The Gluttonous Grimalkin
The Gluttonous Grimalkin is a top-down action game where the player gleefully rampages through a dwarven village, eating everyone in sight. In this game, the player takes control of a hungry witch’s familiar, who has his sights set on dwarves for dinner. In each level, there are bigger and better things to eat and ruin as the cat grows in both size and appetite. The players can use the environment to their advantage and stop dwarves in their tracks for easier eating.
Role
Level Designer
Game Engine
Unreal Engine 2019
Platform
Android
Development Time
4 Months, 2019
Team Size
5 People (2 Designers)
The Gluttonous Grimalkin Trailer
Screenshots
Roles and Responsibilities
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I am part of the level design team for this project. I am the original designer for levels 1 and 3 as well as the tutorial level.
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I worked on the main menu and the layout and coding for the tutorial. I was part of many 2 of 3 refinement iterations on levels 1-6 as well as the initial visual passes on them.
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I contributed to the updates on the trap prefabs and the initial animators for the player character and trebuchet.
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I also contributed to the initial setup of the GDD.
Game Pillars
Move - A flowing, cat-like movement system that is easily picked up by new and experienced players
Eat - The act of gleefully consuming adversaries
Grow - Spiraling power that allows the player to destroy those that formerly opposed them
Post Mortem
What Went Well ?
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I communicated well with my teammates during the overall production cycle.
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I proactively took on major tasks in order to free up my teammates for more pressing tasks.
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I did small, quality of life things, such as stocking the breakout room with snacks, décor, etc, in order to keep the team’s morale boosted.
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I took the time to help other teammates out with software that they weren’t as familiar with.
What Went Wrong ?
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During the beginning of the project, I should have communicated more about tasks that I had difficulties with instead of taking too long to learn how to do things on my own.
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Overall, I let myself get pulled into single tasks for too long, which decreased my overall productivity in earlier stages.
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I went for too long without having other people playtest the early levels I created, thus creating more work later in the pipeline.
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I submitted updates, early on, to perforce without testing and making sure that they worked first. This created one major panic in my team that cost us time and effectiveness for one of our workdays.
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I should have actively jumped in and helped Isaiah with documentation earlier than I did.
What I Learned ?
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I must always test the assets I create before submitting to perforce. This will cut down on time later when assets need to be implemented.
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I need to talk to my teammates earlier when I have an issue with things that I am doing so that all the assets can be completed on time.
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I need to be able to break down tasks into smaller portions, so I don’t get caught up in doing a big task that holds up the development process for my teammates.
