Concept Statement
Born from the project description of a "Non-traditional Screen game," Rift Runner is a multiplayer cooperative game using multiple smartphones. As players help bring someone aimlessly running through rifts in space and time back to his home dimension as they avoid obstacles and pitfalls along the way. Players each control a platform and must build a bridge to the next dimension portal.
Game
In Rift Runner, players use their smartphone to each control a platform as a "rift" in the dimension. Players move their platform using the touch screen and rotate the platform using their phones physical orientation. Players connect to each other over the internet or via their local network. The man stuck between the different dimensions awoke one night to see a spaceship crash into his pool, upon closer investigation, the ship explodes sending the man barreling between different dimensions. It is up for you to help him! Once two players connect, the man starts running. Players must position and rotate their platforms in a path under him so that he can get to the next dimension. If the man is not going in the direction players need, they simply need to position their platform like a wall in front of the man for him to turn around. Players must avoid dimensional trouble or letting the man fall into the void as they get him to the other side.
My Role
I wore several hats in the production of Rift Runner, I helped our lead programmer by programming player facing functionality as he worked on the networking and the backend. I led our teams meetings and production sprints. As a designer, I worked with my other designer to come up with the concept of the game, how the players interact with it and documented the process. I programmed unique gameplay features such as the player platforms ability to turn into walls when rotated 90 degrees as well as hazards such as the laser beam which could also be blocked by platforms. I ported the game to mobile and helped facilitate QA testing over the project duration.
Project Duration and Platform
iOS
Six Weeks (March 2017-April 2017)
Team
Dylan Alter - Lead Design, Quality Assurance, Acting Producer and Scrum Master, Particle Effects, Player and Mobile Programmer, Documentation
Billy Beanland - Design, Level Designer, Quality Assurance, Documentation
Aaron Hamilton - Backend and Networking Programmer, Quality Assurance
Joshua Walker - Lead Artist
