My time at OtherSide Entertainment started with more of a Systems heavy approach in being responsible for the NPC's design, behaviors and tuning, and other supplemental systems. When we lost our Level Design Lead, I volunteered to temporarily cover that gap, and took on the additional load of Content Design and Level Design for multiple milestones. We did not hire a Level Designer to replace the one we lost, and my role morphed to being more focused on implementing content and utilizing Systems Design to create "Guided Random" (Not truly random, but random within boundaries intended to mix with other bound randomized elements) content for high replayability intentions.
Thick As Thieves (PC)
NPC & Gameplay Design
Subject: NPC Constable
Task: Create a core NPC that would function as the primary player resistance, to enforce the necessity for stealth by being an “Unstoppable Terminator” that the player must use guile, tools, and understanding of the sandbox in order to bypass, evade, and defeat.
Task: Create a core NPC that would function as the primary player resistance, to enforce the necessity for stealth by being an “Unstoppable Terminator” that the player must use guile, tools, and understanding of the sandbox in order to bypass, evade, and defeat.
Subject: NPC Hauntstable
Task: Create a supplemental NPC to the Guard NPC, which requires alternative solutions in order to encourage the player to consider alternative solutions to bypassing, evading, and defeating them.
Task: Create a supplemental NPC to the Guard NPC, which requires alternative solutions in order to encourage the player to consider alternative solutions to bypassing, evading, and defeating them.
The Hauntstable with his glorious 'tache
The Hauntstable on Patrol
NPC Behavior flow chart for the Guard. Utilzied by Engineering and Art for tracking and developing.
Subject: Security Devices
Task: I ideated, pitched, and created elements of environmental resistance that would serve as challenges capable of being composed together into larger puzzle-spaces. I implemented the following: Light Tripwire, Pressure Plate, Magic-Eye Camera, Turret, and Noise Maker. These Security Devices form the backbone of PvE content design. Security Devices have multiple tuning/balance configurations based on the player's selected difficulty.
Task: I ideated, pitched, and created elements of environmental resistance that would serve as challenges capable of being composed together into larger puzzle-spaces. I implemented the following: Light Tripwire, Pressure Plate, Magic-Eye Camera, Turret, and Noise Maker. These Security Devices form the backbone of PvE content design. Security Devices have multiple tuning/balance configurations based on the player's selected difficulty.
Light Beam - crossing it triggers an alarm and security devices
Pressure Plate and Noise-mkaer - stepping on the pressure plate triggers security devices, and causes the Noise Maker to generate a sound stim to attract any nearby NPCs.
Magic Eye Spotlight - a spotlight that scans over a wide area slowly and predictably. If it observes a player, it triggers security devices and attracts nearby NPCs.
Sweeping Turret - it rotates along fixed angles, and will shoot darts at a player if it observes them.
Level & Content Design
Subject: Level Design: Constable’s Guildhall
Task: Work with Environment Artists and Concept Artists to ideate, shape, and design the level layout for The Constable’s Guildhall. I aided more specifically in developing a papermap and placing gameplay-specific props, as well as hooking up environment props to relevant gameplay systems.
Task: Work with Environment Artists and Concept Artists to ideate, shape, and design the level layout for The Constable’s Guildhall. I aided more specifically in developing a papermap and placing gameplay-specific props, as well as hooking up environment props to relevant gameplay systems.
Subject: Level Design: Elway manor
Task: Work with Environment Artists and Concept Artists to ideate, shape, and design the level layout for Elway Manor. I aided more specifically in developing a papermap and placing gameplay-specific props, as well as hooking up environment props to relevant gameplay systems.
Task: Work with Environment Artists and Concept Artists to ideate, shape, and design the level layout for Elway Manor. I aided more specifically in developing a papermap and placing gameplay-specific props, as well as hooking up environment props to relevant gameplay systems.
Subject: Content Variance Scheme
Task: Due to a restriction on maps at launch, and a need to have environmental resistance not become rote, I developed a “mix and match” system whereby we identified areas of varying resistance challenge, and created content-pockets in isolation. I then worked with engineers to develop a system that allowed us to deploy each content-pocket with multiple variations, and created up to 3 variations for randomized mixing and matching. By identifying 15-20 content-pockets in a single level, we created the potential to have 3375 unique level layouts. This prevented the player from ever playing the same set of PvE content twice in a row, or even possibly at all.
Task: Due to a restriction on maps at launch, and a need to have environmental resistance not become rote, I developed a “mix and match” system whereby we identified areas of varying resistance challenge, and created content-pockets in isolation. I then worked with engineers to develop a system that allowed us to deploy each content-pocket with multiple variations, and created up to 3 variations for randomized mixing and matching. By identifying 15-20 content-pockets in a single level, we created the potential to have 3375 unique level layouts. This prevented the player from ever playing the same set of PvE content twice in a row, or even possibly at all.
Subject: PvE Content Design for Novice and Thief difficulty on both maps.
Task: The placement of Guards and Security Devices, and their multiple variations, for the Novice and Thief difficulties was a large task of mine that involved a high quantity of iteration and testing. I performed this task on both of our launch maps, helping to create a system of highly re-playable content experiences.
Task: The placement of Guards and Security Devices, and their multiple variations, for the Novice and Thief difficulties was a large task of mine that involved a high quantity of iteration and testing. I performed this task on both of our launch maps, helping to create a system of highly re-playable content experiences.
Subject: Loot balance, randomization, and world placement
Task: I designed drop tables, randomized loot containers, and placed them in the world with randomized spawning locations. I also tuned the value of the loot in accordance with a larger economic plan.
Task: I designed drop tables, randomized loot containers, and placed them in the world with randomized spawning locations. I also tuned the value of the loot in accordance with a larger economic plan.
Subject: Goo Pipes
Task: I designed and implemented pipes that the player could interact with, that spew out globs of "slithersap" - which is a unique material with sandbox interactions with NPCs and tools.
Task: I designed and implemented pipes that the player could interact with, that spew out globs of "slithersap" - which is a unique material with sandbox interactions with NPCs and tools.
Level Design papermap concept work with World Artist and Concept Artist.
Variance-defining zones for hot, medium,and cold content pockets, for the Elway Manor map.
Loot
Goo Pipe expelling some Slithersap after interaction from the player.
Meta-Game Systems Design
Subject: Ping System
Task: I designed the system for how pinging worked, allowing for players to communicate information since the game did not have a means of communicating with others players via local voice-chat. The way I worked it out, was to generate a series of LOS checks in form of "rods" set in an array around the player's reticle (camera). If any of the multiple LOS rods made contact with an "important" object, it would then do a "sonar" check around that target, highlighting anything else around it that was important. This system allowed for quick, single-tap highlighting of important assets to communicate awareness and intention to co-op player.
Task: I designed the system for how pinging worked, allowing for players to communicate information since the game did not have a means of communicating with others players via local voice-chat. The way I worked it out, was to generate a series of LOS checks in form of "rods" set in an array around the player's reticle (camera). If any of the multiple LOS rods made contact with an "important" object, it would then do a "sonar" check around that target, highlighting anything else around it that was important. This system allowed for quick, single-tap highlighting of important assets to communicate awareness and intention to co-op player.
Subject: Stashes / Dead Drops
Task: I ideated, pitched, prototyped, and implemented a system that allowed for players to permanently secure loot that they could have otherwise lost or dropped by being knocked out.
Task: I ideated, pitched, prototyped, and implemented a system that allowed for players to permanently secure loot that they could have otherwise lost or dropped by being knocked out.
Subject: Content Authoring Tool Refinement
Task: Work with Engineers to modify current content-production tools and schema, allowing for Designers to have a higher degree of control, accuracy, intention, ease of use, and simplicity when implementing content.
Task: Work with Engineers to modify current content-production tools and schema, allowing for Designers to have a higher degree of control, accuracy, intention, ease of use, and simplicity when implementing content.
Subject: Mission Type: Cleanout Heist
Task: Create a mission that plays differently than the two primary mission types, which should help to alleviate repetition fatigue. I came up with the concept of something much less guided than the other two experiences, which lent itself to allowing the player a more free-form approach to finding success in the level.
Task: Create a mission that plays differently than the two primary mission types, which should help to alleviate repetition fatigue. I came up with the concept of something much less guided than the other two experiences, which lent itself to allowing the player a more free-form approach to finding success in the level.
Subject: Light and Darkness Stimulation System
Task: NPCs and Security Devices respond to players via observing them with a vision-sense. Myself and an Engineer got together to experiment with the creation of a Light and Shadow system that effected how an NPC was able to see the player. We eventually settled on a high granularity “light-intensity” system that directly computes into the NPC’s vision sense capability.
Task: NPCs and Security Devices respond to players via observing them with a vision-sense. Myself and an Engineer got together to experiment with the creation of a Light and Shadow system that effected how an NPC was able to see the player. We eventually settled on a high granularity “light-intensity” system that directly computes into the NPC’s vision sense capability.
Subject: Sound Stimulation System
Task: I was tasked with creating a system whereby the player could make noises to attract a guard’s attention. This allowed for players to use sound-based stims to distract/attract guards, and meant that player movement like sprinting would be penalized as it would attract guards to a noisy player’s location.
Task: I was tasked with creating a system whereby the player could make noises to attract a guard’s attention. This allowed for players to use sound-based stims to distract/attract guards, and meant that player movement like sprinting would be penalized as it would attract guards to a noisy player’s location.
mockup of functionality in an GDD
GDD work describing "shotgun" spread approach to target identification
GDD work describing the "Sonar" element that combines with the "shotgun" element, to highlight relevant targets within a radius.
