Games
This page is a list of some of the most recent games I have worked on, complete with playable examples.
Scuba Shark
Scuba Shark is an iOS game that I am currently working on, to be released at the end of April. At 15 weeks, it has the longest development cycle of all the games I’ve done. It is a side scrolling, single button press game. Touching the screen causes the player to rise up, while letting go of the screen causes the player to sink.
One of the most interesting things I’ve done on this project is the level design. To avoid repetitive gameplay, I’ve designed and programmed a system that dynamically generates random levels, within certain parameters. Using the Unity3D game engine, I’ve exposed certain parameters of my code, which allows other designers who are not programming-savvy to build levels using the set of scripts I’ve designed. This allows the level to go on infinitely, for as long as the player can stay alive. To avoid slow downs and stuttering, the objects are automatically cleaned up once the player passes them, and objects are being constantly generated in front of the player.
Apocalypse Noel: Silver Shells
A winter themed game, Apocalypse Noel is a twin stick shooter created in 4 weeks by myself and a group of fellow classmates. In this game, the player takes on the role of Santa Claus living in a post apocalyptic world. In this alternate timeline, the North Pole is one of the few remaining clean areas. When his sleigh is shot down, Santa must take back the North Pole using any means necessary.
The game features direct IP multiplayer, a variety of abilities, and much more. I was working responsible for many things on the project including multiplayer code, weapon code, some of the powerups and unique attacks, and various other parts of the game including smaller sections of code as well as various design tasks. Apocalypse Noel was created using the Unity3D game engine.
Nocturne Sonata
Set in 17th century England, Nocturne Sonata is a side scroller that follows Jenkins, a young man who must return a magic fiddle to it’s resting place, while combating the forces of Hell along the way. Armed with nothing except the cursed instrument, he must use its’ powers to ward of evil as he makes his way into increasingly dangerous areas. Dark and atmospheric, it is part platformer, part rhythm game.
In order to use the fiddle, the player must enter a series of keystrokes in the correct order to activate certain powers. The player can also come under attack by demons. When this happens, the shield given off by the instrument is the only thing keeping them at bay, and the player must frantically play the fiddle to keep the shield from dissipating. I was responsible for programming the player controls and controller, programming and some designing of the abilities and demon attacks, as well as some menu and user interface programming.
Doody Calls
A more lighthearted game, Doody Calls is a physics based puzzle game. It puts the player in the role of a sanitation engineer in the near future. Using high tech equipment, the player must get sewage from one pipe to another with the use of platforms, teleporters, cannons, and more. Made by a 4 person team in the Unity3D game engine, Doody Calls had a 4 week development time. As the sole programmer on the project, I was responsible for all of the code, as well as some design. Cute, fun, and silly, Doody Calls provides some surprising challenge in the later levels, as pieces become limited and levels become more complex.
DNA Roulette
DNA Roulette is a serious game that I have been working on with a professor at Michigan State University. It is a medical educational game aimed at teaching people how their genome affects their physical traits, such as eye color or propensity to contract certain diseases. The game is currently in the prototype stages, and is built in Flash using AS3. One of the most interesting features of the game is the use of external XML files to control many aspects of the game. By doing this, non-programmers can modify an easy to understand XML file, which is then read by the game, to control nearly every variable in the game. This ranges from betting amounts, win multipliers, nearly every piece of text seen in the game, the pool of names the game draws from etc. Traits and betting categories are all defined within this HTML structure, so content can be easily added to the game without the need to change any code whatsoever.
Here is a link to play the game, HOWEVER, as the game is currently in prototype stages, this will be constantly changing and is not the most recent version. The game is playable, but some features may not be accessible.
Joseph Yaske 
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