Amoeba Battle is a real-time strategy game featuring epic battles at microscopic scales! Originally designed and shipped for the DSiWare Store, the game features stylus/touch optimized controls and streamlined gameplay that did away with base building and focused on army management. One amoeba can become many thanks to the game’s food and replication system.

I was brought on midway through the project to aid in mission and level design. I took ownership of 4 of the game’s 11 missions and helped bring them from concept to various stages of completion. This involved pitching ideas, map design, scripting, and pacing.

Though I have not been involved in the project since 2011, some mechanics I built are being used today in new modes in the updated version for PC and console.

MISSION 05 - NIPPED IN THE BUD

overview

“Nipped in the Bud” is a level that I conceived and pitched to the team. It’s centered around the mechanic of how amoebas turn into a helpless Cyst (or cocoon) while they are mutating or replicating. In multiplayer, it felt good to happen upon an opponent’s helpless Cyst and deny them a unit (or two). I wanted to see if I can bring that feeling into singleplayer, where the AI never has a reason to make themselves vulnerable with Cysts.

The level also had a couple directives from the game director to introduce a new unit as well as connect to the story in a meaningful way. I incorporated those elements into the level, which filled it out nicely and kept it from being one note.

Level design and building

• Conceived and successfully pitched the level

• Prototyped and refined design, including how to introduce and highlight the Cyst killing mechanic and where to fit in story beats

• Laid out map to facilitate hold-out and “raiding party” gameplay

• Paced events so there were highs and lows, as well as surprising reveals in the fog of war

Scripting and combat

• Scripted all dialogue, events, objectives, camera movements, and transitions

• Refined and balanced combat encounters

MISSION 07 - STAMPEDE!

OVERVIEW

“Stampede” was a mission I pitched to escalate the tension between the player and the game’s main enemy: the Chaos amoeba. I wanted to showcase its power and have the player flee from it while navigating through hazards and enemy spawns. To help clear the way, I highlighted the Rhino amoeba, who can deal powerful melee splash damage. I was ultimately not the one to finish this mission, though I did lay the foundation for much of what was to come.

MISSION 08 - DEATH FROM ABOVE

OVERVIEW

All I knew before starting this mission was that it would serve as the introduction to a fiery area in the game. When it came time to pitch ideas, all I said was “tiny meteors from a tiny volcano raining down upon the battlefield” and the mission was greenlit.

I scripted the meteors to target near player units, telegraph their landing, and make enemies drop an item when squished. I did extensive scripting to get the dropped items tracked, expiring, and tied to mission objectives, which are systems that didn’t exist prior to this mission. The work paid off, as this mechanic is featured heavily in the new Battle Royale mode in the updated version of Amoeba Battle.

LEVEL DESIGN AND BUILDING

• Conceived and successfully pitched the level

• Prototyped meteors and created different level layouts to interact with this mechanic

SCRIPTING AND COMBAT

• Scripted meteor targeting behaviors and balanced meteor damage, timing, radius

• Scripted item drop and management system for when enemy amoebas are killed by the meteor

• Scripted enemy behaviors and spawns

• Scripted dialogue, events, objectives, camera movements, and transitions

MISSION 09 - TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ALPHA

overview

Coming off from “Death from Above,” I was hoping to create a mission with a completely different feel. I pitched a slower paced stealth mission, as some of our units have invisibility as a trait. The idea was greenlit and I started prototyping.

The first few iterations didn’t really work. They felt like the player was infiltrating a complex with enemy amoebas stationed strategically behind cover. It might have worked for a conventional stealth game but it felt out of place in the “natural” setting of Amoeba Battle.