POKÉDEX
DESCRIPTION
Pokedex is a recreation of Pokémon’s Pokedex system by reading JSON files in order to parse through a large amount of information
MECHANICS RECREATED
-
large dictionaries
-
Displaying information
-
Changing between different Pokémon
-
Reflection of Pokémon found states
ROLE
Solo Project | Systems Design Breakdown
DURATION
3 Days
TEAM SIZE
1
TOOLS USED
Unity, C#
The main takeaway I had from this quick project was essentially learning about the versatility of using dictionaries and their use for large amounts of information that all share common attributes with one another and how it can be applied in game design to edit a dictionary instance in a JSON file and have it be reflected automatically by a game manager. As modularity was something that was of importance to me regarding being able to quickly alter and iterate upon different values in a system with a ton of information, this systems breakdown was immensely helpful to me as technical game designer.
Technical Design
JSON Data and Dictionaries
Using Pokémon Red/Blue for reference on how to structure out a Pokédex, I laid out what attributes and states I needed to display and switch between within a Pokédex. I specifically used Pokémon Red/Blue Pokédex as it had a simple user interface and a decent amount of attributes and list of Pokémon that I would be able to utilize reading through a JSON file for.
As I learned how to use dictionaries, I found it satisfying to be able to connect my knowledge of how easily being able to search through a Pokédex can be satisfying for players to see all their found Pokémon in one easy navigable place with the technical ability to break it down and recreate it.
I would make a separate class to solely house the reference to the Pokédex JSON file and derive it within the Pokédex Manager rather than directly referencing the JSON file in the main class script as Unity would not recognize all the dictionary entries otherwise.

Pokédex Systems Systems Mockup

Pokédex Systems Code Json Data Parsing Code Example