Revisiting Monster P.I.

I didn't expect to be revisiting this one, but as I finally, after nine years, got to play through the entire program, I thought it would be fun to take another look at this project and all the monsters I made for it. 

First and foremost, this was created for my day career back in 2017. I originally shared this here on the blog in 2019, and it then vanished as if it never existed. For the project, I named it, created the logo, designed and created all the monsters, designed and created the Hub World in both normal and damaged states, mini game tutorial animations, and more. It was an extremely fun project to be a part of, and it is good to revisit and share it all again. The project was to create a testing interface for reading, word comprehension, and understanding. As you move through it, you will be tested, and if successful, you get a clue to the monster responsible for the damage and then play a fun little timed mini game. At the very end, you have to pick your monster from a lineup. After successfully finishing everything, you can make your own monster using all of the parts and colors.

And as I have finally been able to play through it all, it is a lot of fun and a great mix of testing and fun. Here is the vast majority of what I created for the project.

The Monster P.I. poster that I created using my assets.

Here are the monsters I created in their original forms. I also named all the monsters and created a backstory for each one. Respectively, they are: Zirrple, Dundur, Tromps, Wobbly, and Snerp.

All of their parts and colors are entirely interchangeable, making for many interesting, silly, and fun monsters.

 

Here are larger images of each monster. Cycling movements were added to give them a little more life. Everything was made to be interchangeable, which created some fun and challenging obstacles. 

Dundur, Snerp, Tromps, Wobbly, and Zirrple.

Clues would include tentacle legs, four arms, a spotted body, big ears, or the color. 

The Hub World was another large undertaking for the project. I needed to make the city look interesting and fun. I color-coded each location to the monster that, in its original form, is likely to be attracted to. Meaning that Zirrple likes the library. This was done mostly for myself and the little stories I wrote about each one. In the actual game, the monster will be a unique combination each time it is used. But this allows the location to be visually unique. After you visit a location, take the tests, collect the clue, and play the mini game, the location is repaired, and you can select another location to investigate. 

The Hub world.

The damaged Hub World.

 

The last major contribution to the project was animated tutorials for each of the mini games. They needed to be quick, simple, and explain what you need to do in the game to succeed. Each location had a themed game you could play. The game was timed, and you are rewarded one to three stars based on your performance. 

Game tutorial animations.

Here is a video that the center has used to advertise the game and our ability to create such projects. We are always on the lookout for projects like this, as they are super fun and allow us to really push ourselves and be creative.

Monster P.I.!

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Monster P.I.

I occasionally will talk about the day job here on the blog, but most of what I do at there is not relevant to the blog. On 2017 however, I worked on a project that lines up perfectly with my interests and activities outside of work. I was part of a team involved with a project I got to name called Monster P.I. As the name implies it involved monsters, which I was was in charge of designing and illustrating. As the project progressed, I also created a hub world illustration that was used as a map as well as a handful of other graphics and elements. This project is a "word detective game assessment for 5th-8th grade students". As the student progresses through the assessment, they will be given clues to the monster they are pursuing. At the end of the assessment, they will be given the opportunity to pick their monster out of a lineup. The monsters are created in such a way they all of their parts are entirely interchangeable, so while there is a master version of each, they can be recombined into thousands of different and unique variations. Also at the end of the assessment, the student has the opportunity to create their own monster with all the pieces available. Here is a look at some of the work I did on this project.

Monster P.I. poster, I created the logo, the background and all of the monsters.

Here is the lineup of all the monsters in their original forms. I also named all the monsters and created a back story for each one.

Dundur

This is Dundur. Dundur likes to go to the amusement park and ride all the rides and play all the games. Unfortunately, Dundur is too big and heavy to enjoy human rides and games without breaking them. Not to mention Dundur eats all of the cotton candy. There is not much amusement left after Dundur has been around.

Snerp

This is Snerp. Snerp is a real connoisseur of art, and she enjoys spending long days in museums looking at all the beautiful paintings and sculptures. Unfortunately, Snerp’s tail has a mind of its own and breaks everything around as it whips excitedly back and forth whenever Snerp is enjoying a piece of art. Not to mention Snerp sheds her scales constantly and they are too big to vacuum up. Every masterpiece becomes a masterpieces when Snerp shows up.

Tromps

This is Tromps. Tromps gets a real kick out of being physically active and playing monster sports. Unfortunately, the monster sports that Tromps likes to play involves smashing and breaking everything that he can get his hands on. Not to mention Tromps likes to use all the baseball bats to pick his teeth. You are going to strike out if Tromps comes to play.

Wobbly

This is Wobbly. Wobbly is a studious monster and enjoys attending classes at any school she can find. Unfortunately, Wobbly’s tentacles get stuck to everything she touches, leaving every school she visits a complete mess. Not to mentioned Wobbly leaves a thick layer of slime on every surface. You don't have to be an A student to know you don’t want to be in the same class as Wobbly.

Zirrple

This is Zirrple. Zirrple enjoys checking out the library to look at all the books and read exciting stories about goats and steam engines. Unfortunately, Zirrple can’t keep track of what his many hands and feet are doing all the time, and many books are stomped on and ripped apart. Not to mention Zirrple’s fingers are not good for turning pages, resulting in many damaged books. You don't need to be a scholar to know that the library is better off without a visit from Zirrple.

As mentioned, all of their parts and colors are entirely interchangeable making for many interesting, silly, and fun monsters.

The hub world or map is used to navigate through the assessment. There are five locations, each tied to an original version monster. When the student begins the assessment, everything is damaged, and as they proceed through it, the locations are repaired. This was an unexpected but fun aspect of the project.

Hub world repaired

Hub world damaged

There are five minigames associated with each location that the student visits. After the assessment, the student can play the game, and once the assessment is completed the student can revisit any of the games. They are all fast-paced timed games. I was part of the design team for the games and created little animated gifs to help explain what is involved with each game. This was another unexpected but fun part of the project. 

Here is a video that the center has used to advertise the game and our ability to create such projects. The plan is to do more projects like this, which is good since we are already working on a similar project.



That is all for another exciting Tuesday on the blog, see you back here on Wednesday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com