Ape Axe Legend is a game jam submission of mine from 2024, where the player and a magical axe are bonded together magnetically, creating a unique and engaging parkour experience. The project was very well received, so I put together a team of three to expand on the concept in Unity for a full game release. So far, this project has greatly improved my skills in quality assurance and playtesting, as well as my problem-solving, creativity and understanding of vector math. I have developed a completely physics-friendly movement system. No external forces are cancelled out by player input, meaning it will pair perfectly with the physics-based axe mechanics. It covers camera controls, standard movement, slope movement, slope transitions, jumping, slope jumping, moving platforms, and platform edges. All without interfering with any forces applied to the player. Currently, I am working on axe functionality, and once that is complete, we can begin on level design.

My mobile development class tasked us to form groups and create a mobile app of our choosing over the course of the semester. I took that opportunity to propose Rollio, a gyroscope-controlled mobile game inspired by the classic Labyrinth maze tilt puzzles. My group will be taking this idea and wrapping it in a clean UI to produce a fun and challenging mobile gaming experience. This class project was an opportunity to learn tools and practices for mobile development, and also a chance to test the understanding of project scope I have gained through my time in college. I developed fun and functional tilt mechanics using Unity's physics tools, an expandable tile map using Unity's tile system, and UI logic to allow for level progression and completion. Using all of those tools, I developed 5 levels, creating a fully functional mobile app. 

The UW-Madison x Respawn Entertainment game jam presented a one-week challenge under the theme "Symbiosis," inspiring me to draft and pitch the idea for Ape Axe Legend. As a team, we took my idea for a player being magnetically bonded with an axe and built on it to create a unique parkour experience. The game jam had many collaborative learning moments, as features and development were rapidly evolving over the duration of the week. I learned a great deal about the development process, including the importance of a clean level design pipeline and ensuring a solid difficulty curve that suits your intended audience. Our entry was a success, featuring the 3 levels, animation and sound logic, level progression, and movement mechanics that I developed using Godot's built-in tools. I am currently developing a full-fledged version of this game in Unity.

Inspired by the diverse combat design potential of Overwatch, I document and organise potential designs and balance changes for heroes and game modes based on personal experience, research, and theory. I am also a top 500 tank, so I have a fairly deep understanding of the game. I want to see Overwatch reach its full potential, offering such a wide diversity of hero kits that anyone can find a character that fits them, while still maintaining balanced competition. The document embedded next to this entry is a compilation of my writing. Many of my gameplay ideas end up getting implemented in the official game one way or another, which is what the "validation milestones" tab highlights. Currently, it has 6v6 tank reworks, 5v5 tank reworks, support reworks, and general combat updates. I am looking to add some ideas for game mode reworks, as well as a write-up on balance philosophy.

As suggested by my bio, I am also a big fan of nature. Seeing the vast differences between environments and trying to figure out how they can exist is so inspirational. Naturally, this makes me a big fan of video games that involve biome-like environments. Though there are many games like this, none stand out quite like Minecraft. I love the biome system Minecraft uses, and I think it has a lot of potential for exciting exploration. To try and explore this potential, I often write up biome changes to help differentiate all of the biomes even more than they already are. I write about terrain, trees, plants, mobs and structures, and sometimes totally unique mechanics. The image next to this entry is a peek at some of my writing. Eventually, I'll compile it into a doc like the Overwatch updates.

Alongside my degree in Computer Science, I have a Certificate (Minor) in General Business. I have learned the basics of business law, marketing, management, finance, and accounting. This general understanding can be very valuable, since professional game development is a business.