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Projects

⭐The Last Mile Jan 2025 Sea Sorting Apr 2024 Project: Abyss Apr 2024 Grim Harvest Apr 2023 Custom 3D Game Engine Apr 2023 Custom 2D Game Engine Apr 2023
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Austin MacDonald Morris

Game Developer & Designer specializing in gameplay systems, AI, and UI.

Highlighted Skills

My Projects

Please contact me regarding any of the below work and I'd be happy to speak with you regarding it!
If you would like to see any of the code for the below projects, please let me know as well!

The Last Mile

Date: January 2025 - April 2025

Team Size: 8

Role: Team Lead, Gameplay Programmer, UI Programmer

Project Description (NOT YET RELEASED, MORE INFO COMING SOON)

The Last Mile is a collaborative project between 8 people for the Itch.io game jam "Road Trip Game Jam 2025". I created a post on the forum because I had an idea, and formed the team for the project. I organized the discord, all of the game documents, and Trello.
Website link here: https://austinmacdonaldmor.wixsite.com/thelastmile-game

Project: Abyss

What I Contributed

  • Led the project from concept to completion, managing the team and organizing the workflow.
  • Programmed core gameplay mechanics and ensured the game was fun and engaging.
  • Developed the UI to ensure smooth and intuitive user experiences.
  • Coordinated the project timeline and ensured that all deliverables were met on schedule.

Key Elements Learned

  • Refined leadership and team management skills in a collaborative game development environment.
  • Enhanced gameplay programming skills, especially under time constraints during a game jam.
  • Developed expertise in balancing both creative and technical aspects of game development.

Showcase

Sea Sorting

Date: April 2024

Team Size: Solo Project with Aaron McAfee

Role: Designer & Developer

Check out the gameplay video above to see the game in action!

Project Description

This was a solo project that I set out to do upon graduating. My goal was to make a small Unity game within a week to post on my itch.io. The project was a success! The programming only took a few days, and the art took a few more. Aaron and I had a blast finishing this cute project, and we plan to add a few more small features to the game.

What I Contributed

  • Designed gameplay mechanics and puzzle logic.
  • Developed the Unity project using C#.
  • Created the game's UI and integrated art assets.
  • Managed the project's timeline and published the game on itch.io.

Key Elements Learned

  • Improved Unity and C# skills for rapid game development.
  • Learned to effectively manage time while creating a complete game in under a week.
  • Gained insights into UI/UX design for mobile games.
  • Refined my understanding of balancing gameplay to keep players engaged.

Showcase


Project: Abyss

Date: September 2024 - April 2025

Team Size: 14

Role: Original Game Concepter, Gameplay Programmer, UI Programmer

Project Description

Project: Abyss was a student project in development for 8 months, and has been finished and showcased at Level Up in Toronto.
If you would like to download the game, please click this itch.io link! Project: Abyss Download Page

Project: Abyss

What I Contributed

  • Developed the game’s core mechanics, focusing on photography and the PC.
  • Programmed many UI elements to provide a unique and engaging experience.
  • Collaborated with the art team to integrate assets and ensure a cohesive aesthetic.
  • Helped manage the team’s workflow, ensuring we met deadlines and stayed on track throughout the project.

Key Elements Learned

  • Enhanced my skills in game design, balancing mechanics and narrative.
  • Deepened my understanding of team coordination and leadership in a large development environment.
  • Refined my problem-solving skills in overcoming technical challenges during development.

Showcase

Project: Abyss

Grim Harvest

Date: January 2023 - April 2023

Team Size: 4

Role: Gameplay Programmer, Game Concepter

Project Description

Grim Harvest is a top-down action RPG where players battle through a dark and eerie world, facing off against increasingly difficult enemies. The game’s unique mechanic revolves around harvesting souls to upgrade the player’s character.

Grim-Harvest

What I Contributed

  • Designed and implemented core gameplay systems, including combat and character progression.
  • Developed the game's UI and integrated assets from the art team.
  • Worked on enemy AI and balance to create a challenging but fair game experience.

Key Elements Learned

    Documentation

    A very crucial part of this class was keeping proper documentation of all development, including
    progress on a Trello page for our team. We were tasked to make 4 documentation pages for each programmer.
    Here is an example of the Player Module that I made.

UML Diagrams

Another crucial part of this class was making UML diagrams for our game. We were tasked to make 4 UML diagrams for each programmer.
Below is an example of the UML diagram I made for the player module, including an overarching view of every diagram and how they connect.

Modular Design

One of the main systems that I worked on was the player ability system. At first, my idea was to make a modular
ability system that has one ability parent class, with multiple child abilities depending on what needed to be made.
However, this proved some complications because one of our weapons used projectiles, while the other 2 used slashes.

Showcase

Project: Abyss
Project: Abyss

Custom 3D Game Engine

Date: January 2023 - April 2023

Team Size: 4

Role: Gameplay Programmer, Game Concepter

Project Description

This class was a continuation of Game & Graphics 2, where we made a custom 3D game engine using OpenGL. We were tasked to make a 3D game engine with a custom renderer and physics engine.
The first part of the final assignment was to create a island with varying terrain heights, and a water plane.

What I Contributed

  • Designed and implemented various components of the game engine, including physics and rendering.
  • Developed the engine’s core scripting system and UI integration for debugging.

Key Elements Learned

  • Gained experience in low-level game engine development, including performance optimizations.
  • Learned about the importance of modular design for creating reusable systems in a game engine.

Terraforming

Dynamic Lighting

We also implemented dynamic lighting using GLSL shaders. The player could place up to 8 torches, with the closest 6 contributing to lighting calculations.

Custom 2D Game Engine

Date: September 2022 - December 2022

Team Size: 1

Role: Programmer

Project Description

Game and Graphics 2 was our introduction to OpenGL and custom game engines in C++. We started with a very basic template, and expanded on it weekly in classes and assignments. The final assignment was to make a 2D game with custom collision, and rendering with OpenGL. I decided to make a Vampire Survivors like game, with a focus on gaining new weapons the more you play.

Key Elements Learned

  • Implemented a custom 2D game engine using OpenGL and C++.
  • Designed a custom sprite animation system using spritesheets.
  • Developed a basic collision detection system using AABB checks.
  • Created a Vampire Survivors-style game, focusing on enemy waves and weapon upgrades.
  • Implemented dynamic lingering hitboxes for attacks like explosions and acid pools.
  • Optimized enemy spawning, health tracking, and experience orbs.
  • Gained experience in OpenGL rendering, game logic, and physics handling.

Showcase

Email: austinmacdonaldmorris@gmail.com Phone: +705 854 0734 LinkedIn