Buddy Feature : AR
Lead Technical Artist
Niantic, Pokemon Go (2019), Unity Engine
The Buddy Feature was the Tentpole Holiday release of 2019. It is renowned internally as one of the most ambitious challenges the Pokemon Go team has ever undertaken. With changes spanning the entire code base, it touched almost every part of the game design. The goal of the feature was to build more personal connections between trainers and individual Pokemon.
As the Lead Tech Artist on the project it was my job to facilitate communication between the Design and Engineering Department, create schedules and assign tasks, and most importantly, prototype enjoyable interactive play as an advocate for delightful User experiences.
To learn more about my work on Buddy see the Buddy Tools Section.
A playful character entrance
Placing game assets in real-world space is a key part of any AR experiences. In previous iterations we had chosen to have the user toss out a Pokeball, but for this feature I wanted the introduction to feel more intimate. By giving the illusion that the buddy was running into the game space from “behind” the trainer we create the feeling that the Pokemon is already following at the user’s side.
This interaction went through a number of prototyped iterations:
Keeping players out of the mesh
One of the consistent challenges working in AR is the loss of control of the Camera. Because users are unconstrained they can (and will!) collide with game objects .
The original version of this fx was created for the Snapshot Feature. For Buddy I was able to improve accuracy even further by utilizing the depth buffer.
Snacks with Buddy
Originally we thought we didn’t need to add any new effects for feeding, since there is already an existing 2D version in Encounter mode. But it became clear to me very early on that it was much more satisfying to use 3D assets when interacting in the real-world. By prototyping the interaction I was able to demonstrate to our PM that this was worth spending the time getting it right.
For berry tossing, we wanted to get as close as possible to the Pokeball toss gamification without crossing the line into player frustration; it was a difficult line to ride.
Procedural animation that feels customized
The most consistent challenge working with the Pokemon IP is the sheer volume of character assets. Every feature Go launches must be compatible with hundreds of Pokemon; each individual Pokemon has a very limited library of basic animations that come to us from an external vendor. In order to make interactions with all possible buddies feel personalized, we had to get creative. By utilizing procedurally generated animation techniques we were able to create eye contact, follow behavior, and even petting effects.