The initial concept for Mechasaurus was a complex non-linear progressive game with several layered mechanics like a crafting and upgrade system. As development progressed it became apparent that the focus needed to be solid and fun core mechanics, so the game was simplified to be the enjoyable dino shooter that it is today! 

My main role on the team was programming enemy mechanics and scene controls, the latter of which is fairly simple and does not require much explanation. The enemy mechanics however were a much different beast to bear. I went through several iterations of the AI state machine and animation controllers going so far as to start fully from scratch about halfway through the project when I was unhappy with the limited modifications I was able to do and it became clear that if I wanted the dinos to be fun to fight and pose a decent challenge to the player I would have to re-design from the bottom up. I feel that the combat itself is now really quite enjoyable and the several dino personalities present in the game make for some interesting challenges and unique challenges. That being said I am not totally happy with the AI behavior, especially in the way of aesthetics. It was always a struggle for me to get animations looking and transitioning properly. Partially this was due to the limited animations available with the models, and partially due to my own lack of experience. In the end there are some minor animation bugs that I feel reduce the immersion of the game but the core focus was on combat mechanics and I think that those are pretty solid.

Overall, Mechasaurus was a really interesting project, the gameplay’s focus on solid and fun core mechanics made it an interesting development challenge and the whole team was in constant collaboration to make it all come together. I have really enjoyed working on this project and I think that can be seen in the final product. There is a lot of joy in the fast paced bouncy gameplay and I am really happy with the result.