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 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!

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Genre: Couch Co-op, Racing, Party Game

Team Size: 15

Project Length: 6 Weeks

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​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

 

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

  • Wrote Game Design Documentation to be followed by a team of developers. 

  • Used playtesting data to iterate upon designs to promote more interactive gameplay.

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An Experiment in Game Feel

This project explores how animation, visual effects, sound, and movement contribute to “game feel” in first-person shooters. I analysed how different games approach weapon feedback, recoil, and player movement, and then applied these findings in Unreal Engine to prototype my own systems. The focus of the project was understanding how small details like procedural movement, muzzle flash, and animation blending can significantly change how a game feels to play.

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Genre: Shooter

Team Size: 1

Project Length: 8 Weeks

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​Role(s) and responsibilities:

Game Feel Designer

  • Researched and analysed how animation, VFX, sound, and movement contribute to game feel in FPS games

  • Compared different FPS titles to understand how realism vs exaggeration affects player experience

  • Broke down weapon feedback into key components such as recoil, muzzle flash, animation response, and audio feedback

  • Designed systems to improve weapon impact, responsiveness, and clarity for the player

  • Focused on how visual and animation feedback communicates information to the player

Unreal Engine Developer

  • Implemented weapon feedback systems in Unreal Engine using Blueprints

  • Developed and tested muzzle flash visual effects through iterative prototyping

  • Experimented with procedural animation for player movement to improve realism and immersion

  • Implemented and refined visual feedback elements to improve clarity and responsiveness

  • Iterated on systems through testing to improve overall game feel

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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.

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Genre: Adventure, Explortation

Team Size: 5

Project Length: 48 Hours

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​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) 

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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

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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

Team Size: 1

Project Length: 8 Weeks

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​Role(s) and responsibilities: 
Gameplay Designer
  • Designed the core gameplay loop focused on managing the zombie’s needs and preventing system failure states
  • Developed the zombie need systems (hunger, mood, and socialisation) and how they interact with each other
  • Focused on creating a loop where the player is managing instability 
  • Iterated on the systems through playtesting to improve clarity, balance, and player decision-making
  • Documented system designs and gameplay intentions to guide development
Unreal Engine Developer
  • Built the prototype in Unreal Engine using Blueprints
  • Implemented player interaction systems for feeding, calming, and interacting with the zombie
  • Created basic UI elements to display the zombie’s needs and current state
  • Implemented state changes and behaviour changes based on player actions
  • Tested and refined the gameplay loop to ensure it was functional and easy to understand
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