Researching & Planning 

I joined the Battle Bards team as an audio producer, drawn in by the exciting prospect of working on a rhythm game – a genre I'm particularly fond of. The concept of using one's body as virtual drums was a dream I had always envisioned in a video game. Once the theme of the game was set, I started researching Medieval-themed music to create audio that resonated with it. I also looked into how audio engines were used in other rhythm games to make their gameplay experience better. My previous experience with Wwise allowed me to maximize this opportunity for learning and skill enhancement.

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The Bard

I took on the responsibility of producing audio assets that aligned with the game's rhythm tier system. This involved designing music pieces that would seamlessly evolve based on the player's progress through the game. I further detailed my audio creation process in a video, which can be found on the left side of the screen at the timestamp 5:45. Integrating Wwise in Unity enabled me to establish an interactive music hierarchy within Wwise, incorporating music states and playlist containers.

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With a focus on the game's medieval fantasy setting, I focused into crafting epic music and instruments that resonated with the game's theme. I created distinct music stems corresponding to each tier of in-game combos. These tiers exhibited progressive musical compositions, with an increasing number of instruments added to each tier, heightening the player's engagement. To add an element of unpredictability and freshness, I incorporated multiple music stems in each tier, randomly selecting them during gameplay. This dynamic approach ensured that players experienced a different musical arrangement with every playthrough, and the transitions between the various music stems were created to maintain a seamless and immersive auditory journey.

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Hardware

We needed a controller that was seamless in playability and at the same time is enjoyable. I contributed to conceptualizing a drum vest alternative controller, evolving through 3 iterations. The first version featured 6 drum pads using Arduino Uno and light-up arcade buttons attached to a construction vest. After playtesting, we refined it to 4 drums for improved gameplay. With added teammates, a hardware and electronics expert refined the final vest, staying true to the original concept. We enhanced the design by using soft pads atop buttons, increasing pad diameter for better feel. The vest was sewn together with straps, with wires passing between the straps and offered length adjustment for accessibility.