War on I4 is a top down two-player competitive mini-game that elevates the classic snake game to a more dynamic level.
FORMAT
Engine
Unity 2D
Team Size
Seven
Development Time
Two days (Game Jam)
ROLES & TASKS
Creative Director
Coordinating Group Tasks
Conveying Vision
Lead Designer
Designing Core Gameplay Mechanics
Overseeing Mechanic Additions
UI & Menu Design
Programmer
UI & Menu Functionality
DESIGN GOALS
Celebrate the "War on I4" competitive rivalry between UCF and USF thematically
Elevate the gameplay of Snake/Pearl Worm to allow for dynamic competitive gameplay
Make a fairly fully considered game at game jam pace rather than a tech demo or unfinished product
DESIGN DISCUSSION
UCF's Knight mascot and USF's Bull mascot both helped inspired the herding/rescuing core gameplay goal of the game as well as the actual visual representation which brought both mascots to a medieval setting so they might coexist.
The most intuitive way to challenge another player trying to bring a group of allies to a save location was to have attacks revolve around disrupting the chain of allies. It was from that idea that the chain snapping mechanic and, as a result, all the powerups that modify how the chain snap works, were born.
The characters you're seeking to rescue are placed on the opponents side to encourage both players to cross paths as often as possible. Powerups are sprinkled through the game at key chokepoints to give added strategic incentives to approaches and retreats through each territory.
