Puffpals: Island Skies
As Game Director, I directed all aspects of the production and was an integral part in co-creating the original concept with the founders. I worked closely with multiple teams to ensure the game vision was maintained while keeping production on track. In addition, I was responsible for principal concepts within the game, including but not limited to: core game loop, game mechanics, FTUE, and player progression.
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During my time on the project I spearheaded the successful launch of two alpha versions of PuffPals: Island Skies.
GAME DESIGN & MECHANICS
Collaborating with the co-founders of PuffPals: Island Skies, I helped establish a principal concept and vision within their original idea. My directive was to create a wholesome, nostalgic, and imaginative world and construct a series of gameplay mechanics to support it.
FARM & GATHER
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Farm and garden
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Forage and collect
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Mine for gemstones and crystals
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Fish for the next big catch
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Craft and cook
BUILD COMMUNITY
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Shop and sell
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Help upgrade PuffPals’ shops
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Throw parties and events
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Give gifts
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Complete quests
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Make friends
EXPLORE & PROGRESS
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Re-connect islands
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Level up your skills
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Grow (or catch) Veggie Pals
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Build up your farm
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Bring home new crops and flowers
Throughout the process, I spearheaded the early paper prototyping of various mechanics with a team of designers; established the mechanics’ effect on the overworld and player satisfaction; and solidified the game vision. Under my direction, prototypes were then further developed by a team of coders, iterated on, and stress tested.
WORLD AND STORY
When working to define the world of PuffPals: Island Skies, I started by establishing a foundation from which the rest of the narrative could be built. This included establishing rules for this world, its history, and the residents who reside there.
I worked closely with our team's lead game designer and concept artist on defining each aspect of the world and how we envisioned the players engaging with it.
We created a concrete set of environments that players would explore through in stages, ultimately culminating in a cohesive and emotionally driven experience.
With a team of narrative designers, I lead the development of the overarching story, main conflict, and key story progression within the game to further expand the established world into a compelling and engaging narrative experience.
Additionally, I established a distinct tone, mood, and story arc for each individual biome, to create a wider range of player experience and ensure each aspect of our world felt unique.
NARRATIVE & CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
I worked closely with our lead game designer on establishing the FTUE while honing the vision and tone of the first five minutes of gameplay.​I was responsible for creating a cohesive overworld narrative and defining the player's in-game purpose. This included establishing the main conflict and solution while driving the player to engage with the world and its characters in a myriad of exciting and unexpected ways.
To broaden this, I constructed two narrative directions for the game: one macro storyline, to be experienced across the overworld; and several mini storylines, to be experienced on a smaller scale within unique biomes. Key player motivations and rewards were defined, and each biome’s mini narrative was developed to be unique and independent of the macro narrative.
To create the NPCs, I took the characters from the existing Fluffnest IP and established unique personalities and behavior matrices for each of them. I also defined each NPC’s relation to their home biome, their purpose within the world, and their relationships to each other. This ensured their individuality, gave players a wide variety of characters to befriend, and created unique NPC interactions for the player to experience.
I also designed NPC progression to rely on player-driven interactions. This established a cohesive reward system for players as they continued to progress through individual NPC narratives and quests, ultimately culminating in visible character growth.
