Stupid Cupid

It's a shooting game... or it's a pairing game... or more of a toy than a game... it's kind of a weird action puzzle thing. One user review on the App store described it as 'Alchemy meets Mario', another said it's 'a cross between snap, missile command and catchphrase'. You are cupid and you fire your love laser at objects to pair them and make them fall in love in order to please your boss. Some pairings have special meaning when paired together and some even produce new items. There are 40 items and 368 combos to find.
A prototype was originally made in a 6 hour Dundee Game Jam with code by Danny Parker and the design and art by myself - the style of which was somewhat dictated by the extreme lack of time.
The prototype was later developed at Proper Games into a fully fledged game with leaderboards, achievements, collection list, audio employer character and, through updates, additional festive items. Due to the graphical style and combination system it was extremly quick and easy to update with new content. I was keen that the game would have a slightly surreal, silly nature to it and was certainly inspired by games such as Katamari Damacy and Zookeeper in terms of the tone.

Freedom City Runners

Commisioned by Channel 4 to coincide with their coverage of the 2011 IAAF World Championships, the brief was to make a funky, athletics/free running themed online game. Taking inspiration from other rooftop racers, Freedom City Runners allows players to take on 5 levels with a choice of 3 characters, each with very different play styles, and get to the athletics stadium for the final 100m sprint as quickly as possible.
As designer I wanted to make the game forgiving enough that the player could never 'die' and fail to reach the end, but through replay and practice could learn the best routes through the levels, where to perform tricks for bonuses and how to find all the medals and also to provide a selection of characters to suit different play styles.
As artist I concepted the environment style which I wanted to have a graphic design feel which I felt was both appropriate to the theme and also be functional in terms of providing information to the player. I was largely responsible for the environment art.
The game is playable online on E4.com

Yo Deshi

A two player board game for iOS, Yo Deshi is a game of mental martial arts. As well as local and online multiplayer there is a variety of AI opponents to battle in story mode. Yo Deshi won a $50,000 prize for Transgaming's competition for a version ported to their GametreeTV platform and also received a commendation at the Herald Digial Business Awards in 2011.
I co-developed the ruleset for the game and then went on to be solely responsible for UI, tutorials, story, artwork, font and audio sourcing taking much inspiration from ancient oriental boardgames and kung-fu movies.

Moving Day

An iOS game of obstacle avoidance, the player controls Alfie, a removals man on rollerskates who must collect furniture and other items whilst avoiding bins, manholes, dogs and more as you race to the finish.
I co-designed the levels and achievements and aided with sourcing audio.

Crackdown 2 DLC

The 'Toybox' and 'Deluge' DLC packs for Ruffian's Crackdown 2 featured new Deathmatch and Rocket Tag levels, new game modes Vehicle Tag, Capture the Orb and Deluge - a 4 player arcade mode battling against increasingly difficult waves of enemies, new vehicles, weapons and achievements.
I was part of the design team and was involved with level, game modes, UI, weapons and achievements design as well as gathering and acting on feedback from focus groups.

Mason Hawk: Sales Executive

The brief was to design and make an online game for NCR in just 4 weeks that would reinforce the learning of a sales conversation process but without simulating a conversation. The game would be included as part of an international virtual event. The result was a sales 'battle' game where you assume the role of Mason Hawk and must choose the appropriate actions to affect various client attributes positively.
Liasing with the client I co-designed the game and also produced the art assets.

Titus Roquefort's Project Manager

In this simulation game the player takes on the role of a project manager new to 'Roquefort Enterprise'. Thrown in at the deep end the player must gather information to plan out a project on time and on budget using common project management techniques. The player must then manage the workforce and resolve issues as they complete the project.
As designer I worked with the subject matter expert in order to create the various project management tools and task system. I designed the UI, content, environment layout and co-produced the art assets.

The Winning Game

The Winning Game teaches the 'Winning Theory', a set of rules that have been researched and developed over 18 years. The game is a two player ball game which assesses the player on 12 rules that they must follow to Think Correctly Under Pressure.
Based on a prototype developed by the theory's creator, my role as designer and artist invoved a great deal of colaboration with the client and focus testing groups.
The gameplay and interface were redesigned to create more user friendly controls, a series of training levels were created involving thinking, practical and quiz elements, an assessment engine was designed to track many metrics during gameplay and feed this information back both in realtime and post game from the coach character, a 'Quest' mode with backstory, characters, unlockable content and achievment were added and a complete graphical overhaul was done in order to appeal to the target audience.
More information at www.thewinninggame.co.uk

Eduteams

Several online, multiplayer puzzle games that I reskinned and, where necessary, redesigned to appeal more to school children. Moving the angle away from a top down view added more visual interest and the puzzles that did not include characters were redesigned in order to use them. The biggest change was to the Mascot game which turned from a flat mix and match body parts game with no particular goal to a collaborative game focused on communication whereby each player designs a totem pole and then describes to the others what parts are needed to build it.

LGC:Contamination

A PC simulation game for LGC, developed to teach correct practice in the laboratory. The game features a mysterious disease that is turning the local population into zombies. The player must perform the Polymerase Chain Reaction process to compare the DNA samples and determine the source of the outbreak before it's too late. They may speak with the lab manager and find documents in order to help them but any mistakes could lead to incorrect results.
My responsibilities included game design, environment art, UI, content, story and dialogue. Working closely with the subject matter experts was crucial to ensure that the procedures were simulated accurately.

Dizzy 3.5 Mobile

Prototype Dizzy game for mobile. The game was a remake of the game Dizzy 3.5 and consists of 6 'rooms'. Coded by Danny Parker,I created the sprites, tiles and UI.

SkyTrax

A sci-fi isometric racing game for mobile.
I worked on track tiles, HUD, UI, powerups, level design, characters and story.
Powerups and diverging routes were added to the game engine for this game as well as a gambling system. I was also keen to add a story element and give AI opponents personality, friendships and rivalries.

Sub Zero Racer

A snowmobile isometric racing game for mobile.
I made track tiles, props, HUD, UI, promotional material and level design.
With the level design I tried to add a 'hook' to each track to make it interesting and have variety throughout - Jumps, crossovers, obstacles and secret shortcuts.

Base Jumper

Flash game commissioned by Weber Shandwick to be played on their stand at the MIPIM event in Cannes. The brief was to make a 2 player, extreme sports game with a Scottish theme within a 2 week deadline. Coded by Danny Parker, I Liased with client, co-designed the gameplay and produced the environment, character and UI vector art.