Welcome to the world of Tazi
Told in a 'fly on the wall' type perspective. Explore the Chinese province of Xinjiang as the ever-so-loyal Tazi in search of her beloved master, while uncovering the dark underbelly of the region and its current political climate.
This game demo combines current political issues with the richness of Uyghur culture, told through visually driven gameplay all developed in the Unity Engine.
Subject Matter
How the process worked was we worked in teams, and the development cycle was split up into two phases. The first phase was 13 weeks for our teams to ideate, and prototype a proof of concept which would either be green-lighted by our lecturers and peers or be pushed back for further development. Our team was one of the few who managed to be green-lit.
The second phase was a further 13 weeks to then flesh out our prototype and create a polished project so we could present to our peers and lecturers at the end of the 13 weeks.
The idea
It all started as an idea to raise awareness through gamification. The subject matter we chose- was the Uyghurs living under the thumb of the communist party of China.
process
Synopsis
After witnessing the abduction of her master by unknown sinister forces, a brave and determined hound ventures out into Kashgar and beyond to find the truth and her master. It isn’t far into her journey before she realizes that she’s facing a problem far greater than she could have imagined that threatens not only her master but her entire world.
After setbacks, hardships and miscommunications, and even a project file deletion (on the second last week too) we finally were able to get the demo running and presented it to our peers and lecturers over Zoom. Due to the pandemic, our campus was wrought with lockdowns and quarantines.
We learned to compromise certain mechanics, grew as a team, and most importantly learned about each other's strengths and weaknesses and how to work around them.
Sadly we never got to show our game to others in person after our exhibition was canceled time and time again. Though we were still really proud to have made something in a medium that we personally love, which is video games.
Protoype
Mechanics
The ‘Parallaxing background’ creates depth, giving the player the feeling they’re inside this universe and on this adventure.
‘Sniffing the ground’ the character Tazi is a canine, who is known to have very sensitive smell receptors. Wherever in the game, the player may be, pressing and holding the spacebar key will reavel a scent trail that will guide the player to their objective in the level.
Interested in playing the demo? Follow the link to the Itch.io page below.
About the Team
Graphic design students Alicia Donnelly and Wilson Tang were both passionate about art, design, and video games. Banding together they conceptualized a way they could create something relevant in the games industry that's not only functional but also raises awareness of the current social climate.
Between Wilson, Alicia, and the addition of Fergus McDermott's audio skills, the general areas required to make the game demo were covered. This made us realize that our dream was an achievable reality, and from there Tazi was born.
Alicia Donnelly
Alicia is an SAE Qantm Alumni and was the graphic artist and character designer of the demo, creating the overall look and feel of the world of Tazi.
Wilson Tang
Wilson is an SAE Alumni, who was in charge of implementing and programming the UI/UX, gameplay, and the ‘parallaxing background‘.
Fergus McDermott's
Fergus is an SAE Qantm Alumni and producer. Fergus produced three tracks featured in the demo captivating the feel of the atmosphere.