Eco Protocol

Overview

Echo Protocol is a first person shooter set in a near future city overtaken by rogue AI systems. Players assume the role of the last human operator, fighting through hostile environments controlled by autonomous machines in an effort to reclaim agency from intelligence that has turned as creators. The gameplay loop centers on fast, tactical combat. A player must eliminate waves of small robotic units, and once the robots are cleared, players face a large-scale boss AI robot. Visually and mechanically, Echo Protocol prioritizes immersion through restrained sci-fi environments, minimal UI, and strong audio feedback. The project was driven by my ongoing interest in the impact of artificial intelligence on human autonomy and decision making. Through its combat structure and environmental design, the game explores the themes of control, surveillance, and human vulnerability within automated systems– framing each encounter as both a physical conflict and a reflection on humanity’s shifting relationship with intelligent machines.

My Role

• Led the art direction of the project by defining the overall game environment, visual style, and thematic direction, with focus on AI-controlled spaces and atmospheric sci-fi settings.
• Designed key game assests, including characters and weapons, ensuring visual consistency across combat scenarios and enemy encounters.
• Developed character motion and animations using Mixamo, integrating movement cycles to support responsive and immersive gameplay.
• Animated the main character's first person point of view interaction in Autodesk Maya, creating custom animations for healing, reloading, and shooting to enhance realism and player feedback.
• Collaborated closely with the narrative team to align character backstories, motivations, and worldbuilding with gameplay mechanics and visual design, ensuring a cohesive player experience.

Character

Rigging/Animation

Combat mechanics emphasize responsive gunplay, physical movement, and situational awareness, supported by carefully designed enemy variety. Smaller enemies create constant pressure through speed and numbers, while the boss encounter introduces a shift in pacing and scale, transforming each level into focused climatic confrontation.

Key Takeaway/ Challenges

This project marked my first experience directing and leading a small game development team. Working within a one-month hackathon timeline, I formed a three-person team to keep communication tight and production manageable under intense time constraints. Balancing speed with creative ambition was an ongoing challenge throughout the project. One of the most significant challenges was managing dual responsibilities as both team lead and designer. I was responsible not only for shaping the game’s vision and mechanics, but also for coordinating schedules, setting priorities, and ensuring steady progress across disciplines. This experience revealed how quickly leadership decisions can impact both team morale and production efficiency. Through weekly meetings, I learned to break down the project into achievable milestones and distribute tasks based on each team member’s strengths and availability. Clear role definition and realistic scope planning became essential to finishing the game on time. Overall, Echo Protocol taught me how demanding, but rewarding it is to lead a creative team under pressure. The project helped me grow as a director, sharpen my project management skills, and better understand how to balance creative direction with collaborative execution in a fast-paced development environment.