Welcome
to the quiet home of game dev Sam Elder. Full portfolio examples are available on request with recent 2D (paper) and graybox maps, documents, and screens.A synoposis of the work so far:
Is the President a Traitor?
- Solo game project available on steam!Creative Lead and mostly solo game dev on an indie title with the help of one coder and one writer.
Developing the gameplay and art in an attempt to nail a specific vision and style for a conspiracy game. Take a moment to check this thorough review of the game and its style!
Rainbow Six:Siege
- Wind BastionSenior Level Designer responsible for the new map Fortress in the seasonal update Wind Bastion.
Take a moment to check out my interview about the process used to design the map!
Rainbow Six:Siege
- Skull RainSenior Level Designer responsible for the new map Favela in the seasonal update Skull Rain.
Take a moment to check out some videos showcasing it!
I shepherded the map from paper and graybox iterations through final art with a small live team to deliver on a timely update. The increased destruction, inceased rappel opportunies, and haphazard nature of the favela were exciting and fun to explore and balance with the unique gameplay of Siege.
Rainbow Six: Siege
On the launch of the title I worked as an Assistant Technical Level Design Director. Helping oversee all the launch maps to ensure technical functioning as it relates to level design. World building metrics for all our game play elements, player movement, destruction, hero gadgets and abilities (of which there are many) and then documenting all that stuff. In an e-sport caliber game like Siege there are many design challenges to be overcome technically, an example is the vault ability. In an effort to have a more tactical experience, the tradition jump ability is replaced with a vault; allowing players to move over and climb objects in the world by systemtically testing for and triggering the ability. I worked with coders to build metrics for construction and data classification to ensure the vault ability worked systemically everywhere.
Assassin's Creed: Unity
Worked as an Assistant Technical Level Design Director on a large team with lots of outsourcers to ensure the delivery of a mammoth open world. Helped construct and document for systemic gameplay elements in the world. Navmesh generation for AI guidance and guidance generation for player animation systems (how that nifty assassin knows what cool moves to use when moving around.) Also had the pleasure of handling many of the games complex world building issues and escalated level design bugs. Ya know, just floor production trench seargant stuff. Dig the hole deeper, don't use illegal slopes and shapes, collision centimeters count. An example of a challenge I primarily oversaw was the new seamless interiors added within the open world of the AC brand.
The following video touches on a lot of aspects of that work:
Lichdom (PC)
Level Designer on many of the maps in Lichdom. Generated exhaustive technical and design documentation on building levels for our gameplay using CryEngine 3. The document was used for bringing new Level Designer's and other departments up to speed on our creation process and pipeline. Document, paper, graybox maps, and screens are available on request.
Below is a video made for our DevBlog describing the process, with myself and other members of the team.
Lichdom was exciting and allowed a lot of opportunities to delve into areas outside of level design. I designed and prototyped many aspects of gameplay, one in which I'm most proud of was a unique travel system that functioned in the world and was interacted with entirely in first person. Another was the health/defensive concept of the game, the player's "shield." Video of the travel prototype is available on request, along with my concept and content pieces for the "shield."
Below is a video made showcasing our combat, encounters, and environments, many of which I worked on.
Conduit 2 (Wii)
I was responsbile for designing three of five levels in C2, from paper to final. The first level in C2 presented an interesting design and technical challenge. The level was to be open ended, allowing multiple paths of progression through the OilRig structure, each of which had to showcase key story moments and events from several entrances/exits. I worked with an engineer to develope a new WAD loading system for our engine to make this work, allowing three segments to be loaded and controlled by the designer at any time. You can also see examples of the interactive cover system, where the player can flip tables or knock over crates for impromtu cover. Below is a video walkthrough of the first level, including its boss. Paper maps and even the boss design doc are available.
Working on the Wii, under its tight resource constraints, was some of the most enjoyable time of my career. It focuses you in on what matters, the fun, and doesn't give you the memory or power for fluff.
Below is a video walkthrough of the "Alien Occupied D.C." another Conduit 2 level I was responsible for. I'm especially proud of the enemy scripting and events in this level, along with the unique Sniper enemies I designed for the level. Paper maps and design documents on the level and enemies available...as usual :) on request.
Grinder (Wii)
(Unreleased)Grinder was fun and presented lots of unique challenges, pushing the Wii's performance to its limits with breakables and enemy numbers on screen. This presented many unique level design challenges that were a joy to work through, and despite being unreleased, as the video shows, satisfying to finish.
