Squid Vs. Octo

Squid Vs. Octo is a multiplayer top down shooting game where two players assume the roles of giant, cybernetic cephalopods, and attempt to earn the most points.

For Squid Vs Octo, I assumed many roles. My primary roles were Lead Producer, and Lead Engineer. In addition to these primary roles, I assumed some minor roles that came with working on a small team. I worked as a level designer, world builder, lead QA, and game designer.

As the lead producer, I was responsible for issuing tickets for people to complete so that it was possible to track the completion of the project, and so that the team members knew what to do. I was also responsible for keeping the repository organized. Keeping the repository clean was a necessary task, and helped my organization skills greatly. I also was required to create delta reports. These reports were intended to give my executive producer a good indication of the team’s progress, and ensure that I was also aware of what was happening within the team.

As a lead engineer, I was responsible for much of the coding that went into Squid Vs. Octo. I was charged with the tasks of creating all the UI elements, including all the menus, the HUD on screen. In addition to coding these elements, I also did some pair coding with my fellow lead engineer, Steven Siegel. Together, we coded all of the power ups in our game, and eliminated every bug that was found in play testing.

One of the biggest tasks I was given was coding all of the weapons to behave the way designers specified. To make sure these weapons are clearly understood, I made this image to best convey their their behaviors. The most complicated part of making this game was the balancing. The design made it very clear that each weapon was supposed to be balanced. This required constant playtesting to ensure that the game worked the way the designers specified.

As a level designer, I was responsible for creating a map of what each level should look like, and worked extensively with artists to create three levels that were consistant with the design team’s image, and allowed artists to express their creativity.

As a world builder, I was responsible for taking the assets the artists created, and bringing them into the engine, then arranging them to match the level design documents.

As lead QA, I was responsible for managing a small team of game testers, and making sure they filled out adequate bug reports. I also scheduled times for bug testing, and maintained the bug list.

As a designer, I was responsible for coming up with the overall game concept. I helped write the original pitch paper, and the game design document. In addition to this, I attended design meetings with the lead designer, and provided input that was often implemented into the game.

For more info on Squid Vs. Octo, please email me at johndavismit@gmail.com, or call me at (978) 913 8546.