Portfolio
"Bucket of Bolts"
Bucket of Bolts is a local multiplayer demolition derby party game where the players build their own cars from unconventional parts.
Bucket of Bolts is set in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by small simple-minded robots known as RoBoBs. One day the RoBoBs find some old promotional material for a demolition derby. Initially, they giggle at the foolish humans, building cars just to crash them. However, the RoBoBs are generally fascinated by the humans and their bizarre habits, so they decide to give it a try. The RoBoBs proceed to build their own cars and compete in a demolition derby of their own. They end up loving it. What they don’t know is just how hilariously bad they are at building cars.
Key Features
My Contributions
My role on the Bucket of Bolts team is Producer/Game Designer. Below are some of the ways that I have and are currently contributing to the design and develepment of Bucket of Bolts:
- Codeveloped original game concept
- Aided in designing individual gameplay mechanics
- Interviewed and hired undergraduates to work on the game
- Delegated and scheduled tasks for a team of up to 15 people
- Ran weekly progress meetings with all team members
- Lead sprint update presentations biweekly
- Wrote design documentation
Here is a copy of the Game Design Document for Bucket of Bolts.
Level Design Project
The level begins with the player character standing outside their deceased uncle’s home, reading a letter. The letter informs the player that their uncle has left them his greatest treasure. The treasure is hidden in the uncle’s study and to retrieve it is the player’s objective.
Unfortunately, a jealous family member decided they wanted the treasure for themselves. They hired a group of mercenaries to search the residence for the treasure and eliminate anyone who gets in their way. The player needs to navigate the house, avoid getting killed by the mercenaries, and reach the study to claim the treasure.
The requirements for this level design were:
- 3-5 minutes of gameplay
- Multiple floors
- Three different types of enemies
- "Door Challenge" - a locked door requiring a minimum of 3 steps to unlock... no keys allowed
Door Challenge Demo
This door challenge takes place in the room marked by Point of Interest E in the above level design map.
Walkthrough:
- Read letter from uncle
- Note clue about wanting to read
- Pull book, revealing hidden door
- Note symbol on locked door
- Flip painting with matching symbol
- Use chart to decypher code from bottom of letter
- Enter code on laptop to unlock door
- Open door and retrieve treasure
Assets from the free Edith Finch collections for Unreal Engine
About
Hey there! I’m Samantha Rovers, a fresh-faced Game Designer ready to dive headfirst into the game industry. I have had a passion for video games ever since I got a PlayStation 1 as a child. They provide a high level of escapism and require more thought and interaction than any other form of media. Growing up as an only child, I didn't have siblings to play physical games with, which is where video games always had my back. As I’ve grown so has my love of video games, encompassing more genres and themes than ever before. I am all too familiar with the "too many games to play, not enough time to play them" plight.
Prior to shifting my career to game design, I worked as an IT Professional where I gained 8+ years experience working in professional environments. Although I was good at my job and my work was appreciated, I didn’t find the work fulfilling. I realized that at the end of the day, I didn’t have anything tangible to show for my hard work. That is when I decided to change careers to an industry where I can collaborate with others and actually create something.
As video games are my greatest passion, I am excited to be part of the process of making them. I can’t wait to put out games that bring joy to players, knowing I had a hand in it.
