Game Designer, Author, Educator
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Main Skills
I was entrusted with the world and level design of the project, and worked closely with artists and engineers to bring this ambitious game to life.
Level Design
I was responsible for bringing the world of the game to life through hand-crafted dungeon rooms strung together procedurally in a roguelike structure.
Systemic Enviroment
I worked alongside engineers to build a systemic environment that reacted to player input. This resulted in a world that felt reactive and that surprised players with its seemingly random (sometimes silly) results.
Game Feel
The way the game felt to play was essential. I collaborated extensively with all areas of development to make different aspects of the game feel satisfying to engage with.
World Building
I worked alongside artists to build, from the ground up, a fantasy world that felt new and full of character. The result was a whimsical Robin Hood inspired fantasy with lots of lovable characters.
Building Up the World
Rooms of a certain type were built up with simple goals in mind, over which the interactive systemic elements were layered.
Concept
I worked closely with artists to determine the atmosphere and general architecture of each area in the game. This helped us establish a set of reusable environmental "blocks" that were then used to build up levels more efficiently. It also ensured that spaces in the same area had a similar shape language
Level Layout
I built each level with a specific player experience in mind. Some levels were combat centric, focusing on enemy placement and player cover. Other rooms were stealth or extraction centric, focusing on enemy vision cones and patrol routes. Most levels were designed with multiple navigation routes in mind, some obvious, some only accessible through solving puzzles. This was done to accomodate multiple players and different play styles.
Interactive Elements
To keep the world feeling fresh on multiple play-throughs, the levels were dressed with a host on interactive elements, like explosive barrels, flammable objects, destructible obstacles etc. I worked closely with the engineering team to build up a library of systemic effects, then scripted the behaviours of different groups of environmental objects to make use of those systems.
Building Puzzles
I used environmental puzzles throughout the maps to help with level pacing. They also gave the player a sense that they were truly earning their rewards by sneaking in and being clever.
I scripted the environmental puzzles as part of the level design process using bespoke puzzle elements (switches, levers, keys, movable statues etc) as well as systemic environmental elements.
My goal was to make the player feel the advantage of playing with their friends. I used puzzles to enforce this feeling. Often the quicker main solution required more than one player, while the secondary solution was achievable even when playing alone, but was more labour intensive.
Building Unique Fantasy
To build up the fantasy of the game I worked closely with artists and the creative director. We established the rules of the world as well as the mood and anti-mood of the place.
The goal was to create a modern feeling fantasy with whimsical characters. I wrote character briefs, designed biomes and maps, and established the overall world narrative and quests.
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The Game
Here are some of my favourite work in progress shots.
