Crayta – Meta/Unit2Games (2022)
Crayta was the UGC game and world creation platform created by Unit 2 Games.There were plenty of great memories and some fantastic games created on the platform. Here’s some of the season trailers I worked on through 2022 and 2023.
Sniper Elite 5 – PC/Console Rebellion (2022)
When my work on Zombie Army 4 was winding down, I started working on Sniper Elite 5 – which was rapidly approaching it’s release date. Initially I split my time between the two projects (which was a challenging but ultimately enjoyable experience) before ending up full time on the WWII shooter.
- Senior Design on one of the huge levels “War Factory” – A major part of the SE5 campaign set in and around a sprawling industrial site. This level was already around 60% complete when I joined the project.
- Worked extremely closely with the other designer on the level, sharing work and ideas and proposing numerous changes, refinements and improvements.
- Scripted all of the level Objectives – which could be done in any order the player wished.
- Co-operated with the lead writer to create the narrative-related pickups and items within the level.
- Worked very closely to all of the environment artists on the level – including task setting.
- Made significant adjustments to play space, sometimes removing large sections, sometimes creating some new ones.
- Collision. Lots of collision.
Zombie Army 4: Dead War • PC/Console • Rebellion (2020)
In 2017, Rebellion became the new owners of Radiant Worlds and I was part of a swift and successful integration of new staff into the Zombie Army 4 team. I retained the role of Senior Designer.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Co-led the all-new Horde Mode design. This was a strong and highly successfully collaboration with another Senior Designer. Together we designed and implemented a dynamic, exciting and largely procedural game system that has proved to be a hugely popular part of the game.
- I personally supervised an external team on the creation of new Horde Maps. This was one of my favourite challenges of the project, essentially leading a DLC level from defining the milestones to providing technical support and solid design direction of the course of the development.
- Collaborated on the creation of new tools to allow rapid editing and balancing of the Horde Mode levels.
- Created 4 standard Horde Mode maps – including all enemy population and event scripting.
- Created campaign DLC level gameplay – including mesh whitebox, enemy population and all gameplay logic.
- Trained and supervised internal staff on the creation of new Horde Maps.
- Created a whole new mission type blending open world mechanics with tight Horde gameplay. “Death Collector” was released in the final of ZA4 DLC pack entitled “Ragnarök”
SkySaga: Infinite Isles • PC • Radiant Worlds (2017)
In 2016 I joined the team at Radiant Worlds to become a Senior Designer on their amazingly creative sandbox game, SkySaga: Infinite Isles.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Created the rolling Events system for SkySaga: Infinite Isles. The system gave players a base island and simple specification to create their own mini-game or decorative island and then earn votes from the community. (Scrum Team Leader)
- Led the team that designed and implemented FTUE systems including reactive video tutorials to teach controls as and when necessary. Devised the Main Menu flow for new players including quick start option and per-mode preview videos. (Scrum Team Leader)
- Developed UGC Narrative system allowing players to create and tell their own stories in the game. Designed an initial logic network for players to place NPCs and assign relevant text strings, then update those strings according to quest completion. (Incomplete at time of project shutdown)
- Updated adventure levels to contain new cave networks full of rare or exotic voxels. Added important new game opportunities and resource hunting activities to the core adventure game.
- Undertook creative meta-game analysis and design proposals for both adventure systems and UGC creation.
Lumo’s Cat • iOS • Team Lumo (2015)
The second major release from indie studio, Team Lumo. (I was the co-founder and sole designer at Team Lumo). Combining Realtime Strategy, Cat Dressing-up and Cheese; you have to Save the Cat.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Developed game concepts from blank page
- Designed and implemented all game levels
- Led FTUE design and ongoing tutorials
- Co-operated with programmers on all technical designs
- Collaborated with business manager on economy design
- Assisted with all social media and promotional copy including press releases, App Store keywords and promotional copy
- Collaborated with art team on all UI and HUD components
- Participated in and reacted to numerous usability tests including invitational tests and closed Betas
Lumo’s Cat – Pocket Gamer Review
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Lumo’s+Cat/review.asp?c=67925&utm
Lumo’s Cat & the Co-op Collider • AppleTV • Team Lumo (2016)
The awesome Apple TV version of Lumo’s Cat reinvents the single player game as a frantic couch-co-op game for two. The cat still needs saving, but will you or your friend be the most helpful? Co-op? Competitive? That’s up to the players.
- Led the redesign of Lumo’s Cat for Apple TV including remote control implementation
- Converted and rebalanced all game levels for co-op play
Lumo Deliveries Inc • iOS • Team Lumo (2014)
The first release from Team Lumo – the indie studio I co-founded in 2014. If you’ve ever received a parcel and wondered just how it got from wherever it came from to wherever you are, then Lumo Deliveries Inc probably won’t explain very much of that. But you do get to deliver thousands of important parcels to hundreds of real world locations across the globe. It’s the management sim that doesn’t care where you are, only where you are going.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Original Concept Design – Collaborated with team on the initial premise
- Designed and developed core gameplay and progression systems
- Managed the balance of all timers and reward systems in the game
- Created and managed game economy. Reacted to analytics to optimise retention and monetisation
- Led FTUE design and ongoing tutorials – reacted to analytic data to improve FTUE completion and user retention
- Managed all geo-location data for delivery destination.
- Assisted with all social media and promotional copy including press releases, App Store keywords and promotional copy
Lumo Deliveries Inc. launch trailer
Lumo Deliveries Inc. AppSpy review
Further details about Lumo Deliveries Inc can be found on the dedicated website.
Crazy Taxi: City Rush • iOS • SEGA Hardlight (Contract 2014)
Crazy Taxi: City Rush was a wholly new version of the famous arcade taxi game. It was developed in Leamington Spa by the excellent SEGA mobile team, Hardlight Studios, under the watchful gaze of the original Crazy visionary, Kenji Kanno. I was a Freelance Contract designer for 4 months on this game.
Roles and Responsibilites
- Devised and completed level designs for on all primary missions on Crazy Taxi: City Rush
- Wrote narrative scripts and storyboards for cutscenes
- Contributed to game structure and progression design
- Designed and implemented initial FTUE, teaching all mechanics through play.
The Typing of the Dead: Overkill • PC • Modern Dream (2013)
This the Zom-com Type ’em up that literally came back from the dead. TotD:Overkill was in development at Blitz Games Studios when the company sadly folded. However, thanks to the tenacity of team leader, Ollie Clarke, and the fantastic support from SEGA Hardlight studio, Typing… returned from the Dead and, as the newly minted developer, Modern Dream, we completed the game on time and on budget.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Led technical design to convert Typing of the Dead: Overkill from light-gun shooter to text-shooter
- Organised and contributed to the text writing process
- Converted, edited and re-balanced 3 complete levels
- Contributed to client contact before and after project resurrection
- Worked hard to ensure the resurrection of the game after the closure of Blitz.
You can read all about the amazing story behind Typing of the Dead: Overkill on Gamasutra.
Here’s a Jim Sterling live play. Explicit Language ahead.
And another great Let’s Play that demonstrates the diversity of words and phrases in the game.
The Typing of the Dead Overkill: Steam Link
Let’s Look at: NorthernLion LP: Youtube
Kumo Lumo • iOS • Blitz Games (2012)
Kumo Lumo is the world’s first rain ’em up; an award winning ray of sunshine that hit the iOS App Store in October 2012. A bright, charming and unapologetically positive game about creating and protecting your delicate planet, Kumo Lumo sends you into the sky as the titular raincloud where you need to rain on good things to make them grow and on bad things to make them go away.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Created original concept – from 1st sketch
- Developed design for all gameplay mechanics and systems
- Wrote background narrative and all in-game text
- Collaborated with code team on technical design
- Designed all game levels
- Contributed to all social media and promotional copy
The game was made by the small but incredibly talented Team Lumo of which I was lucky enough to be a founding member, indeed I was the original creator of the game concept as well as the designer of the game itself. I was also responsible for the writing of the in-game text and guiding the gentle story through the game play and comic-book captions.
Awards for Kumo Lumo
- Macworld 2013: iOS Game of the Year
- App Store Editors’ Choice
- 9/10 Gold Award : Pocket Gamer
- 1 million downloads in first 10 days
Blitz Games Titles as Design Manager (Design Lead)
- Land for the Lorax (2011) – Web/social game for Google – Design Manager
- Yoostar 2 – In the Movies (2010) Xbox360 Kinect, PS3 +Eye – Design Manager
- Karaoke Revolution Series – (2004 – 2009) – 4 Titles Xbox360, PS3) – Design Manager
- Pac-Man World 3 – (2004) PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PSP, DS – Design Manager
Roles and Responsibilities
- Game design leadership and team management across 8 projects
- Conducted staff training modules
- Contributed to team personal development reviews and recruitment procedures
- Pitched and presented to internal and external stakeholders and clients
- Took charge of game system design and level design – notable achievements include:
- Led design on a live, server-based enviromental game including true-to-life ecology
- Led design team on Kinect launch-window title; including interaction design and game design
- Designed a procedural “natural language” feedback system for American Idol games
- Voice over direction on several games including major celebrity cast members (Simon Cowell)
- Clients include SEGA, Google, Chillingo, Bandai-Namco, Komani, Microsoft and more
Blitz Games Titles as Designer/Artist
- Bad Boys 2 – (2003) PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC – Senior Designer/Scrum Leader
- Fairly Odd Parents – Shadow Showdown (2003) – Cutscene Director
- Zapper (2002) PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC – Assistant Manager
- Fuzion Frenzy – (2001) Xbox Exclusive Launch Title – Designer/3D Artist
- Titan AE – (1999) Playstation – Artist/Designer/Animator (unreleased)
- Wargames – (1998) PC – Level Designer (Unreleased expansion pack)
Roles and Responsibilities
- Collaborated on game design, level design and scripting
- Contributed to 3D level and prop modeling
- Directed cutscenes on several projects
Fuzion Frenzy • Xbox • Blitz Games (2001)
Going back a long way in time. Fuzion Frenzy was my first released game! It is included here because it remains one of the most widely loved game I have worked on. I was closely involved with mini-game design and artwork for several of the games. We worked in micro-teams on just two people for each game type so there was lots of room for creative input even for me as a relative rookie.
Roles and Responsibilties
- Mini-Game Brainstorming, pitching and iteration
- Mini-Game Design and implementation
- Mini-Game 3D art and VFX
Fun Fact: Fuzion Frenzy was the first Xbox game to go gold. The VERY first. So you can be more famous, you can sell more copies. But you can never, ever be first FIRST than we were.
Relive your early 2000’s with this LONG video of Fuzion Frenzy gameplay, here playing in its beautiful XboxOne upgrade. It’s over an hour long so some judicious use of the scrub bar will be useful, but many of these games should bring a smile to the face of classic Xbox fans.