Guilty As Arrr
Multiplayer pirate social deduction prototype focused on real-time spatial audio attenuation and networked systems.
At a glance
My role
Team lead, systems developer, and playtest coordinator
Core challenge
Keep proximity voice and social cues readable over a network
Built with
Unity URP, Photon Fusion, Photon Voice 2
Result
Testable multiplayer slice rescoped and delivered within one semester
Project Overview
Guilty As Arrr is a multiplayer pirate social deduction prototype. The core gameplay revolves around proximity voice: physical distance and direction change who players can hear, so positioning becomes part of every private conversation and accusation.
Rescope & Production Reality
Midway through development, one teammate left the class. That shift required a full scope reset and moved a larger share of implementation, testing, and delivery onto my workload. Instead of over-promising, I narrowed the project to a realistic, working multiplayer slice that could be completed and tested within the semester.
- - Reframed the target from a broad feature set to a stable multiplayer prototype.
- - Prioritized core systems: session flow, voice proximity logic, and readable social feedback.
- - Focused on testable delivery and documentation to keep the project useful beyond class scope.
Team Lead Workflow (Trello)
I used Trello as the team lead to keep the project moving after the rescope. The board tracked ownership, weekly priorities, and what the smaller team could finish.
- - Broke work by teammate and system area so accountability stayed clear.
- - Re-ranked cards after each playtest to protect core gameplay over optional polish.
- - Used the board to communicate tradeoffs quickly when capacity changed.
Community Updates
I used a dedicated social profile to share progress and collect playtest feedback. The avatar was just a temporary visual marker, while the main goal was keeping updates visible and organized for the team and testers.
Network Architecture
- Photon Fusion:Built for high-performance networked state synchronization, ensuring sub-50ms latency for critical social cues.
- Photon Voice 2:Integrated for spatial voice proximity, dynamically attenuating audio based on in-game distances.
Key Contributions
- Proximity Voice Logic:Designed and tuned baselines for audio clarity and social tension, crucial for effective deception and accusation.
- Multiplayer Session Flow Ownership:Carried implementation of lightweight session management and round rules to keep playtests reliable under the rescoped plan.
- Spatial UX Cues:Balanced visual and audio feedback to support player reads in chaotic, fast-paced multiplayer rounds.
- Scope & Delivery Management:Re-prioritized backlog and cut non-essential features so the remaining systems could be polished and documented.
Tools & Technologies
- - Unity (URP)
- - Photon Fusion (Networking)
- - Photon Voice 2 (Spatial Audio)
- - Gameplay Input & Interaction Systems
Outcome
Delivered a testable multiplayer slice that validated the social loop, stayed realistic after the team-size change, and established a documented foundation for future expansion.
Playtest Highlight
One of my favorite parts of development is watching people playtest and either experience the intended loop or completely break it in creative ways. In this session, a tester pushed the ship traversal limits, used collision seams to climb higher than expected, and then walked along a rope like a true pirate.
Feature, not a bug.
That moment became useful design data for navigation boundaries, movement readability, and player freedom.
Documents
Supporting documents, including the original plan and the rescoped version used after team capacity changed.
Reflection
This project became an exercise in realistic production judgment. With less team capacity than planned, I shifted from feature breadth to execution quality and pushed as far as possible within constraints while still delivering something testable, coherent, and portfolio-ready.