My Contributions

Exploration Systems. Designed the game's exploration content.

The Ranch. Designed the ranch/home-base of the player character.

Team Management. Assisted in managing tasks and later the Programmers.

Exploration Systems

Alongside helping the other game designer of the team with core systems and details, I was responsible for designing the Wilderness section of the game. That includes:

• The look of the Wilderness area, and how big the accessible area for the player is.

• The resources that could be found, such as creature eggs, food ingredients, and building materials.

• Ways that some of the larger wildlife may interact with the world and the player, including a protective behavior towards their eggs.

• Ways that progress in the Ranch could carry over into the Wilderness, like better equipment and having large, tamed creatures be used.

• How a player might be damaged, fall unconscious, and be transported back to the Ranch.

• How time would be tracked, and how a day and night cycle might alter the Wilderness.

The Ranch is the "home-base" for the player. It's where they will likely spend most of their time in the game, if not, about half their time. This is the place where players will tend to their creatures, crops, storage, and more. After much deliberation, I made the following design decisions.

• The Ranch would be located on the side of a mountain, close to a flatland and forest.

• The (closed off) cave nearby and the forested area would serve as transport points to and from different sections of the Wilderness.

• With progression in mind, the Ranch would naturally develop and grow in size over time, through things like building stairs up to an elevated section.

• Crops and creature habitats occupy most of the Ranch, and more are unlocked through progression.

• Item management and other UI-related interactables surround the crops and creature habitats.

Designing the Ranch

Credits

• UI Concept Art by Syed Hamza Nasir

• "Shuggy" Creature Concept Art by Paige Fairley

• Project Spearheading by JL Ottmann