Acid Knockout
Itch.io Game
Acid Knockout is a king of the hill style game with a cute-horror art style designed to encompasses the basic functionality of traditional games
like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), and Brawlhallo (2014). The art style is retro cute-horror inspired by Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (2015) and ACA
Neo-Geo Metal Slug V (2013). The game is designed around a core gameplay loop that involves a static level with fast-paced waves of spawning enemies and
pickups.
This game was created by 6 students at the University of Utah for Entertainment Arts and Engineering 3710: Traditional Game Development during the Spring 2021 semester.
Traditional Game Development is described as "exploring game development essentials through lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities. Students hone their skills in pitching original game ideas, using traditional game design techniques, and crafting games within agile teams. The course delves into game theory, fostering the ability to present and lead postmortems. The course combines theory with practice, with students gradually taking on more active roles."
This game was created by 6 students at the University of Utah for Entertainment Arts and Engineering 3710: Traditional Game Development during the Spring 2021 semester.
Traditional Game Development is described as "exploring game development essentials through lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities. Students hone their skills in pitching original game ideas, using traditional game design techniques, and crafting games within agile teams. The course delves into game theory, fostering the ability to present and lead postmortems. The course combines theory with practice, with students gradually taking on more active roles."
Role(s)
UI/UX Engineer
General Engineer
Composer
Producer
Skills
UE Blueprints
Source Control
SDL
Tools
Unreal Engine 4
Perforce
Bandlab
Development Time
2.5 months
UI/UX Engineer
As the lead UI/UX Engineer, my responsibilities included the design, development, and implementation of various UI/UX components, such as menu screens like the Main Menu screen shown here. The typical workflow involved identifying the need for a new UI/UX element, which could arise from my insights, playtesting, or input from other developers. Subsequently, I would create a preliminary mockup on paper, followed by collaborative discussions with the the UI artist to ensure the layout and functionality met our goals. Once approved, the UI artist would produce the necessary assets, which I would then integrate into Unreal Engine, adhering to the original sketch's structure. Finally, I would utilize Unreal Engine blueprints to add functionality to the element.
Pop Ups!
Because Acid Knockout was designed to be a fast-paced game, it was important to ensure the player could understand what was happening quickly and easily without taking away from the playing experience. One big element of the king-of-the-hill-style games we enjoyed were the power-ups. We implemented our own versions - flamethrower, shotgun, and health boost. It was clear after a few rounds of playtesting that players wanted to be told what exactly they were picking up.
I implemented a very quick pop-up that would display to the player what they had unlocked. Above is a gif of how the element 'pops' into and out of view. In reality it is less of a 'pop' and more of a 'fade' as the idea was to ensure it was clear enough to see and read but not to abrupt that it took away from gameplay.
Below are the 3 different versions for the 3 different power-ups.
I implemented a very quick pop-up that would display to the player what they had unlocked. Above is a gif of how the element 'pops' into and out of view. In reality it is less of a 'pop' and more of a 'fade' as the idea was to ensure it was clear enough to see and read but not to abrupt that it took away from gameplay.
Below are the 3 different versions for the 3 different power-ups.
To liven up the menu's and other UI elements, I created an acid drip sprite sheet which I converted into an animation.
This asset can be found on the main menu and the player's health bar.
This asset can be found on the main menu and the player's health bar.
Hover to Learn More
Composer
The Acid Knockout team was small but talented. Everyone had something they wanted to work on and something they wanted to learn. This allowed everyone to grow their skills. However, we did not have anyone that had worked with music or sound effects before. I was the only team member that had any music experience whatsoever so I was asked to attempt to make a theme song.
It was very new to me, and I have not done it since, but I worked with a software that allowed me to use pre-defined instrument tracks for free. I first made a simple melody (Determination.m4a) using the instrument tracks. Then I add some base and some keys to help flesh it out more. Finally, I found some 'horror' tracks to tie it all together with the game's concepts.
This track can be heard in the trailer video, from the main menu, and during gameplay.
It was very new to me, and I have not done it since, but I worked with a software that allowed me to use pre-defined instrument tracks for free. I first made a simple melody (Determination.m4a) using the instrument tracks. Then I add some base and some keys to help flesh it out more. Finally, I found some 'horror' tracks to tie it all together with the game's concepts.
This track can be heard in the trailer video, from the main menu, and during gameplay.
Other Roles
Producer, General Programmer and Designer
During the creation of Acid Knockout, we were a busy, each of us wearing multiple hats to make things happen. I mainly handled what I listed above but in addition to that I took on the role of a enemy designer and programmer, focusing on pop-ups and enemy spawning. We had this cool enemy spawner designed by an engineer, but it didn't get used. So, I took charge, integrated it into our main level, and tweaked it to make the game more exciting without being too overwhelming.
Apart from that, I also pitched in as a producer. That meant I scheduled meetings, made sure all the documents were in place, and ensured our assignments were submitted on time. My aim was to keep the team on track and moving ahead efficiently.
Apart from that, I also pitched in as a producer. That meant I scheduled meetings, made sure all the documents were in place, and ensured our assignments were submitted on time. My aim was to keep the team on track and moving ahead efficiently.