THRASH N' DASH

Gameplay and Systems Engineer

June 2024 - August 2024

Platformer

PC

Unity (C#), GitHub Desktop, Trello, Figma

Play Thrash N' Dash!

Thrash N' Dash is a pixel art 2D side-scrolling platformer where you play as a raccoon skating through the vibrant streets of San Francisco. You perform tricks, use sugar boosts, and try to outrun an angry store owner to deliver food to your hungry family.

Our game asks: How can we represent the impact of addiction while conveying the importance of delayed gratification?

I was the sole engineer on the team and handled all gameplay programming, including:
- Programmed an AI enemy that chases the player and increases speed over time to create pressure and increase difficulty as the level progresses.
- Designed an oscillating timing meter (inspired by Madden's kickoff mechanic) that players must stop within a green zone to land a trick.
- Created an auto-jump system using parabolic motion that adjusts the jump path based on obstacle size, allowing consistent gameplay across varied level designs.
- Designed logic that lets players either successfully execute a trick or use a sugar boost to bypass an obstacle, with trade-offs over time.

This game has a special place in my heart because it was my first time ever making a game. The biggest challenges weren’t just technical, they were mostly about navigating new territory across the board:
- I came in knowing Java and C++, but had never worked in C# or Unity before. Learning the language and the engine simultaneously was a steep curve.
- As the only programmer, I had to onboard myself while also enabling others on the team (like artists and sound designers) to work within the engine.
- Learned version control and implemented preventive measures (like Git safety workflows and webhooks) to avoid game breaking issues during development.

Mechanics were built to reflect the impact of addiction and delayed gratification:
- Sugar boosts help you bypass tricks but become shorter and less effective over time, while also weakening your post boost skating. This mimics the long term toll of addictive behavior.
- Trick meter shrinks if you keep relying on boosts and grows when you execute tricks properly, reinforcing the reward of patient skill over instant gratification.

Everything. This was my first game, and I learned Unity, C#, and how to program with the player experience in mind.
- This was my introduction to Agile/SCRUM and collaborative game development.
- I learned how to think beyond just programming and build workflows that helped non-engineers thrive.

As a skateboarder in real life, it was very fun to make this game!
Shoutouts to the inspirations: Camino (another Gameheads game), Madden (for the meter), Subway Surfers (for the chase structure), and the California skate scene, especially San Francisco, where our game is based. The art even includes real SF landmarks!