Dimension of Heroes was a unique project for the first consumer facing AR headset, the Lenovo Mirage. This was a headset that required a user to insert their phone into the headset to use. Getting this game running on target hardware with an optimal framerate was quite a challenge!
It was a waved-based brawler/shooter with both a single player and separate co-operative mode. We created 8 total playable characters (two hidden unlockable) each with their own unique playstyle and mini-campaign. It also had an arcade survival mode for each character type. The team was in a difficult position creating a project without final hardware and shifting directives. This caused delays and a lot of stress on the team.
When I came on board, the team was fractured and trust on the design team was low. It was my goal to restore this trust and unite the team.
My first step was understanding how the design team was feeling and what challenges they were facing. My role was to champion them and their ideas and make sure they were all united to instill confidence for the rest of the team.
In addition to the unification of the design team, I worked closely with the other team leads to understand their needs and how I could help them succeed in their roles as well.
Finally, I worked with the external sound and cinematics teams ensuring goals and ideas were clearly communicated both ways. I also became hands-on integrating the cinematics and dynamic music into the game. Pictured above is one of the cinematics in which we created this great parallax portal which simulated depth and was very performant.
Key Contributions
- Restored trust and united a fractured design team
- Led team to deliver 8 playable characters with unique playstyles
- Integrated cinematics and dynamic music including parallax portal effect
- Worked closely with external sound and cinematics teams
- Championed designers' ideas to build team confidence