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PORTFOLIO
High Moon Studios (Call of Duty: Warzone)
Game Design Intern + Production
Software Used: JIRA, Confluence, Perforce, Radiant, Slack, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, OneNote)
This past summer, I had the opportunity to work as a Game Design Intern at High Moon Studios, mainly doing level design for Call of Duty: Warzone, but also learning general production techniques as well as the entire pipeline and game development process at a professional AAA studio. As of now, I am still receiving clearance to post photos of my work, so for now, there will just be text.
Production
Although I was designated as a Game Design Intern, I took the initiative to shadow producers and was able to develop a variety of production skills with some hands-on work. I had known the basics of JIRA and Confluence before from independent learning but was able to get hands-on experience with backlog maintenance and bug tracking in JIRA as well as developing project documentation in Microsoft Office and Confluence. Additionally, I planned and participated in daily stand-ups and playtests on top of sync discussions between the different teams such as art and design. Finally, I also helped to provide feedback and support during brainstorming sessions.
Game Design
At High Moon Studios, I was trained in Radiant (a 3D-level design tool), learning technical skills as well as general design principles and how to optimize the player experience. After initial training in the 3D level design tool called Radiant, I was tasked to create a sample 'gulag' level. The 'gulag' is Warzone's 1v1 map where players can fight for a second chance and return to the battlefield after dying on the main map. During the latter half of my internship, my manager entrusted me with helping design and construct buildings on the new map for Warzone 2.0 which I, unfortunately, cannot discuss due to NDA. I collaborated heavily with my team members through playtests and weekly sync meetings, both receiving and providing feedback through the iterative design process.
Guilty Goose (UE4)
Producer
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Software Used: Trello, Unreal Engine 4, Google Suite (Drive, Docs, Slides), GitHub
Guilty Goose is a fighting game developed in Unreal Engine 4 based on the hit series Guilty Gear with a little comedic twist - instead of powerful, monstrous fighters, Guilty Goose has...birds!
I was the producer for this project. I worked very closely with the game director to create and maintain the product backlog while distributing tasks to 20 other members in Trello, using sprint periods of 1-2 weeks. One of my main contributions was increasing project transparency by creating a Master Google Drive to include weekly meeting slides, meeting notes, and any samples posted in Discord for art, audio, and design. Additionally, I streamlined the weekly standup process by collaborating with team leads to provide progress reports and goals during our weekly meetings.
Moreover, I was also able to learn more about the Unreal Engine pipeline. I took initiative to understand all aspects of creation from the Blueprint Visual Scripting system to animation and rigging basics.
The GitHub repository for the project can be found here:
https://github.com/SadSaltLady/GG_Cver
Lo-Fi Girl (Unity)
Project Lead
Software Used: Trello, Unity, Google Suite (Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets), GitHub
Lo-Fi Girl is a 2.5D pixel art game produced in Unity, pairing simple mechanics with deep symbolism touching upon issues of mental health. The goal of the game is to use music to help brighten up your world.
I came up with the concept of the game and designed the core game mechanics. I was especially excited about designing the game progression, where the game environment changes and evolves as the player completes tasks.
As project lead, I helped schedule meetings and distribute workload using agile and scrum methods. I also worked very closely with the artists to establish the mood and setting of the game, as art and animation were major aspects of the gameplay.
Furthermore, this project helped me learn Unity scripting as I was also in charge of all the coding and technical aspects of game development within the game engine.
Here is a playable version of the game:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RIA4x60OWCnob8YvFmiDXCDw5jj-uFNC?usp=sharing
Escape From Lab 8 (Unity)
Game Designer
Software Used: Trello, Unity, Google Suite (Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets), GitHub
Escape From Lab 8 is a modern indie adaption of the classic roguelike genre, featuring a plethora of items, unique enemies, and automated dungeon generation.
I was the Lead Game Designer for this project. I designed multiple-level themes, enemies, weapons, and items that were implemented into the game. However, we wanted to make sure that the entire team would have a say in the design of the game rather than just leaving it all in the hands of a few people. To help foster a more collaborative environment, I created a game design document and utilized many aspects of Google Suite to share and organize everyone's ideas.
Furthermore, after finalizing design choices, I worked with software engineers, artists, and musicians to implement gameplay ideas and create an immersive environment for the player. Finally, I helped in writing the story and designing quests/events that were unfortunately not implemented into the game due to time constraints as this was only a semester-long project.
Here's the final version of the game:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JkE9nSQSWAW3GbZDFVT5kfoLbv0GwX1V/view
BLADE (UE4)
Producer + Game Designer + Music Producer
Software Used: Trello, Unreal Engine 4, Google Suite (Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets), GitHub
BLADE is a 3D PvP fighting game made in Unreal Engine 4 that features a unique combat system set in a futuristic, dystopian Japan.
I helped as a producer, game designer, and music producer for this project. I helped to schedule and distribute workloads during sprint planning to 15 other members in Trello through agile and scrum practices. Moreover, I collaborated closely with software engineers and artists to design combat, movement, level structure, and environment.
As a game designer, I helped to craft a unique combat structure that utilized a fencing point system instead of traditional health bars, encouraging the player to utilize dodging and putting a heavy emphasis on movement around the map.
I also helped to produce dark/ambient music for the game.
This SoundCloud playlist contains music I helped to produce for the game
Click the image above to be redirected to the download page
Pilldemic (Unity)
Producer + Music Producer
Software Used: Trello, Unity, Google Suite (Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets), GitHub, LogicProX
Pilldemic is a 2.5D story-rich minigame compilation made in Unity that targets the issue of healthcare malpractice. This was a one-week-long project created for the U.C. Berkeley College Game Jam. I was the game designer, producer, and music producer for this game.
Game Design
I helped to design core gameplay mechanics, level design, and story development, and also created the entire map with the assistance of Unity's built-in tile-mapping system. With my understanding of programming and Unity scripting basics, I was able to collaborate with software engineers to create the Game Manager and Audio Manager and ensure all scenes were accompanied by the correct music.
Production
I was also designated as the producer for the team as none of the other members had fully developed a game before with a student-led team. I also needed to handle scope creep as many of us kept pushing for new ideas. Similar to many other projects, I scheduled and distributed workload to members in Trello using agile and scrum methods along with daily sprint meetings to keep us within the Game Jam's deadline.
The final release of Pilldemic can be found in this itch.io link:
https://stangs.itch.io/pilldemic
Beat Tapper (Python)
Beat Tapper was my final project for one of my programming classes at CMU. It is a rhythm game that uses the player's webcam, where the player must use their pointer finger to tap circles on the screen which subsequently burst into color explosions. The project was created purely in Python and utilized a webcam module called OpenCV along with a machine learning module and complex 2D physics. It placed in the top 10 among hundreds of students in the class.
Complex Features
1. Finger Tracking
Finger tracking combines a machine learning module called media pipe (MP) with a webcam module called OpenCV. MP has a collection of ~30,000 images of hands and uses machine learning to analyze these images so that Python can determine what a hand is
Hands have 20 different landmarks to help determine shape and structure. My program takes the 8th landmark, the tip of the index finger, and converts it into coordinates that I can use on my OpenCV screen. Once the fingertip is in a circle, that circle “bursts” and points are given to the player.
2. Color Bursting
The color bursting effect utilizes Object-Oriented Programming, where each "particle" that explodes out of the original circle is its own individual object. Whenever a circle is successfully tapped, a random amount of particles are appended to a list containing the particle objects, with their initial x and y coordinates being the center of the circle that was tapped. Each explosion also follows its own respective color scheme to make the explosion aesthetically pleasing. Using vector and physics calculations, force is applied to each particle’s x and y vectors based on a blast force, blast radius, and pseudo-gravity to imitate gravitational acceleration. This gives a “burst” visual effect where particles are going in random directions around the circle at different speeds.
The entire codebase to the project can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qz0SaI3rBqrdjrkxm4PsR5T6_f7n0mYL?usp=sharing
INDEPENDENT MUSIC PRODUCTION
After teaching myself the software LogicProX a year and a half ago, I began writing and producing my own songs. Ultimately, I released songs that won playlist placements in an indie music competition, obtaining over 90,000 streams total and at peak around 30,000 monthly listeners.
Now, although school has me busy, I am able to run an independent study with a music director at CMU, allowing me to work in the studio on campus as I continue to pursue my passions in music produciton.
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