Our Name Is The Stars
Game Overview
Our Name Is The Stars is a 3D narrative, exploration game set in space, where you complete engaging missions exploring new sections of the game world, progress character storylines, and solve the mystery of your father’s disappearance. In Our Name Is The Stars players travel through different environments with full omnidirectional movement and rotation. Solve puzzles blocking your way using your ship’s abilities. Meet characters who join your crew who will help you find your missing father. Grow closer with your crew mates over a drink while learning more about them and the game world.
About the Project
Our Name Is The Stars was a project I worked on with a team of 25 called Aether Trout. I was the Design Lead on the project. I organized and managed the other 10 designers and their tasks, making sure work got done, running design meetings, and communicating with production and other leads about the design team. I helped elevate designers and their ideas, making sure their blockers were clear. I also created and managed most of the design documentation like the Game Design Doc and Design Meeting Notes.
Being in a leadership position has taught me a lot about myself and what I would like to do on a larger project. Even though I did find time to contribute to the project in engine, but I would have like to do more in engine work. Communication and understanding is such a big aspect of game design, and this experience has taught me a lot as a game designer.
Our Name Is The Stars was featured in Bradley University’s 2024 FUSE. We had players play through the Rescue Lawerence Mission, flying through the Crystal Cascade and ending once they completed the mission or enough time had passed.
Our Name Is The Stars is the largest game I’ve worked on. I learned and experienced a great deal from working on it. Ran into issues working with large teams, communication problems, cuts due to scope, core pillar shifts, gameplay changes, to name a few examples.
Problem Solving for the Project
The team wanted another area for the player to explore. This mission would have been a more fast paced trench run where the player would fly around tight spaces to catch up to something. Ultimately, we decided to scrap the level for several reasons. First was scope. We were starting the second semester and there were still two missions needing to be made. The decision was to focus on one so we can get everything in and polished rather than trying to get both in. Second was it went against the design of the game. The ship is not very easy to control especially at high speeds. Having a mission that focused on high speed movement and control would have frustrated players and been a completely different style of gameplay than what we had. Because of those reasons we decided to cut the trench run mission idea and focus more on the two missions that are in the game.