Burger Zombies is a top-down free roaming shooter where you play as a burger delivery man who is completing his orders during the zombie apocalypse. Pick up and deliver orders while shooting and driving against an ever growing horde of zombies.
As lead design and project manager for Burger Zombies, a game where players take on the role of a burger delivery man in a zombie apocalypse, I focused on creating a fun, pick-up-and-play experience that would be engaging for all types of players. The game was designed to be easy to play and straightforward, allowing anyone to enjoy blowing apart zombies with different weapons.
One of my key contributions to the game was the extensive work I put into making the core mechanic of shooting zombies feel satisfying. I implemented damage feedback, audio and particle effects to enhance the player's experience, making the game feel more fun and addictive to play.
Additionally, I organized numerous feedback sessions to ensure that the game was appealing to as wide an audience as possible. This allowed me to fine-tune the game mechanics and make the game fun for players of all skill levels.
Overall, my work on Burger Zombies helped to create an enjoyable and exciting game that was well-received at conventions such as Insomnia and COMX.
Major Practical Contributions
Weapon balancing and effects
This involved utilizing our weapon data table to design and balance 10 unique weapons that the player can use. The aim was to ensure that each weapon feels distinct and requires the player to adapt their playstyle accordingly. To enhance the diversity beyond damage, penetration, and range, I implemented a Knockback mechanic using Unreal Engine's visual scripting blueprints. This mechanic allowed for crowd control elements in addition to the primary weapon attributes, as the game is a horde-based shooter. Moreover, I utilized the Niagara particle system and blueprints to create visually expressive effects for muzzle flashes and tracers when the weapons are fired.
Dismemberment System
In conjunction with the weapons, I designed and implemented a system where zombies would progressively lose body parts upon reaching certain damage thresholds. When killed, they would blow apart completely. This system was intricately linked to the parameters of the weapon used and directly integrated with the particle system responsible for the zombie's blood effects. As a result, weapons with high knockback capabilities would send limbs and blood particles flying, while those with high damage would create a more impactful visual mess. Importantly, this system dynamically interacted with all forms of damage the zombies can experience in the game, not solely from player weapons.
Threat level
This system played a crucial role in the game's difficulty level, given its endless style with a high score objective. Implementing a ramping difficulty feature became a necessity to create a challenging gameplay experience. This feature influenced various aspects, including the zombies' health, speed, spawn rate, and spawn cap. Achieving the right balance required extensive iterations and feedback sessions with play testers. The aim was to provide lower-skilled players with an enjoyable experience, allowing them to appreciate the game mechanics for a short while before reaching overwhelming levels. At the same time, the system aimed to cater to higher-skilled players, encouraging them with challenging gameplay and competitive scorekeeping opportunities.
Warning: the GDD is a living document and is allways subject to change by me and other members of the team.
7 Spoons, the team behind Burger Zombies won best group project at the University of Gloucestershire for their contributions on the project.
I also individually won the award for Best Level 7 Student sponsored by Rebellion thanks to my individual contributions to the project.