Will Fowler
Deck Nine Games
Life is Strange: Remastered Collection
The Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is a remaster and rerelease of two prior games, Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Released in 2022, the remaster includes new character models, enhanced scenes and engine upgrades. Both games were rereleased for Steam, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility. They were also released on two new platforms, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia. I primarily worked on Before the Storm.
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My responsibilities included:
· Upgrading engine version for compatibility with Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, including updating outdated API usage
· Implementing game saving systems on Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia
· Updating APIs for older platforms
· Adding support for newer controllers on PC, as well as Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, including features like vibration
· Fixing bugs in general, including bugs which exist in the original release
Life is Strange: True Colors
The Life is Strange: True Colors is the fourth game in the Life is Strange series and the first from Deck Nine to feature full facial motion capture. The game was released in 2022, for Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia. The development process for games like this involve many specialized tools and software. My contributions to this game were primarily helping to maintain and improve this toolchain.
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My responsibilities included:
· Improving stability and fixing bugs in the primary cinematic tool
· Adding functionality and shortcuts improving utility and helping productivity of cinematic artists
· Adding more animatable properties on both the game and tool sides
Leveled Games
Marble Void
Marble Droid 2 was the first game I worked on with Zebralightning Studios, and began development in April of 2013. It was intended to be a sequel to a prior Zebralightning creation, Marble Droid, which was released before I joined the studio. I learned a great deal during the development of this game and I was very proud of the finished product. Over time, more levels were added and enhancements made.
The gameplay was a 3D platformer design where your character was a marble. The objective was to play through and finish each level as fast as possible, or trying to collect all the orbs which became an in-game currency.
After Zebralightning was dissolved, a few developers began work on another project. When this game was accepted onto Steam Greenlight, however, we resumed development on it and released it on Steam, rebranded as "Marble Void". It was later released on the Xbox One in October of 2017.
Specifically, my responsibilities included:
· Control of the player's marble using either on-screen joysticks or tilt controls, or physical control surfaces if preferred
· Intuitive and controllable camera which follows the player, similar to the original Marble Droid, but adjusting for current gravity
· Behavior of many in-game objects, including switchable doors, moving platforms and gravity switches
· Implementation of the Orb Drop minigame
· Late-stage maintenance of GUI and control setup for OUYA Game Console
· Integration with Google Play Games Services for Achievements and Leaderboards
· In-app purchases of additional in-game currency on both Google Play and iTunes stores
· Maintenance and updates for Marble Droid 1, as the programmer who designed it no longer worked at the studio
· Integration with Steamworks and Xbox Live services for Achievements and Leaderboards
Slurry Bomber: Strike Force
Slurry Bomber: Strike Force began as a weekend-long gamejam for Zebralightning Studios, and afterwards was polished and released around two months later. In this freemium style game, you would plot a course over randomly generated forest and city fires and dump water and other chemicals. Various resources were used during each flight, and a real-time stat management system would regenerate them over time. In-game currency was used to purchase many different upgrades, as well as hire additional crew members which enhanced gameplay in many ways. A "premium" currency was also available via in-app purchases, and could be used to rush stat regeneration or could be converted into regular in-game currency.
Later updates were released for the game, adding new characters and upgrades, more levels, integrating Google Play Games Services, and awarding small amounts of premium currency for interacting with advertising. By the time it was finished, it had very deep gameplay and required critical thinking and planning skills. An iOS port was in development, but was never released.
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This game was revived and released through Leveled Games on Google Play in mid-2017. It is currently available for free on Android.
My responsibilities on this game included:
· Many tasks during the initial gamejam
· Design of many of the menus and GUIs
· Integration of in-app purchases on the Google Play store (and iTunes if it had been released)
· Various gameplay components
· Revival and rerelease through Google Play in 2017
ZebraLightning Studios
Cyclone Frenzy
An infinite runner style game, Cyclone Frenzy was initially released before I joined Zebralightning Studios. However, when the OUYA game console was released I took on the task of adjusting the gameplay for use with a gamepad. Additionally, in the summer of 2014 the time came to produce the third and final level for the game, the City level. Over the course of two to three weeks, the art team and I worked closely and quickly to produce and complete all assets and engineering for this ambitious update. The final updated product was released barely a month after beginning.
My responsibilities on this project included:
· Control setup for OUYA Game Console support
· Programming three additional upgrades in the game for the player to purchase using in-game currency
· Reprogramming much of the GUI to adjust itself for devices with varying aspect ratios
· Creating behavior for the new Flying Saucer enemy
· Creating behavior for new destructible objects in levels
· Integration of Google Play Games Services
· Integration of in-app purchases of in-game currency on both Google Play and iTunes
Solipsis
Solipsis was a 3D side-scrolling game with emphasis on upgrading and using the character's abilities. It was the most story-driven game Zebralightning ever produced. At certain points in the game, you could pick up items which would enhance your character's abilities. You would then use these abilities to proceed through the rest of the game. Additionally, you could return to previous levels and discover more about them using your newfound abilities.
Solipsis also had the longest development time of any Zebralightning game, and I took over development later on in production. An in-app purchase was available to disable advertisements, and controls were handled with an intuitive touchscreen interface. An update integrating Google Play Games Services was nearly complete when all Zebralightning games were pulled from the Google Play store.
My responsibilities on this game included:
· Interactive tutorials showing players how to control the game
· Level design
· Programming behavior of many level objects and how the character interacted with them
· UI design and polish
· Playing sounds during many different events
DragonVale World
DragonVale World was the sequel to Backflip Studios' popular game DragonVale. The game was already well underway when I started work, and I had to quickly learn the development patterns the studio was using to create it. Unlike other projects I had worked on previously, this game tracked player progress on a master server, and the client was kept up-to-date with the server and notify the server of actions the player has taken. Unfortunately, Backflip closed in 2019 and the servers are no longer active.
My responsibilities on this game included:
· Implementation of various gameplay features
· Fixing bugs
· Working within a data-driven game development environment
Backflip Studios
Bolder Games
Star Balls (A.K.A. Astro Golf)
Star Balls is a 3D golf-style game available on Android, Amazon, iOS, Steam and the Xbox One. Players attempt to fling their character to the hole under par. Features include two additional unlockable characters, 35 holes, 15 bonus holes and 12 different upgrades to apply to your character.
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I joined Bolder Games several months after this game was initially released. However, I was put in charge of developing the version on Steam Greenlight, as well as the Xbox One release.
My responsibilities on this game included:
· Integration of Steamworks services for the release on Greenlight
· Adjusting of game controls and text for the release on Greenlight
- Integration of Xbox Controller controls for the Xbox One release
- Integration of Xbox Live services for features such as Achievements and Leaderboards
RoboShark Rampage
RoboShark Rampage is a 2D side-scroller game featuring an upgradeable shark player character. This shark must navigate the depths of the seas, destroying fish enemies while avoiding obstacles and the terrain. It is available on Google Play, iTunes App Store and the Amazon App Store.
For much of this project's development I was the sole engineer assigned to it. I worked closely with an artist and an effects specialist to bring this project to light. I worked on everything from gameplay to UI to social platform services integration.
My responsibilities on this game included:
- Integration with Google Play Game Services, GameCenter or Amazon GameCircle for their respective platforms
- Gameplay porgramming
- UI programming
- Setting up scenes in Unity and testing