My name is Lubomir Svetlinski, but most people like to call me by my nickname „Bobo“, and I am a student at the University of Bayreuth, Germany.
Ever since I was a kid, I have dreamt of being able to play my own video games someday. With this in mind and a strong affinity towards computers and quickly understanding / learning software, I have chosen to enroll at the University of Bayreuth.
With media studies and media practice as major and applied computer science as minor, there was a lot of focus on the programming and developing side of games, but we also had many other lectures about games, such as 3D Modelling, Game Design as a whole with Balancing and Narration in particular. Currently I am studying computer game studies.
As I mentioned, my affinity towards computers or working with software has helped me a lot in mastering my lectures and classes, but also with working on different gaming projects. For example I got hired by the university as a student assistant for the „Introduction to game programming“ lecture, to help out the other students and review/correct their homework.
Also I really enjoy the feeling of overcoming obstacles while programming especially when you just think about the logic. I specialize in C# and Unity 2D and 3D.
With different lectures about Game Design, Narration, Balancing, etc. I have had often the opportunity to put my new knowledge to the test by trying it out directly on my projects. In most cases, I had to fulfill the part of the Balancing myself, because of the lack of people willing to do it.
But in most cases it was the obvious choice, because I was the one maintaining the whole project and therefore being able to easily implement or change values… and I was also the only one, who had fun with making the corresponding machinations.
I have grown fond of quite a lot of games, which featured their own In-Game-Editors or provided access to Map Editors, such as WarCraft 3, Company of Heroes, etc. I have spent a plethora of hours on the Far Cry 2 Map Editor, designing and creating my own worlds to play with my friends, only to lose myself into details and maybe also hide some (imbalanced) secrets to annoy or surprise them.
Nowadays I feel more encouraged than ever working on Level Design, because of using assets, that we’re made by my team itself.
While studying and participating in different projects and game jams, I have found myself to be handling things very well in terms of working various roles at the same time. For example I enjoy working on 3D modelling as well as drawing 2D art.
In our „Introduction to game programming“ lecture, I had a great time, trying out all those different tasks and roles. More importantly I have a better understanding of how something is created, before I implement it and even what the limitations are of things I want to have created for implementation.
Here is a selection of different working experiences like volunteering or internships.
Start out as a nobody at the edge and work your way to the center of a galaxy that gets more dangerous, but also more rewarding the closer you get to its core. Avorion takes sandbox aspects from games like X or Freelancer, throws in co-op multiplayer and lets you build your own ships. It features ships made of freely scalable blocks that can be procedurally generated and that break into pieces where they're hit in space fights.
Programming internship at Boxelware GmbH / game page
EXSOMNIS: THE ELEVENTH LEGION is an atmospheric and story-driven first-person mystery adventure with survival and horror elements. The game is set in early summer of AD 79 during the Roman Empire in an legionary camp. You play Remus, a civilian doctor from the Eleventh Legion. He just woke up from a terrible nightmare and now he must try to unravel the secrets of his comrades to save those who are still caught in their own nightmares.
Can you save them and yourself?
Programming volunteer at NightinGames during concept phase / game page
These projects were made for various lectures at my University and focus lectures.
In a future, where our world is struggling from all the pollution and misery, we humans caused, a microchip implant was invented, that had the power to alter the senses of its owner to view an Utopian version of the real world. Those chips were planted in the brain of every citizen the moment they were born. And after a few generations of people, who were under the effect of this chip, no one was left who could recognize their environment and the resulting problems anymore.
You are one of those citizen, but after an accident, your implant got corrupted. Now you can witness the real world and have to face new and never before seen obstacles on your way to decide about your own future…
Will you try to get your chip repaired and live „happily ever after“ in an illusionary world or will you accept the reality and try to convince other citizen to join your cause?
Made for the „Media Project: Video Game – SCRUM“ university lecture / mobile game
In a post-apocalyptic world, where the rich can afford to throw away 99% of their (still edible) food, a diverse group of people from the poor outer rim have gathered to fight against hunger and the pollution of their environment.
You can control each of your group members, look up their strengths and weaknesses, send them off to search for valuable materials or food in the ever-growing trash heap. But be aware to watch out for their hunger. Everybody has a different form of diet and can only work, if they had enough to eat.
How will you manage to feed your people, recycle the endless heaps of garbage and avoid drowning in it?
Vertical Slice for university project
After a troubling time at your 9 to 5 job, you receive a note about the inheritance of your grandfather’s property. You don’t waste anymore time and decide to leave your old life and go to see it for yourself.
You arrive at a small countryside town and immediately settle for a new beginning at your grandfather’s farm. But not everything in that town seems to be nice and cute… The local people seem to have their own problems and there are quite a few family feuds.
How will you treat your grandfather’s inheritance and the people around you and what about the discovery of a dark secret about your grandfather’s farming interest?
Vertical Slice for university graduation project / game page
In the past years I have participated in a few Game Jams, that were hosted by my University and also the Global Game Jam, which was featured at our location.
My partner and I interpreted the theme Lost & Found in an other way, then we first thought. The idea revolved around an inspiration with Dating Sims and DnD and how it's about the player losing their memories and having to go on a adventure to rescue them from an evil witch.
The game involves different possibilities and endings, based on the actions and dialogues the players decide on. These decisions are for example how to aid your team in fights and for this you need to have high enough skills which can be improved by completing minigames at the campsite.
Made for Global Game Jam 2021 / university project / game page
My partner and I interpreted the theme Lost & Found in an other way, then we first thought. The idea revolved around an inspiration with Dating Sims and DnD and how it's about the player losing their memories and having to go on a adventure to rescue them from an evil witch.
The game involves different possibilities and endings, based on the actions and dialogues the players decide on. These decisions are for example how to aid your team in fights and for this you need to have high enough skills which can be improved by completing minigames at the campsite.
Made for Franken Game Jam 2022 / university project / game page
After checking in on my colleagues, if they had any good ideas for the GGJ theme, we just sat down and scanned our room for some interesting things. The one thing that caught our attention was a big plant, which was plagued by little flies. And thus came the idea to make a game about a determined droplet of water, that wants to rid its beloved plant off all pests.
The game is a 2D platformer in which the players can only drop down to new platforms. The goal is to collect all matches to exterminate the fungus gnats with sulfur. Players have to avoid dropping from high places and only fight the pests, if boosted by sulfur.
Made for Global Game Jam 2023 / university project / game page
My group and I had the idea to combine the game jam theme with a submission for our „Dimensions of Media and Society“ lecture, which had the theme „copyright“. So we immediately thought of a flea market, where the player finds all kinds of pop cultural items. Your goal is to search the flea market for a random list of those finds/treasure troves and to collect/buy the right ones before the countdown ends or you run out of money.
And to stay true to the lecture theme, the items have been renamed to „avoid copyright infringement“ (and to confuse the players a little bit, so they have to think about their meanings).
Made for Fall Game Jam 2019
According to the definition of Telepresence, the users should experience the feeling, that they’re in another place other than their true location. So my partner and I had the idea of making a game, where the player controls a bat, that has to scour its environment for food and return home safely. To involve the theme, the player has almost no vision and has to use his/her voice for echolocation and navigation.
The louder the shriek of your bat, the bigger the temporarily revealed area of your surroundings will be. But this also involves a greater risk of making everything around you aware of your presence. This way the player can get the feeling of being a „real“ bat, while trying to find enough food and avoid being attacked by predators.
Made for Spring Jam 2020
For the theme of this Game Jame, my partner and I had a few ideas, but narrowed it quickly down to this game. As the theme suggests, we had to think about how to use Anticipation the right way. We decided to combine the theme with "expactation" and how you can steer the way players look at the game and what they expect from it.
The game is about Hide and Seek and the player are the ones to hide. While the others try to find them, the player has to stay hidden from the others for as long as possible and tag them when they aren't looking, so they're out. There is a catch to the game, but I won't spoil it here.
Made for Franken Game Jam 2020 / university project / game page
The theme fit another topic of our previously mentioned lecture, and my partner and I decided on the idea of repairing a sad, gray world, where everything is being censored. With the diversifier „The Roaring 20s“ in our minds, we chose an appropiate artstyle. The goal is to start a colorful rebellion against the censoring threat and the vice squads, who try to shut down every attempt on convincing other individuals to think freely.
So the player must somehow start a spark in the people around them, so they can be converted and hopefully start a chain reaction affecting others too.
Made for Global Game Jam 2020
It was very easy for my partner and me to agree on an idea for this theme: We both like axolotls and we took the couch right away as the main goal of our game. You can play this Side-scrolling Jump ’n Run with up to 3 other people one after another. The players are assigned random starting orders and can manipulate their world on their run. These changes persist for the upcoming turns and are mostly intended for teasing your friends.
Use Power-Ups and avoid the dangers ahead, whoever gets to the couch and gathers the most points by surviving the longest, wins.
Made for Franken Game Jam 2019