Cyber Grunt is an endless top-down survival shooter developed in Unreal Engine 4 where the objective is to survive as long as possible. Player controls a robot named XRH-44 equipped with a laser gun. Game world contains several tools for the player to utilize and to hold off incoming enemies. Enemies are spawned into the map through a wave system and the number of enemies increases with each subsequent wave. Player must avoid contact with enemies to stay alive. Create a challenging level in UE4 with a fast-paced survival gameplay. Design and balance game mechanics to make the combat encounter engaging. Build an interesting game world by limited amount of UE4 marketplace assets. Design an in-game economy to add variety to the gameplay.

Team Size:  4 Role:  Game Designer Game Engine: Unreal Engine 4 Software Used: Maya,                            Photoshop Programming: Unreal Blueprint Visual Scripting, C++ Duration: 3 months

Responsibilities for the project:

Game Design:

• Created a prototype using twin-stick shooter controls to present and pitch the game idea to the team.
• Designed and placed tools (Turrets and Jump Pads) around the level to allow players to gain an advantage over the enemies for a limited time.
• Balanced enemy attributes (health, movement speed, damage), so combat encounters present a fair challenge for the player.
• Designed an in-game economy in which the player earns points for each enemy killed and use those points for upgrading Turrets.

Combat:

• Pitched and designed 3 enemy characters with unique attributes: Speedy, Grunt, and Heavy.
• Designed Speedy character to be more difficult to spot compared to other enemies and sneak up on the player.
• Designed Grunt character to impose a moderate threat to the player.
• Designed Heavy character to be easily spotted and escapable from, but also to be most destructive in a tight area.
• Placed cover objects around the level to have both wide-open and narrow spaces.
• Scripted enemy AI to chase the player at all times around the level.
• Designed enemy AI behavior to put constant pressure on the player and to have challenge aesthetic while maintaining fast-paced action.

Scripting:

• Player Input (Twin-stick shooter controls for movement, rotation, aiming and firing)
• Top-down camera
• Enemy AI behavior
• Custom HUD (health, points, number of waves, remaining enemies and match time)
• Unlimited number of enemy waves
• Scripted both the player and the enemy characters' attributes
• The number of each type of enemies spawned at the start of every wave varies

Level Design:

• Placed Turrets and Jump Pads around the level to add variety to the gameplay.
• Adjusted lighting to attain final quality.
• Placed enemy spawn points across the level.
• Designed level layout to feature a variety of combat encounters.

Level Map: