Project Nautilus
World Designer and Product Owner
Made in Unity 3D and Autodesk Maya
Team Size: 25 Total Contributors
Project Nautilus is an immersive first-person exploration game that invites players to assume the role of a skilled drone operator delving into ancient abyssal caverns beneath the ocean's surface. Developed by a team of 9 developers from August to December 2021, my primary focus was on crafting the physical game space and defining our vertical slice.
I established a level design pipeline in Unity 3D, creating a preliminary block out of the caves based on planned locales. Through playtesting, I fine-tuned the player flow, laying the foundations for a captivating experience. Collaborating with the environment artist in Autodesk Maya, we refined the cave meshes before importing them back into Unity.
Additionally, I worked with our team’s AI programmer to establish a level structure that enabled enemy navigation in the 3D cave system. At the end of November, 2021, out team had successfully completed our vertical slice and lead the pitch through a greenlight process and paved the way for the project's continuation.
From January to May 2022, the team expanded to 25 developers. As a creative leader, I juggled responsibilities involving decisions regarding the project's roadmap and backlog while also working with the team to actively develop the game space. This experience provided valuable insights into agile development, taught me how to lead, and strengthened my communication and decision-making skills.
On May 6th, 2022, we celebrated the release of Project Nautilus on Steam, marking the culmination of our effort in capturing the wonder of our team’s abyssal caves. Project Nautilus propelled my growth as a level designer, as a creative leader, and especially as collaborative teammate.