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Cranky (Game Jam 2024)

A local split-screen game where players control pugs trying to catch squirrels, built in one week for Global Game Jam 2024 under the theme "Make Me Laugh". The movement is intentionally clunky, inspired by Party Animals and Fall Guys.

I was the project manager and built the pug: model, rig, textures and animation. Not to be confused with my later solo follow-up, Cranky: The Squirrel Annihilator.

The pug rig in Blender.
My role
Project manager, 3D artist and animator
Team and pace
Global Game Jam 2024 team, one-week sprint, UBalt site at the Universities at Shady Grove
Built with
Unity, Blender, Substance Painter
Result
A complete split-screen Windows build, delivered on time

The pug, from model to game

  • Modelling and rigging

    Built from scratch in Blender with a flexible rig for the exaggerated, floppy movement the game needed.

  • Textures

    Hand-painted stylised textures in Substance Painter, chosen to stay readable on a split screen.
The finished pug render.
Texturing in Substance Painter.

The pug concept was inspired by the work of Gil Rimmer and Rhenan Fidelis; all modelling, rigging and animation were made from scratch for this project.

Running the jam

As project manager and 3D lead, my job was to keep a one-week scope realistic without dropping the visual standard.

  • Trello sprint board

    Structured the sprint tasks and live progress tracking so everyone stayed aligned on a tight timeline.

  • Team coordination

    Split design and art tasks and managed the timeline so every core pug animation was in before the final build.
Planning with the team board.
The Trello sprint board.

Results

  • A complete, playable jam build in one week.
  • The pug character pipeline integrated into gameplay.
  • Designed and tested for keyboard and handheld controller play.
Demo day, playing on a Lenovo Legion Go.

Thanks to Julian Apostolov (@uapostolov_17) for helping troubleshoot pug and texture issues at 2 a.m.