Ava

Details

  • Engine/Platforms: built in Unity for PC & Mac

  • Team Size: 12 people

  • Production Length: 2 years

  • Sales Platform: Our website here

Overview

Ava is a 2D narrative-driven platformer that aims to teach social emotional skills to kids with low support autism. The game features tight platforming with a grappling hook, futuristic space pirate levels, and lovable characters.

Ava is the premier title of Social Cipher, a company founded by myself and four co-founders, and Ava’s first episode has shipped and is in classrooms now.

My Role - Technical Designer

  • I led development on Ava, creating the creative vision for the game and leading a team of 12.

  • I designed and scripted the core movement kit, including the grappling hook.

  • I designed and scripted the level layouts, obstacles, and enemies, totaling one hour and 20 minutes of shipped gameplay.

  • I ran dozens of playtests, collected data, and iterated relentlessly on the experience.

Ava Key Art Cropped copy.png

System Design

I led the design and creative vision on Ava. My work included developing Ava’s core gameplay mechanics and game systems. I designed and scripted:

  • Ava’s core movement kit, aka her grappling hook, wallsliding, and jumping.

  • The game systems such as the health, death, all UI systems, and quest system.

In my work, I ran dozens of playtests with autistic playtesters to help create a game that represents their experience, as well as consulting with counselors, teachers, sensitivity consultants, and researchers

Level Design

I designed the level layouts and quests, carefully iterating to make well paced, intuitive gameplay. The resulting episode I created contained 5 full areas totaling about an hour of shipped gameplay filled with robust tutorialization, enemies, NPCs, hazards, and locations that feel distinct and in-world.

My personal favorite area is called Lior’s Quest, where the player must find a quiet place for a neurodivergent character to reduce stimulus, set in a space dockyard. The level includes large wind tunnels that blow Ava far into the air, bot’s that track and bombard Ava with futuristic Ads, and loud clanging machines she must dodge, all woven into a fun level that features half built pirate space ships.

Management and Communication

Finally, I led the team. I:

  • Hired and led a cross functional team of 12 people, leading development and communicating vision and goals

  • I dealt with team and interpersonal conflict between teammates and resolved unseen complications to our development, such as scope reduction after a drought of funding

  • Continuously developed my leadership skills, with both advice from advisors and regularly got anonymous feedback from the team

  • Utilized my organization skills, creating and maintaining a clean project organization across several years on the game as well as all technical and design information for Social Cipher