CHAKRAS

Chakras is a DnD-inspired turned-based RPG that features intelligent enemies and a variety of chakra-themed classes and abilities that offer engaging player progression. It also includes a custom AI navmesh for optimized A* grid movement. The game is based on a tabletop RPG I developed using the Wizards of the Coast Open Games Licence.

Risa Iwasaki played a key role in designing the game's user interface.

Project Contributions

Developed custom A* navigation mesh for pathfinding.
Implemented a binary tree used for enemy AI’s combat to evaluate potential choices and their related outcomes with various customizable heuristics.
Created a data-driven ability library, skill tree nodes, and other various RPG systems.
Developed array-based drag-and-drop inventory structure.
Used multithreading to optimize grid generation.
Wrote and designed the book the game is based on.

Custom Navmesh and AI

I integrated various navigation and optimization algorithms to develop the infrastructure from scratch and gain a deeper understanding of AI development. This allowed for complete customization and implementation that best fit this genre. In addition to navigation, enemy decisions are driven by behaviour trees that allow for challenging and fun turn-based combat.

Game Book

Prior to the video game version, I developed the 100-page tabletop RPG version of Chakras during my time at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. I blended my love of game development and graphic design at the time to create the Chakras Player Handbook as seen here.

Thanks to the Wizards of the Coast Open Games Licence, I'm able to use many core features and dice rules seen within the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop RPG. This helped lay the skeleton rulesets for the game that are iconic to the genre and allowed me to design and implement the features that would help set it apart from competitors. Many of the core themes and classes seen within the game are inspired by various East Asian mythos.