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Pokémon Lycoris

Explore the Ambrosa Region in this top-down pixel-art RPG, with revolutionized turn-based combat, overworld combat, and skill tree mechanics.Genre: Action-Adventure RPG
Role: Lead Developer, Lead Composer
Engine: RPG Maker XP
Team Size: 20

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Project Kadence

A noir RPG using rhythm game combat. You play as Carol, a mom in search of her kidnapped son, while navigating a relationship with All Ears Record, a capitalist music company.Genre: RPG Rhythm Game
Role: Production Manager
Engine: Godot

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Pokémon Bushido

A top-down Pokémon fangame RPG, renovating turn-based combat with mid-battle samurai effects and dialogue, heavily inspired by Japanese culture.Genre: Action-Adventure RPG
Role: Co-Lead Developer
Engine: RPG Maker XP
Awards: Judge Spotlight - RC Winter Jam #2
Team Size: 4

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MUSO

An RPG where you take control of a young high-school freshman, named "Atabi" on his journey to discover the secrets of the universe with the help of an unusual gang of friends.Genre: RPG
Role: Programmer
Engine: Godot

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Port and Plunder

A physics-based party game where players traverse through a pirate map, gathering and strategically stacking treasure onto a rocking ship.Genre: Physics Board Game
Role: Team Manager
Medium: Tabletop

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4PM

A point-and-click game that follows a depressed man. His life is abstracted in wacky and zany visuals that take him through mysteries and horrors beyond comprehension.Genre: Visual Novel/Mystery
Role: Developer
Engine: GameMaker

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Eevee Expo

A website that hosts indie games and fangames, coordinates game jams and other game-dev events, and creates an annual video showcase of all upcoming projects.

Project Type: Forum Site & Video Exhibition
Role: Moderator, Producer, Host
Time: March 2022 - Present

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Slice of Life

A short film submitted for NYU's T48 Film Festival. The film follows a girl on Chinese New Year, who contemplates her future as she peels mandarins in the back of her family’s restaurant.

Project Type: Animated Short Film
Role: Producer, Editor, Sound Designer
Time: March 2024

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About ME

My name is Siddharth Anand, a game designer and developer. I am currently pursuing both a BFA in Game Design and a BA in Computer Science at New York University. I began developing games when I was 13, after working on indie RPG projects on my own time.

In my time working on games, I've developed extensive skills in project management, level design, narrative design, screen scoring, combat design, and all other aspects of game design and development. While I had initially aspired to be a solo indie developer, I have since shifted my ambitions.

As well as being heavily successful with my professors at the NYU Game Center, I was also an IndieCade Intern and an IGDA-F 2024 Alumni. These programs have taught me a lot and have given me numerous skills to make me a better developer and a better-trained professional. I have been exposed to the industry immensely, despite my age, thanks to these opportunities.

My knowledge of both game design and games overall knows no bounds. I am able to thrive in any team I am introduced to, and I am committed to seeing the success of my projects. I have been thoroughly trained and have been considered a low-risk, high-reward team member in any given scenario.

Email: [email protected]

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★ Designed and approved the overarching narrative of the game.

★ Oversaw multiple development teams, providing direction, insight, and pipeline support.

★ Programmed combat encounters, both in turn-based styles and in overworld styles.

★ Directed, choreographed, and programmed cinematic cutscenes to emotively convey the game's story beats.

★ Coordinated with art directors to develop intricate monster and character designs.

★ Wrote worldbuilding elements to enhance the immersion provided by the game's locations.

★ Designed and programmed UI/UX elements of the game, including the battle scene, title screen, etc.

★ Utilized tilesets to create in-game maps, exercising level design skills to make routes and cities for optimal playability.

PLANNING

One of the first things we did when starting development was designing our main protagonist. Traditional RPGs struggle to showcase the emotions and expressions of their characters, and we aimed to change that.
The team came in knowing that we wanted to create a very compelling story, and it would feel unsettling to have that kind of narrative without proper expression.

Thus, we decided to draw expression sheets for all of our characters, and we began brainstorming various ways to display these expressions within our dialogue UI.

My solution to this problem was to have a dialogue UI that uses separate sprites to display character expressions next to their dialogue. This would make it easily visible for players reading dialogue to see exactly how a character feels in that moment, further highlighting the impact of our story (seen below).

Iterative UI/UX Design

The UI design of this project was extremely important, as there's a lot of information for the player to keep track of. The UI shown on the left is the player's Party UI.
When making this UI, we wanted to give players easy access to basic information, such as the HP, Level, and Status of their party members. Rather than having to go into the Party UI and open a sub-UI to access this information, our design allowed for the player to only have to press one button to access it.
We had multiple iterations of the party UI, as the main issue was finding a way to communicate controls to the player. In the final iteration, shown in the video, this information is communicated effectively.
A lot of time went into game feel for this UI as well; as the elements move, they feel smooth and cohesive, with minimal jitter or lag. The programming of this UI took a lot of heavy lifting.

WIP Version:

Final Version:

SOUND DESIGN ITERATIONS

As the lead composer of the game, I went through multiple iterations of tracks, experimenting with mixes, instruments, and overall sound designs to get the perfect feel for the location.

The two audio tracks linked on the left are two iterations of the same song. This song is the BGM for a location called "Eternity Lake". The track is meant to be very ethereal and wispy, to convey the mystical powers of the lake.

The improvements on the final version (the bottommost audio file) are evident, and both of these tracks demonstrate the iterations that both I and our sound team went through to perfect the audio for this game.

NOTE: Audio files may take a second to load in, but they do work.

Level Design

In our project, we immediately knew that we wanted to create a more engaging overworld experience for the players, rather than constraining all of the core gameplay to the turn-based battles. To do this, we attempted to implement a variety of puzzles, one of which included the player jumping across floating islands and stepping on crumbling rocks to unveil treasures.
One problem we encountered was that there were concerns players would not know how to jump between islands. Our initial draft of the island map was unintuitive and did not allow players to experiment with the jumping mechanic before putting them in the puzzles.

Our final iteration (seen attached), heavily improved this problem. My solution as a level designer was to spawn the player on a small island, the leftmost island on the map, to effectively force the player to jump by hitting the edge of the island. Then, once the player realizes they have the ability to jump, they can jump on multiple islands and experiment, before going into the stone puzzles.

In playtesting, this new level design proved effective, as players were more aware of their movement possibilities, and they had more control and confidence when solving the stone puzzles.

Project Management

Lycoris was my first time managing a large team of this caliber. Therefore, I had to learn how to utilize various healthy project management practices to keep the game afloat. Examples of this can be seen on the included pictures, which depict the spreadsheets that we use to allocate work between composers and track the progress of each musician, as well as the spreadsheets we use to organize every single piece of data about our monsters, for use in balancing and programming.

Additionally, our team utilized multiple Miro and Notion boards, linked in the Game Design Documents above, for which I was in charge of managing and organizing. I gained extensive experience with these tools, and I was able to utilize these tools in order to properly manage our team, onboard new members, and maintain the progress of the game overall.

★ Assisted in the design of the game's narrative and core gameplay loop.

★ Managed the art direction of the project, providing a scope and prompts for the artists on our team.

★ Programmed a re-invented turn-based system in which enemies use mid-battle dialogue to alter the battle flow.

★ Created various overworld maps and puzzles under the thematic influence of the feudal Japanese era, to match the samurai theming of the game.

★ Evented multiple in-game cutscenes using RPG Maker's framework, while also writing custom scripts for functionality.

★ Created and developed characters, complete with full story arcs throughout the game.

★ Altered and re-designed various UI/UX elements to enhance the immersion of the battle system, beyond vague backgrounds and uninteresting elements.

★ Demonstrated knowledge in color theory and other artistic practices by compiling tilesets, character models, and other assets for cohesion.

Brainstorming

Our base design pillar was the fact that we wanted this game to take heavy inspiration from feudal Japanese aesthetics. Based on this, we began to design some basic characters that we knew would be involved in the narrative, such as the rival characters and Champion.
We were also heavily inspired by existing games like Pokemon Conquest and Fire Emblem, so a lot of our design philosophy was inspired by those games. For example, we really enjoyed the idea of having clans, as was present in Pokemon Conquest, so we incorporated a similar theme into Pokemon Bushido.
After settling on a theme, we began planning our narrative. We made the decision to have our story revolve around three major clans, and we began extensively planning the narratives behind these clans (see Game Design Document). Therefore, we planned our story in three core arcs, which helped structure our development a lot more.
Pokemon Bushido Design Doc

Style iterations

One main difficulty we faced when making Pokemon Bushido was settling on a concrete style. While we knew we wanted to base our game on Japanese aesthetics, we didn't know how to properly convey our theming while also keeping the maps and levels akin to a Pokemon game. I took primary responsibility on making various iterations of what our game could look like.
Initially, we tried using very standard tilesets, with vaguely feudal assets, but ultimately, we decided to fully lean into the Japanese aesthetic, with sakura trees, bridges, shrines, etc.
In implementing this style, we heavily considered the battling aspect of samurais, and as such, we wanted to make the battlegrounds feel very sacred. The final image on the right depicts this, complete with tombstones and a wooden stage.

RPG GAME DESIGN SKILLS

When designing Pokemon Bushido, I had to design within the constraints of the game jam. The game was designed in 6 weeks, and therefore, a lot of our design ideas had to be hyphenated and shortened. I knew that, because of our shortened development timeline, I would have to integrate a smaller gameplay loop that was still fun for players. Ultimately, I ended up focusing on utilizing dojos as "chapters" or segments in the gameplay. Each chapter follows the same loop: Explore the city, defeat the villains, and challenge the dojo.Designing this loop to feel fun and inventive, despite having the same loop three times in the game, taught me a lot about game design and how to design game loops for certain constraints. Additionally, I demonstrated clear design philosophies through each dojo, implementing new challenges, playtesting these challenges, and altering the puzzles and combat based on those playtesting notes.

BALANCE & COMBAT DESIGN

One thing that I heavily focused on when creating Bushido was the impact of combat in the game's narrative. In order to demonstrate a split between "honor" and "dishonor" in battle, I coded in mid-battle dialogue mechanics for enemy trainers to have unfair advantages. For example, enemies could throw spikes on the battlefield or poison the player, as they were "cheating" and playing unfair.In order to properly introduce this mechanic, I had to balance the game properly and ensure that the enemies wouldn't be too hard for the player to handle. This was done in a variety of ways. Primarily, each battle was intricately planned and thought out based on the player's available strategies. Based on what Pokemon the player could access, what healing items they had available, and the player's level of expertise, I carefully curated each trainer to ensure a slight, but manageable difficulty curve.

NARRATIVE DESIGN

One major part of Pokemon Bushido's design process was the narrative. From the beginning, we had clear themes that we wanted to convey to the player: honor above dishonor, family connections, and perseverance. We intricately designed our characters and plot points to ensure that these themes would effectively come across.Linked below is the character sheet document for each character in Pokemon Bushido. These documents demonstrate a clear understanding of character design, game writing, and narrative experience.

• Character Sheets

MAP DESIGN

The aesthetics of Pokemon Bushido were a central focus of the game. We spent a great deal of time compending tilesets, gathering references, and planning out our world in order to create a cohesive, feudal aesthetic for the players. My map design in Pokemon Bushido demonstrates an understanding of game design, player philosophy, and artistic cohesion.For example, in order to emphasize the feudal Japan time period, a lot of traditional Pokemon elements were subverted. I chose to replace traditional Pokemon Centers with hot springs, traditional PCs with bird carriers, and traditional item stores with village markets. These quality of life features being reskinned allows the player to fully immerse themselves in the time period of the game, with no room for inconsistency.The architectural design of Pokemon Bushido also demonstrates our deep research into Edo period architecture and samurai-time culture.

★ Led and directed the production and development of the game.

★ Oversaw 4 department leads, in fields of Art, Mechanics, Production, and Narrative. Consistently took charge of the four department heads, coordinating their development.

★ Served as a liason between the four departments and our teacher, who assumed the role of a publisher in this project. De-escalated conflicts and alleviated confusion within the teams.

★ Developed the core idea around the game, based on an initial pitch from a team member, to better fit the constraints of our budget, time, and assignment.

★ Utilized organizational tools like G-Suite and Trello to ensure smooth progression within each of the 4 main teams.

★ Provided assistance towards the narrative direction and art direction, making necessary adjustments to ensure that no teams were overlapping.

★ Took charge as our team's primary QA and playtester, developing multiple iterations of the game based on player feedback and advice.

★ Acted as a representative of the project to the NYU Game Center, advocating for the eventual publishing and housing of our game in the NYU Game Center Library.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Before beginning the physical production of the game, it was important for me to coordinate with each individual department and ensure that we were all on the same page. To do this, I organized a Trello board in which department leads could assign tasks to others. This made our actual production process run a lot smoother.
Additionally, I held premilinary meetings with each department lead, to understand what their vision was and help unify everyone's thoughts. This process taught me a lot about the importance of pre-planning when working in large groups, and it ultimately paid off immensely.Taking on the role of a general manager was also rather difficult, but I had to accustom myself to the team to make it successful. I introduced myself individually to every team member, ensuring that they knew who I was and understood that I was a resource they could reach out to. This mutual trust and cooperation made the project run a lot smoother.

PROTOTYPING

Considering the physical nature of the game, it was necessary to prototype models of our ideas before proceeding, just to make sure our concepts were feasible with our given materials and budget constraints.
The picture to the side demonstrates an early prototype for the main game piece; the rocking ship. We used very rudimentary items, like scrap pieces of wood and painter's tape, to ensure that the physics of our planned boat model would actually work. Luckily, our prototype was successful, which meant that we would be able to successfully proceed with more polished renditions of our ship and game pieces.
The only adjustments we had to make were slight edits to how the ship was being held. Because of the wooden material, we had to edit the shaping of the stands to support more weight without the cracks. We iterated on this prototype to make a sturdier ship for our final release.

3D Modelling

One of the biggest undertakings of this entire project was 3D modelling. It was an experience that was new to all of us, and therefore, we had to experiment a lot with different software and equipment. We had to sculpt the various game pieces, like the chests and boxes, as well as the ship.
Ultimately, the 3D models were a massive success. Not only were the models themselves very accurate and fun, but the weight and height of the models impacted the gameplay perfectly. Due to the hollow resin material we used, we were able to balance the game's mechanics accordingly, where players would be able to place X amount of chests or blocks on the ship without too much difficulty.
The picture to the left demonstrates an early draft of our prefabs.

ART DIRECTION

When working with multiple artists, it became difficult to achieve a distinct, yet cohesive art style for the game. While there was already a department lead for the artists, I took it upon myself to establish the game's overall art direction. I took inspiration from games like Sea of Thieves and media like Pirates of the Carribean to provide a runic feel to our cards, map, and rulebook.
The picture to the right demonstrates examples of the Port and Plunder cards. They all follow the same format, with color coding and symbols to designate which "islands" the cards are from. While the art styles are unique to the artist that made them, they follow similar design principles, and they ultimately look very cohesive, proving the success of the art direction.
This was made possible due to the use of references and art bibles. We created a large art bible with various references, including the ones mentioned above. Our artists were able to utilize this art bible to better suit their designs to the overall aesthetic of the game. This allowed the card to maintain their artistic identity without looking too out of place.

NARRATIVE DESIGN

Implementing a narrative component to a physical board game is extremely difficult, but due to the interests of the team and the constraints of our assignment, I was able to make it happen. We ultimately decided on a story in which you, as a pirate, are exploring 4 different islands and fighting the monsters of that island.
One of the strongest elements of our narrative design was the lore document that we ended up creating. This document was initially meant to be for development purposes only, but we eventually decided to make it a deliverable piece of the game, so that players had the option to create an emergent story by reading up on the lore of each island. The lore document is linked below.
The narrative design of this project also required a lot of research to be done, both into the locations that we were creating and into the characters that were present on each island. Everything we wrote was inspired by something from real-life culture, and those inspirations helped make each island more rich and meaningful.

• Lore Book

INDUSTRY MARKETING

One of the biggest trials when making a board game was being able to sell it. While Port and Plunder is not physically available for purchase, we were still required to adopt the roles of salesmen, creating a sell sheet for the game in order to be published.
We were also given the opportunity to formally present Port and Plunder in a simulated professional environment. This exercise gave me experience working professionally and selling games to be published, which can easily transfer to working with real publishing companies down the line.
One of the most successful things about Port and Plunder was its marketability; we were required to pitch the game to the NYU Game Center's staff in order to have it included in the library, but the staff members immensely enjoyed our presentation, our speaking skills, and most importantly, the game itself.

• Sell Sheet

★ Executive-produced the film and oversaw the production pipeline for multiple artists, writers, and animators.

★ Edited the final cut of the film in Adobe Premiere Pro.

★ Communicated with the competition organizers to coordinate between the competition rules and my team's film.

★ Supported the project's production through the use of G-Suite and Miro to organize references, coordinate story ideas, and finalize scripts.

★ Sound-designed the film using Pro Tools and industry-grade equipment, courtesy of NYU Tisch.

★ Outsourced work to external members, such as voice actors, guest animators, and producers.

★ Assisted in the narrative design and development of the film, creating storyboards, organizing story beats, and planning the overall plot.

★ Assisted the director in coordinating the art and sound direction of the film, supporting his creative vision while also allowing for artistic expression of the animators' visions.