Christmas Mission
A software that helps children understand music elements and easily create music.
Project Deliverable
Gameplay Design
Map Design and Modeling
Character Modeling
Character Animation
Tool
Figma
Blender
Substance Painter
Unity 3D
Timeline
Fall 2024 (Three Weeks)
Team
Game Designer: Ye
3D Artist: Ye, Alex
Programmer: Brian, Frida
Producer: Samantha & Ye
Sound Designer: Samantha
Challenge
The challenge we faced was making a party game that’s fun to play offline with friends. We wanted to create something that brings people together and keeps everyone engaged and entertained in the same room.
Opportunity
We saw an opportunity in using JamoDrum, since it's easy to use and supports shared projection on a tabletop, encouraging players to talk and interact in person. The special glasses also let us give each player a different view, which makes the game more dynamic and interesting.
OVERVIEW
The Experience
In our game, four players split into two teams. The gingerbread team needs to collect gifts on the map to decorate themselves for Christmas, while the mice team is trying to hunt and eat them. Since there’s fog of war, each player has different abilities to help them escape, hunt, or explore. The first team to complete their goal wins the game.
OVERVIEW
My Role
Within the team, my responsibilities included game design, character modeling and animation, and partial map modeling. I designed the overall map structure and individual character abilities. The character models and animations for the mice and gingerbread figures were created in Blender, and I assembled the game environment using Unity 3D.
DESIGN
Game Design
01. Game Mechanics
For the core gameplay mechanics, we chose to base the experience on a classic "cat-and-mouse" dynamic. This concept is intuitive and easy to grasp, making it accessible to players of all ages and skill levels. It also provides a clear objective, helping players quickly understand the game's goals.
To encourage offline interaction and player communication in future gameplay, we introduced a "fog of war" system. Each character has a different field of vision, which creates information asymmetry. As a result, players are encouraged to communicate actively—whether through verbal cues or by pointing out enemy positions directly.
In the mid-development phase, after confirming that the core game balance and mechanics worked as intended, we introduced character abilities to further enhance excitement and teamwork. The gingerbread man's abilities focus on evasion, such as speed boosts and teleportation, while the mouse, acting as the predator, was given more aggressive tools like radar and dash skills to help them pursue and capture more effectively.
02. Map Design
As a game with a certain level of competitiveness, the primary goal in map design is to ensure fairness—every player should face the same obstacles and experience a consistent level of difficulty throughout the game.
After multiple rounds of playtesting, we discovered that players encountered challenges when making 180-degree turns on the Jamodrum device. To address this, we removed one of the gift room exits, simplifying the layout to improve playability.
In the final design phase, with the addition of character abilities, we noticed another issue: on long straight paths, it was difficult for the mouse character to catch up to the gingerbread man, leading to player frustration. To mitigate this, we introduced multiple exits along the long straightaways to balance gameplay and enhance player engagement.
DESIGN
3D Design
01. Character Design
For the gingerbread man, we wanted to highlight its connection to gifts. As it collects more presents, festive Christmas decorations gradually appear on its body, adding a sense of progress and holiday spirit.
For the mouse, we placed a candle on its head to reflect the game's fog of war mechanic. The candle represents its limited vision and adds a fun visual element to the character.
02. Map Modeling
The overall map modeling was completed by Alex, while I contributed by adding elements such as snowmen, Christmas trees, and snowboards. Since the final game is presented from a top-down camera perspective, we adjusted the angles of certain objects during modeling to ensure they look better from that viewpoint.
DESIGN
Game UI
01. Gameplay-related UI
Gameplay-related UI helps players stay informed about key elements during a match, such as the remaining game time, character movement direction, and skill cooldowns.
02. Other UI
The overall UI design incorporates a Christmas theme while also adapting to the circular shape of the JamoDrum interface.
DELIVERABLE
Final Design