MISCHIEF MANAGED

How I Created This Game

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Mischief Managed is the first game that I created from start to finish. This game was made in Unity using Visual Studios C# for all scripting needs. The camera has has a 2D Top-Down perspective which follows the player on a gentle delay so that it's not so jarring watch while moving using vents. The camera is set to update its position to mirror the player's position with a custom Vector3 Offset which allows it to follow and stay above the player at a certain distance. The player movement is centered around using Arrow Keys or WASD to move around the levels, the Space Bar is used trigger a dash mechanic. The Dash Ability is set to give the player invincibility, while disabling their collider and sprite renderer for a brief moment as a puff of smoke makes it look like the player is dashing quickly past or through an enemy. The player must use their reaction speed to avoid certain enemies as they are not visible until the player reaches a certain distance from them. The player must also use vents to enter certain rooms and areas which are otherwise sealed off by debris or locked doors. If the player is touched by any enemy then the current scene is reset and they must try again.

In each level there is an open door with a collider which sends the player to the next scene within the build index. This game was created using free art assets including tileset images which were sliced and sized appropriately. The tiles are made using a layered grid system which implements Ground, Wall, and Decoration layers. The ground layer can be moved over by the player and enemies. The Wall Layer is meant to block off certain rooms and keep the player within the bounds of the game, this layer cannot be walked on or passed through. The Decoration layer is meant to add small decorative art on top of the level such as the blood effects, skulls/bones, plants, and signs. These are just for decoration and are set in the order layer to appear over the ground and wall layers while remaining underneath of the player's layer. 

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Player Character

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The player character moves using a speed variable to determine how fast it should move and the input keys to determine which direction (Arrow Keys or WASD). Pressing the Space Bar will Implement a Dash Ability which works like this; When Dash is pressed the player's Sprite Renderer and Colliders will be set to inactive for a brief moment. At the same time this is happens, the sprite renderer for the puff of smoke animation will become active and play the animation one time before being set to inactive again. The player is sent forward using a force applied to their current velocity in the direction they were moving when the Dash Ability was initiated. Once this brief moment is over, the Sprite Renderer and the Colliders are set back to active. This essentially gives the player the ability to dash over enemies in a pinch as long as the cooldown timer has finished and the ability is available for use. 

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Enemies

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Rats - The rats in Mischief Managed are meant to be the central enemy. The title of the game is a pun about managing your way through the mischief which is another name for a large group of rats. The rats will remain hidden and motionless until the player reaches their attack range. At that point there are two types of rats to watch out for; The slower regular gray rats, and the faster green tinted mutant rats. The will chase the player until they are blocked by an object, until they player leaves their attack range, or if the rats successfully reach the player and cause a scene reset.

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Bat Vents - These are meant to be a bit of trickery for the player. A trap which will cause a scene reset in a panic. The Bat Vents are vents similar to the transportation vents except these vents have green slime pouring out of them. If a player gets too close to a Bat Vent, the bat will fly out at a fast speed toward the player up to a preset distance and then quickly fly back into the vents. This is meant to also cause the player to pass them with care, making sure to wait for the moment that the bat is flying back into the vent before running past. These can also be avoided with a well timed Dash Ability but it takes skill. 

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Slime Monster - There are two types of slime monsters in this game. Big and small slimes. The big slimes are slower moving and have been set to jump in random directions at timed intervals so that they will seem more erratic. The small slimes are faster and more focused on the player. Both types of slimes are able to move to any location within the room they're located in. This makes things a bit more difficult for the player, sometimes causing a scenario where the player must first walk around the safe room their in and attempt to spot the location of the moving slime monsters before using the vent to enter their room. 

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Vents

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The vents in Mischief Managed are inspired by AmongUs. When the player enters a "Start Vent" they will be sent to the transform position of it's paired "End Vent" and vice versa. This allows for the feel of using vents within the office as a way to get into rooms which are blocked by debris or enemies. This also allows for a quick escape route for the player if they're being pursued by an enemy.

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UI

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This game features UI sliders which are held within the settings on the main menu and inside of the pause menu which can be accessed at any point while in game. The sliders are for sound effect and music volume so that the player can enjoy listening however they'd like.