Project Details
- Team Size: 30 people
- Role: Technical Designer
- Platform: PC Windows
- Engine: Unreal Engine 4
- Genre: 3D Action Platformer
- Status: Released (Steam)
Recognition
- Steam – 50k Downloads
- Breda University – Best Third Year Game (2018)
- Breda University – Industry Day Third Year Audience Award (2018)
Description
As a technical and level designer, I worked in a 30 people team to create an action platformer game with roguelike elements, and publish it on Steam.
Contribution
Rapid Prototyping
Realising prototypes for different traversal and combat mechanics, based on both my own designs and those of my team mates.
Combat Design
I worked with the combat feature to help fleshing out a final design for the game’s combat system. Further collaborating with the progression and level design feature teams to design gameplay systems compatible and complementary to our combat system. I was also responsible for presenting our progress on combat to the rest of the team during weekly progress update pitches, and daily collecting our progress during stand-up to present to our producer and leads during scrum of scrums.
Technical Level Design
Collaborating in the design process for a chunk-based procedural level generation system, together with my fellow level designers and the programmer responsible for procedural generation. I was also responsible for the implementation of the designs provided by the level designers for hazards and other interactables elements that would be found in the procedurally generated levels, such as laser beams and moving platforms.
Level Design
I was responsible for designing and white boxing some of the level chunks, or rooms, used for the level generation, from high level concept, to low level scripting, and collaborating with the environment artist to ensure the preservation of gameplay after the art pass.
Encounter Design
Designing enemy encounters that could procedurally spawn in the level chunks I designed.
Polish
I was responsible for providing technical assistance to 3D and VFX artists with in-engine assets implementation and optimization. Tweaking existing mechanics to achieve the intended game feel. Troubleshooting and fixing bugs. Optimize code and remove redundant code where possible.
Cinematics
Creating and rendering cinematics used in the Steam trailer, based on the vision from the design lead. Creating and implementing main menu camera panning animation.
Post Launch Support
Working by myself on a patch for the third anniversary of the game release, to address players’ feedback. Featuring: many quality of life improvements to platforming and combat, rebalanced AI and progression, additional VFX and SFX, improved UI navigation, performance optimisations, bug fixes, framerate cap toggle, and remappable input.
Project Details
- Team Size: 30 people
- Role: 3C Design Consultant
- Platform: PC Windows
- Engine: Unreal Engine 4
- Genre: Adventure Open World
- Status: Released (Steam)
Recognition
- Breda University – Best Design Third Year (2018)
Description
As a 3C design consultant, I was responsible for iterating upon and finalizing the design for the top down game camera, and the game controls for gamepad and keyboard.
Contribution
Game Camera
The game camera needed iteration late in the project. I spoke with different feature teams to understand what each needed to be improved and what limitations I would have to avoid disrupting existing systems and visual assets. I presented the team with proposals fitting those limitations, and the team picked their favorite iteration.
Controls System
The controls system had to be redesigned to be more consistent across different input devices.
I worked in collaboration with the gameplay designer and UI developers to redesign and iterate the Controls System, by looking at popular titles and playtesting Controls prototypes with external playtesters.
Cinematics Creation
Created short in-engine cinematics, recorded gameplay footage, and edited 2 short trailers used during the alpha stage of the project.
Project Details
- Team Size: Solo
- Role: Programmer
- Platform: PC Windows
- Engine: Unreal Engine 4
- Genre: Action Sandbox
- Status: Released (Itch.io)
Description
As a solo developer, I wanted to make a super villain themed top down hack and slash, as my submission to the Unreal Spring Jam 2019.
Contribution
Character, Camera, Controls
Designing and implementing the traversal and combat mechanics, top down camera, and game controls.
Gameplay Programming
Designing and implementing main gameplay loop, local leaderboard backend, and supporting mechanics such as destroyable environment.
AI Programming
Implementing AI behaviors for hostile NPCs and roaming pedestrians.
UI/UX
Designing and implementing HUD, leaderboard screen, pause menu, and other UI elements.
Gameplay Trailer
Recording and editing the gameplay trailer.
Project Details
- Team Size: 1-3 people
- Role: Technical Designer
- Platform: PC Windows
- Engine: Unreal Engine 4
- Genre: 3D Platformer
- Status: In Development
Description
As a technical designer, I was responsible for the design and implementation for every gameplay system in this top down 3D platforming game.
Contribution
Rapid Prototyping
Created the core gameplay systems as my solo submission for the Epic Games’ Summer Jam 2018.
Character, Camera, Controls
Designing and implementing player traversal mechanics, as well game controls and camera.
Tweaking and adjusting player mechanics and controls to achieve the desired game feel.
Game Feel
Improving the feel of the game mechanics by through particles, sound effects, haptic feedback, and simple blockout animations.
Technical Level Design
Designing and implementing level mechanics and hazards, based on my own concepts and the concepts and prototypes from my fellow game designers.
Level Design:
Realising the high-level vision for some of the levels from initial block out to final shipped product.
Onboarding Design:
Designing and white-boxing the first of the three areas of the overworld hub where the player is gradually introduced to new mechanics in a safe environment they will then encounter in newly unlocked level, going from high-level vision to low-level scripting.
| Blocked out character animations with the actor sequencer in UE4. | Shrinking animation used for character death during gameplay. |
Particle effects used to inform the player about the range of the fans.
</tableCode and final result: breakable objects.
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| Code sample: gating in the hub level unlocking access to new levels as the previous one are beaten. |
Project Details
- Team Size: 4 people
- Role: Technical Level Designer
- Platform: PC Windows
- Engine: Unreal Engine 4
- Genre: First Person Puzzle Game
- Status: Finished (Student Assignment)
Description
As a puzzle designer, I was responsible for designing puzzles for a character-based puzzle game, working with 2 more level designers and 1 technical artist to make all of our individual work fit within a shared setting.
Contribution
Narrative Design
Pitching different concepts for game setting and story for a first person puzzle game.
Rapid Prototyping
Designing and prototyping different puzzle mechanics and hazards.
Level Designer
Designing one level with 5 puzzle rooms based on a coloured light beam mechanic, and a
second level with 5 more puzzle rooms based on a stasis mechanic.
Talks on game design I gave at Breda University.
Understanding physics to make tight platforming.
Postmortem: VR Jam 2020.
Prototyping punch mechanic in Unreal, step-by-step tutorial.
Rayman 2 & 3: comparing combat and platforming design philosophies.