IxD Fighter

My Role

Digital Designer
‍Responsible for character design and all visual design assets.

Timeline

December 2021
(1 week)

Team

Joey Fonacier
Ruben Montanez
Viktoriya Kim

Overview

IxD Fighter is a custom-coded video game that emerged from a design course at Santa Monica College's Interaction Design Program. Our task was to create a simple game with a scoring system and a failure state, but our small (yet mighty) team of three decided to add a unique twist.

We transformed our cohort and professors into playable characters, competing to submit assignments for the highest score. This multiplayer game allows players to choose between professors or students, using two custom-built controllers we created and connected to the game via Arduino. Watch us play below!

LAYING DOWN THE FOUNDATION

Game Mechanics

Since we used Processing to build the game, our first order of business was to ensure the code functioned smoothly. We started with a basic mockup using simple shapes, allowing us to refine player movements, speed, and game mechanics before focusing on visuals or the controller.

Rules

Students must throw assignments towards the submission bar at the top of the screen. If the assignment doesn’t make it in, then it counts as missing and their score decreases.

Challenge

Professors can catch assignments and throw them back at students. Students can shield themselves from getting hit.

AN ADDED BONUS

Professor HP Levels

To add a bit of humor, we tweaked the speed at which each professor could toss assignments back to the students, mirroring the stress levels we felt based on how many assignments they usually gave us. This special twist was a big hit—everyone, including the professors, couldn’t stop laughing at how accurate this felt.

CREATING 8-BIT PIXEL STUDENTS

Character Design

Using Illustrator, I transformed each student in our cohort into 8-bit pixel characters. I also developed a control shield and multiple assignment graphics, drawing on tools like Figma, Mural, and Arduino for design inspiration. We used a classroom design downloaded from Gamedevmarket.net to complete the setting.

CONNECTING TO ARDUINO

Controller Design

We hand crafted a set of two controllers to pair with our game. Our build process started with an Arduino board fitted with sensors, followed by designing the controller mold in Fusion 360 and 3D printing it. After sanding and spray painting for a sleek finish, we conducted multiple tests to fine-tune the potentiometer settings and ensure seamless integration with Processing.

INTRODUCTION

Processing Development

And finally, here's a quick clip showcasing our game's development, from the first sketches in Processing to the final video game.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Post Project Reflections

What a Ride: Our One Week Design Sprint

This project was the highlight of my time in the SMC IxD program. My teammates and I split up the work to leverage our strengths and felt immensely proud of what we achieved in less than a week. With more time, I could only imagine the fun we’d have expanding the game with more environments, side-quests, and deeper world-building. As a fun extra, we also designed some t-shirts inspired by the game, which you can checkout below!

Huge kudos to Joey and Ruben who were incredible teammates to work with but also kind, reliable, and somehow able to crank this amount of work out while juggling classes, jobs, and families at home. ♡