Portfolio.
Collected here are various samples of work that constitute my growing portfolio. Below can be found links to articles on Game Design from this and other sites, along with examples of my Creative Writing and Level Design Work.
Game Design Work:
- House Rules a stand alone scenario (With hooks for a subsequent campaign if necessary) for a role playing game using the World of Darkness ruleset. Arriving at the Gwen Kenning Pauper house the players are caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse with a serial killer of unique means, if tragically mundane motivations. The scenario is designed to be combat light, with a focus on investigation and dialogue.
Creative Writing:
A selection of short stories and other pieces.
- The Argument a dialogue heavy short story focusing around a specific argument between a heterosexual couple, again focusing on a topic not usually handled in games.
- A Date with Fortune, this is a short story set in the Honorverse low on dialogue the focus is on motivations and character development, building to an action sequences. I suppose some would call it fan fiction though the concept and all the characters are entirely of my own creation.
UnrealED Work:
DM-Celeste:
The following are screenshots from a level created for Unreal Tournament 3. UNN Celeste (DM-Celeste) is a DeathMatch level for 2 to 4 players, set aboard an abandoned cargo transport in deep space. It is constructed on a linearly symmetrical layout with an upper and lower level through the centre of the ship and two cargo compartments branching off on either side.
‘The explosion took out the entire bridge, everything forward of frame 5 is open to vacuum. The breach sealed automatically so at least some of the crew should have survived but there’s no sign of them. What the hell happened here?’ – Salvage Report of Senior Engineer Mark Fairbanks.
Control Room, Upper Level, Fore:
View from the very fore of the the ship looking towards the Engine Room at the Aft. Visible on the left is the elevator to the Cryo Chamber, a second Elevator is positioned on the opposite wall. A fairly linear space this room is designed for close combat, with five entrances\exits to different areas of the ship.
Control Room, Upper Level, Fore (Reverse Angle):
Reverse angle of the Control Room. Visible on the left is the exit to the Starboard Cargo Compartment, and the Elevator to the Cryo Chamber.
Cargo Compartment, Upper Level, Port:
View of the from the corridor to the Control Room. The Port and Starboard Cargo Compartments are structurally identical, however the layout and arrangement of items and obstacles is different. These areas are designed for slightly longer range combat, and offer a respite and means of escape from the more arena based combat in the Control Room and Engine Room.
Engine Room, Split Level, Aft:
A view of the Engine Room looking from the Fore towards the Aft. The Engine Room is a split level area allowing direct access between the Upper and Lower Levels of the ship. The Energy Core in the centre can be jumped through, though any players attempting this will face greatly decreased movement speed and suffer EMP damage over time while inside the Core itself. This area was designed as an arena allowing for combat on multiple levels and at both short and medium range.
Two additional shots of the Engine Room taken from the Lower Level, in the second shot can be seen the Elevator between the two Levels. Directly opposite the Elevator is a large doorway to the Cryo Chamber.
Cryo Chamber, Lower Level, Fore:
View looking down the length of the ship, visible at the end of the corridor is the Engine Room. A linear section this area is designed with a risk reward structure, as at the end of the corridor is a Rocket Launcher and access to the Control Room.
Lower Level, Cryo Chamber, Fore (Reverse Angle):
Reverse angle of the previous location, looking directly out the fore of the ship. Visible on the right is the Elevator to the Control Room, opposite and directly behind the players current location is the other Elevator. [Note: Creating the curved walls in this area was an absolute nightmare of Constructive Solid Geometry manipulation.]
In Editor View:
A view of the Engine Room, as seen in the Editor. I have zoomed out the orthographic views to show the entire level layout.
Gameplay Video:
Low Resolution video showing a 3 Player Deathmatch (Myself against Bots) game in UNN Celeste, this should give a better idea of the layout of the level as a whole. Play starts in the Starboard Cargo Compartment, moves through the Control Room down to the Cryo Chamber then on to the Engine Room before heading back towards the Starboard Cargo Compartment.
DM-Grotto:
The following are screenshots from a level created for Unreal Tournament 3. Grotto (DM-Grotto) is a DeathMatch level for 2 to 6 players, set within an abandoned temple structure deep under the earth. It is constructed as a series of platforms, linked by stairs, bridges and jump pads. It is designed to be fast and frantic with gameplay reminiscent of Quake 3 Arena’s Q3DM-17 “The Longest Yard”.
Miles beneath the surface of a barren moon, too remote to have anything beyond a catalogue number, this ancient temple network was once a place of silent contemplation. Uncovered by the Liandri Corporation twenty years previously the only thing left to contemplate now is how many seconds you have left to live.
Lower Temple, looking toward Central and Entrance Temples:
Standing on the roof of the Lower Temple (Inaccessible during actual gameplay), visible directly ahead is the bridge between the Central Temple and the Prayer Temple. Between the pillars in the distance is the Entrance Temple. A Jumpad outside the Lower Temple allows direct access to the Lower Prayer Platform (The edge of which is visible on the far left).
Lower Temple, looking toward Warrior’s Temple:
Accessibly from the Lower Temple, the Warrior’s Temple contains Flak Cannon Ammo an provide one-way access to the Fire Temple (Visible on left), via a Jumpad.
Lower Temple, interior:
Interior of Lower Temple, containing a Flak Cannon. With a single door into the Lower Temple, player have to abandon the open sight line available in almost all other locations to pick up the Flak Cannon.
In flight, between Fire Temple and Central Temple:
A pair of Jumpads link the Central Temple, to the Fire Temple where a Rocket Launcher can be found. Visible ahead is the Lower Temple, and the bridge to the Warriors Temple. On the far right can be seen the Lower Prayer Platform.
Entrance Temple, looking toward Central and Lower Temples:
Standing at the highest point of the level, looking down at the Central Temple. The Entrance Temple provides access to a Sniper Rifle, however players will need to move back from the stairs to obtain it, putting them out of sight of the rest of the level and leaving them open to attack.
Entrance Temple, (Reverse Angle), looking toward the entrance:
Reverse angle of the previous image showing how far away the Sniper Rifle is from the top of the stairs. This distance allows opposing players to reach the top of the stairs and ambush any players who make an attempt for the Sniper Rifle.
In Editor View:
A view across the level from above the Lower Prayer Platform, as seen in the Editor. I have zoomed out the orthographic views to show the entire level layout.
Articles:
Articles on specific Game Mechanics, and Dynamics:
- Traps an examination of the design and implementation of traps in Diablo II.
- Global Leveling a look at the problems that arise when everything levels in line with the player.
- Motivation, musings on the power of experimental gameplay and how to encourage it.
Higher level thoughts on Game Design:
- Player Vocabulary and Game Vocabulary two articles on the concept of “Game Design as Communication.”
- Verb Development, how to implement character development with less of a focus on statistics.
- Narrative Context, the abstract nature of “play” and the role of the Game Designer.
- Exploring the Territory, the concept of territory in Game Design both physical and abstract, mechanical.
- The Taxonomy of Left 4 Dead, an exploration of the characters in Left 4 Dead and how they conform to traditional player archetypes.
- From out of the shadows, the fails of the “stealth section” and why stealth games are really about power.
- The cost of killing, what does it mean to kill a virtual character?
Some more creative articles on specific games:
- Look at you Hacker, my not so secret love letter to System Shock 2‘s SHODAN.
- Mercenary Behaviour, life in Far Cry 2‘s Africa is rarely pleasant.
Specifc game designs, intended to evoke an emotional response:
- No Way Out, a modification of The Sims to provide a representation of living with the of domestic abuse.
- Friends Like These, an abstract game designed around the topic of harmful or abusive relationships.
