Cameron Murphy
Technical / Systems Designer
A 3D dungeon crawler set inside of a mid 90's computer in which you can collect and upgrade different spells that give you unique abilities.
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Platform: PC
Date: Fall 2020- Spring 2021
Role: Lead/Technical Designer
Engine: Unity Engine
Description:
Install Wizard is a 3D dungeon crawler where you play as a installation wizard inside of a 90’s era computer and have just installed the fictional operating system MythOS. However, you soon realize that a virus has corrupted various files on the computer, and you take it upon yourself to travel through each program, and destroy the virus. Throughout different programs, the Install Wizard can find various spells such as the Firewall, and Trojan Horse, that provide unique abilities to the player. Spells can be upgraded with components collected from defeated enemies.
Development:
This game is the culmination of my college career as a designer, being my capstone project developed during my senior year, starting in the Fall of 2020 and continuing on to Spring of 2021. Initially, we developed this game in a smaller team where I was the sole designer. We developed this game in Unity 3D with a strong focus on not only trying to nail the visual style of a 90's computer, but creating a fun and engaging dungeon crawler. As the only designer, I had a hand in many different areas of design working on designing and balancing the gameplay systems, creating a basic level, and designing the VFX for the game. After making it through the greenlight process at the end of the semester, we onboarded several new team members, including two new level designers, which allowed me to take a lead position, and focus more on Technical and Systems design. Development was a challenge, as we had to develop fully remotely during the pandemic, but were able to release the complete game on Steam as a free download.
What I Learned:
This game was not only the first game I developed that was released on Steam, but it taught me a lot about game design, and development. The entire development of this game was done remotely due to the pandemic, and while it was challenging, it helped to make me into a more flexible developer. Additionally, I took the role of design lead for this project for the first time, and while I feel a made some missteps as it was a new experience for me, I learned a lot that helped me be more prepared and organized for future projects.