Aerion: The Last Alchemist
I participated in GameDev Camp, our team had the task of developing a concept and demo version of the game in 3 months. We chose a game about an alchemist in the genre of cozy casual adventure set in a fantasy world. My teammates were unity developer, 2d artist and 3d artist. My role was Game Designer, but also I was leading a team, managing the development process, pitching the game to mentors / public / investors. After the successful completion of the GameDev Camp, we continue development in our free time and trying to bring the game to release.
Tight deadlines. In the first three months of development we needed to create an MVP, working as a team of four people.
Creating all the assets, objects, textures, mechanics from scratch.
Long term indie development and keeping the team motivated.
As the sole Game Designer I have fulfilled several roles from game idea creation to game production planning and management, as well as game marketing. I regularly documented the game mechanics, visual style (together with the artists), changes, possible innovations and more. Another important task was making presentations and pitching. To regularly monitor tasks and production progress, I created a task tracker in Notion with bi-weekly sprints. This is by no means a complete list of my tasks on this project. An important role was given to communication with the team, not only to interact on technical issues, but also to maintain a friendly atmosphere, clarify the motives of the team members and our common goal we are moving towards.
Design Process
Even though everyone on the team has a different role, at the weekly meetings we discussed all the ideas and related work that was being done as a team.
Pitching, Pitching, Pitching:
During my participation in GameDev Camp and afterwards, I had to present my game idea many times, to mentors, to investors and publishers, as well as to potential players.
Team Motivation
In the indie context, where teams are typically smaller and resources limited, team members wear multiple hats and work long hours, making it easy for burnout to creep in. To address these issues, fostering a positive and supportive work environment is crucial. This involves celebrating small victories, acknowledging each team member's contributions, and regularly reassessing project goals to ensure they align with the team's shared vision. Additionally, it's essential to recognize that motivation is not a constant state; it can ebb and flow. Therefore, allowing for flexibility in work schedules and encouraging self-care practices can go a long way in sustaining motivation and team morale throughout the demanding journey of indie game development.
Wishes written for our team by visitors at Games Gathering Conference Kyiv 2023.
Game from scratch
Starting this project from the beginning I had a great experience with the game development process. I learned how to balance creative scope with limited resources. While keeping the team from unnecessary stress and overload whenever possible. An important challenge for me was keeping a long-range big goal in mind, but breaking it down into smaller tasks for the team and not overwhelming them with future plans when discussing particular tasks. It was also an interesting experience for me to register the game on Steam and determine the marketing strategy for the game before and after release.
Balancing Game Systems
I've created a system of alchemy and magical elements, gradually building up its complexity and integrating it with the Creatures System. To increase player retention and simplify routine gameplay processes, a system of character and inventory development was created as well.
Target Audience Playtesting
During our team's participation, I conducted playtests with potential players, observing their behavior and gathering feedback. That allowed me to change the approach to some mechanics, change the UI/UX part of the game, check the accuracy of the target audience selection and their reaction to the product.
