GAMES -
Summary
Games are my first love. Ever since a friend let me borrow "God Of War" in the 7th grade I have seen the medium of games as the most advanced method of immersive story telling that we have at our disposal.
INTRO
MAIN QUESTS
SIDE QUESTS
Design Experience
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Notable works at The Rogue Initiative are locked behind NDAs
Design Assistant
Rogue Initiative Studios
Position:
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Worked with the design team to polish and update existing Game Design Documents
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Provided notes on how the design of current systems could be improved
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Expanded rough design ideas into cohesive system outlines
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Suggested entirely new systems and elements for the design team to review and work to implement.
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Drafted entirely new game design documentation for upcoming projects
Responsibilities:
Biggest Lessons:
Working with an established team, learning their methods, and adapting my ideas to their style was an invaluable exercise in team cohesion
Title: Total Reckoning
Designer
E.P.L Games
Position:
Platforms: iOS / Android
Status: Shipped
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Helmed the design process throughout the entire development of the project
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Paper prototype
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Final release
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After launch patches
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Tested mechanics and refined systems throughout dozens of iterations on the core gameplay loop
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Worked with team members including engineers and other designers to resolve disagreements on features and develop solutions to arising issues
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Conduced UX tests to improve usability and ergonomics
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Balanced difficulty to create a satisfying gameplay curve
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Developed different modes that expanded upon the base concept
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Took in community feedback after launch and continued to improve elements
Color Strike:
Biggest Lessons:
As my first job my experience here was instrumental in learning design outside of the classroom setting and experiencing the difficulties of active game development
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Pitched and evaluated potential game concepts
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Wrote and iterated on multiple GDDs
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Conceptualized mechanics with paper prototypes
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Designed and tested engaging systems and features
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Worked to evaluate and resolve design disagreements among the team members.
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Engaged in play tests at multiple stages of development in order to identify flaws and bugs as well as to refine features and conceptualize systems to solve existing issues.
Overview:
Projects:
Platforms: PC/Console
Status: In Development
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Wrote lore and backstory for the world
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Developed gameplay concepts that complimented the story design
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Designed characters that fit within the world
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Balanced gameplay necessity with story necessity to create immersive and realistic character design
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Developed traps and abilities that fit cohesively within the world while also providing an enjoyable gameplay experience
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Conducted play tests to help balance characters and their abilities
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Designed Levels that acted as interesting combat arenas and still fit logically within the context of the world
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Adjusted levels to provide for cohesive player flow through matches
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Optimized level design to work for both strategic stealth gameplay and kinetic action combat
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Total Reckoning:
Producing Experience
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Position:
Producer
E.P.L Games
Color Strike:
Platforms: iOS / Android
Status: Shipped
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Helped to assemble qualified team members to:
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Facilitate new staffing needs as the project developed
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Replace talent for existing positions in response to routine turnover
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Handled interpersonal disputes between team members in order to foster a harmonious work environment
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Lead negotiations with a local UX lab and did the logistical work to harvest valuable data needed for the design team to further fine tune related aspects of the game
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Ensured the game and company complied with the strict release standards of the platform holders (iOS and Android)
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Managed licenses
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Oversaw version submissions
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Worked with engineering team to resolve issues specific to each respective platform
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Biggest Lessons:
As my first job my experience here was instrumental in learning produceing outside of the classroom setting and experiencing the difficulties of active game development. Managing creative disputes & balancing the schedule with artistic ambition was difficult but important.
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Worked to coordinate the team across multiple departments to ensure a productive environment
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Facilitated healthy communication
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Acted as an intermediate delivering updates and messages
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Created schedules and mapped out milestones and sprints based on budget limitations
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Helped to resolve problems and disputes as they arised
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Checked in on the progress of tasks to ensure development was running as planned
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Altered schedules and task allocation to adapt to unavoidable changes
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Ran daily stand ups and helped address development problems
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Managed Jira and other task tracking software
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Organized Perforce folders and curated asset libraries
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Worked with all teams to reduce feature creep and cut features that could not feasibly be implemented
Overview:
Projects:
Platforms: PC/Console
Status: In Development
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Coordinated a remote team across multiple time zones
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Drafted new documentation outlining company policies and procedures that facilitated the needs of an expanding company
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Helped identify areas of development bottleneck where contractors could help alleviate stress
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Drafted work for hire contracts
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Assessed asset priority and handled allocations of outsourced work
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Analyzed the cost/benefit ratio when considering the implementation of new softwares
Total Reckoning:
Game Capture Assistant
Dark Burn Creative
Position:
Responsibilities:
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Worked with Capture Directors and Capture Teams to produce compelling gameplay trailers
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Identified core gameplay elements to display within our promotional material
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Helped storyboard sequences that capitalized on unique design elements
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Facilitate communications between development teams and marketing teams
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Reported bugs and other issues that prohibited efficient game capture
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Relayed client notes on submitted shots to the capture director
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Assisted Director in managing the capture team
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Helped design and capture up to 30 sequences a day
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Choreographed and practiced precise movements with game characters to flawlessly execute captures that appear as natural gameplay in the final product
Biggest Lessons:
Getting to work with a large publisher like EA was a valuable exercise in understanding corporate protocols and procedures. Learning how development teams have to interact with the other departments arms of their companies helps me understand how the business demands on a creative industry impact the development process.
Notable Titles:
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Battlefield 1
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Battlefield V
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Star Wars Battlefront II
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Anthem
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Rocket Arena
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Apex Legends
Examples Of Trailers I Worked On:
Shipped Title
OVERVIEW
Color Strike
is a fast paced reflex
based game that
requires
a sharp eye and quick hands
The following is a quick overview of the basic gameplay loop. More complex ideas are introduced as the player progresses. The game also featured additional modes that further expanded upon the core concept with additional more challenging gameplay elements.
Color Strike:
Platforms: iOS / Android
Demo Reels
Portfolio Reel
Showcases work done on titles at E.P.L Games (Color Strike/Total Reckoning [RT] ). *All video of TR is pre alpha test footage*
UE4 Skills Reel
Demonstrates game design skills in the following
catagoires though the vehicle of Unreal Engine 4 by creating, from scratch, a short level for a platforming style game
Level Design
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Created a general block out to prototype level flow
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Tested the difficulty of obstacles and adjusted the design as needed
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Swapped out the white boxes for assets available within the engine to build context and immersion into the level
Buleprints
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Added controller support and basic controls
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Wrote Character blueprints to facilitate specific desired movement abilities
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Jump
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Air Dash
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Wrote environmental and object blueprints to provide level interactivity such as
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Automatic Lights
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Working doors
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Elevator with a floor venue
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Other UE4 Tools
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Matinee
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To trigger piller collapse
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To animate movie platforms
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In game cinematics
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Animaton Graphs
Ongoing Projects
Total Reckoning:
Platforms: PC/Console
Total Reckoning is a stealth based third person shooter set in a distant future of warring corporations. The gameplay is centered around strategic multiplayer matches where players set traps and stage ambushes. Players choose between specific characters with unique backstories and abilities. Traps range from ensnarement, to status ailments, to damage, and more. The game is nearing Alpha and is currently undergoing internal testing. Look forward to more information soon. Final assets are still under NDA but you can check out some early footage with temporary assets in my demo reel.
Software Knowledge
Design:
Unreal Engine 4
Unity
Producing:
Perforce
Jira
Art:
Photoshop
Maya
A list of software that I am proficient in across all of the different disciplines of game development that I am qualified to work within.
Design Theory
Design Videos
I enjoy working on videos that explore Design Concepts. This includes design breakdown
and editorial style videos where I elaborate on personal design opinions with hopes of making
objective points and critiques about the medium as a whole. This is meant to be a way for me to
demonstrate my knowledge of design concepts.
3D Modeling
All work was created during my Bachelor's of game art program while attending Full Sail University between the years of 2012-2014. All work is modeled and textured by myself using Maya and assembled (when applicable) in Unreal Engine 3
3D Art