Aw Sap!
Aw Sap! is a game made under 48 hours for IGDA DC's District Jam #7, whose theme was 'From Above.' Play as A. Cornelius, a daring squirrel escaping a fated hollow tree trunk to avoid being encased in tree sap amber. Grapple, jump, and parkour around the tree's massive hollow interior and maneuver your way down and out of harm's way.
- Team Size
- 9
- Duration
- 48-Hour Game Jam
- Engine
- Unity
- Roles
- Designer, Level Design, Environmental Art, 3D Modeling
Playthrough
Role
Designer, Level Designer, Environmental Artist, 3D Modeler
I was the project and creative lead. Within the short time frame, I designed the mechanics and level layouts. Most of my time in production was spent blocking out, 3D modeling, and creating levels while also assigning tasks and performing quality control for programmers, artists, our sound engineer, and composer. I created a base template for the length of each section and the transitions between major parts of the level. I delegated two sections to assistants while I worked on the opening and final sections of the tree. Near the deadline, because I had planned ahead by using Unity's scene loading, I was able to load each section, organize them, and perform quality control by making adjustments such as collectible placement, changing tags on grabbable objects, and making physical changes to improve traversal and better match our vision. While I was waiting for the core mechanics to reach a playable state early in development, I didn't sit idly. Instead, I proactively created a tutorial level to more effectively convey the concepts and mechanics of the grapple hook and trumpet to the programmers.
Screenshots
Challenges
While there was not a significant technical hurdle this time around, the 48-hour time frame made it overwhelming at times to balance design, concepts, task management, and production as project lead. Additionally, while the grappling hook and trumpet were being developed, I had to find ways to contribute to level design while working only from the theory of how they would function. When I felt stuck because those mechanics were unavailable, I pivoted to smaller tasks. Getting mentally or physically blocked was not an excuse to ignore other work that contributed to the overall product; in short, no task was too small or beneath me, and very little time was wasted. When tackling larger undertakings that required substantial time and concentration, I had a dedicated assistant reporting directly to me take on supporting tasks. I had this assistant (a junior of mine) create the foundation for the VFX and particles, contribute a few simple 3D models, and build their own section of the level to extend the gameplay. Before the project even began, I made sure to evaluate his capabilities. Although he was not at the same technical level as our senior members, I assigned tailored tasks that were just challenging enough that I felt confident he would succeed. In retrospect, I chose a good assistant, as he was diligent and kept me frequently updated with screenshots and screen recordings.