Esmerald
Esmerald is a 3D game with 2D elements focused on mining and discovering precious stones.
Players manage a team of miners, explore mining areas, discover precious stones, and use their earnings and experience to improve their workforce.
Game Concept
The main objective of Esmerald was to allow players to explore mining areas and discover different types of precious stones using a team of specialized workers.
Players could earn money and experience by mining and discovering valuable stones. These resources could then be used to improve existing characters or purchase new members for the mining team.
The project also had an educational objective. By discovering different precious stones, players could learn more about how they are found and why some stones are considered more valuable than others.
My Role
I worked as a Game Designer and contributed to the development of the project as part of a team of approximately four people.
My main responsibilities focused on character progression, character abilities, and the tutorial experience.
- Designed the functions and abilities of the playable characters.
- Designed the upgrade paths for the different characters.
- Defined how the different members of the mining team would be used.
- Designed the tutorial level and its progression.
- Participated in level design for the tutorial.
- Helped research visual and audio references for the project.
Gameplay & Progression
The player started with a basic mining team. As the player collected experience and money from the mines, they could improve the efficiency of their existing characters or purchase additional characters to increase the available workforce.
Character Progression
One of my main contributions was designing the roles and progression of the different members of the mining team.
Rather than treating the characters as simple cosmetic differences, I wanted their functions to reflect the different tasks that could be associated with mining.
This led to a progression system in which players could improve their workers and make their mining operation more efficient.
Design Research
When designing the character progression, I researched different tasks and types of workers associated with mining operations.
The goal was to use these real-world references as inspiration for the game's character roles and progression rather than simply assigning arbitrary abilities to each character.
This research helped connect the game's progression system to the mining theme while also supporting its educational purpose.
Educational Element
Esmerald was designed to encourage curiosity about precious stones outside the game.
Players could discover information about different stones, including how they could be found and how their rarity and value differed.
The original concept also explored ways to connect the player's in-game discoveries with real-world interest in precious stones.
Level Design
My direct level design contribution focused on the tutorial.
The tutorial was designed to introduce the player to how the mining team was used and how the different character functions contributed to the mining process.
The goal was to gradually introduce the project's core systems before the player progressed further into the experience.
Design Challenge
One of the main design challenges was balancing the excavation process so that the player would not become bored while simply watching a character perform a task.
The mining process needed to communicate that the player's team was working while still maintaining an engaging gameplay rhythm.
This became an important consideration when thinking about character progression and the amount of time required for different mining activities.
Playtesting
The project did not reach a stage where extensive external playtesting was performed, so there was limited player feedback available during development.
Because of this, some gameplay ideas remained opportunities for future iteration rather than fully validated systems.
What I Would Improve Today
If I redesigned Esmerald today, I would focus on increasing the player's direct interaction with the excavation process.
One possibility would be introducing small minigames or puzzles during mining activities.
Successful interaction could reduce the time required to excavate an area or increase the player's chances of discovering more valuable stones.
This would turn excavation from a mostly passive process into an activity where player skill and decision-making directly influence the results.
Key Takeaway
Esmerald was an opportunity to explore character progression, role-based gameplay, educational design, and resource management within a mining-themed experience.
My work on the character abilities and progression taught me how research into a real-world subject can be transformed into gameplay systems that support both the theme and the player's progression.
The project also reinforced the importance of keeping players actively engaged, especially when a core gameplay activity could otherwise become repetitive or passive.
Back to Projects