IxD Fighter
Responsible for character design and all visual design assets.
(1 week)
Ruben Montanez
Viktoriya Kim
Overview
IxD Fighter is a video game project from Santa Monica College's Interaction Design Program. Our goal was to create a simple game with a scoring system and a failure state. However, our team of three decided to add a unique twist.
We turned our classmates and professors into game characters, competing to submit assignments for top scores. Players can choose to be either professors or students, using custom controllers we built and connected via Arduino. Check out our gameplay below!
Game Mechanics
We began by ensuring our Processing code ran smoothly, using simple shapes to refine player movements and game mechanics before focusing on visuals and controllers.
The Rules
Students aim to throw assignments into the submission bar. Missing the target decreases their score.
The Challenge
Professors can intercept assignments and return them to students, who must use shields to protect themselves.
Professor HP Levels
For a fun twist, we adjusted how quickly each professor could return assignments, reflecting the stress we felt from their workload. This humorous addition was a hit, with everyone, including the professors, laughing at its accuracy.
Character Design
I used Illustrator to create 8-bit pixel versions of each student in our cohort. Additionally, I designed a control shield and various assignment graphics, drawing inspiration from tools like Figma, Mural, and Arduino. We completed the setting with a classroom design from Gamedevmarket.net.
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CONNECTING TO ARDUINO
Controller Design
We crafted two custom controllers for our game, starting with an Arduino board equipped with sensors. We designed the controller mold using Fusion 360, then 3D printed it. After smoothing and painting for a polished look, we ran several tests to adjust the potentiometer settings, ensuring they worked perfectly with Processing.
INTRODUCTION
Processing Development
And finally, here's a quick clip showcasing our game's development, from the first sketches in Processing to the final video game.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Post Project Reflections
What a Ride: Our One Week Design Sprint
This project was the highlight of my time in the SMC IxD program. We divided tasks based on our strengths and were thrilled with what we accomplished in just a week. Given more time, we could have expanded the game with new environments, side-quests, and richer storytelling. As a fun bonus, we also designed t-shirts inspired by the game, which you can check out below!
Huge kudos to Joey and Ruben who were incredible teammates to work with but also kind, reliable, and somehow able to crank this amount of work out while juggling classes, jobs, and families at home. ♡
