Zijie (Aniki) Zhuo
Gameplay Engineer & Game System Engineer
Board Game
Before Dawn
Independent Planner & Designer & Producer & Playtester
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Team: Personal project, Special Thanks: Annika from UCB
Development Period: Apr 2025 - Aug 2025
Genre: Multiplayer / Large-Scale Strategy / Deduction / Multi-Phase Contest / Resource & Territory Control / Intelligence Bluffing / Final Battle
My Responsibilities
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Independently planned rules and world-building, designing 4 standalone subsystems + 1 integrated grand system.
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Wrote narrative backstories and multi-phase scripts.
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Built skills system and balanced numerical parameters.
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Produced item cards and physical prototypes.
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Organized playtests to refine rules and balance narrative immersion with strategic depth.
Sands of time
Designer & Playtester
My Responsibilities
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Designed the overall dual-timeline gameplay system.
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Planned terrain and enemy categories.
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Built trap and mechanism systems.
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Produced and balanced certain items.
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Organized playtests to optimize cooperative experience and balance challenge with teamwork.
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Team: 4-Person Team (Work with Adis, Lan, shan from USC)
Development Period: Nov 2024
Platform: Board Game
Genre: Multiplayer Co-op / Puzzle / Timeline Interaction
hidden masterpiece
Designer & Playtester
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Team: 4-Person Team (Work with Adis, shan, Youngje from USC)
Development Period: Oct 2024
Genre: Two-Player Competitive / Turn-Based / Spatial Placement / Scoring Duel
My Responsibilities
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Designed diverse scoring patterns and balanced mechanics.
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Built the fragment placement and territory occupation logic.
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Organized user testing to refine pacing and enhance depth of strategy and engagement.
The Road to dining hall
Designer & Playtester
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Team: 4-Person Team (Work with caroline, chengyuan, hugo from USC)
Development Period: Sep 2024
Genre: Multiplayer Competitive / Turn-Based / Random Events
My Responsibilities
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Designed and implemented special items and event mechanics (speed boosts, slowdowns, traps).
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Organized multiple rounds of user testing to balance chaos and fairness.
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Led iteration of the item system.
