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1478 lines (1245 loc) · 52.8 KB
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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Kyle Wolf - Game Designer</title>
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="Assets/fav-icon.png">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Montserrat:ital,wght@0,100..900;1,100..900&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
<style>
body {
margin: 0 auto;
/*max-width: 860px;*/ /* WAS 960 */
font-family: 'Montserrat', sans-serif;
scroll-behavior: smooth;
/*font-size: 0.85em;*/
/*background: #0a0a0d;*/
background: #0e0e13;
}
header {
/*position: fixed;*/
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
/*background: #3e4465;*/
background: #111;
color: white;
z-index: 1000;
font-size: 1.2em;
}
.content {
width: 960px;
margin: 0 auto;
color: white;
/*background: #18191d;*/
background: #20222d;
font-size: 0.85em; /* was 9 */
/*min-height: 100vh;*/
}
.header-inner {
max-width: 960px;
margin: 0 auto;
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
align-items: center;
padding: 15px 30px;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
h1 {
text-align: center;
font-size: 2em;
}
h2 {
text-align: center;
font-size: 2.5em;
}
h3 {
text-align: center;
/*font-size: 1.17em;*/
font-size: 2.17em;
}
h4 {
padding-top: 30px;
text-align: center;
font-size: 1em;
}
h5 {
text-align: center;
font-size: 0.7em;
font-style: italic;
font-weight: normal;
margin: 0px;
padding-bottom: 16px;
}
.role-header {
color: #1ad6d9;
font-size: 1.15em;
font-weight: bold;
}
li { padding: 2px }
a {
/*color: white;*/
color: #72b6ff;
text-decoration: none;
}
a:hover {
color: #9dccff;
text-decoration: underline;
}
header a {
color: white;
margin: 0 10px;
text-decoration: none;
}
section {
padding: 20px;
position: relative;
}
section + section {
margin-top: 50px;
}
section + section::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
top: -25px;
left: 50%;
transform: translateX(-50%);
width: 60%;
height: 1px;
/*background: rgba(0,0,0,0.1);*/
background: rgba(256,256,256,0.1);
}
.content > section:first-of-type {
/*padding-top: 120px;*/
}
.hero {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
gap: 40px;
min-height: 500px;
/*font-size: 1.0em;*/
}
.hero-img {
width: 200px;
height: 200px;
overflow: hidden;
border-radius: 50%;
}
.hero-img img {
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
object-fit: cover;
transform: scale(1.25);
transition: transform 0.3s ease;
}
.hero-img:hover img {
transform: scale(1.35);
}
.hero-txt {
max-width: 600px;
text-align: center;
font-size: 1.3em;
/*line-height: 170%;*/
}
/* NEW PORTFOLIO LAYOUT */
.portfolio-item {
margin-bottom: 50px;
}
.portfolio-item h2 {
font-size: 1.5em;
text-align: left;
}
.portfolio-header img {
width: 100%;
height: 175px; /* was 200 */
object-fit: cover;
border-radius: 8px;
}
.portfolio-header h3 {
margin: 10px 0 0 0;
}
.portfolio-header {
position: relative;
}
.portfolio-header h3 {
position: absolute;
bottom: 15px;
left: 20px;
margin: 0;
color: white;
font-size: 2.17em;
/*text-shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.7);*/
text-shadow: 2px 2px #000000;
/* fallback */
text-shadow:
-1px -1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.8),
1px -1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.8),
-1px 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.8),
2px 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,1);
}
.portfolio-body {
margin-top: 15px;
}
/*
.projects-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr));
max-width: 1200px;
margin: 0 auto;
gap: 20px;
}
@media (min-width: 900px) {
.projects-grid {
grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
}
}
*/
.project {
border: 1px solid rgba(256,256,256,0.2);
padding: 10px;
margin: 10px;
}
.project h2 {
font-size: 1.2em;
text-align: left;
}
.project img {
/*width: 100%;*/
max-width: 300px;
}
.fade {
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(20px);
transition: all 0.6s ease-out;
}
.fade.visible {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0);
}
.fade-divider {
border: none;
height: 1px;
margin: 15px 0;
background: linear-gradient(
to right,
transparent,
/*rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2),*/
rgba(256, 256, 256, 0.2),
transparent
);
}
.dark-divider {
border: none;
height: 3px;
margin: 0 0 50px;
background: linear-gradient(
to right,
transparent,
/*rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2),*/
rgba(14, 14, 19, 0.8),
transparent
);
}
#toTop {
position: fixed;
bottom: 20px;
right: 20px;
padding: 10px 15px;
background: black;
color: white;
border: none;
cursor: pointer;
border-radius: 5px;
}
/* Highlight state */
#toTop:hover {
background-color: #304093; /* was #4caf50 */
color: #fff;
/*box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(76, 175, 80, 0.5);*/
box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(76, 80, 175, 0.5);
transform: translateY(-1px);
}
/* Optional: pressed effect */
#toTop:active {
transform: scale(0.97);
}
.portfolio-details {
max-height: 0;
overflow: hidden;
transition: max-height 0.4s ease, opacity 0.3s ease;
opacity: 0;
}
.portfolio-item.expanded .portfolio-details {
opacity: 1;
/* height handled dynamically in JS */
}
/*
.toggle-btn {
margin-top: 10px;
padding: 8px 12px;
cursor: pointer;
border: none;
background: #333;
color: white;
border-radius: 5px;
}*/
.toggle-btn {
margin-top: 10px;
padding: 8px 12px;
cursor: pointer;
border: none;
border-radius: 5px;
background-color: #0c0d11; /* was 333*/
color: white;
/* Smooth animation */
transition:
background-color 0.3s ease,
color 0.3s ease,
transform 0.2s ease,
box-shadow 0.3s ease;
}
/* Highlight state */
.toggle-btn:hover {
background-color: #304093; /* was #4caf50 */
color: #fff;
/*box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(76, 175, 80, 0.5);*/
box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(76, 80, 175, 0.5);
transform: translateY(-1px);
}
/* Optional: pressed effect */
.toggle-btn:active {
transform: scale(0.97);
}
/* ==== TWO COLUMN SECTION STARTS ==== */
.two-column {
display: flex;
width: 100%;
}
.left-column {
min-width: 300px;
width: 45%;
/*background: #FFDDDD;*/
/*padding: 10px;*/
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.right-column {
flex: 1;
/*background: #00FF00;*/
/*padding: 10px;*/
padding-left: 40px;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.game-desc {
font-size: 1.3em;
padding: 10px;
/*margin-top: 20px;*/
}
/*--------------------------*/
.video-container {
width: 100%;
height: 250px;
justify-content: center;
aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;
padding-bottom: 40px;
}
.video-container iframe {
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
border: 0;
display: block;
padding-top: 20px;
}
.game-links {
padding-top: 20px;
}
.game-links a {
/*color: #FFF;*/
color: #72b6ff;
text-decoration: none;
}
.game-links a:hover {
color: #9dccff;
text-decoration: underline;
}
/* ----- ANIMATED LINE BS (not used) ------*/
.animated-link {
position: relative;
text-decoration: none;
color: #111;
}
.animated-link::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
left: 0;
bottom: -2px;
width: 100%;
height: 1px;
background: currentColor;
transform: scaleX(0);
transform-origin: left;
transition: transform 0.3s ease;
}
.animated-link:hover::after,
.animated-link:focus::after {
transform: scaleX(1);
}
/* ---------------------------- */
</style>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="LB2.css">
<script src="LB2.js" defer></script>
</head>
<body>
<header>
<div class="header-inner">
<div>Kyle Wolf | Game Designer</div>
<nav>
<a href="#portfolio">Portfolio</a>
<a href="#projects">Projects</a>
<a href="#connect">Connect</a>
</nav>
</div>
</header>
<div class="content">
<noscript>
<div style="
background: #ffdddd;
color: #900;
padding: 12px;
text-align: center;
font-family: sans-serif;
border-bottom: 1px solid #cc0000;
position: sticky;
top: 0;
z-index: 9999;
">
This website works requires JavaScript to be enabled. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
</div>
</noscript>
<section class="hero">
<div class="hero-img">
<img src="Assets/me.png" alt="Yea that's me">
</div>
<div class="hero-txt">
<h1>Oh hi, I'm Kyle<img src="Assets/fav-icon.png" height="32px" alt="Canadian!"></h1>
<p>I'm a game designer with 9 years of industry experience. I love working on every aspect of game development, with designing gameplay systems and content for engaging and thrilling experiences is my favourite aspects.</p>
<p>Check out some of the games I've worked on below!</p>
<p>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-wolf-ca/" target="_blank" ><img src="Assets/logo-linkedIn.png" alt="LinkedIn" width="32"></a>
</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="portfolio">
<h2>Professional Work</h2>
<!-- EK BEGINS -->
<div class="portfolio-item fade">
<h2>Ember Knights</h2>
<div class="portfolio-header">
<img src="Assets/banner-EK.jpg" alt="Ember Knights">
<!-- <h3>Ember Knights</h3> -->
</div>
<h5>Early Access April 2022, 1.0 Release July 2023<br>
Released on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Playstation</h5>
<!--
<div class="gallery">
<img
src="Assets/EK.jpg"
data-full="Assets/kfz.jpg"
data-group="a"
/>
<img
src="Assets/EK.jpg"
data-full="Assets/kfz-2.png"
data-group="a"
/>
-->
<div class="game-desc">Pixel art hack-and-slash action roguelite for 1-4 players. Take on the role of the Ember Knights who are fighting to restore the Ember Tree and prevent the evil Praxis from destroying the universe.<br>
</div>
<hr class="fade-divider">
<div class="portfolio-body">
<div class="two-column">
<div class="left-column">
<div class="role-header">Roles</div><br>
<i>Lead Designer</i><br>
System / Level / Enemy / Character Design<br>
Gameplay Programmer<br>
UI/UX Design
<div class="game-links">
<div class="role-header">Platform</div><br>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1135230/Ember_Knights/" target="_blank">Steam</a>
|
<a href="https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/ember-knights-switch/?srsltid=AfmBOorJYko0RkVCsMzv18tRqQia4LOiP6sgx4CDpGrty4h43Lmgkhem" target="_blank">Switch</a>
|
<a href="https://store.playstation.com/en-ca/product/UP4744-PPSA23122_00-0563899439262251" target="_blank">PS</a>
|
<a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/ember-knights-heroes-of-the-nexus-edition/9P8X48GGW98H" target="_blank">XB</a>
</div>
<div class="video-container">
<!-- <iframe
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5iF9pBmZZr4"
title="YouTube video player"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"
allowfullscreen
referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin">
</iframe> -->
<iframe
width="560"
height="315"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5iF9pBmZZr4&autoplay=1"
srcdoc="<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}</style><a href=https://www.youtube.com/embed/5iF9pBmZZr4?autoplay=1><img src=https://img.youtube.com/vi/5iF9pBmZZr4/hqdefault.jpg><span>▶</span></a>"
frameborder="0"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
allowfullscreen
></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<div class="right-column">
<div class="role-header">Key Responsibilities</div><br>
<strong>Core System Design</strong>
<ul>
<li>Ember Tree permanent progression system and 15+ upgrades</li>
<li>Weapon, Skill, and Relic unlock systems</li>
<li>'Trigger and Effect' Relic combo system and 37+ Relics</li>
<li>Weapon Modification system to customize weapons, 45+ modifications, and the gameplay challenges to acquire their unlock currency</li>
<li>Enemy dynamic spawning logic
<li>'Praxis' system where the main villain follows the player through their run, summons more challenges, verbally taunts them, and more</li>
</ul>
<strong>Gameplay Design</strong>
<ul>
<li>Lead designer for 3 weapons, contributed to design of all 6</li>
<li>52 enemies with distinct behaviours and 14 intense Boss fight</li>
<li>Room and enemy encounter design for all 6 areas of the game</li>
<li>Designing, playtesting, and iterating all aspects gameplay and progression systems</li>
<li>Additional programming for enemies, bosses, characters, weapons, relics, and more</li>
</ul>
<strong>Project Management</strong>
<ul>
<li>Lead the development team during the 1 year Early Access period</li>
</ul>
<strong>Narrative Design</strong>
<ul>
<li>Story progression, character and dialogue writing, and blocking out all the cutscenes</li>
<li>Collaborated on the settings / themes for the 6 areas of the game</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<p>Action rogue-lites are one of my favourite game genres, so it was really exciting to be able to come up with our own ideas for intense gameplay, mechanics, and special moments for players to experience.</p>
<p>Ember Knights became the biggest project we made at the studio and the biggest project I had worked on at the time. My skillset was also broad enough that I ended up working on nearly every aspect of the game in some form.</p>
<div class="portfolio-details">
<hr class="fade-divider">
<h4>Big Bosses</h4>
<p>My favourite part of working on Ember Knights was designing the Boss encounters since they allowed for more elaborate encounters. I wanted each boss fight to have a balance of actions that fit their theme, that tested the player’s skills, and had a level of spectacle to them.</p>
<p>Each boss would end up with a good mix of actions that required the player to pay attention and ones that were there to cool and impactful.</p>
<p>Playtesting and balance came down to making sure every attack was fair, that it had appropriate cues, anticipation, and collision, then tweaking values like damage, speed, duration, etc. When the values were adjusted and I could beat the boss without getting hit, I felt it was in a good spot.</p>
<div class="gallery">
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-ghostboss.png"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Some attack mockups for the Area 3 Phantom Boss. Bosses had 1 base version and two variants with different attacks, patterns, stats, and more."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-ghostboss-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="video"
data-full="Assets/videos/ph-chains.mp4"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Chain attack for one of the Phantom Boss variants."
>
<img src="Assets/ph-chains-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-praxisboss2.png"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Sketches for how the final* Boss fight would progress through multiple arenas and sequences."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-praxisboss2-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-praxisboss.png"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Final version of the in-game arena. The fight starts in the lower chamber, breaks through the back wall, across a broken pathway, and ends up in the final chamber."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-praxisboss-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-iceking-attacks.png"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Attack mockups for the Ice King bosses."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-iceking-attacks-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="video"
data-full="Assets/videos/ik-ring.mp4"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Ice King variant's 'Polar Vortex' attack that tries to push players into the spikes along the walls."
>
<img src="Assets/ik-ring-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="video"
data-full="Assets/videos/IK-swordring.mp4"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Another variant's attack. Drops swords in a ring around it then sends them outwards."
>
<img src="Assets/IK-swordring-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="video"
data-full="Assets/videos/av-rockets.mp4"
data-group="ek-bossgallery"
data-caption="Another clip of boss gameplay showing off some attacks and room mechanics. This boss encounter had a lot of personality and was really fun to design."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-frogboss-thumb.jpg">
</div>
</div>
<h4>Design Challenges</h4>
The most challenging time for Ember Knights was after we had launched our first public demo. We identified some pretty significant issues to solve:
<ul>
<li>All player progression was in a single system and was too constrictive for players and for design</li>
<li>Our in-run progression from Relics didn't provide enough meaningful gameplay changes and weren't fun</li>
<li>Level exploration was tedious, and combat rooms were cramped and very samey, and they didn't support 4 players very well</li>
</ul>
<p>For player progression we broke it out into multiple systems. Permanent bonuses could be purchased/upgrades with a meta currency, divided into tiers where only 1 bonus would can be active at a time. New Relics -- in-run progression -- were automatically unlocked via defeating cumulative enemies. New abilities were unlocked by defeating MiniBosses and Bosses. New weapons were unlocked automatically by accumulating the meta currency, but didn't require it to be spent. These changes let us better control the pacing and order of unlocks, and also have the player multiple goals to work towards at one time.</p>
<div class="gallery">
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-unlocktree.png"
data-group="ek-progress"
data-caption="Original unlock tree before the rework. Every weapon, relic, skill (spell), and player bonus would have been acquired from this screen/system."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-unlocktree-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-embertree-sketch.png"
data-group="ek-progress"
data-caption="Sketch and mockup for the redesigned player bonus system. Bonuses could be upgraded multiple times for increased effect. Only 1 bonus from each tier (circle) equipped at a time so player would customize their own loadouts."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-embertree-sketch.png">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-embertree-final.png"
data-group="ek-progress"
data-caption="Final in-game example of the player bonuses screen. The currency for upgrades would be acquired just from playing the game, clearing rooms, defeating bosses and enemies, and more."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-embertree-final.png">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-relicprogress.png"
data-group="ek-progress"
data-caption="New Relic unlocks were changed to be dropped as items during a run after defeating a cumulative number of enemies (though some could be acquired from other methods). An NPC in the main hub would keep track of when the next Relic would drop."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-relicprogress.png">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-skilltabs.png"
data-group="ek-progress"
data-caption="New Skill unlocks were changed to be items dropped by bosses and minibosses. An NPC in the main hub would keep track of which items still needed to be acquired."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-skilltabs.png">
</div>
</div>
<p>Relics mostly gave passive stat boosts to the player, which didn't noticeably affect gameplay. I redesigned their functionality to be more of a 'trigger and effect' system, where whenever the trigger was met, the effect happened. An effect could also act as a trigger, meaning Relics could combo with each other and make longer chains of effects. This added more replayability to make different Relic builds and look for broken combos.</p>
<div class="gallery">
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/old-relics.png"
data-group="ek-relics"
data-caption="Relic designs before the system was reworked. They were primarily stat increases or chances for effects to happen."
>
<img src="Assets/old-relics-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/new-relics.png"
data-group="ek-relics"
data-caption="Reworked trigger + effect system and 3 pairs of relics. The two Relics at the top combo ''Whenever you dodge, you CRIT'' and ''Whenever you CRIT your Skills refresh''"
>
<img src="Assets/new-relics-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/new-relics-2.png"
data-group="ek-relics"
data-caption="More updated relics that build around the CRIT trigger and each other."
>
<img src="Assets/new-relics-2-thumb.jpg">
</div>
</div>
<p>The level exporation we ended up scrapping entirely. Instead of a dungeon-crawling style map, we went with a linear room-to-room approach where the player would choose from 1 of 2 rewards for their next room and the game determines what the layout and enemies are. Every room would have a reward now, where previously some rooms didn't and were just paths on the map.</p>
<p>We remade nearly all of the combat rooms since they could now be whatever size and layout we wanted them to be. We could also now have different rooms sizes based on the number of players in the game (up to 4 players) since the rooms didn't need to fit into a grid anymore.</p>
<h4>Responsibilities and Creative Freedom</h4>
<p>On Ember Knights I was given more responsibilities and also was allowed to stretch my creative muscles in various disciplines outside of design:
<ul>
<li>During the Early Access period I managed the content to be developed, worked with a Producer to manage timelines and milestones, had final sign off on completed items, delegated junior designers, provided feedback and direction for artists, programmers, and audio designers</li>
<li>To test out boss concepts quicker I made basic animated 3D models and converted them to sprites. We could get them hooked up, playable, and tested in game without taking up resources from the Art team
</li>
<li>Gave reference and feedback to the artists for level designs, character and enemy designs, animations, UI designs, icons, and more</li>
<li>Took over handling the main narrative, wrote all the dialogue for the game, storyboarded all the in-game cutscenes</li>
<li>Worked directly with our external sound designers and composers</li>
</ul>
</p>
<div class="gallery">
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/praxis-3d.png"
data-group="ek-bonus"
data-caption="To speed up being able to implement and test bosses in game I would make simple 3D models and animations then convert them to sprites."
>
<img src="Assets/praxis-3d-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-storyboard.png"
data-group="ek-bonus"
data-caption="I blocked out all the in-game cutscenes and some of the animated cinematics using storyboards."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-storyboard-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-widow-concept.png"
data-group="ek-bonus"
data-caption="Rough concept for the Boss of the first area, designed to be the 'mother' of the big bug enemies. The pink and yellow spider was from a previous version of project that didn't fit the theme anymore."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-widow-concept-thumb.jpg">
</div>
<div
class="gallery-item"
data-type="image"
data-full="Assets/ek-widow-final.png"
data-group="ek-bonus"
data-caption="Final in-game example of the boss. The sprite was not made by me."
>
<img src="Assets/ek-widow-final.png">
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
<!-- EK ENDS -->
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<!-- STARKADIA BEGINS -->
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<h2>Legends of Starkadia</h2>
<div class="portfolio-header">
<img src="Assets/banner-los.jpg" alt="Legends of Starkadia">
<!-- <h3>Legends of Starkadia</h3> -->
</div>
<div class="game-desc">A quirky RPG with open world exploration, turn-based combat, and timed actions. After being mysteriously teleported to an alien world, mild-mannered teen Mikey finds himself in the middle of an interstellar war. It's up to his team of unlikely heroes to assist the resistance to restore peace to the Starkadian galaxy.<br>
</div>
<hr class="fade-divider">
<div class="portfolio-body">
<div class="two-column">
<div class="left-column">
<div class="role-header">Roles</div><br>
<i>Senior Designer</i><br>
System / Level / Enemy / Character Design<br>
Narrative Development<br>
UI/UX Design
<div class="game-links">
<div class="role-header">Platform</div><br>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2618160/Legends_of_Starkadia/" target="_blank">Steam</a>
</div>
<div class="video-container">
<iframe
width="560"
height="315"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tvr2i2Zy580&autoplay=1"
srcdoc="<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}</style><a href=https://www.youtube.com/embed/tvr2i2Zy580?autoplay=1><img src=https://img.youtube.com/vi/tvr2i2Zy580/hqdefault.jpg><span>▶</span></a>"
frameborder="0"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
allowfullscreen
></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<div class="right-column">
<div class="role-header">Key Responsibilities</div><br>
<strong>Core System Design</strong>
<ul>
<li>Turn-based combat system defining player-enemy action and turn orders, usable resources (HP, AP), special actions, and more</li>
<li>Enemy 'weakness' system, more susceptible to certain damage types</li>
<li>Quick time event input types for each character's attacks and abilities, bonuses for perfect timing</li>
<li>Progression systems (equipment progression, xp levels)</li>
</ul>
<strong>Gameplay Design</strong>
<ul>
<li>Character attacks and abilities, damage types, and combos</li>
<li>Item / Gear design (stats, gear types, combos, xp)</li>
<li>Boss and enemy designs for combat</li>
<li>Level design, traversal mechanics, puzzles and interactions
<li>Enemy behaviours and patters outside of combat, player-chasing functionality
<li>UI/UX for all the various screens and menus</li>
</ul>
<strong>Narrative Design</strong>
<ul>
<li>Collaborated with a contract writer on the main story, character origins and personalities, dialogue, and more</li>
<li>Quest lines for the main story, side quests for various worlds</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<p>My time on Starkadia was mostly spent exploring ideas for turn-based combat mechanics, ideas for what the ‘overworld’ experience would be, some initial progression mechanics, and narrative work regarding the plot, the characters, the various worlds, and other pieces of lore.</p>
<p>The initial pitch for the game was as a rogue-lite with RPG elements, that then transitioned to be more like a regular RPG (not a rogue-lite). My role was to flesh out the elements from the pitch for a more ‘full’ RPG experience.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<!-- STARKADIA ENDS -->
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<!-- KFZ BEGINS -->
<div class="portfolio-item fade">
<h2>Kung Fu Z</h2>
<div class="portfolio-header">
<img src="Assets/banner-kfz4.jpg" alt="Kung Fu Z">
<!-- <h3>Kung Fu Z</h3> -->
</div>
<h5>Released July 2018 on Android, iOS</h5>
<div class="game-desc">Retro-style Sidecroller Beat-em-up. Kung Fu fight your way through endless hordes of zombies and other creatures to save NYZ from the mad scientist Dr. Z!<br>
</div>
<hr class="fade-divider">
<div class="portfolio-body">
<div class="two-column">
<div class="left-column">
<div class="role-header">Roles</div><br>
<i>Designer</i><br>
System Design<br>
Combat / Content Design<br>
Monetization / Live Ops<br>
UI Design
<div class="game-links">
<div class="role-header">Platform</div><br>
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tinytitanstudios.kfz&hl=en" target="_blank">Android</a>
|
<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kung-fu-zombie/id1380910604" target="_blank">iOS</a>
</div>
<div class="video-container">
<iframe
width="560"
height="315"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6BbKcJb9Tsk&autoplay=1"
srcdoc="<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}</style><a href=https://www.youtube.com/embed/6BbKcJb9Tsk?autoplay=1><img src=https://img.youtube.com/vi/6BbKcJb9Tsk/hqdefault.jpg><span>▶</span></a>"
frameborder="0"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
allowfullscreen
></iframe>
</div>