Dogs At Work - Paws in the Deep
Overview
Paws in the Deep is a mini arcade game that follows a working diving dog who collects lobsters and outsmarts underwater dangers along Miami’s coast. Through this playful scenario, the project highlights the important roles dogs can take on in human society and showcases how dogs are capable of performing tasks that humans may find difficult to execute on their own.
Background of the Course Assignment
This project was a class sprint based on Dogs at Work, where students were given access to the picture book’s illustrations and tasked with creating a game about one working dog profession. Using the shared art assets ensured a unified visual style across the class, while each student developed their own interpretation of a chosen job. For my project, I focused on the diving dog.
Credits
Artwork adapted from Dogs at Work, written by Margaret Cardillo and illustrated by Zachariah OHora, © 2021 HarperCollins Publishers. Used with permission for educational purposes as part of a class project at the University of Miami.
Gameplay
Goal: Catch as many lobsters as possible before running out of air or time.
Core Mechanics:
Dive from the owner’s boat into the ocean.
Navigate toward lobsters while avoiding sharks, crabs, and dangerous zones.
Monitor air (AP) and health (HP).
Return to the surface before AP reaches zero or time runs out.
Multiple Endings:
Success • Shark attack • Drowning • Crab trap • Time-out
Success
Design Focus
Highlights Miami’s local marine culture and the cooperation between humans and working dogs.
Raises awareness of marine harvesting and the specialized skills dogs can perform.
Uses modified art assets from Dogs at Work, rearranged and animated in Photoshop for lively underwater animation.
Adds pressure and countdown systems to increase tension.
Explores how children’s book illustrations can be adapted into an interactive medium.
Development & Iteration Process
V0.1
Time-out
V1.5
Crab trap
Drowning
Shark attack
This game was built in GameSalad. Its online arcade platform made playtesting especially efficient, allowing me to iterate rapidly based on player and instructor feedback.
Paws in the Deep went through three major iterations.
In the first iteration, I implemented the core gameplay loop.
In the second iteration, following early playtests, I expanded the map and aligned the camera behavior more closely with the player’s movement.
In the third iteration, I refined numerous details, including the countdown timer, enemy behaviors, fish spawning logic, and overall pacing. During this stage, I also finalized the art style, animations, and ending scenes.
The project took roughly 30 hours to complete, spanning from January 20 to February 12.
Playtest Feedback Summary
V2.0 - V3.0: From a Fixed Map to a Deeper, Larger Level Layout
Challenges & Solutions
Engine Limitations: GameSalad’s restricted feature set required creative workarounds to achieve core mechanics.
Depth-Based Oxygen System: Designing a formula that linked the player’s depth (Y-axis position) to oxygen consumption demanded careful tuning.
Random Enemy Spawning: GameSalad’s lack of true random timers led to the creation of an intermediary random-number system to simulate unpredictable shark and fish behavior.
Off-Map Object Management: Lobsters and crabs needed custom cleanup logic to prevent scene issues when they moved beyond map boundaries.
Sound Design Decisions: Limited time and resources led to postponing individualized sound effects for each actor.
Time Constraints: The sprint schedule required continuous prioritization and limited how many features and refinements could be implemented.
Feedback Prioritization: Extensive playtest notes had to be filtered and ranked, as not all suggestions could be addressed within the development window.
Next Steps
If I have spare time in the future, my priority would be to enhance the game with engaging sound effects. Combining interesting visual assets with sound effects can create a more immersive gaming experience.
Reflection
Developing Paws in the Deep taught me to manage scope, prioritize essential features, and work creatively within GameSalad’s limitations.
Limited development time meant that not every idea could be fully implemented. Managing deadlines pushed me to make choices and focus on what would most benefit the final experience.
Working solo also highlighted the value of collaboration, as taking on every task alone reduced efficiency and made later development more difficult.
Through this project, I also gained a deeper understanding of how flexible storytelling can be in game design and how a unified visual style can still lead to diverse gameplay experiences. The game successfully integrated the themes of the "Dogs at Work" picture book, raising awareness of the significant role dogs play in human society.