Hi! I'm Zach, but my friends call me Trout. 

I design and create games.


 I'm an aspiring Game Maker, currently working with friends on Hammerblow Studios, but I'm also looking to break into the industry any way I can!

Design Challenges

Design Challenge: 

Create a game using DICE that does not use the  face value of the die.

Status:

Prototyped, Playable, working towards Kickstarter!

Notes:

I wanted to create a game that used dice but wasn't just a straight comparison of numerical values.  What I ended up with was using the position of the pips on the die face!

Print and Play version available on request!

How To Play

Design Challenge:

Create a scrolling Galaga-style game in ONE DAY.

Status: 

Complete!

Notes:

I wanted to learn unity better so I whipped together a (fairly generic) scrolling shooter. 

In Development!

Gameplay

Writing Samples and Prototypes

Bungie - GDW.docx

Bungie Weapon Designer Submission

As part of my portfolio to Bungie for a Weapon Designer position, I included some thoughts and ideas I had.  I've since stopped doing this for legal reasons, but I'm still proud of the ideas and I think they're worthwhile.

Titan's of Industry - Shelved Prototype

This was an very early original design.  This folder contains all my designs, notes from playtests, rules iterations, and more.  Ultimately it ended up being too complicated for the light Euro I was trying to create.

These are just a few things I've worked on.  I have multiple board games in various stages of development; some in writeups, some in playtesting, and others that I'm working to source art for.  If you're curious, feel free to contact me for more information, or check out my Resumes Page to find more samples and my background!

Diving Deeper Into Designs

Here's a look at how I approach new designs.  It might not be exactly the same for each project, but it generally follows this flow, and it works well for me.  For more examples, feel free to reach out and I'd be happy to share things like my design OneNote that contains all my prototypes, designs, notes and more!
(Note: Pleas exscuse the TERRIBLE hand writing.  I type any notes that others need to read, I promise!)

Start with an idea.

I generally start with an idea, it can come from any source: movies, music, conversations with friends.  It gets jotted down in my Design Diary in OneNote.

Draft the rules.

First I go through and outline the initial rules and mechanics, then I start working on generating some quick mateirals that I can playtest with.  3D printing helps a ton!

Testing and iteration.

The only thing left is testing, iterating, and testing some more.  If I get an idea to a point where I'm having fun with it and others are too, I may even take it out for public playtesting.

Of all of these, getting feedback is the most important.  Getting as many people with as many points of view to look at something and point out what they like, what they don't like, and getting their thoughts is the most important thing.  Being able to take that feedback isn't always easy, but it's some of the most fun for me as it gives me more challenges to overcome.  For more information on my Design and Production process, check out my Resumes Page where you can find links to some more designs and writing samples, as well as a description of the process I have when designing games!

What Am I Playing?

Current Games Taking My Time:


Honorable Mentions (stuff I've been playing, but not as regularly):

Hall Of Fame (Favorites):

Get in touch at zma.armentrout@gmail.com