Matt Lawrence
Game Developer
Main Projects
Paper Pirates
Paper Pirates is a team based social deduction game that uses mobile phones as its controllers. Take control of your very own pirate ship and issue commands to your fellow shipmates, will they obey or disobey your command?
Project Details:
Developer: Iteration Games
Genre: Party / Social Deduction
Platform: PC
Engine: Game client made in Unity (C#).
Server coded in JavaScript, incorporating Node.js, serving the website controller page made in HTML5.
Team size: 3
Paper Pirates was a project developed for the Tranzfuser 2019 competition; a government funded project to set up a studio and develop our own IP. It was showcased at EGX London 2019, MCM Manchester Comic Con and a paper prototype presented at UK Games Expo in Birmingham.
Project Responsibilities:
Backend Developer
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Created the server side game logic and connectivity.
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Implemented the functionality of using phones as controllers.
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Responsible for the maintenance of the servers.
Secondary Unity Programmer
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Implemented miscellaneous features within Unity such as the ship customiser and round history.
Secondary Designer
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Helped to create the game mechanics and revised them after numerous hours of playtesting.
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Collaborated with the main artist to plan and create assets, such as outfit pieces, ship parts, achievement icons, backdrops and animations.
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Created the design of the NPC characters.
The Ochre Embargo
The Ochre Embargo was my final year dissertation project at university.
Set during the Age of Sail, you play as a merchant vessel delivering cargo between trading ports. It sounds easy, but travelling those open seas can be treacherous if you aren’t well equipped.
Side with the merchants to barter and trade, or side with the pirates for a taste of buccaneer life. Distant voyages earn you more gold than shorter trips, though befriending the pirates will increase your notoriety and tarnish your reputation.
Make sure your cannon ammo is always fully stocked and battles will be a breeze. You’ll be a master of the sea in no time!
Project Details:
Genre: MMORPG
Platform: PC/Smartphone
Engine: HTML5 canvas. JavaScript. Server incorporating Node.js. Database functionality using MySQL.
The Ochre Embargo was my final year dissertation project for the Games Design and Development course at Manchester Metropolitan University. The abstract was to create a small version of a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) using JavaScript, capable of hosting around twenty players.
I worked extensively on this throughout the academic year and produced a game I am very proud of. I achieved full marks for the project portion of my dissertation.
Project Result: 100%.
Project Responsibilities:
As this was my dissertation, everything was created by me:
I created the game concept whilst playing games with sailing mechanics such as The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Sea of Thieves, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. I chose to do it within a 2d-environment as it was the most feasible within the timeframe.
I made a game treatment document prior to development, listing things from game mechanics to xp levelling equations and UI design.
The game was coded in JavaScript, implementing node.js for multiplayer. As well as coding game mechanics, I created the login system, database storage and the server architecture to allow for packet messaging. I dabbled with security issues such as DDOS protection, password salting and packet encryption.
Graphics were created using Aseprite. Sounds were sourced from FreeSound and edited in Audacity.
Hobby Projects
Within this section, you will find some of my personal projects where I had free-reign over whatever I could create. These games were created outside the confines of time-limited game jams, allowing me to indulge in my love for creating immersive experiences without constraints.
(Click any of the images to open the game in itch.io)
The Tale of Hiccory
"Allow me to introduce you to our protagonist, Hiccory; a well-intentioned wizard with a tendency for things to go wrong. After stumbling over the words in an enchantment, Hiccory finds himself with a permanent case of hiccups. Follow his journey on search for a cure."
Made in Unity (C#)
A Conveyor Christmas
"Welcome to Santa's Workshop. We've been waiting for our new engineer! Don you now your safety apparel and come and give us a hand! Get ready to embrace the holiday spirit and embark on a magical journey filled with puzzles, ingenuity, and the spirit of giving!"
Made in Unity (C#)
Game Jam Projects
Within this section, you will find some of my projects showcasing my achievements in various game jams. These time-limited events have been essential in honing my skills as a game developer, allowing me to explore innovative ideas, collaborate with talented individuals, and create fantastic memories.
(Click any of the images to open the game in itch.io)
RIFT
"The borders between worlds are colliding. Reality is no longer stable; matter is shifting into other dimensions. Interact with stabilizers to anchor unstable objects back into the world. Find the Device to bring stability to the universe… for a short time anyway."
Made in 48 hours for Ludum Dare 49.
Theme: Unstable.
Overall Result: 89th
Made in Unity (C#)
Mail, REDACTED
"Your government doesn't like what civilians are mailing. Use your markers to edit mail to make it more 'suitable' for viewing."
Made in a week for MMU's Lockdown Jam #1.
Theme: Power of Two.
Made in Unity (C#)
Echoes of the Dungeon
"You awake in a dungeon with nothing but a sword. With each defeat, part of your soul lingers; your actions frozen in time. Work with the ghosts of your past selves to solve puzzles and unravel the secrets of the depths below!"
Made in a week for MMU's Summer Game Jam 2019.
Theme: Repetition.
Made in Unity (C#)
A Fifteen Year Voyage from Mars
"Your fifteen year mission to transport your colony to their new home is almost over. There’s one problem though: your landing mechanism won’t function if your ship is too heavy! Jettison rooms to make your ship lighter, but choose wisely - some might lead to the destruction of your ship!"
A text adventure made in 72 hours for Ludum Dare 43.
Theme: Sacrifices must be made.
Made in Unity (C#)
Memories
"Set in an apocalyptic nuclear winter, you must keep yourself warm by burning items you have in your possession. Though each item could produce enough heat to keep you alive, it could contain a memory far too precious to let go."
Produced in 24 hours as part of the Global Game Jam 2019.
Theme: 'What does home mean to you?'
Made in Unity (C#)
Minecraft Mods
Creating mods for Minecraft is what started my love of games design. I really wanted to add new animals into the game, so I researched how to do so and taught myself to code. I started with a really crude version of a peacock which I aptly named 'The Peacock Mod'. Ten years (and many updates) later, I've created numerous mods I'm proud of and have fostered a wonderful community.
Like the base game, all these mods are made using Java.
Exotic Birds
An aesthetic and educational mod that adds over 30 new bird mobs to the game. Each bird has its own subspecies, bringing the total to well over 100 unique birds. The new animals complement the vanilla style and offer new mechanics, such as taming pelicans for catching fish, taming pigeons to send mail, taming ostriches to race your friends etc.
This mod features a bird encyclopaedia, providing information on each bird, their habitat and their eggs. New blocks are added, such as the egg analyser, which lets the player identify mystery eggs they find in the wild. Birdcages can be used to capture, carry and release any of the birds in the mod.
First release: April 2012
Total downloads: 8 million+
Download link: Exotic Birds on CurseForge
ZooCraft Discoveries
An expansive educational mod with a focus on endangered and exotic creatures, such as rhinos, gemsbok, giraffes, camels, tapirs and capybaras, though the list carries on! It is the perfect mod for the wannabe zookeeper.
This mod was made for YouTube personality SeriSims to educate her audience about the flora and fauna of the world.
First release: April 2019
Total downloads: 420,000+
Download link: ZooCraft Discoveries on CurseForge
Custom Signposts
A simple mod that adds a collection of new decorative waypoint signposts. Highly customisable and very useful for navigation.
First release: July 2020
Total downloads: 30,000+
Download link: Custom Signposts on CurseForge
