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INTERACTIVE WORLD-BUILDING
EXAMPLES OF DESIGN LOGIC TO INFORM COHESIVE WORLDS & STYLE, PLAYER FANTASY, PROGRESSION, CLARITY, AND/OR MESSAGING OF INTERACTIVE PLAYER EXPERIENCES
• Original content & inspiration for initial conception of a Cold War-era spy fantasy stealth-shooter.
• First screenshot of mobile-only, 2D side-scroller prototype to final game screenshot.
• Explored core fantasy for understanding how to service audience expectation while differentiating within larger Spy canon.
• Bottom-right explores visual Nouns & Verbs of Spy Fiction fantasy re: what players expect, want to do, feel and experience.
• First screenshot of mobile-only, 2D side-scroller prototype to final game screenshot.
• Explored core fantasy for understanding how to service audience expectation while differentiating within larger Spy canon.
• Bottom-right explores visual Nouns & Verbs of Spy Fiction fantasy re: what players expect, want to do, feel and experience.
• I use extensive Research & Reference (R&R) to develop original, comprehensive and accessible styles.
• Beyond the bounds of the game, genre and market, I look across different design vectors for the wider possibility-space of what
has and hasn’t been done in search of a look that is original, familiar and authentic.
• A reductive designer, I look for key details of authenticity to express an economically believable and comprehensive style.
• CounterSpy’s look was the logical product of Context (fiction), Competency (core skills), and Constraint (resources, platform, time).
• Beyond the bounds of the game, genre and market, I look across different design vectors for the wider possibility-space of what
has and hasn’t been done in search of a look that is original, familiar and authentic.
• A reductive designer, I look for key details of authenticity to express an economically believable and comprehensive style.
• CounterSpy’s look was the logical product of Context (fiction), Competency (core skills), and Constraint (resources, platform, time).
• My early concepts seeking visual solutions and a comprehensive visual style in service of the 3 C’s:
• CONTEXT: Spy fiction involving stealth, mood, cool-factor, military/espionage settings actions, and tropes.
• COMPETENCY: My core competencies mainly in set & graphic design, I wanted a look that played to my strengths not weaknesses.
• CONSTRAINT: Mobile devices, small screens, light pollution, low-end devices, small download size, very small development team, meaning I had to keep content simple enough that I could create as a minimally-practiced 3D artist.
• CONTEXT: Spy fiction involving stealth, mood, cool-factor, military/espionage settings actions, and tropes.
• COMPETENCY: My core competencies mainly in set & graphic design, I wanted a look that played to my strengths not weaknesses.
• CONSTRAINT: Mobile devices, small screens, light pollution, low-end devices, small download size, very small development team, meaning I had to keep content simple enough that I could create as a minimally-practiced 3D artist.
• Left column shows original 3D prototyping in SketchUp, inspiring dev shift in Unity from 2D space to 3D.
• Middle column shows SketchUp modular room assets for helping solve procedural randomization & gameplay metrics in Unity.
• Top middle and right images reflect final playable prototype that secured initial 3-game publishing deal with Sony.
• Early lesson from emphasizing room modularity was that they all felt the same, making for an unremarkable player journey.
• I built out the center bottom layout to give spaces more story context support more distinctive player progression.
• Middle column shows SketchUp modular room assets for helping solve procedural randomization & gameplay metrics in Unity.
• Top middle and right images reflect final playable prototype that secured initial 3-game publishing deal with Sony.
• Early lesson from emphasizing room modularity was that they all felt the same, making for an unremarkable player journey.
• I built out the center bottom layout to give spaces more story context support more distinctive player progression.
• Taught myself to model, UV & texture in Maya, build & light levels in Unity, prototyped/advocated over-the-shoulder cover cameras.
• Under my solo efforts the game lacked style and character, but funding finally allowed us to bring on other key talents:
• Of note: Nathan Sisler nailed Robert Valley's character designs, helping cement the game's style; Bob Archibald built-out the entire
3D game world; Peter Demoreuille gave us the final defining look through shader-based lighting.
• Under my solo efforts the game lacked style and character, but funding finally allowed us to bring on other key talents:
• Of note: Nathan Sisler nailed Robert Valley's character designs, helping cement the game's style; Bob Archibald built-out the entire
3D game world; Peter Demoreuille gave us the final defining look through shader-based lighting.
• With in-game assets in more competent hands, I shifted to graphics for creating an aesthetic end-to-end connective tissue.
• The left group represents initial exploration of a visual mythology to suggest CounterSpy came from a 1960s franchise, using
print & television affectations to lend a vintage sensibility to the digital experience.
• I looked for a boldly reductive, distinctive aesthetic to make the game more recognizable, accessible, & memorable.
• Center & right were explorations to capture the game’s core narrative premise and tone in a single image key.
• The left group represents initial exploration of a visual mythology to suggest CounterSpy came from a 1960s franchise, using
print & television affectations to lend a vintage sensibility to the digital experience.
• I looked for a boldly reductive, distinctive aesthetic to make the game more recognizable, accessible, & memorable.
• Center & right were explorations to capture the game’s core narrative premise and tone in a single image key.
• Continued using restrictive color palette, high-key values, analogue off-black & whites throughout the UI menus, screens and HUD.
• Established an end-to-end visual tone and consistency from launch icon to end credits for creating a more immersive player fantasy.
• Top left early UI aesthetic presented challenges in execution, legibility and consistency of color language.
• Center top reflects a compromised golden-ratio approach and palette change that made the UI easier for player and developer.
• The HUD went through many permutations as the central game mechanic continued to evolve through the course of production.
• Established an end-to-end visual tone and consistency from launch icon to end credits for creating a more immersive player fantasy.
• Top left early UI aesthetic presented challenges in execution, legibility and consistency of color language.
• Center top reflects a compromised golden-ratio approach and palette change that made the UI easier for player and developer.
• The HUD went through many permutations as the central game mechanic continued to evolve through the course of production.
• Looked for how graphics and visual logic could help convey tone, narrative, and world-building.
• Landed an abstractly recognizable visual brand for the ideologically-opposed, propaganda-fueled cold-war East and West.
• Carried that branding into environmental signage for conveying the visual irony and playful edge of the game’s tone while conveying narrative context and player motivation via their progression through the gameplay environment.
• Landed an abstractly recognizable visual brand for the ideologically-opposed, propaganda-fueled cold-war East and West.
• Carried that branding into environmental signage for conveying the visual irony and playful edge of the game’s tone while conveying narrative context and player motivation via their progression through the gameplay environment.
• Turned back to the original creative intent of making CounterSpy feel as though it were more than just a contemporary product.
• Throughout production I created fictional CounterSpy movie posters and book covers to adorn our office walls.
• With no marketing budget we printed this and other ephemera as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign, giving out vintage
CounterSpy posters, books, original soundtrack record albums and even trading cards.
• Throughout production I created fictional CounterSpy movie posters and book covers to adorn our office walls.
• With no marketing budget we printed this and other ephemera as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign, giving out vintage
CounterSpy posters, books, original soundtrack record albums and even trading cards.
• The final graphics push was designing all branding and marketing assets across iOS, Android & PlayStation app stores.
• This included promotional banners, advertising, conference booth displays, art give-aways, desktop backgrounds,
and promotional SWAG for crew, consumers and promoters.
• This included promotional banners, advertising, conference booth displays, art give-aways, desktop backgrounds,
and promotional SWAG for crew, consumers and promoters.
• One of the graphic highlights was the cinematic opening that I wanted to feel like Saul Bas opening to a 1960s spy television series.
• With time and resource constraints this opening was the main canvas for setting up the tone and narrative fiction of the game.
• With time and resource constraints this opening was the main canvas for setting up the tone and narrative fiction of the game.
• The final trailer with fantastic score by the talented Jesse Harlan.
• Final Gameplay Trailer cut together by the amazing promo team at Sony who were a delight to work with.
• After a strategic shift led to the cancellation of CounterSpy 2 & 3, the passionate crew at Dynamighty put together a game-jam,
managing to eke out one last indie-mobile game.
• Fingers of Fury was a one-button brawler inspired by the one-vs-many fights of Bruce Lee.
• Leaning into the aesthetic we had developed for Counterspy, FoF was informed by even greater constraints, leading IMHO to the
game being even more charming and original than had it been fully-funded.
managing to eke out one last indie-mobile game.
• Fingers of Fury was a one-button brawler inspired by the one-vs-many fights of Bruce Lee.
• Leaning into the aesthetic we had developed for Counterspy, FoF was informed by even greater constraints, leading IMHO to the
game being even more charming and original than had it been fully-funded.
• Launch Trailer. I left the project early, so so much of this work it credited to the rest of the team who stayed on to see it through.
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