Matt Craver
Game Programmer and Designer
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Game Projects

Adeniji  Feed The Beast  Aphelion  Gelatin Joe

Adeniji

A 2D platformer in progress

Details

Adeniji is the project I've started since graduating from DigiPen. Inspired by the indie game Knytt, Adeniji is a simple platformer with an emphasis on exploration. This may very well change, as Adeniji is an evolving project whose final design is not set in stone. I've got a chance to try anything I would ever want to see in a 2D platformer, so even I don't know what the final project will turn out to be.

Adeniji has been in development since the middle of June 2008. I'm using XNA which has allowed me to produce significant progress in very little time. I'm also taking this time to learn more about the wonders of C#.

Responsibilities

  • Object Factory to create and manage entities
  • In-Game Level / Tile Editor featuring:
    • Tile map creation and editing
    • Place, edit and delete game entities
    • Save entire map to XML
  • Game Content and Logic programming including:
    • Rope Physics
    • Swarming Algorithm
    • Fractal Trees
    • Interactions and collisions between player, entities and tiles
  • Versatile particle engine used for effects and simulating water
  • Simple shader effects, such as masking and color fading
  • All character and entity art and animations, tilesets, backgrounds and particle sprites

Screenshots

These are zoomed-in thumbnails. Click on the picture to view the entire screenshot.

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Download

Not for a while

Feed The Beast

A 3D Katamari-style action game

Details

Feed The Beast was my last game project at DigiPen. You play as a young boy with psychic powers. In order to save your hometown, you must amass a swarm of objects with your mind to fend off enemies.

As designer of this game I was tasked with writing and maintaining a game design document and ensuring the completion of my vision, while incorporating feedback from the team and accounting for delays. Feed The Beast is being developed in XNA and is also taking advantage of Agiea PhysX.

Responsibilities

  • Component Based Game Architecture including:
    • Object Factory
    • Game Object composition in XML
  • In-Game Level Editor and Object Creator featuring:
    • Place, Edit and Delete Objects in the Game World
    • Compose new Game Objects without touching XML
    • Save all objects to XML as a level
  • Game Content and Logic programming
  • Main Character model, textured with skinned animations
  • All other art required for the game

Screenshots

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Download

FeedTheBeastSetup.exe

Aphelion

A 3D space combat game with a gravitational twist

Details

Aphelion was my junior year game project with a team of four programmers. Players select one of six different space ships and fight each other for control of the solar system. The gravitational pull of planets will alter the trajectory of your missiles, so watch out! Players can also try our solo modes to test their skills.

As designer of this project, I wrote the game design document and designed and implemented all of the game content. This includes creating game mechanics such as missile types and power ups, generating the game world, implementing our single player modes with our in-game scripting language and more.

Aphelion was submitted to the 2008 IGF awards. While it was not a finalist, we put in a lot of extra work over the summer after the semester was over.

Responsibilities

  • Designed and implemented game logic and content
  • Ensured balance of gameplay
  • Robust 3D Particle engine
  • Designed and created game modes with an in-game scripting language including:
    • Tutorial
    • Shooting Gallery
    • Destroy the Targets
    • Shoot through the Rings
    • Protect the Space Station
  • Created 3D models, including space ships, weapons, etc.
  • Composed seven songs for the game

Screenshots

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Download

AphelionSetup.exe

An aside...

As part of another class I made a Flash version of Aphelion. Click here to play it.

Gelatin Joe

A colorful 2D puzzle platformer

Details

Gelatin Joe was my sophomore year game project created by a team of two programmers. Players control Joe, a blob of gelatin on his quest to save the world from desaturation. Joe uses red, green and blue blobs of gelatin to perform special abilities and solve puzzles.

As designer of this project, I was responsible for writing a game design document detailing the puzzle widgets and the player's interactions with them. I worked closely with my other teammate to design and create fun and challenging levels. We began weekly focus tests near the end of development to ensure our creation was as fun as it could be, polished and bug-free.

Recognition

Gelatin Joe was a winner in the 2007 IGF awards.

"You'll feel like a king when you solve some of these puzzles. And that, ladies and gentleman, is what I call good puzzle design. Challenging but not impossible, and oh so satisfying."

A quote from an awesome review.

Here is a postmortem we wrote for GameCareerGuide.com.

Responsibilities

  • Designed and created the game's levels and puzzles
  • 2D Physics and Collision Detection
  • 2D Particle Engine and Effects
  • Programmed logic for main character, game objects and puzzle widgets
  • Created background and character art

Screenshots

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Download

GelatinJoeSetup.exe
Copyright 2008 Matt Craver