Narrative RPG, Investigation, PC/Console
In development
Release date: May 2022
Based on the tabletop RPG license Vampire: The Masquerade.
Quest & Level Designer | January 2020 – Present
Quest concept and technical documentation for the quests
Level Design documentation
Block-out level design in Unreal Engine 4
Scripting of the quest in Unreal Engine 4
I participated in a series of interviews on the quest and level design aspects of the game and on the characters.
About the game
Developer: Big Bad Wolf
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a narrative-driven, single-player role-playing video game in which the player controls three vampires with different vampiric disciplines (abilities),switching between them over the course of the game. The player can customize the characters by choosing to upgrade their disciplines and character statistics to suit their preferred playstyle; this influences character interaction and skills used while exploring the game world, such as picking locks and hacking computer terminals. Throughout the game, the characters are put in difficult situations where the player has to make moral choices.
The story is set in Boston, in the World of Darkness, where vampires exist unbeknownst to humanity – the vampiric practice called the Masquerade, which is upheld by the vampire sect the Camarilla. There, the new Camarilla Prince Hazel Iversen is trying to strengthen the Camarilla’s presence by bringing Boston and Hartford together. The story follows three vampires from different vampire clans with differing views on the Camarilla’s rule, who investigate conspiracies in Boston following a shootout, starting with who ordered the attack and why.
🏆 Best PC/Console game Award, Game Connection 🏆 Most promising IP Award, Game Connection 🏆 Excellence in Art Award, Game Connection
Level Designer | August 2019 – December 2019
Concept and technical documentation for requested levels
Drawing maps (Illustrator & Photoshop)
Block-out of different levels in Unreal Engine 4
Narrative missions
Writing of a full sequencer of the entire game experience
Adaptation and integration of in-game dialogs based on a dialog script
Documentations on request.
About the game
Developer: Metaphora Entertainment
LIGHT THE PAST, SEED THE PRESENT, BLOSSOM THE FUTURE.
In a world on the brink of perdition, the Moonycat, last-born and last of his kind, has to fight an invincible pandemic that threatens the world.
Aided in his quest by a heart of a star named LUX, the heroes will lift te veil of mystery that floats on the past of Metaphora and the disappearance of the Moonycats.
LUX will be the key to save METAPHORA and make the planet blossom again.
Solo co-op adventure
Play two characters, the MOONYCAT and LUX, that you can switch anytime, anywhere. With their different and complementary set skills and abilities, their cooperation is essential to complete quests and progress into the story.
Explore the world
Lead a journey into the unknown as you explore a dying planet and unravel the mysteries that floats on the past of METAPHORA and the disappearance of the MOONYCATS.
Control the GEOPODS with LUX
GEOPODS compose the fauna of METAPHORA. These crazy little creatures, obsessed with seeds, will help you to solve puzzles and fight the DARKSEED.
Save the world from the pandemic
Use LUX to fight the DARKSEED, decontaminate infected areas and make METAPHORA blossom again.
Level Design practice
Far Cry 5 editor (Dunia Engine)
Goals
Work with the Far Cry 5 editor
Pacing, framing, and navigation
Use the scripting tools
Build a mansion with several rooms and possible encounters
Build a fully playable level
Level Overview
Game Mode: Bounty Hunt Objective: Find your primary targets, kill them and escape the island.
TPS, Stealth.
I’ve wanted to train the Far Cry 5 editor which is a great tool for Level Design and script training. I’ve started to write the main goals and places of interest in the level. After that, I begin to draw different maps and layouts. How many different paths for the player? How to reward exploration and stealth? Then I jump into the editor to test a few things, starting with the global shape of the island. I draw the main roads/pathways, put the major volumes and obstacles and test it. If it’s too long, I reshape the island. After the global shapes are done, I work section by section. The spawn point is at the top north of the island so I place 2 basics knives and a health pack for the player (Player starts the level without any weapon). I tested different positions and orientations for the first enemy encounter to allow the player to kill him easily but yet keep this dangerous/stormy/stressful atmosphere. Once this first section is done, I move to the next one. At each step I test the full level: how does it work between sections? Is it too long? Did the player can constantly know where to go?
I run some tests with the wanted weather (stormy and foggy) to check on visibility and objectives.
Walkthrough & Macro Nodes
Pick-up weapons and health pack
First enemy
Group of enemies
Use the quad to get to the mansion
OR find the hidden turret
OR Use the cliffs to approach the mansion
Break in the mansion & kill the targets
Escape the island
Screenshots from the player view
Greyblock process
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First Paper Designs & Layouts
Moodboard for architecture, lighting, and atmosphere
Objective: Find your target and steal his keycard.
Action/Adventure, TPS, 3D fictional game.
I started this level to train my level design skills on UE4. The project is simple: a grayblock level with simple shapes, the first layout of lighting (guiding the player’s eyes) and some textures and materials to help to visualize the level. I draw different maps and layouts of the level I want to create, with the different paths and basic shapes for obstacles and walls. I build it step by step in Unreal Engine 4, starting with global volumes than adding main ways and architectural guidelines. I test my map multiple times to assure the different ways, objectives, and options are clear. Details and smaller blocks are added on this first base. Lighting is an essential tool to guide the player, I set some basic lights in the level.
Walkthrough Video
General map
Walkthrough & Macro Nodes
Enter the baths
The player begins at the reception of the baths. As the VIP area is a forbidden place, he/she has to enter through the main way, after the lockers. This is the first place visited by the player and he/she can already different size NPCs around the place (it’s a sci-fi lore, there’re a lot of species besides humans). Following a large stair, the player arrives at the main baths.
Talk to the bartender
Directly in front of the lockers’ stair, the player can see the first objective: an available NPC at the bar, behind the giant rocket engine used for the steam. The player crosses the first part of the baths to talk to the bartender, an old friend. The bartender gives the player the quest objective (steal the keycard!) and some information (the target is in the VIP area).
Unlock the maintenance corridor Once the objective is given, the player can walk across the baths and try to reach the second area, the VIP one. Guards are blocking the way in. A small maintenance corridor exists at the extreme right of the baths. To unlock the corridor, the player has to go upstairs, on the walkways, using a large stair near the bar. After a brief exploration, the player uses the control switch to open the maintenance corridor, a short ladder allows the player to reach the corridor from here.
Find your target At the end of the corridor, the player has to push some box and stuff stocked here. He/she has now a global view of the VIP baths. The VIP exit isn’t available until the player has reached the objective (steal the keycard). From this perspective, the player can see the private baths, and one of them is more lit than the other ones. The main target (a local mafioso) of the player is in this private room. Unfortunately, there’re guards protecting the occupied private baths. The player has to find an available and under repair bath. A trapdoor is opened in the bottom of the empty bath, the player uses the ladder below to pass one floor down (to the basement).
Go to the basement A dark corridor links all those under-baths-passages and goes along private baths. It allows the player to get close his/her enemy and to listen to the target speaking with someone, revealing where the keycard is (with a henchman on the bleachers at the back of the VIP area). Following the basement corridor and visual repairs, the player arrives at the back of the VIP area, below the bleachers.
Steal the keycard Following the under corridor, the player will arrive at the end of the VIP area, behind the large bleachers. After climbing behind those bleachers, the player can steal the keycard near the henchmen sit here.
Leave the place
Once the keycard is stolen, the player has 2 choices: continue to explore the basement and discover a hidden trap door or turn back and get out of the basement by the same way he/she has arrived. Once on the main floor, the way is clear to leave the VIP area through the VIP exit.
Flow of the level
Screenshots from the player view
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Key elements to guide the player
Greyblock process
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First Paper Design & Layouts
Moodboard for architecture, lighting, and atmosphere
This map takes place in a fictional TPS sci-fi game. Those public baths are common into big cities and spaceport on the ground (planet or moon). The baths are generally built in the buildings’ basements. It’s a mix of rusty metallic architecture and big ponds of water. Clients can be humans and other alien races, installations are adapted to them. An old rocket engine is used to create the heat and the steam for the whole installation. Recycling part of ships is common in this universe. A garbage space lore. 🚀
VR Drone Pilot Game, PC
Student project (CNAM ENJMIN), 4 months of a vertical slice production
Level & Narrative Designer
General flow in the game
Level Design of big areas (being aware of the VR drone controls challenges, greybox/blockout, drawing maps and schemes)
Lore and characters creation
Storytelling, storyboarding
Dialogs writing
Voice casting and voice direction during recordings
Writing and design the drafts of the next episodes (Episodic model)
I came on this project with a double role, Level and Narrative Designer. On the first week, I set a “typical Kaiju Snap experience” model with a storyboard and some key points presentation. With the basic ideas given with the pitch, I structure those elements on a first scenario and keys elements for the game experience.
Starting there, I worked in collaboration with the Game Designer of the project on the creation of a vertical slice, representative of our game. I used excel tabs (challenges and elements repartition), maps with multiples layers and legends, powerpoint/google slide presentations, storyboard, design posters (One Page Design) and rough Unreal scenes (greybox/blockout). I mixed Rational Level Design with a more systemic approach of the world and level building. I also designed some guidelines for our episodic model and wrote summaries of scenario and gameplay elements of the following episodes.
Our entire Game Design Document is available here: Kaiju Snap GDD.
Besides some introducing texts and resume, I wrote the following sections, available in smaller pdf here:
– Narrative Content(Character, Scenario, Universe)
– World Design(Map, Tracking Zones, Specific Sequences)
– Gameplay Progression(Gameplay Mechanics, Experience Duration, Environmental Progression, Difficulty Curve)
– Level Design(Rules, General Description, Low-Level Design)
Demo – Gameplay Video
A rough map of the vertical slice I draw. to have a general idea of the level layout, the Kaiju and the drone paths.
Blockout I made for our vertical slice, water levels, stream, and creature movement spline were added at the same time.
With this blockout, I draw different maps to compile informations (scripts, vegetation type, water levels, flooding/current direction…)
Blockout for a test scene (scales between the Kaiju and its environment, simple movement splines)
Storyboard of the entire sequence of the previous test scene (environment, scripts, Kaiju behavior)
General map of the 1st island I draw to set the different places, with the path the player will follow during this episode.
Dialogs I wrote for this vertical slice.
One Page Design I made for this 1st episode.
About the game
A journalist duo sends a drone to an archipelago formerly used as a nuclear test site. Their goal is to find evidences of a unique environment to classify as world heritage. But they found a giant and totally unknown creature…
Kaiju snap is a solo game where you take control of a drone using your preferred VR headset and a game controller. You use the drone to take pictures of the fauna and flora. In this game you have a documentary approach to your objectives: you are here with a specific mission to fill, take pictures of a unique wildlife. We set the game on two important pillars: Marvel and Control. Our core gameplay is taking pictures of fauna and flora of the island while searching for some hints of the presence of a giant a mysterious beast. Those hints lead the player to specifics zones where he/she can encounter the creature and take photographies of it.
Shooter defense on tablet with physical connected figurines 4-day student project (CNAM ENJMIN)
Game & Level Designer
Design core features
Design of the 4 characters mechanics
Each character should have its own, unique and easy-to-understand mechanic. You can use the four figurines at the same time.
About the game
Les Selenautes was made during the Inclus et Connectés workshop at the CNAM ENJMIN. The goal of the week was to make games adapted for people with disabilities. We chose to develop a tablet game with connected figurines we’ve specially made for this experience. The game is mentally handicapped children and Down syndrome friendly. Each of the 4 figurines has a unique effect. You can grab it, put it on the tablet and rotate it.
Our 4-day prototype
You scan the figurine by putting it on the tablet
Figurines are detected by tablet thanks to their conductivity
I came with the idea of a rhythm and versus game with the main programmer. With a composer and a graphist, we’ve made the first prototype for the Airconsole Developers Contest in less than a month. I set the main mechanics and the design of the game. On the 2017 summer, we add three more people to our project. For this desktop version, I was responsible for the general game design and the level design/mapping of the songs. I used a version of Editor on Fire (Custom Forge) to map the music.
Song mappings I made on Editor on Fire
Some design and mockup documents I made for the project
Screenshot of the second prototype
First prototype of the game for the Airconsole Developers Contest 2017
About the game
Deadly Riff is a versus game taking its origins in the Arcade world. Each player embodies a guitarist, standing on a zodiac hold by a crowd. By keeping the rhythm and playing notes at the right timing, the player can attack his opponent and hope to make him fall of his zodiac raft.
Initially, the project was planned to be streamed on Twitch. Deadly Riff gives to the viewers the opportunity to take action during the game, like a real concert crowd, through keywords causing special actions (ex: flying beers, broken string for one of the player, etc).
The first version of the game was made for the Airconsole Developers Contest (2017).
Interactive experience, Tablet (Android)
A student project made during 4 months (CNAM ENJMIN).
Game Designer
Design of the core features (cowork)
Help on the Level Design (cowork)
Writing of the character background story
Writing fake newspaper articles about the character
As the second game designer of Hindrance, I worked with the other game designer on the core mechanics (gestures, obstacles) and the level design. I also set the background story of the character and wrote a dozen of fake newspaper articles for the game booth at its presentation.
Articles I wrote for the background story of the dancer
Early schemes for the first two levels of the game.
About the game
In a poetic universe, guide a dancer step by step through this unusual mental journey, letting yourself be carried away by rhythm and hope.
The game is focused on dance and movement, developed by six ENJMIN students during 4 months as a school project. Animations were made both by motion capture and digital animation.
A narrative game, PC
Game made during the Global Game Jam 2017 edition
Level & Narrative Designer
Level Design of the home
Writing dialogs
Help on the story writing
About the game
You’re at your parents funeral. You were told they died in a car crash, but you know it’s not an accident. Their murderer might become your foster family. Choose well…
You play a young child at his parents funeral. You have to listen to all the gossips and family dramas to understand what happens.