Crustacean Frustration is a fast-paced real time strategy game pitting lobsters and crabs head to head in a water tank at the grocery. It uses a small stage and short game time to provide a simple, fast paced strategy experience to casual players. The main game mode involves the player controlling various aquatic units in order to protect a large, meaty crustacean from entering a "danger zone" that it constantly moves towards where it will be removed, cooked, and served. Units build walls to keep the meat from moving while also breaking down the enemy's walls.

The game was developed by Will2Kill Dynamix as the subject of a two-part co-op at the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was funded by the RIT Center for Student Innovation, and workspaces were graciously provided by RIT's Interactive Games and Media department.

Personally, I helped take the game from concept through design and development, including pitching the game to our department heads for funding and workspaces, putting together a board of advisors, and building a team. I also designed the initial GUI framework which was built upon by another team member. I then built a set of tools which allowed us to automate and expedite different aspect of the development. For example, I made a level editor which allowed us to quickly make stage XMLs. I also worked on various aspects of the game, such as the Deck Builder and saving/loading system. I did some level design as well, making levels for the Campaign game mode.

If you'd like to see more about Crustacean Frustration, check out our Development Blog or watch this talk we gave at the RIT Center for Student Innovation Summer Symposium.