Clumsy Elephant Studios Presents:

Hack Attack: Code Corruption

In this puzzle platformer, you have the ultimate power: to re-write the game’s code in real time. Discover new code blocks to unlock wild abilities and completely overhaul your character’s controller. Hack into your enemies to build an army of killer office supplies and escape from corporate hell!

This is a short game that I made with a small team in 5 weeks for a game development class. I pitched the concept of reprogramming game elements, designed the core gameplay, and took on an informal leadership role on the team. In order to keep the game original, I came up with a visual style and created the game's art assets, aside from some background elements such as posters. I also programmed the game's core technical systems and developer tools, including the in-game code editor/character controller, the block creation tools, and the checkpoint system.

The philosophy behind this game's original design was to emphasize creative problem solving. I wanted to provide the player with a set of versatile tools and then present them with problems that could be solved a number of different ways. I think that the final game didn't end up delivering on these ideas for a couple of reasons, the biggest being that we didn't have enough time to create fun code blocks or varied levels with interesting problems to solve. Still, it was a fun technical challenge, and I think that the core concept could make for a good game if given the time it needs.

Credits

Development	Matthias Claassen (mwclaass@umich.edu) Jack Busa (jbusa@umich.edu) Elizabeth Pritchard (lizap@umich.edu) Robert Sorkin (rsorkin@umich.edu) Nathan Taylor (nntaylor@umich.edu)
Audio	Aaron Kofsky (aaronko@umich.edu)
Art	Matthias Claassen (mwclaass@umich.edu) Mariana Ortiz Luna (mortluna@umich.edu)