Joseph Ballard

Highway Code

Race against the clock — and each other — in Highway Code, a competitive couch co-op racing game where two players vie to deliver the most mafia packages in a fast-paced city showdown! Dodge obstacles, outmaneuver your rival, and deploy sneaky power-ups to gain the upper hand. With chaotic, high-stakes gameplay and unpredictable twists at every corner, only the cleverest courier will reign supreme. Think fast, drive dirty, and don’t let the competition steal your score!

Genre: Couch Co-op, Racing, Party Game

Team Size: 15

Project Length: 6 Weeks

Role(s) and responsibilities:

Lead Designer

Defined and maintained the game’s core vision, ensuring cohesive design across all elements
Managed a team of 6 designers, ensuring smooth collaboration across disciplines
Delegated and tracked tasks using Jira, balancing workloads and keeping development on schedule
Led daily standup meetings following agile methodology, fostering clear communication and rapid iteration

AI Designer

Designed and implemented an AI system capable of navigating dynamic city environments
Developed collision avoidance behaviors and a fully functioning traffic system for realistic road interactions
Developed collision avoidance behaviors and a fully functioning traffic system for realistic road interactions

Wave Warriors

Set sail for chaos in Wave Warriors, a turn-based artillery strategy game where a scrappy crew of skeletons battles cunning pirates in an explosive 3v3 showdowns! Players take turns aiming and firing devastating weapons across Pirate Ships —balancing precision, power, and clever tactics to outwit their opponents. Every battle is a swashbuckling test of strategy and skill. Will you blast your way to victory or be sent to Davy Jones’ locker?

Genre: Artillery, Strategy, Turn Based

Team Size: 7

Project Length: 8 Weeks

Role(s) and responsibilities:

Technical Designer

Designed the physics-based mechanics to ensure projectiles could be launched at varying angles, accounting for environmental obstacles and terrain.
Balanced gameplay by fine-tuning weapon parameters such as range, damage, and arc for both the skeleton and pirate teams.

AI Designer

Created behavior trees to control pirate AI decision-making in turn-based combat, ensuring diverse and reactive gameplay.
Designed unique targeting systems for different pirate characters, enabling varied playstyles and strategic depth.
Programmed AI to intelligently assess obstacles, optimal firing angles, and target priority, creating a challenging experience for players.

Substainability

Descend into the depths of a vast, polluted ocean, a melancholic journey where you pilot a solitary submarine on a mission to cleanse the seas. Armed with limited tools and an unyielding sense of duty, you face overwhelming odds as debris drifts endlessly around you. Each piece you collect brings a fleeting sense of hope, but the sheer scale of the task serves as a constant reminder of your isolation. With haunting soundscapes and a serene yet somber atmosphere, Substainability delivers a quiet reflection on perseverance, loneliness, and the fragile beauty of our oceans.

Genre: Adventure, Explortation

Team Size: 5

Project Length: 48 Hours

Role(s) and responsibilities:

Technical Designer

Focused on spawning in barrels and their drop rate
Set up a basic design plan and MoScoW

3D Modelling

Modelled the Barrels
Modelled and animated a turtle (did not make it into end game)

NDA Project

While i'm under strict regulations when discussing this project, i can say i was the producer of a small team contracted to solve technical issues with the 'Bink' Video player system introduced to the Unreal Engine and to prove out a core gameplay loop using video playback as a metaphor for corridor movement.

Genre: FMV

My Little Rotter

Imagine a world where nurturing doesn’t mean keeping something alive, it means keeping it undead.
My project is a twist on the classic Tamagotchi life sim genre, but instead of a cute virtual pet, you’re taking care of a shambling, needy zombie.
To maintain your pet’s delicate balance of unlife, meet its bizarre needs while avoiding a full-on zombie apocalypse.
This is a quirky dark humour take on the traditional virtual pet genre

Genre: LifeSim