Piñata Revolución

Game Title: Piñata Revolución

Team: Keep It Simply Stupid, 4 Student Developers

Position: Artist, Animator

Dates: October – December 2011

Tools: Torque, Photoshop CS5, Audacity

Piñata Revolución tells the story of Trip the Piñata, who escapes from a birthday party and fights his way out of a neighborhood with nothing but a baseball bat. Trip must thwart local law enforcement and, eventually, the army as he attempts to flee the suburbs and liberate all piñata kind.

This was my first Team Game Production project as a graduate student at The Guildhall at SMU. Students were grouped into teams of four based on their degree tracks. My team, Keep It Simply Stupid, consisted of one programmer, two level designers, and one artist – me. All TGP 1 games were 2D, utilized the Torque engine, consisted of two levels, and had to be completed in 8 weeks. I produced all art materials for the game, including character and environment concepts, animation sprite sheets, and marketing materials (box art, cd covers, posters, manuals, etc.).

I had a blast making Piñata Revolución. I learned many technical skills, like creating 2D animations using Photoshop, but the most valuable thing I learned was how to work in a team to create a unique game.

My Work

Trip the Piñata is the main character of Piñata Revolución. He attempts to escape suburbia with nothing but a baseball bat, bashing anyone who gets in his way.

Trip has four basic attacks in his arsenal: (1) Bat swing. This deals minimal damage to enemies directly in front of Trip. (2) Donkey kick. Handy for crowd control, and knocks enemies backwards. (3) Candy power. Trip coughs up a wad of bubble gum on an enemy in front of him, stunning the baddie for a couple seconds. (4) Home run swing. The player can press and hold the bat swing button to charge a home run swing, which, if held for the maximum amount of time, defeats enemies instantly.

Agent Hawkins is the main antagonist of Piñata Revolución, a duel-wielding agent who vowed revenge against all piñata kind after a tragic incident at his 5th birthday. The game culminates in a one-on-one battle between him and Trip. Hawkins is faster, stronger, and has more health than any of the other enemies in the game.

Officer 1 wields a basic piñata bat and is the easiest enemy to defeat. They approach Trip on sight, so he really has to watch out!

Officer 2 is a ranged enemy, throwing water balloons at our papier-mâché hero. Like his buddy Officer 1, he attacks Trip on sight.

The Police Chief sadly never made it into the game. He was designed to throw donuts, charge, and whistle for backup officers to attack Trip.

Local law enforcement call on the aid of the army when they can’t quell the threat of our piñata hero. Army men appear in Level 2, and have the same attacks as their local counterparts, but move faster, have more health and deal more damage.

Environments & Assets

The game consists of two different levels with destructible assets. Trip can bash open trees, mailboxes, road blocks, even fire hydrants and receive candies to boost his health.