UNTITLED BUFFET GAME

Game Description

Untitled Buffet Game is a 2D management game where you, a buffet restaurant owner, must manage your finances and customers to become a successful establishment.

This project was a 2 man project and also my first experience with System design. Therefore, the project scope is small and focuses only on game systems.

Untitled Buffet Game: Text

Untitled Buffet Game: Image

MY CONTRIBUTIONS

SYSTEM DESIGN

I was in charge of handling the economic aspects of the game. This includes the market system that works on a supply and demand concept. Furthermore, the economy also includes the Rent and Entrance fees.

AESTHETICS

The art direction and all art asset creation other than fonts was done by me.

Untitled Buffet Game: List

PROJECT INFO

Team size: 2 | Unity Engine | Duration: 10 Weeks

Created by: Janelle & Jinpeng

Untitled Buffet Game: Welcome

HIGH CONCEPT

Untitled Buffet Game is a 2D management game where you, a buffet restaurant owner, must manage your finances and customers to become a successful establishment.

Untitled Buffet Game: Text

GAME MECHANICS

CUSTOMERS

Primary mechanic

There are 3 types of customers that prefer each of the 3 food groups. There are regular customers and big eaters. Regular customers come in and eat 1 portion of food prioritizing their preferred type. Big eaters on the other hand take multiple servings and may bankrupt the player.

REPUTATION

Primary mechanic

Depending on the experience of each customer, your reputation may go up or down. The calculations for the experience factor in the customer type, the quality of food they took, and the entrance fee.

Having a reputation too low would lead to an empty restaurant, whilst having a reputation too high would lead to big eaters coming in and bankrupting the restaurant.

FOOD PURCHASING

Primary mechanic

You can purchase food to satisfy your customers. However this comes at a cost and depending on the market, the cost may or may not be economic.

RENT

Secondary mechanic

After every 60 seconds, 50 dollars is deducted from the players money pool as rent. This keeps the player in need to constantly earn money or go bankrupt

MARKET

Secondary mechanic

The market or economy runs on a supply and demand system. The Market (Supply) controls the base price of each food group, sometimes going up and sometimes going down. This is out of the players control. The purchasing of each food group (Demand) of the player then further manipulates the value in order to give the players the total cost of each item.

Untitled Buffet Game: List

05:26

UntitledBuffetGame_Win

This video shows the fastest methods in which players can achieve victory. In this video the player makes his restaurant super popular then using the popularity and influx of customers, he hikes up the prices and scams all of them. This leads to victory but is by no means sustainable. It is possible to slowly grind out a victory as well, this method was simply an exploration of game dynamics.

07:00

UntititledBuffetGame_Lose

This video shows how poor management of the reputation system and player economy can lead to defeat in Untitled Buffet Game.

Untitled Buffet Game: Video Player

CONCLUSION

Overall, Untitled Buffet Game was an interesting experience to create as the way the systems interacted with one another was to an extend a happy little accident. We planned and know the rough interactions that could be created but how the players adapted to them causing unforeseen dynamics to occur was truly an eye opening experience.

Untitled Buffet Game: Text