Peter Kaufman - Narrative and Level Design

Within the past five months, a group of over 20 colleagues and I at Shocker Studios undertook the ambitious task of creating a game from scratch as a collaborative project. This experience was both highly engaging and educational! Below, I outline my contributions and reflect on the process in a post-mortem analysis.

Contributions:

Game Concept - As part of the narrative team, I was responsible for contributing to the overarching concept of the game. The only initial guideline was that it had to be a First Person Shooter; the rest was up to us. Collaborating with my fellow narrative team members and others involved in the project, we developed the game’s core concept, gameplay mechanics, scope, and the lore of the world in which it takes place.

Background Lore - I was tasked with creating a comprehensive lore document that detailed the world’s history, politics, and connections to the player character. This was my favorite part of the project, as it allowed me to deeply explore the setting and inspire the art and programming teams to align their creations with the game’s narrative vision. The document also included several key elements, such as character connections, which were later integrated into dialogue and programming. You can view the lore document here: Background Lore.

Skill and Enemy Descriptions - The narrative team was also responsible for creating descriptions for skills, items, and enemies within the game. We divided these tasks among ourselves. I personally crafted the backstory and item descriptions for one of the enemies and the associated skill. Each enemy had a unique narrative that enriched the gameplay experience, including potential item drops with detailed descriptions. You can find the item and enemy I created here: Skill and Enemy Descriptions.

Level Design and Greyboxing Drawing on the gameplay requirements and narrative-driven scenes developed by my team, I designed two levels for the game. Using Unreal Engine, I created greybox models for these levels and developed their layouts:

1. Level 1 – The primary manufacturing area where robots are produced.
2. Level 2 – A testing site for newly created robots, overseen by the boss character. This level also features a generator that the player must climb to progress. Attached above are images and a YouTube video showcasing the greyboxed levels I designed.

Post-Mortem Reflections:

What I Learned - This project provided me with a better understanding of the development process, especially in coordinating within focused groups. Moving from brainstorming and design phases to collaborating with other teams to achieve the best results was invaluable. I also discovered that my communication skills are stronger than I initially believed, though I acknowledge there is always room for improvement. I felt confident in presenting my ideas and working effectively with my colleagues.

Most Surprising Part - While I thoroughly enjoyed the project, there were moments when a lack of organization and structure created challenges. Despite these hurdles, I was amazed by how we managed to produce a cohesive and unique gaming experience within the given time constraints. I am genuinely impressed by the team’s dedication and the final product.

Greatest Achievement - One of my greatest achievements during this project was improving my ability to communicate effectively with all parties involved. As communication is an area I continue to work on, it was encouraging to see how smoothly I could present my needs and assist others with theirs. Additionally, I take great pride in utilizing my world-building skills in collaboration with my team, which resulted in a creative and engaging game world.

Additional Links:

• My Itch.io Page
• My YouTube Channel