Space Farm is a prototypical venture into a meticulously crafted survival game, seamlessly blending intricate farming mechanics with expansive exploration elements. Drawing inspiration from esteemed titles like Stardew Valley and Graveyard Keeper, this prototype provides an insightful glimpse into the potential of an immersive gameplay experience. Players assume the role of an astronaut tasked with establishing a base on an uncharted planet, navigating the intricacies of survival, and crafting in an alien environment. Although in its nascent stages, the project demonstrates a promising amalgamation of thoughtful environmental design, intuitive gameplay mechanics, and refined progression systems, aspiring to offer players a rich, multifaceted world filled with undiscovered secrets and challenges.
Space Farm (Prototype)
Tech Stack & Tools
- Engine: Unity
- Programming Languages: C#
- Version Control: Git
Role & Contributions
In this collaborative prototype project, our duo comprised Roland D, whose artistic prowess in 2D art brought visual vibrancy to the game, and myself, where I delved into the intricacies of programming and game mechanics. My role was pivotal in breathing life into the game, meticulously crafting the logical and interactive elements to create a seamless and engaging player experience.
The impetus behind embarking on this project was multifaceted; it served as a prolific ground to hone and apply the skills I have amassed in a practical setting while maintaining a full-time position. This endeavor is a stepping stone in pursuing opportunities in Unity game development, allowing me to refine my competencies and showcase my ability to create compelling gameplay experiences. The project, albeit a prototype, reflects my commitment to quality and passion for creating immersive gaming experiences.
Game Features
Grid Tilemap Layers
Within this game, the employment of Unity’s Tilemaps is integral to structuring the game’s environment, compartmentalized into diverse layers to serve specific functionalities. Each tilemap is meticulously engineered to interact with the player uniquely. For instance, the Static Objects grid imposes limitations, prohibiting players from traversing, eliminating, or placing objects on populated tiles. Conversely, the Dirt layer offers more interactive freedom, enabling the utilization of elements like fertilizers to cultivate crops or facilitate watering.
Moreover, specific tilemaps are designed to permit player movement above them, a feature realized through the proficient incorporation of Unity’s NavMesh system. This complex layering system is not merely structural but is strategically implemented to enrich gameplay, presenting varying interaction dynamics and enhancing the overall player experience.
Crops
In our game, crops represent a highly customizable feature, allowing extensive modification to adapt to diverse gameplay dynamics. They possess meticulously crafted growing phases, each exhibiting unique appearances that evolve. The progression of these phases is governed by a time metric, represented in ticks, ensuring precise development. Furthermore, transitions between stages are accentuated with distinct effects, providing visual cues to the player.
Upon harvesting, crops are designed to drop specific objects, enriching the in-game economy and resource management. This extensive array of customization options isn’t merely additive but foundational, as it provides nuanced layers to gameplay strategies and player engagement. It illustrates the game’s dedication to offering intricate and immersive experiences, establishing various interaction levels within its environment.
Advanced Customizable Tools & Inventory System
In our game, tools and inventory items are facets of the game mechanics endowed with a high degree of customization, each meticulously designed to enrich the gameplay experience. Tools are delineated not just by their visual aesthetic but also by nuanced attributes such as varying levels of durability, predicated on usage or time. They possess distinct operational thresholds that they can break or continue functioning based on predefined settings. Additionally, tools can be designed to be either droppable or destructible based on in-game actions.
Similarly, inventory items boast detailed customizations, each capable of performing unique actions when the set conditions or requirements are met, like interacting with available Tilemaps or being close to a chest, further enhancing the game’s interactive nature.
This comprehensive system leverages the flexibility of a Scriptable Object approach, allowing for enhanced manageability and scalability of game elements. More details about the implementation and advantages of this approach are elaborated in the Challenges and Solutions section.
Challenges & Solutions
Advanced Object Pooling
In pursuing optimal performance and efficient resource management within our game, we implemented a sophisticated object pooling system designed to minimize latency and improve gameplay fluidity by reutilizing game elements. Our approach is centralized around an ‘ObjectPoolingManager,’ which supervises an assortment of predefined pools, each housing a GameObject, a unique identifier, and an initially instantiated quantity, accompanied by a catalog of reusable objects. This setup is engineered to dynamically respond to the game’s demands, creating additional GameObject instances and ensuring a seamless, uninterrupted gaming experience. The system’s structure and functionality are visually depicted in the inspector view for intuitive interaction and adaptations throughout the development process, as seen below:
Scriptable Objects
To create a robust and adaptable game, we leveraged the potency of Unity’s ScriptableObjects, utilizing the SmartData framework. This framework is instrumental in eliminating singleton dependencies and fostering an environment where game designers can manipulate game behavior without the looming risk of inadvertently introducing bugs. It restricts access, ensuring alterations are executed safely and controlled, allowing for seamless adjustments to the game’s mechanics and attributes, and enhancing its development process’s flexibility and reliability.
Transferable Skills
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Proficient Use of Unity:
- Deep understanding and experience in utilizing Unity’s Tilemaps and Layers to create interactive and dynamic game environments.
- Skilled in leveraging Unity’s NavMesh system to allow diverse player movements and interactions within the game.
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Advanced Programming Skills: Proficient in scripting game mechanics and other functionalities, ensuring the game operates smoothly and effectively.
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Optimization and Efficiency: Proficient in implementing object pooling for enhanced game performance, ensuring optimal resource utilization and seamless gaming experience.
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Customization and Flexibility: Developed highly customizable tools and items within the game, allowing for extensive adaptability and diverse gameplay experiences.
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Problem Solving and Innovation: Effective at overcoming development challenges and introducing innovative solutions and features, contributing to the game’s uniqueness and appeal.
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Knowledge of Scriptable Objects: Skilled in leveraging ScriptableObjects using the SmartData framework to create more robust and flexible game designs, eliminating singleton dependencies and allowing safe alterations to game behavior.