Slider

Slider is a puzzle exploration game which is currently scheduled to be released on Steam in 2023.  Led by Daniel Carr, Slider was originally submitted to the GMTK game jam in 2021. Since then, the scope of the game has vastly expanded to include 9 playable areas with unique mechanics, an interconnected world, and a series of complex puzzles. 

My primary contributions have been in the design and implementation of the mountain area, which is one of the 9 unique sections of the world. This area involved the development of 3 systems: a “3D” grid, with 2 subgrids and vertical movement; a rail-following minecart, with rail junctions, storable items, and interaction with the sliding grid; and a heating-freezing system which can affect items, NPCs, and the minecart. 

Because many of the areas feature special mechanics that change the core functionality of the game, I also refactored much of the game’s existing codebase in order to accommodate features including different sized grids and unique movement types, such as tiles whose movements are linked or rotations of a group of tiles.

Due to its release to a wider audience, Slider has also gone extensive playtesting to test for both programming and design errors. As a result of this extensive testing, I was able to fix a number of bugs and retool puzzles to be more approachable and intuitive for players.

Slider will be released on Steam in early 2023. A free demo for all platforms is currently available.