Whalefall | Courtney Manbeck's Portfolio

Development Info

• Role: Design Lead and Programmer
• Company: Whitethorn Games
• Tools Used: Unity, Visual Studio Code, Figma, GitHub
• Duration: January—May 2023
• Team Size: 10

Project Info

• Genre: RPG
• Platform: PC, Switch, Xbox
• Project Status: Canceled

Links

Steam

Game Description

Whalefall takes place in the fantasy world of Osfeld, where giant whales peacefully rove the sky. When the power-hungry Stoneshield Legion launches an unexpected attack, Osfeld is plunged into chaos. It is up to the young soldier Coty to unite the peoples of Osfeld, raise an army, and end the Stoneshield Legion's tyranny.

The game comprises of three main types of gameplay:

The JRPG phase is inspired by beloved Japanese RPGs such as Final Fantasy and Bravely Default. The player explores a vast 3D overworld, discovering items and encountering enemies along the way. During battles, the player selects commands from menus, and party members and enemies take turns executing actions. The ability to modify character skills and equipment encourages the player to consider different party compositions and playstyles, making each playthrough feel fresh and unique.

The SRPG phase uses mechanics from tactical RPGs such as Fire Emblem. Players direct units of an army over a grid-based battlefield. Each battle has its own goal, such as defeating all enemy units or directing a unit to a location of significance. The placement of units and strategic thinking over a long period are key to success.

The visual novel portion of the game regularly appears in order to deliver narrative and exposition. There is also an optional friendship/romance system. By visiting the Tavern, players can converse with and become closer to their allies.

Contributions

Designed and programmed JRPG systems, including party experience and level up, party member stats and abilities, and character classes
Tracked character and item stats in Google Sheets, then programmed a Unity tool to quickly import spreadsheet data into Scriptable Objects
Designed SRPG systems, including field abilities, terrain hazards, and opponent behaviors
Restructured the existing 20+ hour game for a more cohesive gameplay experience
Oversaw the creation of 2D and 3D art assets
Performed QA to identify which areas needed bug fixes or polish

What I Learned

With its combination of 2D and 3D aesthetics and its mechanics inspired by a range of genres, Whalefall was an ambitious project of a scale which I had not previously experienced. The game had been in development for seven years prior to my arrival. The company hired me as a Game Designer and planned to release the game one year after I joined. My task was to modify existing systems and create new ones as needed.

In the end, the game was canceled due to budget limitations. During my time on the project, I learned how to design for various genres, the importance of clear organization within a team, and when to make tough calls.

Key Learnings:

Sometimes, removing features makes for a better game. My company encouraged me to be honest with my opinions and cut features as much as was needed to complete the game on time. At first, I felt nervous to do so. Everyone else on the team had been working on the project for a long time, and I worried they would be resistant towards this newcomer who wanted to delete their work. However, as I evaluated the game's existing features and came to understand the team's rate of progress, I became confident that certain things needed to be cut, as they were not fun or would take too much time to fix. For each feature I removed, I would explain my rationale to the team and be ready to argue when necessary.
Not every decision needs to be a meeting. Building off my last point, I also came to realize that it wasn't always productive to try to convince my teammates why my decision was the right one. I appreciated their opinions and wanted to make them feel like their perspectives were being heard, and so, for a while, each major design decision would first involve a full team meeting. In retrospect, I think a number of these meetings were unnecessary. They distracted the artists and programmers from their tasks. They also led to lengthy discussions about design aspects which I had already spent a good amount of time considering, but my teammates had limited familiarity with. Ultimately, I was the Design Lead. It would have been a better use of the team's time had I made certain decisions independently.
Knowledge of the genre is vital. Whalefall was a combination visual novel, JRPG, and SRPG. While I had played plenty of games in the first two categories, SRPGs were unfamiliar to me. I studied articles and tutorials on what made an SRPG stay entertaining even as battles went on for upwards of thirty minutes. In my spare time, I played games like Fire Emblem and Triangle Strategy and took notes on the factors that determined a player's strategy, such as elevation, formation bonuses, and environmental hazards. I considered which of these features could be incorporated into Whalefall and drafted design docs accordingly.