Reach for the
Description
Reach for the Mines is a small resource-collection game where you play as Grandpa, an old miner living in a small valley town. On your personal plot of land, you can place and manage stations such as chests, furnaces, and crafting tables to process the materials you gather.
Whenever you need resources, you head into town to purchase temporary access to specific mines. Once inside, you can mine the materials you need and bring them back to your plot to store, process, and craft with. This mining system is how most citizens of the valley make their living.
Your main goal is to upgrade your pickaxe to its full potential, complete quests, and continue progressing through the game.
All art was made by – Vitalina Khodun
The Process
For my minor, I chose the program SKILLED, which is a very open-ended minor focused on self-directed learning. Instead of following a fixed curriculum, students define their own learning goals and objectives and have them approved by a mentor. Throughout the minor, you regularly discuss your progress and development with that mentor.
My main goal during this minor was to work on a game with a larger scope than I had previously attempted. Up until that point, most of my university projects were small group projects that lasted only two or three weeks. I wanted the creative freedom and time to develop something more substantial that I was personally passionate about.
Reach for the Mines was the result of that goal. The minor lasted several months, with regular progress check-ins along the way. I started by brainstorming different ideas and discussing them with my mentor before settling on the concept for the game.
During development, I also collaborated with an artist who helped create the visual assets for the project. My main focus, however, was on building and showcasing the game’s underlying systems. The project includes systems for mining, crafting, inventory management, shop functionality, and more features I was particularly proud of and wanted to highlight.
Of course, the game could still be expanded further. Improvements such as sound design, UI updates, improved animations, or NPCs could all add more depth. There are also still a few placeholder elements in the current version. However, this was the state of the project at the end of the minor and the version that I submitted and passed with. Because of that, I’ve chosen to keep it as it is, as a reflection of the work completed during that period.