Idle Miner Tycoon

Idle Miner Tycoon is a thrilling mobile simulation game that will take you on an exciting journey to become an industrial tycoon.

Make smart investments to upgrade your empire and boost your economy. Automate your workflow by hiring managers and make your miners work, even while you’re away.

This game will have you hooked with its cutting-edge game design and visually stunning graphics – long-lasting entertainment and continued satisfaction guaranteed.

Get ready to conquer the world of Idle Miner Tycoon!

Find out more about IMT here

Working at Kolibri Games

At Kolibri Games, my role as a Unity Developer for Idle Miner Tycoon has seen me engaged in a broad spectrum of features and tasks. My contributions have been diverse and include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Bug fixing, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted game experience for players.
Tech health improvements, focusing on the optimization and efficiency of game performance.
Creation and implementation of Visual Effects (VFX), enhancing the game’s visual appeal.
Development of UI functionality, improving user interaction and accessibility.
Implementation of characters and their special abilities, adding depth and strategy to the gameplay.
Enhancement of game systems for better reusability and abstraction, facilitating easier updates and maintenance.
Documentation of systems, providing clear guidelines and references for the development team.

Among my most significant contributions is the development of Super Managers, where I played a crucial role in bringing these central characters to life. Additionally, my initiative to develop a unified item view across the game stands out as a testament to my commitment to improving game design and functionality. This effort not only streamlined the in-game item management but also significantly enhanced the user experience by providing a cohesive and intuitive interface.

Super Managers

As a Unity Developer for Idle Miner Tycoon at Kolibri Games, I played a key role in developing 18 Super Managers, the game’s primary characters. My responsibilities included Unity-side development, particularly focusing on visual effects, and collaborating with the Art Department to ensure a unified character vision. This encompassed not only the implementation of character abilities and visual effects but also contributing creative ideas for character designs and abilities. My work ensured that each Super Manager offered a unique strategic advantage to players, enhancing the gaming experience through a combination of visual appeal and functional innovation.

Below you can see some of the super managers I’ve worked on:

Rayman

The iconic Rayman was introduced as a Super Manager in IMT as a crossover character.

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
I was involved in the production process early on to help with determining the ability and VFX.
Research into existing character
Close collaboration with Art Department
Unique orbiting behaviour for particle effects.

Ut'ux

the Alien. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Collaboration with Art to ideate on VFX concepts
Experimenting with particle effects to create a 'gooey' effect without using shaders.

Sam Fisher

Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell was introduced as a Super Manager in IMT as a crossover character.

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Conception of the 'stealing' idea
Figuring out how to make this visual effect work without needing to create more animations for the character rig.
Implemented an 'elevator visuals override' system to easily assign different image assets for the elevator, selected based on a given priority , to ensure future abilities are easier to implement.

Beiro

the gentle giant. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Implemented a system to easily attach objects to parts of character, which was used for the orb's glow
Special attention to the code architecture and clean-up logic to ensure the money from snowballs is always earned; regardless of ability ending, game closing etc

Lord Beiroth

the not-so-gentle giant. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
As a clone of Beiro, the logic was the same.
I implemented changes to allow a super manager to use the same effect logic while using different visuals.

Luxario

Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Triggered pulse effect for each drop

Melody Rivers

the Conductor. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Worked closely with Game Design to design an ability that reflects her music theme.
A system which takes multiple 4-note sequences, the notes are placed accordingly.
Pitched audio to play the notes as they appear. The entire sheet plays as a melody when a single sheet is completed. Later scrapped.

Chris Capella

plays the Tuba. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
A simple and quick to implement manager to go along with Melody Rivers.

Glimmer

the Fairy. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Implemented a solution for mapping the movement speed to worker animation speed non-linearly.
Prioritized a mystic and hazy feel for the VFX.

Samantha Reiss

Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Discussions with Game Design to determine the exact logic of her ability
Implemented a parabola utility to calculate the trajectory of the diamonds.

Marrena

the Jellyfish Mermaid. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Closely working with Art to determine how the assets for the jellyfish should be produced.

Ula Galvani

the Environmental Activist. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Produced for participation in the Green Game Jam 2023
Usage of Unity's timeline system with custom implementations.
I recommended the ability idea to reflect her theme

Zephyria

the Ancient Robot. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Usage of the 'elevator visuals override' system which made this implementation easier.

Afi

the Fire Dancer. Notable points:

Implementation of the character and ability logic in Unity
Worked with Game Design to come up with the ability design.
Recommended safety measures to Game Design to ensure the character is reliable. Due to being the first super manager which relies on chance.

Unified Item View

After encountering challenges with how items were managed in the codebase, I initiated a comprehensive overhaul of the item system in IMT. This effort extended beyond mere programming tasks, encompassing collaboration with UI/UX to design a versatile item view applicable across various game contexts. In spearheading this project, I assumed a producer-like responsibility, overseeing the initiative from conception to implementation.

The project unfolded in several key stages:

Conducting a thorough analysis of the existing codebase to identify and document inefficient practices.
Researching item management strategies in successful games to understand industry standards and best practices.
Developing a new workflow for Game Designers and Artists to accomodate the changes.
Coding new systems that were not only intuitive for other developers but also significantly enhanced code clarity and maintainability.
Overhauling the data structure to improve readability and compatibility with version control systems, reducing the risk of errors.
Introducing modern designs to update the game’s feel and align with current standards.
Choosing the Daily Reward panel for the initial implementation of these improvements due to its outdated design and isolated functionality,
ensuring minimal risk to other game components.

This initiative demonstrated my ability to identify areas for improvement, devise strategic solutions, and lead cross-functional teams towards a common goal, ultimately elevating the game’s quality and user experience.

The new version