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Level Design
...Halo Wars
...The War Chiefs
...D&D
Writing Samples
Gameography

...work

Experience



   Nov 2009 - Dec 2009 Los Angeles, CA
   Performance Designed Products  
   Game Designer  

Developed a hardware-based concept into a full game design.

Collaborated with the concept's vision holder to create a game design that centered around proprietary Performance Designed Products (PDP) hardware with an emphasis on accessibility and broad appeal through a suite of games and activities and expansion of PDP IP.

Delivered a design and pitch document that exceeded expectations.

 

   1999 - 2009 Dallas, TX
   Ensemble Studios/Microsoft  
   Content Designer  

Responsibilities varied from project to project (6 shipped projects in all and a brief stint on a prototype team), but primarily focused on RTS level design.

I owned missions from start to finish from conceptualization and layout, through scripting, testing and refinement, to polish and release.

There were large and small forays into other aspects of development: writing (fictional and factual), mechanics, systems, implementing in-engine cutscenes.
 



  1998 - 1999 Irving, TX
  LDA Architects  
  Intern  

Responsibilities included creation of construction documents, development of concept and schematic designs, site visits, network maintenance and organization and maintenance of the office reference and materials library.

 

  

Skills


 

Game Design – inventing, building, implementing and balancing game mechanics.

Level Design
– owning missions from start to finish; collaborating or solo, planning progression and pacing, scripting events, taking feedback, iterating, writing mission dialogue, balancing, overseeing mission testing

In-game Cinematics (IGCs) – building cutscenes in support if game levels; have worked with artists to create storyboards; familiar with the challenges of creating IGCs

Scripting – extensive use of a variety of proprietary editors to trigger gameplay and cinematics; have used proprietary random map scripting language to make maps for skirmish and multiplayer  
 
Writing – Fiction or fact; have written in-game encyclopedia entries, strategy guide text, dialogue for missions, dialogue for skirmish AIs. 

Teaching – both players and teammates; authored the best-testing tutorial of Ensemble Studios’ thirteen year history; frequently asked to and volunteered to train-up colleagues on tools and processes

Computer Skills – experienced with a variety of sophisticated proprietary 3d editors, Microsoft Office products (chiefly Excel, Word, Outlook), bug tracking tools, wiki editing, XML 
 



Education

    1993 - 1998 Santa Monica, CA
   Santa Monica College  
   Computer Science Department Certificate program



    1993 - 1998 College Station, TX
   Texas A&M University  
   Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture)  
     
Tau Sigma Delta - Honor Society for Architecture and the Allied Arts
ITALART - Fall Semester of 1995 in Tuscany, Italy



Relevant 
 

NOVA - The Great Inca Rebellion – Worked on a very compressed schedule with Bully! Entertainment to create in-game cinematics in the Age III engine to support a documentary on the Spanish conquest of the Inca. Aired July 15, 2007.

NaNoWriMo – Winner 2005, Recount (solo); Winner 2006, Gestalt (collaborative)
The NaNoWriMo Challenge: 50,000 words in 30 days (usually November)
The NaNoWriMo Motto: No Plot, No Problem

D&D – Run an play in a number of forum-based Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
 
In-House Tournaments – Organized and executed two very well recieved in-house tournaments at Ensemble Studios, one for Age III and one for Halo Wars. Oversaw the construction of the brackets and teams, scheduled matches (often around meetings), sent out and posted daily updates, in addition arranging prizes and swag for tournament winners and participants.


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