Player one (Gunner) shoots enemies with the revolving turret, and communicates enemy colour to player two.
Player two (Mechanic) loads matching ammo cartridges, and repairs the ship hull by smashing it with a hammer.
Synopsis
Cosmic Crew is a cooperative shooting/communication game with a one-of-a-kind control scheme
In this game, players must blast enemies with a revolving turret, load physical ammo cartridges, and smash repair plates with a real hammer.
Player one (the Gunner), shoots down incoming ships and communicates their colour to player 2 (the Engineer), who must not only load the correct-coloured ammo, but also repair the ship by smashing it with a hammer!
Players fight through 10 waves of unique ships, while upgrading their own with powerful new weapons and abilities.
Exhibited at alt.ctrl GDC 2023, & accepted for EGX London 2023
Featured on Shake That Button, Game Developer, & Rock Paper Shotgun
Featured on Shake That Button, Game Developer, & Rock Paper Shotgun
My Work
Originally derived from a one-week game jam, I developed the concept into a full-fledged arcade experience over the course of three months.
I designed & programmed the digital game in C# Unity, and built the physical controllers using woodworking, an Arduino UNO Rev3, and a voltage ladder-adjacent system to detect player input.
see the hectic gameplay!
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Concepts for the game. Originally, the physical controllers were supposed to have many different maintenance modules (e.g. a barrel swapping station, keypads, and a chip-changing system), which could be freely detached from each other. The intention was to create an extremely hectic multitasking communication game; however, this was eventually simplified for being too complicated.
For the game jam version, controllers were roughly prototyped using cardboard. Instead of the revolving turret, gunners used a control stick to aim the turret. Instead of multiple repair plates, Mechanics used a control panel to select which part to target.
An early prototype of the digital game developed during the game jam.
Gunner module build in-progress.
Mechanic module build in-progress. The copper sheets were later replaced with metal duct because they tarnished too easily.
Both modules are connected with each other using a DB9 cable.
The finished, unpainted modules with inputs installed. The Arduino’s analog pins and resistor dividers are used to detect the dozen or so odd inputs from the controller.
The finished system. All parts (e.g. the hammer, turret, buttons, et. al…) are designed to be easily detachable and replaced should a component fail.
The game’s tutorial system in development.
It was quite tricky to balance the amount of instruction, while still effectively teaching the game’s mechanics. Not only do players need to be taught the game mechanics (i.e. coloured enemies & communication), they also need to be taught an entirely foreign input system.
The game’s finished upgrade system. Players communicate with each other to discuss the best synergies and strategies, before smashing the upgrade in with a hammer.
