he/him
Game programmer
Aaron McDougall
About me
A Melbourne (Naarm) based Games Programmer, and 2022 SAE Institute Graduate. Most student work undertaken in Unity/C#, however basic understanding of Unreal blueprints/C++. Constantly striving to develop my skill set. Lover of nearly all game genres and art styles.
Husband to one, father to three
Education
2022
Bachelor of Game Development (Programming)
- SAE Institute Melbourne
ACADEMIC PROJECTS
My capstone project undertaken through 2022, built in Unity using C#. An RPG/Tower Defense hybrid in which the player assumes the role of a Vampire protagonist who must collect resources through the night to spend on defences through the day.
This was a 2D project made in my second trimester using C++. Following the basic concept of the classic brick breaking game Breakout (1976), a remake with a thematic choice of our own.
A second trimester project made in Unity/C#. Journey through a bar scene with thematic elements exploring early understanding of Unity events
Artwork - Tory Cole-Surjan (Blood & Stone 2022)
Artwork - Tory Cole-Surjan (Blood & Stone 2022)
Blood & Stone
Roles included Programmer and Scrum Master.
Major programming tasks involved AI Behaviour states in the AntAI plugin; box selection and movement of units in the Tower Defence section of the game; and the majority of the UI/UX implementation.
Linked script exhibits the main body of the guards code, including bools needed to manipulate state changes as well as functions unique to that character.
Scrum master responsibilities included weekly sprint organisation in Jira and Trello; scope maintenance via a GANTT chart; and multiple weekly meetings to support progress in all aspects of the project.
Trampoline Man
We were provided with a 2D engine named Kage created by our lecturer which utilised C++.
Throughout the trimester we completed a number of briefs in Kage.
One such brief required us to make a game based on the premise of Breakout, a classic brick breaking game from 1976. We were to recreate the fundamentals of Breakout and add our own personal spin on it.
I chose to go with a childish, silly theme of a character trying to reach the clouds while bouncing on a trampoline.
VIDEO SNIP
VIDEO SNIP
Night Out
One of my earliest projects in Unity, Night Out was made as a submission for a brief in which we first learned about Unity events.
Not so much a functioning game in the sense of having a replayable loop, but was a fun learning opportunity with creative freedom while abiding by project requirements.
One requirement was tracking the progress of completed actions to eventually trigger the end game state.
I also played with variation of event triggers along the way, including context sensitive Player Inputs, and collisions.
