Pierce the Dark
Category:Procedurally Generated Survival Horror
When:Released May 2014
Role:Lead Programmer (Beautiful Elevator Kids)
Links:PC | Mac | Video | License
Control a 13th century assassin. Venture deep into the bowels of a hostile cavern in pursuit of a foreign leader. Master your crossbow and environment over seven procedurally generated levels in this atmospheric challenge.
Developer Notes
Dev Time:Jan 2014 - May 2014 (15 Weeks)
Fav Mechanic:Ceiling Corpses
Made over fifteen weeks as a group project, our team doubling in size halfway through. The last weeks of development were marked with rapid changes, a marked increase in quality, and shifts in the group dynamic. This game proved so challenging to players that we added checkpoints towards the tail end of development, something we were previously opposed to.
This was my first experience working with Unity3D, which taught me exactly how Entity-Component models are supposed to function. While the ending is anticlimactic, there are still a few bugs, and there were a lot of features left on the cutting room floor, I'm overall very pleased with how well this turned out.
Acknowledgements
Audio:Sound
Benjamin Thomson, lead designer and level maestro.
Charles Stone, systems designer and scripter.
Zach Collins, who created the game's environments.
Chas Elterman, who brought our creatures to life.
Vasily McCausland, who contributed to the game's interface.
John Alexander Cotto, who made humorous/terrifying noises for us.
FreeSound, source of the game's tense soundscapes.