My first week at WWC!
Source: Dev.to
Introduction
Welcome to my first week of work for A Wargame Without Compromise (WWD)! Over the next four months we will be simulating a game‑studio environment as part of my MSc in Computer Games Development at Manchester Metropolitan University, keeping a dev log of our weekly progress.
During the previous class we pitched several potential games. After voting, we chose a project that resembled XCOM or Phoenix Point—titles I hadn’t played before. At first glance the gameplay reminded me of Baldur’s Gate 3, but my background in algorithms, problem solving, and my love for Age of Empires and Age of Mythology made the prospect of procedural terrain generation especially appealing.
Team & Roles
The class was split into four project groups. The WWC team consists of:
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Josh | Project Manager, Product Owner, Team Lead |
| Rohan | Developer |
| Mohammed | Developer |
| Jesus (Me) | Developer |
| Edward | Artist, 3D modeller |
| Allen | Sound designer |
Josh’s pitch formed the basis for the role distribution, and everyone was able to work on tasks they were interested in, which helped the workflow run smoothly from day one. Josh also provided a draft Game Design Document (GDD) that we discussed in our first team meeting.
Procedural Terrain Generation
For my previous trimester project I built a simple dungeon generator, so I knew terrain generation would be challenging yet exciting. My responsibilities this week included researching and prototyping an approach to dungeon generation.
Research & Inspiration
- Perlin Noise – recommended by our teacher Jimmy Mullin.
- Marching Cubes – suggested by classmate Daniel.
I followed several tutorials on Perlin Noise, learning how to generate heightmaps and combine them (e.g., subtracting one heightmap from another). After clarifying expectations with Josh, I felt more confident.
Prototype
- Generated a map using Perlin Noise.
- Procedurally placed a building on the map and flattened the surrounding terrain.
The prototype received positive feedback from Professor Connah Kendrick, who expressed being impressed with the results.
Workflow & Tools
My experience with Scrum, Git, and Jira proved valuable during the first week:
- Established standards for User Stories, Pull Requests, and Code Review processes.
- Acted as a technical lead, coordinating group code reviews and peer assistance.
- Defined the development flow, scope, and sprint planning.
Our team was recognized as Team of the Week.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading! I’ll post another update next week.
Resources
Turn‑Based Tactic games – Image source: