Tristan Volk
Home Projects
The Survivors
A screenshot of the environment in The Survivors, with snow, trees, and a hut on a hill.
An image of the environment in the game.
PlatformPC
Team Size30-40
Started ProductionSeptember 2017
Duration10 months
Tools UsedUnreal Engine, Jira, Perforce, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Adobe Photoshop, Discord
RolesUI/UX Designer, Community Manager, Game Designer
Detailed Info
I was part of a team of dedicated students at (NHTV) Breda University in the Netherlands who worked on this Battle Royale title as a proof of concept.

During the initial 10-month development of The Survivors, I was flexible and adapted to the needs of the project, taking upon many (overlooked) tasks and several roles. I learned the most from the roles as UI/UX designer and community manager; I go more in-depth on these below.

UI/UX Design
  • Created detailed mockups prior to implementation.
  • Created fitting, reusable, and quality assets for the UI.
  • Performed technical implementation of UI.
  • Frequently requested and applied feedback.
  • Iterated based on observations of user experience. (For example, watching Twitch streamers play the game.)
  • Overhauled the entire UI in the final two months of development.
Community Management
  • Set up and managed a Discord server (and verified it as part of Discord's verified program).
  • Set up a playtesting structure early in development.
  • Answered community questions professionally on Discord, Steam, and Twitter.
  • Collected and forwarded feedback to the team.
  • Communicated playtest dates and patch notes.
  • Managed the creation of The Survivors site.
Please note that all screenshots/footage reflect the work of the entire team, not just me.
Game Trailer
Playing the Game
If you would like to play the game, your best bet would be to check out the Steam page and to join the official Discord server. However, depending on when you are reading this (written July 2018), you may not be able to play the game.
UI/UX Design
Near the end of development, I took over the UI/UX design for the project. It lacked in many areas and required a lot of work to get to a presentable level. I went through the entire production of UI/UX in this limited amount of time. This includes mockups, asset creation, technical implementation, and iteration. Below you will find the HUD as it is now, the mockups I made in Adobe Photoshop prior, and how it was before I started working on it. I ended up making a few iterations of the HUD mockup based on feedback I collected.
The HUD is seen as it is in the game as of July 2018.
The HUD as I reworked it as of July 2018.
About me
I am a Dutch and British X-year-old living in the Netherlands. My passion for creating games started out by customising existing games on servers to make them more enjoyable, growing and leading a small community along the way. Other self-taught hobbies of mine are web development and video editing. I later studied International Game Architecture & Design at (NHTV) Breda University of Applied Sciences. I enjoy making things!
© Design and creation by myself. Special thanks to Merlijn van der Kamp.