Games Development - Always a Sunny Shore

20/04/2026 - 06/08/2026 / Week 1 - Week 16

Brenda Wynn / 0372128

Games Development / Bachelors of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Project

JUMP LINKS

INSTRUCTIONS

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PROJECT

During the first week of class, Ron briefed us on what we will be doing in the module and what the outcome will be. He also shared some published games that we can use as reference for our own. We decided to either work individually or in groups during class. I have decided on joining a group where we decided on the leader first.

On the second week, we consulted Ron about the idea but the feedback was not as positive as we thought so we decided to think about a new idea. However, during the end of week 2, I have decided to work individually due to my personal decisions. Myself and my previous group did not have any problems and we parted peacefully.

After I separated from the group, I came up with 2 new ideas for my game. I did ask AI (Gemini) to give me some examples to help me get a better idea on what I wanted to create and what is expected. After I got an idea on what I wanted to create, I asked AI to see whether my idea is concrete and actually good. These are the ideas I came up with:

1. HANDOVER

Mental health focus: Parentification

Focuses on the first-child burden of carrying the family's expectation and prioritizing others before themselves.

Game Mechanics:

It would work like "THE SIMS" game, utilizing 3D humans and environment. However, the HANDOVER game will be mainly viewed from a 3rd person view since there will be shapes behind the main character to show the burden he carries. The goal of the game is to match the burden and description to the other party through small conversations, and hand over their burden back. The suffocating/internal feeling will be shown through darkening the screen, etc. As the game progresses and the burden lessens, the screen will be much brighter.

2. ALWAYS A SUNNY SHORE

Mental health focus: Executive Dysfunction

Focuses on having the main character learn to finish a task one-by-one and preventing procrastination. Several affirmations will be used throughout the game to maintain the player's calm demeanor.

Game Mechanics:

It's a 2D game that will give certain tasks to the player which plays a role as a lighthouse keeper. If the player fails to do the task and chooses to put the task aside, their working speed will be decreased as more work piles up. However, if the player fails but chooses to finish and try to complete the task again, an NPC will show some affirmations to let them know that they are ok subtly. There will be other elements to portray the internal feeling of the players, such as the weather, etc.

After consulting with Ron, I decided to continue forward with the second idea. These are the references that I used to help guide me through the design process:

Art Direction

Spatial Presentation Style

Logo References

Before I started creating the digital version, I sketched some logo ideas before finalizing on one.

After finalizing how I want my logo to look like, I started on creating my logo digitally. I created it on IbisPaint and gave it some color.

Final Logo Result:

To finalize my idea, I explored more about Executive Dysfunction and did some research. I also did some research on what a lighthouse keeper typically do in their job. These are the results of my research:

Research Paper 1

Research Paper 2

Lighthouse, Lighthouse Keeper, and Executive Dysfunction

Once I was done with the logo, I decided to make a mind map to finalize my game mechanism, story, and idea. This is the mind map and game flow I created:

Mind Map

Game Flow

After I finalized my idea, I started on creating my assets. I received assistance from AI (Gemini) since I am not that knowledgeable in 3D modelling.

I also compiled the animation sketch frames for both the introduction and outro animation in After Effects. I then started on creating my game in Godot after preparing all the assets I needed. The first thing I did was to set the introduction animation as the starting point and as the scene that the players will be greeted with.

Then I started building and setting up the different places (island, house, and tower). I also placed the Collision3DShape to trigger the player to entering another place. As for the tower, I added a thin surface to resemble the ocean surface.

During the preview, I noticed that the player cannot spawn correctly and asks assistance from AI (Gemini) and I got some feedback that the problem could be the position of the player. I fixed it, tested it, and the player spawned on the island after the intro animation ended.

Now that I have figured out the problem, I started on tackling the floor on each place since the player kept falling out of the world.

Once all the basic components were set up, I started working on the UI (date, time & to-do list).

Since the overall foundation of the game is set up, I decided to try the game to see if there are any problems that needs to be fixed. I noticed that the trigger points were not as accurate as I wanted it to so I fixed the size and position of the triggers.

For the final touches, I added some text boxes to provide some guidance and context to the users. I also added sounds to support the ambience and actions.

Since I have tested the game in Godot, I tried to export it to a web browser. The world was pitch black when I tried to test it in the web browser, so I went back to Godot and asked AI (Gemini) on why this could happened.

In Godot, I added worldEnvironment and a few more lights to make the places more visible. I also added a very simple START button as a marking point for the player to start the game so that it gives them time to prepare.

VIDEO PRESENTATION

*The game used in the presentation is the preview from Godot to provide a much clearer view and smoother experience*

GAME ASSET MANIFEST

PROTOTYPING DOCUMENT

GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT (GDD)

FINAL GAME

Access the game through your web browser through these links below:

Itch.io: https://br3n-997.itch.io/always-a-sunny-shore

Netlify: https://always4sunnyshore.netlify.app/

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FEEDBACK

Week 4

Ron advised me to choose the idea that I was more interested in. He also thought that the second idea (Always a Sunny Shore) that I chose was a good choice since not many covered Executive Dysfunction as their main focus.

Week 5

Ron shared that it's better to finalize the idea and mechanics first to decide whether first or third perspective fits the game better. He also shared that adding fun facts about lighthouses as the game progresses would be better is it was explained through different methods. He recommended that I explained the goal of the game using lighthouse terms/facts, or explaining mental health terms using lighthouse facts so it seamlessly fits in the game. He also told me that the choice of title, when both names are aligned with the game, one of them could be used as a subtitle instead. He advised me to make the game by following my flow on what fits me better, could be either asset creation first before creating the game or the lather. Lastly, he also told me that the NPCs would be a good addition to the game so that it is not too monotonous.

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REFLECTION

From this module I have gained a lot of new experiences. I learnt a bit on how to use a 3D software, I studied how game features are purposely placed in a certain position on an interface, and I have learnt how to create an actual working game. The process was not easy but it was quite satisfying to see that I was actually able to create something I would have thought to be impossible. I have seen some of my peers works and it was interesting to find out what different ideas we came up with. Throughout the period of this module, I have learnt a lot about games, especially in creating one. I am grateful that I was able to gain a new experience and if possible, I would like to continue developing my game to be better.

Brenda Wynn (0372128)

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