Trailer

Project Summary

Description: Kila: Hourbound is a third-person, action-adventure platformer game set in the fantastical world of Aion. Engage in melee combat while using time-based chrono abilities, but be sure to move quickly as the time to complete your mission is always counting down. Each mission transports you to a different land in Aion, frozen in an hour, with savages on the hunt. It is up to you to progress through the lands and take them down, with time as a special source of power you can manipulate.

Team Size: 26 team members

Editor: Unreal Engine 5

Development Time: 6 Month

Mode: Single Player

Time to Complete: 30 - 60 minutes

Fantastical World & Magical Themes

Game Pillars

Time Manipulation

Parkour & Skill-Based Navigation

Fast-Paced Melee Combat

My Roles & Responsibility

Designing Combat System

Using Blueprint to design power-ups and special abilities

Using Excel Sheet to balance Combat System

Using Audition to create SFXs

Designing and Balancing Combat System

Postmortem

What Went Well?

  • Designing and iterating Combat System to create interesting combat experience

  • Effectively communicating with artists and programmers.

  • Creating and iterating SFXs

What Went Wrong?

  • As a first-time combat system designer, I identified shortcomings in the combat system design and completed adjustments by mid-development.

  • Lead Team and combat system team did not have same understanding about the large image of combat experience, lead to confusion in the mid-development.

  • The entire special ability system was completed in the final stages of development, leaving insufficient time for balance adjustments.

What I Learned?

  • Using Excel sheet to list all the possible variables for Combat System

  • Clarify all the enemy and player movements

  • Using Excel sheet and formula to balance each movement

  • Using Excel sheet to make a simulator for each Level ‘s difficulty

  • Adding formula to adjust each level’s enemy stats

  • Iterating the stats based on the excel sheet and actual game experience.

  • Using the system created by developers to implement character special abilities

  • Creating Buffs Blueprint that apply on players

  • Working with Artists to implement visual effects on weapons and players

Using Blueprint to design power-ups and special abilities

  • It’s important to keep discussing with lead team when feel the large image about the system is not same page.

  • Gained extensive experience in combat system design and balancing, which can be fully applied in future projects.

Gallery