Laser lab is a 2.5D tile-based puzzle game where the player must direct a lasers into receivers to complete each level. The game introduces various additional types of mirrors which can do things like split the laser into multiple beams or separate the colors of the laser.
This is one of the biggest games I have worked on so far. My friend and I had decided to make a game together. We spent about a month working on Laser Lab consistently. We wanted to make a game that felt like a more "put-together" game as opposed to an indie game. To do this, we spent time creating assets that looked more artistic and we made systems that made it easier to create more levels. We added some relatively simplistic mechanics that could be used in ways that could create interesting interactions within the levels.
My primary work in Laser Lab was creating a system for the game that would make it easy to create new types of mirrors. This was accomplished using inheritance. While the implementation is relatively simple, the ability to extend the code without any modifications to existing code was extremely helpful for implementing new mechanics. This system included the method by which the path of the lasers is calculated, which includes recursive loops.
This game ended up being more of a technical project because the gameplay is not very well balanced and it does not feel great to play after the first 10-or-so levels. If I were to recreate a similar game I would spend more time doing play testing to figure out what causes players to lose interest and brainstorming more ways to keep the game interesting.
Given that my focus is on the technical programming, I believe that, while the gameplay is not fantastic, the mechanics of this game show my talent in creating functional and expandable systems for game designers and level designers to use.
The Team
Max Allen: 3D Modeling, System Programming
Olivia Baker: Level Design, Mechanics Programming