Project Swarm
Role:
Systems Designer
Year:
2026 - present
Overview
A modern, sci-fi twist on a retro arcade target shooting game where players identify and eliminate designated targets. Inspired by classic light gun arcade cabinets, the game emphasizes quick reactions, target recognition, and score optimization through increasingly complex target patterns.
The game was designed around pre-baked sprite sheet animations to maintain a manageable production scope and consistent visual style. However, integrating these animations with the player's real-time shot count and gameplay events created challenges in ensuring on-screen components responded accurately to player actions without causing visual or gameplay inconsistencies.
To bridge the gap between dynamic gameplay data and pre-authored visual assets, a frame-mapping system was designed to synchronize the phaser's real-time shot count with a pre-baked laser gauge sprite sheet. Each ammunition state was linked to a corresponding animation frame, allowing the gauge to update instantly as the player fired while maintaining the performance and consistency benefits of sprite-based animation. This solution ensured that gameplay feedback remained accurate and responsive without requiring the gauge to be animated in real time.
The resulting system successfully synchronized the phaser's real-time ammunition count with the laser gauge sprite sheet, ensuring visual feedback remained accurate as players fired. By linking gameplay states to specific animation frames, the gauge responded consistently to player actions while maintaining the efficiency and reliability of a sprite-based animation workflow.
‣ Dynamic gameplay systems can be effectively integrated with pre-authored visual assets. Mapping real-time ammunition states to specific sprite sheet frames provided responsive feedback without requiring complex real-time animation solutions.
‣ Clear relationships between gameplay data and visual feedback improve player understanding. Ensuring the laser gauge accurately reflected the phaser's remaining shots helped communicate important gameplay information at a glance.
‣ Designing systems around production constraints can create efficient and scalable solutions. Leveraging sprite sheets allowed the project to maintain visual consistency while reducing implementation complexity.
‣ Early prototyping helps identify synchronization challenges before full production. Testing how gameplay logic interacted with UI and animation systems established a stronger foundation for future development and iteration.
