Bird Island

Laguna

This production encompasses the full game development lifecycle, from initial concept development through to delivery of a functional alpha build. The project includes all core aspects of game creation:

Concept
The Production Plan

Laguna is a game where you take the role of Jerek, a Corporate tech worker that is thrust into events beyond his control. The Collapse of his spaceship has begun and the machines on Terra are going haywire. You are able to control a select few thanks to a device developed by your mentor, Dr. Linden. But Linden has gone missing and, along with her, any hope of bringing the rogue machines to heel.

Laguna is a narrative-driven, tactical RPG set in a world ravaged by a robot apocalypse. The game blends exploration, strategic combat, and deep character customization within a rich, faction-driven world. The first playable build serves as a vertical slice, introducing core mechanics while teasing the larger narrative scope.

Narrative & Gameplay Flow

The experience begins with the protagonist stranded on a tutorial island, where players choose their background—defining starting attributes and personality. The immediate goal is established: find someone who can help stop the robot uprising. After acquiring their first robotic companion (“Pal”), players learn movement and combat basics before meeting Scrapper, a key NPC.

A non-interactive map sketch reveals the journey ahead, leading to a cinematic sailing sequence toward the main island. This moment emphasizes atmosphere, with dynamic water, a striking skybox, and an evocative score reinforcing the game’s tone. Upon arrival, players assist Scrapper and her father in reclaiming their ferry—a task tied to the broader mission of locating the inventor who might end the apocalypse.

The main island introduces faction dynamics (Admins, Deckers, Rovers) and a central quest: retrieving an item for the factions’ expedition ship in exchange for ferry repairs. Exploration reveals distinct faction zones, civilian shanties, and wilderness areas with Points of Interest (POIs). Combat encounters are designed with branching outcomes—some paths require specific items, stats, or faction reputation to unlock.

The demo concludes with players returning to the village, facing faction repercussions for their choices, and receiving a teaser map hinting at future locations. The ending cheekily prompts support for full development Production Goals

  1. Polish the Vertical Slice: Ensure the tutorial island to main island flow feels cohesive, with clear hooks for the full game.

  2. Iterate on Combat Clarity: Refine UI icons and tooltips to communicate stats/abilities intuitively.

  3. Optimize Narrative Pacing: Balance world-building dialogue with gameplay, avoiding excessive inner monologue.

Development
The Team

As the producer for Laguna, my role was to align the multidisciplinary team. spanning art, tech, audio, design, and QA around a shared vision while ensuring iterative progress. Here’s how we organized and collaborated:

Cross-Discipline Workflow

  1. Art & Tech Symbiosis

    • Modular Asset Pipelines: Artists and engineers co-developed reusable 3D robot rigs and faction props to minimize redundant work. Tech art bridged gaps, ensuring models adhered to animation and combat requirements.

    • Style Consistency: Weekly art-tech syncs maintained visual cohesion (e.g., color-coded item tiers, faction-specific silhouettes) while addressing performance constraints.

  2. Design-Driven Prototyping

    • Combat & Systems Design: Designers used placeholder art and ORK Framework scripts to prototype combat mechanics (e.g., AoE attacks, faction reputations). Tech then iterated on netcode and stat calculations.

    • Narrative Integration: Writers worked closely with designers to embed tutorials into dialogue trees, while audio implemented VO triggers early to test pacing.

  3. Audio as a Narrative Tool

    • Dynamic Soundscapes: Audio designers leveraged Wwise to layer faction motifs (e.g., Admin’s synthetic beats vs. Rover’s folk instruments) and contextual combat SFX (e.g., shield cracks signaling low HP).

    • VO Pipeline: Recorded narration early for key scenes, allowing QA to flag timing mismatches with text or animations.

  4. QA Embedded in Sprints

    • Continuous Testing: QA participated in sprint planning to prioritize high-risk areas (e.g., combat balance, save/load bugs). Regression tests ran biweekly.

    • Player-Facing Clarity: Flagged unclear UI icons (e.g., acid vs. fire damage) and tutorial tooltips for redesign.

Team planning

Production followed agile sprints with flexible milestones to accommodate creative iteration. We held weekly syncs between art, design, and tech to align on priorities, while QA tested builds biweekly to catch blockers early. Scope was adjusted dynamically, e.g., deferring non-critical features like faction-specific animations, to focus on core combat and narrative polish. Sprint retrospectives ensured constant refinement of workflows.

Release
Final production

The production of Laguna’s first playable demo was structured into three key phases, with clear deliverables and quality gates to ensure a polished vertical slice:

1. Pre-Production (Weeks 1-4)

  • Core Systems Prototyping: Combat mechanics, dialogue branching, and Pal customization tested in greybox.

  • Art Style Lock: Established faction aesthetics, modular robot parts, and key environment concepts.

  • Narrative Outline Finalized: Tutorial flow, main quest, and faction introductions scripted.

2. Production (Weeks 5-12)

  • Alpha Build (Week 6): Combat loop functional with placeholder UI/art; critical path playable (crash site to first faction encounter).

  • Beta Build (Week 10):

    • All environments, NPCs, and combat areas implemented.

    • VO recorded for key scenes; Wwise audio integrated.

    • QA began regression testing and UX feedback.

  • Content Lock (Week 12): No new features; focus on bug fixes and tuning (combat balance, faction reputation thresholds).

3. Polish & Release (Weeks 13-16)

  • Gold Candidate (Week 14):

    • Final UI/icons, optimized performance, and VO sync.

    • 100% of critical/blocker bugs resolved.

  • Soft Launch (Week 15): Internal playtesting + select external feedback.

  • Public Demo Release (Week 16):

    • 30-40 minute experience on PC (Windows).

    • Optional: Basic analytics to track player drop-off points.

Post-Release

  • Player Feedback Review: Metrics and surveys to prioritize full-game adjustments.

  • Backlog Grooming: Deferred features (e.g., WASD camera, faction animations) reassessed for production roadmap.