* Multiplayer portfolio
* Scripting expertise (proprietary visual/UI scripters, Lua)
* Communication and negotiation skills, gained:
- Acting as an internal liaison between the Game Design, Mission Design, Programming, 3D and 2D departments, as well as a central reference and information point - duties, assignments and tasks varied per project.
- Participating at internal/external discussions and feedbacks (with different 3-rd parties involved)
* Working at Ubisoft and Activision/Fun Labs Bucharest (2004 - 2015):
Open Worlds
2015: Ghost Recon Wildlands - PS4, XBOXOne - Level Designer
2015: Prototype: port PS3, Xbox360 on PS4, XB1 - data management
2014: Cabela's African Adventures - port Xbox360, Ps3 on PS4, XBOXOne - Technical Level Designer
2014: Duck Dynasty PS3, PS4, XBOX360, XBOXOne - Senior Level Artist, Technical Level Designer
2013: Cabela's African Adventures Xbox360, Ps3, Wii, PC - Senior Level Artist
2012: Cabela's Hunting Expeditions: Wii, Ps3, Xbox360 - Senior Environment Artist
2011: Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai: Wii, Ps3, Xbox360 - Senior Mission Designer
2010: Cabela's North American Adventures: Wii, Ps3, Xbox360, Psp - Senior Mission Designer
2009: Cabela's Outdoor Adventures: Wii, Ps3, Xbox360, Psp - Mission Designer
2009: Chaotic: Shadow Warriors: Wii, Ps3, Xbox360 - Level Designer
2008: Championship Paintball 2009: Level Designer
2007: History Channel: Battle for the Pacific: Ps2, Wii, Pc - 3D Modeling & Animation
2006: Harley Davidson - Race to the Rally: Ps2, Pc - Modeling & Level design
2005: Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2: Ps2, Xbox, Pc, Gcn, Psp - Level Design & Modeling
2004: Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2: Ps2, Xbox, Gcn, Pc - Level Designer
Ubisoft: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands:
Level Designer, AAA Project - PS4, XB1, PC:
- in charge of the level design of a specific area of the game world
- in charge of design and implementing of the missions for the respective area
- create buildings layouts, place and set systemic NPC activities
- create assets requests for the area, work closely with the artists in-charge of the area
- close communication with Ubisoft Paris studio (lead site): designers, coordinators, technical directors
The Prototype of the E3 participant, the Survival: Shadows of Katmai 2011:
Besides the VISUAL and MAP LAYOUT of the Prototype, I worked on (participate in discussions at concept creation, developed, implemented, tweaked and tested) the following:
[in collaboration with the Game Designer, with who I was discussing the general lines and requests, and with the programming department]:
* the Main Character's TRAVERSAL abilities: jumping, climbing, face climbing, grappling hook - mechanics as seen in "Uncharted"
- based on a "bone detection system"
- their graphic implementation (bones embedded into the visual meshes, technical and artistic details of the visual assets)
* the animal fight mechanics and behaviors - wolves, bear, puma, raven - battles, skirmishing, harassing, etc.
* the Dog Sled mechanics
* falling rocks and trees mechanics and their graphic and AI implementation
* Big Game hunting mechanics
* the Dog's AI
* Cable Car's mechanics and graphic implementation
* the in-game CAMERA system:
- created the "wish-list" for the camera system together with the Game Designer, Project Manager, Programming Lead, Technical Director
- identified ways to practically implement the system
- created the prototype of the camera with the programmer, placed it into the prototype level and tested
- designed and tweaked the tool (features, settings, graphical interface) to edit the in-game camera settings - this tool was embedded into
the Level Editor
- identified weaknesses and problems of the camera system
- final user interaction issues:
- flaws, problems, improvements related to the camera settings edit tool embedded into the Level Editor.
- worked with the camera programmers to implement the system in all its aspects
* placed the in-level AI's and did the mission's and cut scene's SCRIPTING using in-house visual scripting software, embedded in the Level Editor.
After I did the Demo and the Prototype, the game was developed thereafter together with the Mission Design team.
Fun Labs' (Activision) proprietary tool, "Keops" - Chameleon engine:
Copyright Disclaimer: The two technology screen shots below are from FUN LABS' official website.
Unreal Editor & Engine:
PS3, XBOX 360 graphics and AI expertise:
Cabela's North American Adventures trailer: All of in-game video footage captured from my levels.
All game's mechanics prototyped, implemented, tested and tweaked by myself under the direction of the
Game Designer, and in collaboration with the Programming, 3DModeling & Animation, and Sound departments.
Cabela's North American Adventures - Pennsylvania, the first level of the game:
Game's menu - BSP, engine rendered at runtime: Target platform Ps2, captured from pc:
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2004: Target platform Ps2, captured from Pc:
Mastering of AI and traversal gunplay :
Screenshots from the 3D Model Editor:
Harley Davidson 2007 VRSCX:
Asset created for the project History Channel - Battle for the Pacific.
Assets created for the project History Channel - Battle for the Pacific.
Assets created for the project History Channel - Battle for the Pacific.
Tools used - in-house developed, "Phidias" 3D Modeling and Animation Editor:
Copyright Disclaimer: The two technology screen shots below are from FUN LABS' official website.
The prototype level of a game and a vertical slice.
Title: Cabela's SURVIVAL: Shadows of Katmai.
From my side, this involved:
* taking part at discussions and decisions regarding the concept, development and implementation of the major game components in the prototype,
to best fit and represent the overall direction of the game:
- story
- overall structure
- layout, design; and,
- action
* participating in reviews/meetings to refine level gameplay, map layout and visual details
* Act as a game/level design and technical artist liaison between Mission Design, Programming, 3D and 2D departments - to ensure all gameplay
and visual level elements are implemented as desired.
* assist the Game Designer with creation of gameplay mechanics involved; documenting some of these game mechanics.
* Creating initial design for the level; drafting level layout - first paper sketch, than first 3D; creating rough first pass geometry in
proprietary in-house developed Level Editor (map and terrain) and Model Editor (3ds Max - like); Refine design and layout of the level all the
way through to Release stage.
* Act as a Senior Environment Artist for this level, to ensure it's visually appealing, and features stunning graphics:
- communicate my vision, refine it through discussions with the Art Director, project manager, game designer and partners - Activision
- Contribute at achieving the desired atmosphere (visual and emotional) through:
- map design and layout,
- strategic object's placing in the environment: trees, rocks, ravines, bridges, mountains, lodges,
- editing terrain features and layers,
- implementing desired weather features (snow, storm, wind, day/night) at the desired moments in the gameplay using scripting,
- specify requirements of models to be created by the 3D/2D artists.
NOTE: all final versions of 3D assets except terrain were executed by the 2D/3D departments. Sometimes, using the Model Editor, I
executed fine adjustments needed in-game, but harder to explain to the artist, or which were requiring many fast, successive iterations
and testings in-game.* creating some placeholder dynamic objects, including some animations; scripting gameplay and dynamic object behavior; implementing and tweaking
all encounters; creating and implementing custom in-game cinematics; asking for and implementing sounds;[ Scripting tool embedded into the Level/Mission Editor and featuring a visual interface ]* compiling the objects and the maps (respectively creating models from meshes and BSPs from maps), ensure they are technically correct for a
successful compile and correct functionality (create/check compiling options, names, shaders, poly count, collision, etc), test them in-game
* managing all relevant art tasks to keep the level on schedule; summarizing of the assets and mechanics needed, sending into production,
supervising the development of mechanics and assets from other departments:
- 2D
- 3D
- programming
- sound
- animation
- outsourcing partners
* Quality and compatibility control:
- test the gameplay/assets/mechanics, and send feedback to the responsible persons or departments.
- creating adjustment lists for assets to meet certain timeframes and
- technical budgets for other production departments - 3D/2D assets for the level.
- playtested for frame, mechanics' functionality, memory allocation, and overall difficulty; discovered and reported bugs
within the level and sent status reports to the programming/3D/2D departments to convey the state of the level with regards
to outstanding bugs, gameplay or design issues, and ways to improve memory and framerate.
- Received bug lists from game testers and ensured they are fixed - by myself of the appropriate department/person
- Status reports
* Coaching and supervising team members, in order to ensure compliance with the standards
A Vertical Slice through my last project's LEVEL/GAME DESIGN tasks and activities:
Besides the VISUAL and MAP LAYOUT of the Prototype, [in collaboration with the Game Designer, with who I was discussing the general lines and requests, and with the programming department], I:
- planned, scripted, debugged, and polished level gameplay and special functionality; wrote documentation for some game concepts, for level plans, asset and development plans for the level, task lists, bug reports
- created or took part at concept creation, developed, implemented, tweaked and tested the following mechanics and abilities:
* the Main Character's TRAVERSAL abilities: jumping, climbing, face climbing, grappling hook - mechanics as seen in "Uncharted"
- based on a "bone detection system" - for gameplay testing and tuning, I firsly created the map using fixed size parallelepipeds with
bones attached to their corners. The bone's names, their orientation and position helped the programmers create a virtual"3D graph"
at runtime; the graph was defining the player's possibilities and abilities to interact with the world - developed all the traversal
abilities with the programmers, using this level as a test base
- I conceived, designed, documented, implemented, refined, tested and tweaked this cube-bone system and its correct implementation
and functionality
- later in the process I coordinated their graphic implementation (bones embedded into the visual meshes, and the technical and artistic
details of the visual assets - what is their max allowed poly account, their collision shapes, their shader's properties regarding
interaction with the player)
* the animal fight mechanics and behaviors - wolves, bear, puma, raven - battles, skirmishing, harassing, etc. Ex.: define their spawn rules
(where, when, for how long), their combat behavior - how many would attack, for how long, when/where they run away/die.
* the Dog Sled mechanics: 5 dogs - leader and 4 more behind; Ex.: The leader was the player's companion as well, so it had to have a system
allowing it to be attached and detached from the sled.
* falling rocks and trees mechanics and their graphic and AI implementation - Example: when the player or dog sled was hitting a trigger, a
falling animation was played. The after-falling world collision was pre-embedded into the BSP, but the player was reaching the place just after
the animation was finished
* Big Game hunting mechanics: Ex.: how would a player reach/exit a hunt, where are the animals coming from, what is the camera doing -
where does it look, the rules of the hunt.
* the Dog's AI - Example1: because of long, large traversal sections in the map, it was virtually impossible for the companion dog to
physically follow the player, hence the dog was strategically taking a"shortcut" through the bush and reappearing at the destination from
in-between some rocks; Ex.2: when should it enter combat to help the player and when/where to run/hide.
* Cable Car's mechanics and graphic implementation: Example: technically conceive the implementation of the cable's car cabin move
(special AI class, bones embedded into the models), the way the player was attached to it, etc.
* the in-game CAMERA system - because of the nextgen top-shot controller constraints, it was a 3'rd person rail camera:
- created the"wish-list" for the camera system together with the Game Designer, Project Manager, Programming Lead, Technical Director
- identified ways to practically implement the system
- created the prototype of the camera with the programmer, placed it into the prototype level and tested
- designed and tweaked the tool (features, settings, graphical interface) used to edit the in-game camera settings - this tool was
embedded into the Level Editor
- identified weaknesses and problems of the camera system, both in-game and as a Level-Design tool
- final user interaction issues:
- flaws, problems, improvements related to the camera settings edit tool embedded into the Level Editor.
- worked with the camera programmers to implement the system in all its aspects
* placed the in-level AI's and did the mission's and cut scene's SCRIPTING using in-house visual scripting software, embedded in the Level Editor.
After I did the Demo and the Prototype, the game was developed thereafter together with the Mission Design team.
Cabela's North American Adventures, 2010: I made three career levels and 5 multiplayer levels. Implemented career and multiplayer mechanics and features.
From my side, this involved:
* Together with programming, game design and 3D, I worked on developing, implementing, testing and tweaking the game's career
and multiplayer mechanics and features.
Mutiplayer prototype levels:
- herbivore stampede
- goose migration
- tower shooting
- small game animals Ai implementation
- big game animals Ai
- cable car design, cable car shooting
- bird nests and behaviors
Career:
- bush with birds "trap"
- treestand hunting
- herbivore stealth minigame
- bird hunting: migratory, turkey
- small game animals Ai implementation
- Prototype: Pennsilvanya the first level of the game, also being the tutorial level of the game
- camera man implementation
- big game hunt demo
- blind hunting, natural blind concept implementation
- hunting "opportunities'
* developed more than 60% of game content, except for shooting galleries:* concept and development of my levels from paper sketch to final release* create the maps, manage the relevant art tasks, place the art elements on map, place and set the Ai's
* check the art elements against technical requirements: i.e. correct names, poly count, geometric errors, correct shader names and templates,
correct texture paths and names, correct and successful compile
* this game's mod has been scripted by the programming dept. this involved supervision, continuos testing, dialogue and mission design updates
with each of the career levels' programmer.
Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Wildlands 2015 E3 Trailer
Demo created at FunLabs - chained animations on XBOX360 engine - Short version
The challenge was to make it without the MOD programmers; the solution was to use chains of triggered animations.
My contribution: Create terrain geometry and painting, request & receive 2D/3D assets, put the world together as a photorealistic agreeable ensemble using 2D/3D assets (trees, rocks, grass, water, terrain textures, etc) made by the artists, ensure the map fits into memory and frame budgets per console, ensure all assets and the map fit into technical constraints of the engine and are under the desired artistical umbrella set by the Art Director, set compiling options for the map, place and set-up AI's in the world (animations, characters, vehicles, lights, animals, etc), troubleshoot bugs and other level-related technical issues.
Demo created at FunLabs - chained animations on XBOX360 engine - Long version
Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai 2011 - Teaser trailer:
Cabela's North American Adventures 2010 - Pennsylvania, first level of the game:
Cabela's Hunting Expeditions 2012 game's menu background:
Cabela's North American Adventures 2010 - Multiplayer Level:
Cabela's North American Adventures 2010 - Alberta Level part 1:
Cabela's North American Adventures 2010 - Alberta Level part 2:
Chaotic Shadow Warriors 2009 - Level Design:
Cabela's Outdoor Adventures 2009 - British Columbia Introductory Level:
History Channel - Battle for the Pacific 2007 :
Harley Davidson - Race to the Rally :
Sturgis - Level created for Harley Davidson - Race to the Rally :
2005 Dangerous Hunts 2 menu - BSP, engine rendered at runtime:
Target platform Ps2, captured from pc:
2005 Dangerous Hunts 2 Survival map - Island:
Target platform Ps2, captured from pc. Map and vegetation created by myself:
Photorealistic Lanscaping:
Large Worlds:
Underground Level:
My detailed resume is available upon request. | Please contact me by e-mail at: treisto111@gmail.com.
To view my full LinkedIn profile, please join my professional network by following one of the links below.
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