Guardian

The project Guardian is a game that is projected to be released for Mac and Windows and puts the player in a position to start a colony in a far-off world. Drawing on elements from real-time strategy and construction (think the tycoon-like) games, the players build their colonies and attract colonists as they populate a world with other players. Players must find the balance of expanding and exploring and protecting and providing comfort for their colonists.

Overview

Details

The project started in June 2015 and will have its first crowdfunding event September 1 of the same year.
The game, when finished, will require a subscription to play.
Used agile development

Responsibilities

Digital Artist
Keep Scrum Wall organized

Tools Used

Unity Game Engine
Blender
Photoshop
Jira

High-LEvel

Project Summary

Guardian, a project developed by Reactuate Games, is an ambitious online open-world game set for release on Mac and Windows. Players are tasked with founding and expanding colonies on a distant planet, balancing exploration, construction, and protection to attract new colonists and ensure their safety. Drawing inspiration from real-time strategy and tycoon-style games; Guardian offers players a dynamic, multiplayer experience in which they manage resources, grow their colony, and navigate the challenges of a new world.

As the Digital Artist Intern, I joined the team in May 2015 to create buildings, props, and interactive elements within the Unity game engine. My responsibilities included designing and modeling 3D assets in Blender, as well as rigging and animating—a skill I learned on the job, creating icons and bitmaps for various in-game items. Notably, I even developed a fully animated monkey character. I also contributed to the game’s crowdfunding efforts by sharing updates and promoting the campaign through Twitch streams, discussing project progress and insights.

Current State

As of September 14, 2015, the Guardian project was officially disbanded due to a lack of funding.

Lessons Learned

Working on Guardian was a crash course in self-directed learning, as I had to teach myself each aspect of 3D modeling, rigging, and animation on the job. Despite the challenges, I approached it with a positive attitude and found that I really enjoyed the Agile Scrum process. I especially loved managing the physical and digital Jira scrum walls, keeping them up-to-date and organized, which made the workflow more efficient and streamlined for the whole team.