Goop Troop
Production • Project Management • Art & Animation • Systems Documentation • Development Support
Summary
Goop Troop was developed during my graduate Games Industry course, a class centered around one ambitious challenge: concept, build, polish, and deliver a fully playable game in approximately three months. Working collaboratively with a team of fellow Master’s students, we created a Lemmings-inspired strategy platformer where players guide a squad of adorable “goops” through puzzles and hazards using a set of special abilities.
I served as the Game Producer, Project Manager, and Artist, responsible for animation, art direction, team coordination, task planning, and milestone tracking. While my primary responsibilities were production and visuals, I also stepped into gameplay programming, debugging, and development support whenever the team needed additional help — especially near the end of the semester when scope and workload shifted unexpectedly.
This project deepened my understanding of real development pipelines, cross-disciplinary teamwork, and the importance of flexibility when building a game under tight deadlines.
Project Overview
Our team was tasked with creating a complete game over a twelve-week sprint, following a professional-style production workflow modeled after real studios. Together we:
Assessed our team skillsets and established a scope we could realistically deliver
Built early wireframes, prototypes, and ability documentation
Designed the high-level gameplay loop, platformer structure, and goop abilities
Iterated rapidly through playtests and weekly milestone reviews
Distributed tasks across design, art, programming, and production
Managed risks and made scope adjustments as development evolved
The result was a charming, fully playable puzzle-platformer built from scratch and delivered on time as our final class submission.
Tools Used
Unity (C#) – gameplay logic, debugging, scene implementation
Photoshop – character animation, UI art, design assets
Trello – project tracking, sprint planning, team coordination
Google Drive / Docs – documentation, version tracking, pitch materials
SourceTree / Git – version control and collaboration
What I Worked On
Production & Project Management
Created the full development schedule, sprint plans, and milestone calendar
Organized team tasks using Agile methodology
Facilitated meetings, standups, and weekly progress reviews
Identified blockers, adjusted scope, and ensured deadlines were met
Coordinated documentation, asset hand-offs, and build submissions
Programming & Development Support
Assisted with Unity programming tasks when development needs shifted
Implemented small features, polish tasks, and animation integration
Helped with debugging, testing, and gameplay refinement
Supported engineers with setup, organization, and troubleshooting
Art, Animation & Art Direction
Served as the primary animator for goop characters and abilities
Provided art direction and stylistic guidance to the Lead Artist
Created promotional artwork, UI sketches, and ability VFX
Ensured visual consistency and identity across the game
Game Design & Documentation
Designed the initial wireframes and early gameplay concepts
Authored ability descriptions, mechanic rules, and documentation
Helped define level design structure, challenge progression, and readability
Collaborated on puzzle flow and player experience improvements
What I Learned
This project taught me how to:
Lead a small team through a full development cycle
Balance production responsibilities with hands-on creative work
Communicate clearly across disciplines and coordinate task priorities
Adjust quickly when unexpected challenges arise
Maintain scope discipline when timelines are tight
Deliver a full game under real-world constraints
Support teammates by stepping into new roles when needed
It significantly strengthened my confidence as both a producer and cross-disciplinary developer.
Personal Reflection
Goop Troop remains a standout experience from my Master’s program because of what it taught me about teamwork, adaptability, and leadership. Near the end of the semester, our team faced an unexpected challenge when one of our programmers became unable to continue contributing. Given our tight schedule, this created a difficult situation and required us to reevaluate how we would complete the project on time.
As the Producer, I helped restructure our workload, reassess scope, and redistribute responsibilities so we could stay on track. I also stepped into more development work myself, supporting programming tasks, debugging, and integration work wherever necessary. While the situation was stressful, it strengthened my ability to guide a team through uncertainty and make practical decisions under pressure.
This project helped me grow as both a leader and collaborator. I learned how to maintain clarity and morale during difficult moments and how to support my team when the unexpected happens. In the end, we delivered a finished game we were all proud of, and the experience deepened my appreciation for what it takes to build something together.
