About
Darkest Shadows is a 2D survival simulation game that challenges players to manage resources and gather critical information under time constraints.
Monsters are known to kill and take on the appearance of their victims and players must constantly monitor their resources while deciphering recent missing persons gathered from newspapers and radio broadcasts to identify possible monster impostors. As players progress through the game, they become increasingly involved in the incident at hand, unraveling secrets and uncovering hidden information that sheds light on the monster invasion.
genre controls
2D Survival Simulation Point and Click
team size time span
8 January 2023 - May 2023
my role
Project, manager, Game designer, Programmer, Artist
tool
Unity, Google sheet/Doc/drive, Miro
My Responsibility as PM
1. Set sprint goals for the project, write up sprint backlog and track status of each task
2. Conduct weekly stand-up meetings to review successes and areas for improvement with my team and devise strategies for enhancement
3. Facilitating communication between team members and identifying optimal solutions to problems
4. Organize playtests and taking playtest notes
5. Be the happiness maker of the team, find greatness to celebrate and funny things to laugh about (We are making joyful experience, let’s be joyful first!)
What I learned
1. Prior to commencing a project, establish familiarity and trust with team members and establish objectives that align with the team's strengths and abilities, enabling a smooth and successful production.
2. Stay in scope, prioritize time management and quality control. Monitor potential risks at a project-wide level, recognizing that certain features may be achievable for the artist but not quite for the programming team members.
3. Regular mid-sprint check-ins are crucial! Ensure awareness of any obstacles or difficulties encountered during each phase and collaborate with team members to identify and implement solutions.
4. Create an inclusive and supportive atmosphere for your team. The team at its best optimally when areas for improvement are openly discussed and actively pursued for positive change.
Project Management Methodology
I utilize the Scrum Agile project management approach, where I proactively plan a feature list, outlining their intended scope and priority for the project. I operate within two-week cycles, referred to as sprints, and continually adapt the project based on feedback received.
My expertise in work allocation stems from my extensive experience across various departments in the field of game development. Having been actively involved and accountable for these departments in past projects, I possess a deep understanding of their workloads and challenges. This insight enables me to effectively distribute tasks and facilitate seamless communication with each department.
Sprint 1 sprint 6
Sprint 1 compare to sprint 6: better organization and clearer task management
Agile development: How to quickly adapt and adjust to changes
Problem
Through some playtests, I've observed that players are not satisfied with the in-game notebook system. This is mainly because players are unsure about how to use the notebook, and the root of the problem is the lack of a tutorial for this new notebook system. Players are unaware that they can directly drag key words from other information into the notebook.
Analysis
Solutions
Prioritize the tutorial system to the highest level, cut some low-priority tasks, and plan related playtests for the tutorial system to ensure that by the end of this sprint, players can easily interact with the notebook recording system.
Solve misalignment between desciplines
Problem
When the artist has already completed a series of clothing material drawings, it was discovered in the copy team's report that there were some differences in the game background setting compared to the existing art assets.
Analysis
Based on the estimated time required for existing tasks, modifying the background design text in comparison to the completed art assets would save more time and effort.
Solutions
Rework the background design , but also make sure to encourage and recognize the other well-written aspects by this writer to boost his work motivation and enthusiasm.
Resolve emergency situations
Problem
At the end of the sprint, we scheduled a playtest. However, one of the team members mentioned that her grandfather passed away, and she might not be able to complete the remaining tasks.
Analysis
Firstly, I inquired about the reason for the unexpected event and reassured the team member not to worry about it.
The impact of this event is that there is a lack of some crucial art assets for the game's important features. However, this is actually a common occurrence during early iterations, and the game can still be played normally. The key is to ensure that players understand that these items represent unique and important features. This should suffice for our in-house playtest.
Solutions
