User
CentricPrinciple Using the lens of player experience is the first step in creating something of cultural and market value. In Practice A good understanding of your audience, riguous testing and the
use of metrics is central to my work.
Game
DesignSystemic Offering scalable solutions that maximize depth for a given mechanics set. Human Element Consolidating vision, selling ideas and instilling confidence is often more than half the battle.
Summary
Developing games for 7 years, from indie to AAA. Current Game Designer at
Game
DesignerMetagame Balancing Create user experience models for metagame distributions, dev trackers and balancing. LD Metagame Communication Contact point for LD to sync up metagame requirements for levels, and tracking the metagame pipeline.
Cosmetics Design Creating a high level vision for cosmetics distribution, organizing cosmetics dev trackers and assigning cosmetics to levels. Cosmetics Pipeline Assisting in tracking cosmetics delivery pipeline and giving feedback.
Sackboy: a Big adventure
Sackboy returns in an all-new 3D adventure. Go on an epic platforming journey solo or with friends for collaborative, chaotic multiplayer. Status Released on PS5. Genre 3D Platformer. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine.
Tech
DesignerLevel Objects Implementing the logic for the games various puzzle and progression elements. Tools Developing tools for level creation.
Optimization Optimizing for draw calls on level objects and doing passes on lighting & collisions. Art Coordination Communicate requirements to the art department and implement assets for level objects.
Spyder
Save the world with Agent 8 in this Spy-on-The-Wall adventure. Status Released on the 20th March 2020 on Apple Arcade. Genre 3D Point & Click Adventure. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine.
Tech
DesignerModular Ability
Tool An expandable tool that can create complex interactions from
simply editing a data structure. Blueprint Systems Design Designing or refactoring the system for dealing damage, handling
rooms, boarding ships, and space movement.
Level
DesignerProcedural Levels Creating rules for the procedural generation of levels using our
proprietary graph grammers tool.
Pilot
your ship and fight aliens on foot with the help of your
trusty squad, in order to save humanity from a gruesome
fate! Status Released on the 9th July 2019 on Steam after 5 weeks of Early Access. 75k+ downloads. Genre Top-Down Shooter Roguelite. Scope 22 Developers & 9 Outsourcing over 8 Months. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine 4.21, HOUDINI,
Purpose Designed to eliminate the need for hardcoding abilities
and expand our range of possibilities we have to offer to
the player. UX Conditions & Actions are the building blocks of this
system.They determine the use case of an
ability and guide player decision making.Mix
and match in a data structure to achieve different results.
Custom
Damage System Built to be integrated into the modular ability tool, be
expandable and accommodate status effects. Rooms Gameplay layer logic for rooms as well as the
positioning, opening, and locking of doors. Boarding Ships The logic behind spawning and despawning different player
characters alongside a smooth transition from your ship to
your on foot player character.
It's
Never Too Late To Future Proof On a long project, it is even more important to properly
structure your code, as you will be doing yourself a favor
in the long run. A great amount of time has been spent
solely refactoring while developing Captain Starshot. Be Open To Lateral Learning I've had multiple tasks outside of my comfort zone that
have prompted me to learn new skills such as working with
in-house tools, web development and code reviews.
Systems
DesignerCore Puzzle
Design Creating simple but expandable core gameplay. Tileset Mechanics Determined through prototyping mechanics with physical pieces
and applying the
Lead
DesignerProviding
Structure Organizing the design team and acting as a contact point for
other discipline leads. Tabletop-Mobile Adaptation Taking our core reference,
A
singleplayer puzzle game with over 50 carefully crafted
levels that will boggle your mind. Status Out of the App Store, Google Play, and Itch.io. Genre Puzzle Game. Scope 16 Developers over 8 Weeks. Engine & Tools Unity.
Process Physically prototyping different movement and control
mechanics using Doolhof(Labyrinth) pieces until our desired
level of depth and elegance was reached.
Research Dysect Doolhof, documenting it step by step, then pick
and choose which elements to keep and focus on when adapting
it into a mobile level-based puzzle game.
Prototyping Prototype a big variety of tilesets, judging them by how
much depth they would add to the system and how well they
expand our options in level creation. Defining Feature Set Select a set number of them to be developed in order of
priority, determined by applying Clockwork Game Design
methodology, specifically analyzing their impact when
applied together to the game as a whole.
Core
Up And Running Getting the core of a game playable as soon as possible
is a great motivator for the team and ensures you have a
solid base to work from. Onboarding is a Priority We did not take ease of onboarding as a factor in our
considerations when picking our core and secondary
mechanics.This limited our user base dramatically and proved
a very difficult issue to solve during development.
Tech
DesignerCustom Controller Designing the custom pump controller, selecting and testing the
necessary parts, wiring them up to the Arduino and attaching them
to the bike pump.
Balancing
Movement Altering the speed of movement and tilt of the minecart either
in-engine or by altering the distance and positioning of the IR
sensor on the pump.
Race
out of town as fast as possible while balancing your speed
to stay on the tracks. Played best using our custom pump
controller! Status Available for Download. Genre Time Trial Runner. Scope 8 Developers over 2 Weeks. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine 4.18, Arduino, Tinkercad.
Game-Jam
Timeframe We were working under a tight deadline so we had to work
with the parts we had readily available or that we could
have delivered to us within a few days. Tinkering We attempted several options for translating the pumping
action in-game, including a potentiometer and wheel combo
and an air flow sensor but finally ended up with an IR
sensor and a reflector. Process My process was designing the circuit on Tinkercad after
which I created a diagram and the physical prototype.
Many
Variables Tweaking the movement proved especially challenging, as I
wasn't working with a completely stable controller and a lot
of variables were fluctuating because of the actuation of
the pump itself. Moderate Workout After a lot of adjustments both to the controller and to
the blueprints, I've achieved a desired speed and tilt rate
that would provide an adequate amount of challenge and not
completely tire out an average player.
Research
in Pre-Production Because of the short development time, I've experienced
the issues that can arise from not doing enough research
ahead of time. This was compounded by my lack of experience
in electrical engineering.
Level
DesignerResearch UT Getting acquainted with Unreal Tournament and understanding what
makes their levels tick. Blockouts Creating gameplay spaces in a gym environment.
Organizing
Playtests Arranging playtests for my own map and those of other students
and keeping detailed records to inform my next iterations.
An
Unreal Tournament map built for 2-6 players, inside and
around an abandoned Soviet missile silo. Status Available for Download. Genre Arena FPS. Scope Solo Project over 8 Weeks. Engine & Tools Unreal Tournament Editor, Unreal Engine 4.18.
MDA
Analysis Created a diagram to categorize the system in Unreal
Tournament via the MDA model. Map Analysis By analyzing successful maps I was able to pick up on
common elements and inform what are common choices in UT
level design and what are unique elements.
One-Offs Creating several very rough layouts using the metrics
I've gathered from existing maps to get a general feel of
the direction I wanted to head into. Iterations & Documentation Once I had a clear direction I started iterating on
specific sections of the map and documenting the process for
future reference. This way I was also able to improve my
speed and efficiency at creating the blockout by showing my
exact process and asking for feedback.
Planning I've started an initiative of planning and scheduling
playtests for several of the maps that were being developed
at the time. This was done using a centralized sign-up sheet
and recorded for viewing in post. Overseeing I personally oversaw the tests and saw to any technical
issues we were having, be it with the machines or the game
servers.
Convoluted
Theme If people can't put their finger on what you are trying
to convey (in this case being the theme of the map), it is
likely a bad idea to go ahead with it if you don't have the
necessary time to clarify your intentions. My level design
proposal suffered from this issue. Document Process Documenting your process in detail is extremely valuable
for future reference and should be done whenever time allows
for it.
Tech
DesignerFalling Objects Logic for objects falling, attaching themselves onto your
plane, being hit by the players and then falling off your plane.
Balancing Getting the weight and rate of rotation perfect to achieve a
state of flow. Ladders Creating the logic for going up and down ladders and hooking
up the UI elements.
Balance
keeping the plane upright with your greed as you compete
with your friends to see who can rack up the highest score
while not plummeting off. Status Out on Itch.io. Genre Competitive Co-op Party Game. Scope 11 Developers during the Global Game Jam 2019. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine 4.21, HOUDINI.
ProducerOrganizing Feature Teams Divide up the team to work towards several objectives.
Managing
the Backlog Using Trello to keep track of the backlog, assign tasks and
give feedback to work in progress.
Sneak
through ruins guarded by ancient sentries to gather the 3
crystals of power. Status Complete. Genre Top Down Stealth Game. Scope 15 Developers over 8 Weeks. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine 4.17.
Tech
DesignerRhythm Game Logic behind the rhythm game section developed in blueprints
using a string for beat information input. UI implemented and
synced up to the beat.
Radar
Concept Helped create the radar concept and tied the speed of rotation
to the rhythm game section.
Safely
navigate the treacherous waters with a balalaika powered
sonar! Status Available on the Global Game Jam site. Genre Co-op Navigation Rhythm Game. Scope 6 Developers during the Global Game Jam 2017. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine 4.17.
UI/UX
DesignerInterface Designed and implemented the radar ring that tracks the
progress in a round and threats around the player. Audio ProducerSFX Created and implemented all sound effects
Level
DesignerTutorial Created the concept for the tutorial level, the blockout of
the level and all the triggers to transition through each stage
of the tutorial.
The
(potential) future of squad-based tactics. Control your
drone squad member's every action in first person as they
breach and clear room after room. As you are sending out
your control signal remotely, you only get the visual
information about the enemies whereabouts from one turn
prior. Status Available for Download. Genre First Person Squad Based Tactics. Scope 4 Developers over 8 Weeks. Engine & Tools Unreal Engine 4.18.
Visual
Scripting 700+ Hours of experience with Unreal Engine 4 blueprints.
(over the course of 2.5 years) Adaptable Ability to quickly pick up a new scripting language or
proprietary tool. Examples include Twine and the
Awesomenauts Dev Tools. Editor I enjoy the edditing process. Experience editing and
mixing trailer footage and music vocals. This Website Using the framework of
Level
Design 400+ Hours of experience sketching, creating blockouts,
testing and iterating. (over the course of 2.5 years) Game Design Concepting and iteration of rulesets for diverse genres
of video games and board games. Heavily envolved in the
design of every project i've worked on. Systems Design Systemically oriented in my design with a focus on
scalability, synergy and exploring different methodologies.
Agile
Scrum 6 Team Projects using Agile Methodology. Experience as
Producer for a team of 15. (Ephemeral Energy) Task Management & Time Tracking Personal ambition to effectively manage my time and keep
track of my tasks efficiently using automated methods if
available.
Dance
Choreography A passion of mine ever since I learned street dancing.
Given the right resources I would try it profesionally. Bouldering Tactical and technical as well as physically demanding. Also elevated by good level design.
