UX/UI CASE STUDY · CONCEPT

Atlas Rush: a location game you can play alone, at your own pace

The sea took the cities. Sail a raft that grows into a legendary ship, claim islands on real (sunken) landmarks, and build boards that battle on their own, even while you are offline.

MY ROLE

Lead UX/UI Designer (Bonato): game design, UX, UI, design system

TOOLS

Figma (variables, components), ChatGPT (art generation), Claude (design partner), Python/PIL (asset pipeline)

SCOPE

Concept → rules & economy → design system → 53 hi-fi screens → prototype → validation plan

STATUS

Study project · built as if a team would ship it

ARTWORK

All visuals (logo, characters, items, islands and boats) were created by me using prompt engineering + LLM image generation.

The problem

Location games ask a lot: be at the right place, at the right time, often near strangers, and play reflex-based mini-games. Many people who would love a city-wide strategy game can’t or won’t do that: commuters, parents, shift workers, frequent travellers. Existing territory games (e.g. Ingress) reward coordinated real-time teams and long sessions; base-defense games (e.g. Clash of Clans) are fun asynchronously but ignore the real world.

The solution

A fully asynchronous location strategy game. You plan, the boards fight. Islands defend themselves while you are away; you come back to a digestible summary, readable replays and one-tap rewards. Distance travelled (not speed, not route) is the only movement that matters, which keeps the game safe and privacy-friendly.

Five chapters worth reading

01 · RESEARCH & BENCHMARK

What the genre does well, and what we do differently

Desk research on six references. Claims about other games come from the sources listed at the bottom; anything not verified is marked as such. We do not claim originality for a mechanic unless we could not find it in the references.

Insights → design principles

Sources

• Ingress: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingress_(video_game) · support.ingress.com (Creating Links and Fields) · ingress.fandom.com/wiki/Control_Field
• Pokémon GO gyms & defender bonus: niantic.helpshift.com (Earning the Defender Bonus) · imore.com/pokemon-go-gyms
• Pokémon GO speed warning: androidcentral.com (How to avoid a driving warning) · npr.org (2016) “Yes, people really are driving while playing Pokémon Go”
• Clash of Clans shields: clashofclans.fandom.com/wiki/Shield
• Niantic placement criteria (no private residences, K-12, childcare): niantic.helpshift.com Wayfarer Rejection Criteria
• Upland: fool.com (2021) “3 Benefits to Becoming a Landlord in the Metaverse”
• Not verified for this study: Landlord GO mechanics (listed in the brief; excluded from the table until checked).

02 · STRATEGY

Principles, people and how we’ll know it works

Design principles

Personas

Lia, 29, the city walker

Walks 40 min a day between home, metro and work. Plays in 2-5 min bursts.

GOAL

Feel progress without changing her routine.

FRUSTRATION

Games that demand detours, evenings out or being online at a set time.

HOW ATLAS RUSH SERVES THEM

Islands on her route, remote coconut collection, “While you were away” in 30 s.

Rafa, 35, the board strategist

Loves auto-battlers and deck builders; plays seated, at home.

GOAL

Out-think other players; see his builds win.

FRUSTRATION

Location games feel shallow; real-time PvP is exhausting.

HOW ATLAS RUSH SERVES THEM

Deep defense/attack boards, the type triangle, free simulations, readable replays.

Marta, 46, the frequent traveller

Flies twice a month for work; rarely in the same city two weeks in a row.

GOAL

Have a reason to open the app abroad and when she comes back.

FRUSTRATION

Territory games punish being away; progress stalls.

HOW ATLAS RUSH SERVES THEM

Voyage bonus: every island pays for the distance she travelled, safely and privately.

Journey · Lia’s first week

1. Day 1

   Installs, claims a wild island on her way to the metro

   “That was easy”

2. Day 1 night

   Island raided while asleep

3. Day 2

   “While you were away”: 1 lost, recovery chest, replay shows the open flank

   “Ok, I get why”

4. Day 2

   Simulates a new defense on the train, retakes the island

   “I outsmarted them”

5. Day 4

   Collects 9 coconuts from 3 islands without detours

   “Little and often”

6. Day 7

   Rowboat unlocked → bigger board, new league

   “Progress!”

Hypotheses & success metrics

03 · GAME DESIGN

Rules, economy and content

Labels: DECIDED = Bonato’s decision · PROPOSAL = my suggestion (needs sign-off) · PENDING = open question.

Core loop

1. Find chestssunken cities
2. Claim islandswild = free
3. Build boardsdefense + boat
4. Raid islandssame league
5. Get raidedwhile offline
6. Returnreplays, coconuts
7. Spendshop, upgrades

Economy · coconuts (closed loop)

Worked example: 12 islands → 36 coconuts/day. A Lv 4→5 upgrade at 120 coconuts ≈ 3.3 days of income. Meaningful but reachable. All prices are placeholders until the balancing sheet is validated with bot simulations.

Progression · 30 boat levels (boat = level = attack board = league)

#	Boat	Art	Materials I → II → III	Attack board	Levels
1	Raft		Bamboo → Wood → Reinforced wood	3×3	1-3
2	Rowboat		Wood → Iron-banded → Iron	3×4	4-6
3	Double canoe		Bamboo → Wood → Coral hull	4×4	7-9
4	Sailboat		Canvas & wood → Canvas & iron → Silk & steel	4×5	10-12
5	Schooner		Wood → Iron → Steel	5×5	13-15
6	Caravel		Dark wood → Bronze → Silver	5×6	16-18
7	Galleon		Oak → Black iron → Gold	6×6	19-21
8	Frigate		Steel → Obsidian → Sea crystal	6×7	22-24
9	Legendary ship		Pearl → Amber → Aurora	7×7	25-27
10	Leviathan		Bone → Living coral → Abyssal	7×8	28-30

Islands · 8 levels

Lv	Island	Art	Defense grid	Upgrade cost (placeholder)
1	Sandbank		3×3	Claimed
2	Islet		3×4	30 coconuts
3	Small island		4×4	60 coconuts
4	Medium island		4×5	90 coconuts
5	Large island		5×5	120 coconuts
6	Lagoon island		5×6	180 coconuts + palm seed? (pending)
7	Fortress island		6×6	260 coconuts + palm seed? (pending)
8	Legendary island		6×7	360 coconuts + palm seed? (pending)

Type triangle

The 40 items (+4 specials)

Usage: D = island defense, A = boat attack, A/D = both. Common → Rare take 1 cell; Epic & Legendary take 2. Names were localised to English and softened where the brief asked to avoid bomb/war language (e.g. “Explosive barrel” → Bursting Barrel, “Tide mine” → Tide Trap, “Urchin bomb” → Spiky Urchin).

• 
  Crab ShieldBarrierDCOMMONBlocks its cell and takes 3 hits
• 
  Coral WallBarrierDCOMMON2-cell wall that bends the attackers’ path
• 
  Fishing NetBarrierDCOMMONSlows whoever crosses it by 2 s
• 
  Shield SailorBarrierACOMMONWalks in front and absorbs hits
• 
  Bursting BarrelForceDCOMMONBursts when hit, damaging neighbours
• 
  Coconut SlingshotForceDCOMMONFires at nearest attacker (range 2)
• 
  HarpoonerForceACOMMONStrong straight-line strike
• 
  Deck CannonForceACOMMONRanged damage, slow reload
• 
  Tide TrapCunningDCOMMONHidden trap that hurts who steps on it
• 
  Decoy LureCunningDCOMMONDraws attackers’ aim for a few seconds
• 
  Hook FisherCunningACOMMONPulls an enemy closer
• 
  Spy ParrotCunningACOMMONReveals part of the defense before attacking
• 
  Turtle ShellBarrierDUNCOMMONReduces damage on neighbouring cells
• 
  Kelp CurtainBarrierDUNCOMMONShrinks the range of attackers passing through
• 
  Iron ChainBarrierDUNCOMMONHolds the first enemy that touches it for 3 s
• 
  Bow ShieldbearerBarrierAUNCOMMONBig shield protecting the row behind
• 
  Twin CannonForceA/DUNCOMMONTwo quick shots, long reload
• 
  Brute OctopusForceAUNCOMMONHits all neighbouring cells
• 
  Harpoon TowerForceDUNCOMMONFires along an entire column
• 
  Singing SirenCunningDUNCOMMONMakes an attacker switch targets
• 
  Sneaky PirateCunningAUNCOMMONIgnores the first barrier it meets
• 
  Sea MistCunningA/DUNCOMMONHides neighbouring items from recon
• 
  Coral GolemBarrierDRARETakes 2 cells and slowly regenerates
• 
  Tide ShieldBarrierA/DRAREBlocks the first hit on each neighbour
• 
  Giant AnchorBarrierDRAREPins the strongest attacker for 4 s
• 
  Trained SharkForceARARERushes the lowest-health enemy
• 
  Ricochet CannonForceA/DRAREShot bounces between 2 targets
• 
  Spiky UrchinForceDRARETrap that shoots spines in a circle
• 
  Ghost DiverCunningARAREPasses under the first defense line
• 
  Water MirrorCunningDRAREReflects the first ranged attack
• 
  Fortress WhaleBarrierDEPIC2×2 block that soaks lots of damage
• 
  Bubble DomeBarrierA/DEPICMakes an area immune for 5 s
• 
  Young KrakenForceAEPICGrabs an enemy and throws it far
• 
  Lighthouse TowerForceDEPICBeam that crosses a whole row
• 
  Electric JellyfishCunningDEPICStuns attackers passing nearby
• 
  Ghost ShipCunningAEPICInvisible until close to the defense
• 
  Abyssal SentinelBarrierDLEGENDARYGiant guardian that blocks and strikes back
• 
  TsunamiForceALEGENDARYWave that sweeps a full row
• 
  Siren QueenCunningA/DLEGENDARYControls an enemy for 6 s
• 
  Awakened LeviathanForceA/DLEGENDARYHuge area attacker, very hard to take down
• 
  Palm SeedSPECIALRaises island level (pending decision)
• 
  Repair ScrollSPECIALRestores a worn item
• 
  Golden Chest KeySPECIALUpgrades your next chest one rarity
• 
  Uncharted MapSPECIALUnlocks a sea event

Battle, loss and voyage rules

Balancing risks: honest flags

⚠ Contradiction resolved: the brief mentions both a single daily coconut popup and per-island 24 h counters. Following “most recent & specific wins”, per-island counters are used; the popup only summarises what is ready when the app opens.

06 · FLOWS

Eight key flows

• Screen
• Decision
• System / server
• Outcome
• Negative outcome

07 · WIREFRAMES (LOW-FI)

Structure before style

Grey-box skeletons of the six critical screens, each paired with the design question it has to answer. (Note for the case: in this study they were drawn alongside the hi-fi; for a real project, test these first.)

Map · home

Defense board

Replay

While you were away

Location pre-permission

Island sheet (enemy)

08 · HIGH-FIDELITY SCREENS

Sixteen screens, four moments

53 screens were designed in total. These are the ones that carry the core idea: a game where you plan and the boards fight. Each one answers a specific design question, written under the screen.

The first minute

The map and your islands

Building and testing a defense

Coming back to the app

10 · SAFETY, PRIVACY & ACCESSIBILITY

Responsible by design

Accessibility audit (WCAG 2.2 contrast)

11 · VALIDATION

Usability test plan

Moderated remote sessions, 5-6 participants per round (2 casual walkers, 2 board strategists, 1-2 frequent travellers), Figma prototype on a phone, think-aloud, 35 min. Two rounds: concept prototype → revised prototype.

12 · ROADMAP

What comes after v1

09 · 13 · PROTOTYPE & LEARNINGS

What I learned, what’s decided, what’s next

09 · Prototype

Clickable main path wired on the hi-fi screens (flow “Main path”): A1 → A2 → A3 → A4 → A5 → A7 → A8 → A9 → A10 → A11 → A12 → C3 → C4 → C1 → B1 → B6 → C5 → D1 → D2 → D3 → D4 → D6 → D7. Primary buttons navigate with a 300 ms dissolve; onboarding uses slide-left.

13 · Learnings

Decision log