the theme of the forest. Following the exhibition, the entire team engaged in a collaborative brainstorming session, resulting in five distinct game concepts centered around the setting and main character.
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In the next phase of idea development, I worked closely with three other designers to refine these concepts. We generated five potential ideas based on the original themes we had collectively identified.
To determine which idea to move forward with, we conducted a ranked voting process. This ensured that all 14 team members could participate in the decision-making, with the concept receiving the highest number of votes becoming the focus of our efforts.
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Once the theme and main character were finalized, the design team collaborated on creating the Game Design Document (GDD), where we outlined the core mechanics and key details of the game.
To assist with the initial phase of the project, I took the initiative to draft starting tasks for all departments, providing clear direction for the team as they began their work.
Working on the core mechanics of the game
Brainstorming session
Play testing and discussion
Technical Design
For this project, I primarily served as a Technical Designer. However, given the small scope and tight timeline, I also took on additional responsibilities to ensure the game was completed before the deadline.
I worked closely with the programming team, serving as the main point of communication between the design and programming departments. By staying informed about each programmer's tasks, I was able to manage the integration process in Unity more efficiently.
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One of my key contributions was the development of the game’s day-night cycle, which not only drove the narrative towards its conclusion but also created an immersive atmosphere by gradually transitioning the environment to night. Initially, I implemented the system by rotating the directional light and pausing it briefly to extend daytime, as per the design team's vision. However, I later overhauled the system to utilize two distinct post-processing volumes for day and night. This change addressed an issue where the night-time environment appeared too dark, especially on the ground. I employed a smooth interpolation (lerping) of the night-time volume’s weight, resulting in a seamless transition. This adjustment also gave me greater control over the night-time visuals, allowing me to intensify the bloom effect to enhance the magical atmosphere.
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Additionally, we made a significant decision to revise the procedural generation system for obstacles, power-ups, and collectibles. Our goal was to introduce varied patterns of obstacles and collectibles, offering players more dynamic challenges and encouraging them to adapt to different situations. To implement this change, I coordinated with the programmers to rebuild the entire system. Thanks to our strong team collaboration, we were able to have an in-depth discussion on how to approach this update, which ultimately resulted in a solution that met our design goals. The programmers worked diligently to ensure the new system functioned exactly as intended.
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I developed a robust audio manager system integrated with Unity’s Audio Mixer. The system is organized into three distinct mixer groups—Ambiance, Music, and Sound Effects—each of which is controlled from the master mixer. This structure allows for independent volume adjustments at both the master level and within the individual sub-groups.
The audio manager also includes a script that facilitates the management of various audio files as Scriptable Objects. This setup allows me to adjust the volume of each file individually, which is especially useful when dealing with particularly loud assets. Additionally, the system supports features such as looping, pitch randomization, and pitch adjustments.
Using the audio manager is simple and intuitive. For example, when a sound effect is triggered, the programmers create an event, which the audio manager listens for. The audio manager then selects the appropriate sound effect from another Scriptable Object that contains all the audio files. The system is designed to dynamically add an audio source when needed and automatically remove it after playback. Furthermore, it ensures that sound effects, music, and ambiance are routed through their respective audio mixers for proper sound management.
UI
Initially, no designer had been assigned to handle the UI, and the programmer who started working on it fell ill. As a result, I stepped in to assist the team by completing the UI programming and taking on the design of the interface.
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One of my design goals was to incorporate a dynamic, live camera in the main menu to add more life and interactivity to the screen. To achieve this, I collaborated with an artist who helped create an engaging scene that I then rendered into the menu.
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Following our decision to include an accessibility mode in the game, I added several new menu options to allow players to customize the colors of various game elements, such as the player character, enemies, obstacles, acorns, power-ups, and trails. I set up the UI to support the selection of seven predefined color options. Once the interface was designed, one of our programmers handled the implementation. Throughout the process, I focused on ensuring the UI was intuitive, making it easy for players to see and adjust their color choices at every stage.
The UI was designed with a minimalist style, prioritizing simplicity due to the project's time constraints.
Main menu
Settings menu for the colors
Scrum Master
I served as the Scrum Master for this project, a role that proved both enjoyable and rewarding, though it came with its own set of challenges that provided valuable learning experiences.
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At the outset of the project, I set up a Discord server with dedicated channels for each department as well as shared channels for cross-team communication. I also created a Trello board, organizing sprints and backlogs to ensure a clear workflow. Leveraging my experience with Perforce, I established the initial project repository and assisted the team in setting up their workspaces and downloading the project files.
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Once Perforce was set up, I focused on structuring the file organization and revised an existing naming convention document. After sharing it with the team, the product owner and I presented the updated guidelines to the group. I then conducted a walkthrough of how to use the Trello board to ensure everyone understood its functionality and how to effectively manage tasks.
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Throughout the project, I worked closely with the product owner to support each other in resolving any disagreements within the team and facilitating overall communication. While we didn’t encounter many conflicts, we did experience instances where different departments struggled to align with the overall vision. To address this, we dedicated an entire day to meetings with those departments to clarify the vision and ensure everyone was on the same page.
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This experience taught us the importance of clear communication and making sure that the vision and tasks are fully understood by all team members from the outset.
Overall, our team dynamic was excellent. We maintained a high level of respect for one another, which fostered an open and honest environment where ideas from all departments were valued and contributed to improving the game.
What I learned
This project taught me the importance of clear communication—often, even more clarity is needed than you initially think to ensure that everyone fully understands your intentions.
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It also provided valuable experience in leading a team of 14 people toward a shared goal, while carefully tracking the needs of each department at different stages. The collaboration between the product owner and me was particularly effective, as we held daily meetings to review tasks, assess each department’s requirements, and determine timelines. Maintaining an organized backlog and staying up-to-date with it was essential to managing the project in a healthy and efficient way. These skills will be invaluable to me not only in smaller projects but also in larger ones.
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Working across multiple departments and with various roles within the design team was both enjoyable and highly instructive. I learned how closely we had to collaborate while respecting each department’s specific responsibilities and scope of work.
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I particularly enjoyed working closely with the programming team, monitoring our progress toward our goals. Given my involvement in integrating various elements in Unity, I gained a deeper understanding of the programmers' systems and workflows. This hands-on experience also helped me improve my ability to read and understand code more efficiently, which will be beneficial in future projects.
Play testing an almost finished product