BEATS & BOLTS, 2024
is a rhythm-based action game set in a railway factory during the industrial revolution. Play as a worker who is trying to get his job back after recently being replaced by machines, all while abiding to the rhythmic rule of the factory. sneak in, battle against the central machine that is taking control, and save the factory from total machine control. Made in Unity Engine.
This game was a team project—my main roles were in 3d animation and technical art (shaders). I also contributed to game design and social media management.
Learn more and download the game at noggindecay.itch.io !
3d animation
I was in charge of rigging, weight painting, and animating the machine boss model. Animated in Autodesk Maya.
inspiration & goals
Since the machine cannot move on legs, it must rely on its long, protruding arms to reach into the player's area and "attack"; however, the machine's arms never directly collide with the player and are merely used to express its state in the battle. This doubly serves as a visual indicator to the player about the boss' active/inactivity, the damage it is sustaining, and telegraphing prior to attacking.
The machine's proportionately skinny arms in comparison to its wider, bulkier body reminded me of insects, so I decided to animate it in a very spider-like nature. This works well with being a machine as the arms appropriately only bend at the joints. I animated each of the arms to move slightly independently from each other to avoid looking too robotic; I wanted the machine to seem alive and almost sentient.
technical art
I was in charge of creating a custom non-photorealistic (NPR) shader. Made with Unity Shader Graph.
inspiration & goals
The core of Beats & Bolts' artistic style is a custom shader that emulates the look of patents drawings and blueprint sketches. These technical illustrations are recognized by their characteristically simple look—black outlines, and either flat or no colour. patent sketches also tend include some hatching to represent shadowed areas and to better bring out the object's form.
exhibitions
Beats & Bolts has been featured to the public in two exhibits:
- 19 April 2024. Level Up Showcase, Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto
- 1–5 May 2024. GradEX 109, OCAD University, Toronto
To learn more about this game and download it for windows and macOS, visit noggindecay.itch.io !