Manitaire
Somewhere deep in a magical forest, lies a bar where mushroom people gather for a game of Manitaire
Category:
Multiplayer
Made in:
Unity 6
Start: September 2025
Duration:
30 Weeks
Manitaire
Somewhere deep in a magical forest, lies a bar where mushroom people gather for a game of Manitaire
Category:
Multiplayer
Made in:
Unity 6
Start: September 2025
Duration:
30 Weeks
Manitaire
Somewhere deep in a magical forest, lies a bar where mushroom people gather for a game of Manitaire
Category:
Multiplayer
Made in:
Unity 6
Start: September 2025
Duration:
30 Weeks
About
Manitaire is an online game based on dice-poker.
It was made as a capstone project and was selected to represent the Savannah College of Arts and Design at GDC 2026.
Play as mushrooms and bet against your friends.
The winner takes it all!
About
Manitaire is an online game based on dice-poker.
It was made as a capstone project and was selected to represent the Savannah College of Arts and Design at GDC 2026.
Play as mushrooms and bet against your friends.
The winner takes it all!
About
Manitaire is an online game based on dice-poker.
It was made as a capstone project and was selected to represent the Savannah College of Arts and Design at GDC 2026.
Play as mushrooms and bet against your friends.
The winner takes it all!
As the lead developer, my goal was to make an intuitive and catchy game filled with animations and sounds where you can relax with your friends.
Here are some of the challenges we encountered:
As the lead developer, my goal was to make an intuitive and catchy game filled with animations and sounds where you can relax with your friends.
Here are some of the challenges we encountered:
As the lead developer, my goal was to make an intuitive and catchy game filled with animations and sounds where you can relax with your friends.
Here are some of the challenges we encountered:
Networked Objects
The first step was to get an understanding of server-authoritative logic and how gameplay is synchronized across players.
I was able to implement networked dice, casino chips, and even the player avatars themselves.
Small object synchronization was very tricky, as players would not be getting the same dice values. That's where animation came in handy! I made a system that would randomly choose dice values and animate the result.
Game Flow
To achieve a modular system, the base structure of the game was made and remade multiple times until reaching perfection. This meant going back to pen and paper and starting from scratch in more than one occasion. The result was a simple and solid base for the game's progression.
Each round is split in two phases: A preparation phase where players roll their dice and gain score,
and a betting phase where players throw their chips into the pot, which are then evaluated to make sure bets are fair before declaring a winner.
Currency System
"Pibs" are Manitaire's main currency and they can be grabbed individually or as a stack, which I was able to achieve by making a reparenting system.
Stacks are treated as single objects to maintain network synchronization, and hold the combined pibs value.
Players are able to split their stacks where they choose, making it easier to bet.
And because we love throwing stuff to our friends in VR, they get reset automatically.
Customization
A simple feature but critical to the game's identity. I made a character selection panel where players can change their skin before hosting or joining a table.
Additionally, I modeled the player avatar and made 7 skins to choose from.
My amazing team made an additional 9 skins!
The modular system allows us to customize players' dice as well.
Networked Objects
The first step was to get an understanding of server-authoritative logic and how gameplay is synchronized across players.
I was able to implement networked dice, casino chips, and even the player avatars themselves.
Small object synchronization was very tricky, as players would not be getting the same dice values. That’s where animation came in handy! I made a system that would randomly choose dice values and animate the result.
Game Flow
To achieve a modular system, the base structure of the game was made and remade multiple times until reaching perfection. This meant going back to pen and paper and starting from scratch in more than one occasion. The result was a simple and solid base for the game’s progression.
Each round is split in two phases: A preparation phase where players roll their dice and gain score,
and a betting phase where players throw their chips into the pot, which are then evaluated to make sure bets are fair before declaring a winner.
Currency System
“Pibs” are Manitaire’s main currency and they can be grabbed individually or as a stack, which I was able to achieve by making a reparenting system.
Stacks are treated as single objects to maintain network synchronization, and hold the combined pibs value.
Players are able to split their stacks where they choose, making it easier to bet.
And because we love throwing stuff to our friends in VR, they get reset automatically.
Customization
A simple feature but critical to the game’s identity. I made a character selection panel where players can change their skin before hosting or joining a table.
Additionally, I modeled the player avatar and made 7 skins to choose from.
My amazing team made an additional 9 skins!
The modular system allows us to customize players’ dice as well.
Networked Objects
The first step was to get an understanding of server-authoritative logic and how gameplay is synchronized across players.
I was able to implement networked dice, casino chips, and even the player avatars themselves.
Small object synchronization was very tricky, as players would not be getting the same dice values. That’s where animation came in handy! I made a system that would randomly choose dice values and animate the result.
Game Flow
To achieve a modular system, the base structure of the game was made and remade multiple times until reaching perfection. This meant going back to pen and paper and starting from scratch in more than one occasion. The result was a simple and solid base for the game’s progression.
Each round is split in two phases: A preparation phase where players roll their dice and gain score,
and a betting phase where players throw their chips into the pot, which are then evaluated to make sure bets are fair before declaring a winner.
Currency System
“Pibs” are Manitaire’s main currency and they can be grabbed individually or as a stack, which I was able to achieve by making a reparenting system.
Stacks are treated as single objects to maintain network synchronization, and hold the combined pibs value.
Players are able to split their stacks where they choose, making it easier to bet.
And because we love throwing stuff to our friends in VR, they get reset automatically.
Customization
A simple feature but critical to the game’s identity. I made a character selection panel where players can change their skin before hosting or joining a table.
Additionally, I modeled the player avatar and made 7 skins to choose from.
My amazing team made an additional 9 skins!
The modular system allows us to customize players’ dice as well.
End Result:
End Result:
End Result:
My Team
My Team
My Team
Ellisha Shin
Art Director
Graphic Design
Environment
Trailer Production
Alexi Pelekanos
Concept Artist
Character Artist
Experimental
Ellisha Shin
Art Director
Graphic Design
Environment
Trailer Production
Alexi Pelekanos
Concept Artist
Character Artist
Experimental
Ellisha Shin
Art Director
Graphic Design
Environment
Trailer Production
Alexi Pelekanos
Concept Artist
Character Artist
Experimental
Planning & Progress
From early planning to implementation and polish.
These are some of my coding, modeling, and animation contributions of this 30 week project.
Planning & Progress
From early planning to implementation and polish.
These are some of my coding, modeling, and animation contributions of this 30 week project.
Planning & Progress
From early planning to implementation and polish.
These are some of my coding, modeling, and animation contributions of this 30 week project.
