3D FPS GameUsed Engine: UnityTeam size: 6 people teamRole: Audio Lead, UI programmerDuration: a year project
In the project, I was Audio Lead in six-member team who made "Royal Straight Flush" with Unity.
As the Audio Lead, I took responsibility for all audio components. Additionally, I contributed to the development of menu UI and game objects, including dropped cards, portals, and level transition lobbies.
Audio Parts
There are broadly two types audio in the game. They are sound effects, and back ground musics.
SFXs(sound effects) are achieved by Soundly. The process of incorporating SFXs began with discussions and collaboration with teammates. We would discuss the desired type of audio, when it should be played, and if specific details were challenging to define, I would ask for their feelings or general expectations. The initial questions were designed to gather the necessary information, while the last question served as a backup plan. Understanding that teammates might not be able to convey every detail, I would rely on their feelings to better prepare suitable SFXs, even if they were not explicitly requested. Once I collected the required information, I would search for appropriate SFXs in Soundly, which offered a wide range of options. However, implementing the logic of how the SFXs played posed its challenges. While straightforward SFXs like loud gunshots that fade out were relatively simple to implement, others like footsteps based on player speed or shield recovery sounds required more complex logic. This aspect provided an opportunity for me to utilize my problem-solving abilities effectively.
On the other hand, composing BGMs presented slightly different challenges. I utilized GarageBand as my composition tool. To ensure the BGMs were created before the levels were completed, I engaged in discussions with teammates to gather a concept image of their respective levels, as each level had a distinct leader. In most cases, there were no issues until a specific problem arose. Out of the five songs, I had to revise two of them. One song required revisions due to a change in the level manager's vision, which was easily resolved as they provided clear feedback on how to improve the song. However, the other song presented a more significant challenge. It was intended for a desert level, but a misunderstanding occurred between the art director and myself regarding the specific type of desert. I had envisioned an African desert, while the art director had an American desert in mind. To address this discrepancy, I replaced the tracks with instruments that aligned with the art director's vision. This experience served as a reminder of the importance of having a thorough conceptual understanding and maintaining effective communication within the team.
Team Management Parts
In terms of team management, we held regular periodic meetings where teammates shared their progress and updates. However, we encountered a sudden situation when one of our teammates disappeared. Despite our efforts to contact her online and offline, she ignored us. As the deadline for milestone submission approached, we had to find a solution. Since her role was Art Director, our main concern was to maintain art consistency while working without her. We made small adjustments to address the issues, such as adding torches to enemy models for added variety, applying shaders to indicate the boss's invincibility, and creating plain particles to enhance the game's overall feel. Despite the absence of our teammate, we managed to complete the project, "Royal Straight Flush." During the showcase, we successfully presented the game, and it did not appear incomplete. Additionally, we received an unexpectedly positive response. It was unfortunate that our team member left without notifying us of her difficult situation, but overall, we were able to handle the situation well and achieve success with the project.