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Key Projects
The Dragon Prince: Xadia
Explore Xadia, team up with friends, and battle evil forces in this hack & slash looter ARPG.
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As lead technical designer, I work closely with design and engineerings teams to create workflows, R&D mechanics, and create complex content for the game.
As Lead Technical Designer
• Implement and enforce workflows for mission creation, combat encounters, and mechanics to improve efficiency and increase collaboration via intuitive systems
• Work with engineers from design spec to implementation to create new gameplay features that are easily extensible
• Designed and implemented new game mechanics from spec to polish, in conjunction with artists and engineers
• Mentor other technical designers in scripting and mechanics best practices
• Provide the design team with feedback from early ideation to all-team playtests
• Collaborate with other leads to determine priorities and cut features if needed
• Provide design docs and feedback throughout the development process
• Design layouts and scripted sequences using new mechanics to act as reference for other designers
Notable Systems
Power Sending
Allows arbitrary direct references to trigger gameplay actions without the use of level blueprint or editing instances' components.
AI Scripted States Controller
Blueprint-based workflow for scripting NPCs with dialog, animation, and movement. All event based and easy integration into the power system. No level blueprint!
Regional Artifacts
Each region of the game features a bespoke hero ability called the "artifact". These are player abilities that interact with various mechanics.
NPC Spawning And Encounter Formatting
Allows for spawning of enemy NPCs in combat design approved encounters for various intensities and allowing for front-line vs back-line enemies. With support for monster closet style child classes.
All images, information, and videos below is from early stages in development and is still very much a work in progress.
Regional Artifact: The Sky Hook
Each region of the game features a bespoke hero ability called the "artifact". These are player abilities that interact with various mechanics. The Far Reache's Sky Hook artifact can allow players to traverse gaps using designer placed targets, can snag balloons from afar (even trading them between players), and spin turbines.
The Far Reache's Sky Hook artifact was a bit of a challenge to get working for the action-gameplay of the game. Initially, it required mouse or thumb stick based aiming, but our isometric camera made it a challenge with any changes in altitude.
With a few ideas along the way, we settled on auto-aiming with the ability to use the mouse/thumbstick to influence the chosen target.
Additionally, I worked with animtion closely to get the swing and dismount working to help sell the semi-Spiderman feel while still fiting the snappy timing we needed.
Experts soon found that you could easily chain Sky Hooks together, or use them to recover from falling off the level. We even use it as part of an end game mechanic that you must "hot potato" to survive.
Power Sending System
Allows arbitrary direct references to trigger gameplay actions without the use of level blueprint or editing instances' components.
Additional various actors can be placed to create logical chains of power sender, called "nodes". These include AND, OR, COUNT, and DO ONCE.
Visualization of the power sending (shown right) is through an editor widget I created to improve designer workflows and supports "show all", "show none", and "show selected".
Replication safe!
Carryable Balloons
Child of a "carryable" framework which I developed. Used to allow players to pick specific items, disabling their ability to fight, but allowing them to complete objectives via placement or interacting with specific other mechanics.
They all default to including the ability to dash in a straight line and a button to put the object down.
The balloon carryable can be grabbed at a distance via the regional artifact and will float away if dropped, which allows for fun trading of the balloon to get it across gaps.
Mechanics Demo Levels
I believe that to improve a dev's workflow, you must try it yourself first. So I always try to create a piece of gameplay around any mechanic I create. And I encourage others to do so as well.
By the time a suite of mechanics is created, I will have created an entire level to demonstrate best practices and examples for gameplay around the mechanics. With plenty of room for designer self-expression.
For The Far Reaches (left), I created custom block out for the mechanics as no existing tiles existed. In the hope of guiding or inspiring the level design for the region. For the Moonshadow Forest (below), I wanted to highlight how the reworked mechanics could be integrated into existing levels.
As part of the Moonshadow Forest demo, I also added objectives and regional artifact tutorial using coachmarks. Both received some helpers to reduce boiler plate work by other designers. And it highlighted a new mission end structure involving a portal to exit the mission that was trivial to integrate.
The mechanics were a rework of mechanics created during pre-production to get them to match the evolved game design, with a focus on reusing assets where possible in order to reduce the art burden. It also allowed me to push for mechanics that really fit the narrative of the region, about a Bloodmoon that corrupts the forest. And mechanics that can layer on top of each other for greater depth and variety in gameplay experiences.
In these tutorial-like levels, I try to present the problem first with the solution nearby with a complication along the way. You see the locked door first, see just one switch which lights up 1 of 4 lights on said door, and the player must use their new ability to uncover the rest. In challenging content, I love allowing for multiple avenues of success, with a clear intended path, so the player(s) feel clever when they take an alternate route. And if it was truly an unintended path, without being degenerate, I am truly happy as it shows real engagement with the content.
AI Scripted States
To avoid using level blueprint for controlling NPCs in missions, I devised and implemented a new system for controlling them. It boils down to a rudementry state system, with lots of features to integrate into the existing workflow.
Leans into the proprietary dialog scripting and can be controlled from that script.
Supports an enum based anim montage selector to auto-select the correct animation for the NPC's rig.
Easy to author rotate towards, fade in/out, and move tos. All with fail safes in case of navigation woes.
Fart Flowers
A cheeky reference to The Dragon Prince series Wonderstorm created.
Idle animation needed to make it stand out from the environment, so players can notice it. But not so garrish that it doesn't fit the scene.
Needed instant player feedback that they got too close, anim, fx, color, and audio changes to convey the reaction. If you just clip the collision, it'll go back to idle. Else...
It will, achem, explode thematically. Damaging and dazing all nearby characters.
Then it should go dormant for a time to provide a break for players, and avoid cheesing enemies. Again, uses a new anim, color, audio, and FX for this state.
And I giggle every time.
And sometimes, you just need to block in a narrative beat.
Sword of the Sea
From the visionary artist behind ABZÛ, The Pathless, and Journey – Sword of the Sea is an atmospheric adventure with highspeed movement inspired by skateboarding and snowboarding games. You are the Wraith – resurrected in the desolate Necropolis and tasked with restoring life.
Find out more here.
As part of pre-production, I prototyped levels, mechanics, and entire regions at varying scales in order to help inform the game's design. I also worked with engineering to create new features and test the content authoring pipeline.
As Technical Designer/Artist
• Designed, and implemented workflows to go from concept art to block out to fully realized architectre
• Analyzed comparable games and identified their strengths and weaknesses in order to propose design paradigms
• Authored dozens of locations to explore various level design options
• Created prototype mechanics to "find the game"
• Collaborated with engineering to iterate on 3Cs and game mechanics
All images, information, and videos below are from early stages in development and does not represent the final product.
