Love on Tap

Love on Tap is a 2D visual novel simulation game where players become a novice bartender. They mix drinks, engage in branching conversations with patrons, and slowly uncover an ominous threat to their town.

Project Info

Tools: Unity 2D, Perforce, Wwise, Yarnspinner
Team Size: 3
Duration: January - May 2024

Role: Primary Game Designer

Prototyped and refined the core gameplay loop through iterative UX testing, adjusting mechanics and visuals based to create an engaging player experience
Designed and integrated 50+ 2D assets (including characters, props, and backgrounds) in Unity, ensuring visuals supported gameplay and narrative
Wrote and implemented branching dialogue systems that supported player choices and deepened character interactions
Collaborated on C# scripting and Wwise integration to support adaptive gameplay and audio feedback systems

Developmental Process

Love on Tap was structed using a professional-style pipeline. My co-developer and I moved through the full cycle, from planning and pre-production to production, alpha, beta, and a polished final version. First, I ideated, using similar games as reference points. Then, I created a vertical slice with the most important game mechanics: making drinks and talking with customers. I drafted scene layouts and maintained the game’s design macro and burndown chart. During weekly playtests I collected feedback then used it to refine the game’s mechanics, narrative, and overall readability. We continued to playtest and iterate across alpha, beta, and final release.

Game’s Vertical Slice

Documents Used

Game Design Macro: Used to track systems, narrative branches, and art/mechanics dependencies; I updated the macro as mechanics developed
Burndown Chart: A visual task tracker I updated weekly to record task completion, outstanding bugs, and timeline pacing
Playtest Forms: Submitted by playtesters during each testing phase and reviewed by me to note bugs and areas for improvement

Results

Love on Tap helped me grow into a design leadership role, collaborate with a co-developer for an extended period of time, and work through a professional-style pipeline from start to finish.