“A single player game is a movie that you create in cooperation with the player, where the lead actor doesn't have a copy of the script.”
Gabe Newell
Skyrim Mod: “The Fable of Ursus”
The Fable of Ursus - on SteamThat's him, Big Daddy Ursus himself!Quest Based in Elder Scrolls LoreWerecreatures indeed exist in Elder Scrolls lore. Daedric Prince Hircine created the disease lycanthropy and the disease is not picky about what kind of creatures it can infect. I focused on werebears and werewolves as the antagonists of this mod.Level Flows NaturallyThe level beckons the player forward through the dungeons using light, sound, rewards, sight lines, and enemies.Reinforcement of StoryThe level uses a few tricks to reinforce the story in the mind of the player. In this example, a dying Silver Hand forces the player into dialogue at a chokepoint in the level. The dialogue reminds the player that the Silver Hand and Hircine’s Hunters are at war. The player can also find notes on dead bodies reinforcing the story further.Water Cooler MomentAfter the player finds the final boss, Ursus, in the Brine, a battle between the Silver Hand and Hircine’s Hunters erupts. The player must balance fighting a massive “werebear” while also aiding the Silver Hand in battle against werewolves and archers.Rewards for ExplorationThe level contains rewards off the beaten path for those players intrepid enough to explore.NPC Scripted IntelligenceAll of the NPCs have interesting dialogue and duties around camp to which they attend.Attention to Detail Creates ImmersionAdding small objects, such as this cooked “Werebear Leg”, immerse the player deeper into the experience.
Now available for Skyrim: Special Edition on PC and Xbox One
The Fable of Ursus is a single-player experience in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. In this quest, the player learns to fear an
ancient daedric cult known as Hircine's Hunters. The Silver Hand recently located the leader of Hircine's Hunters, Ursus,
and tracked him to a densely wooded area known as the Brine. The player meets Therbius Gladdwell, the captain of the Silver
Hand. Since the Silver Hand is Oblivion-bent on eliminating any and all monsters that haunt the night, they have declared
war against Ursus and the Hunters. If the player chooses, he or she can help the Silver Hand track and kill Ursus and put a
permanent end to Hircine's Hunters.
The quest consists of an outdoor level and two indoor levels, all of which were custom-created. After teleporting to the
quest area called the Brine, the player ventures into a cave system to find and assassinate Ursus. The cave possesses two
routes. One passage contains traps and treasure and is meant for players that like to explore. The second passage contains
multiple encounters. This passage lends itself to an action-focused and therefore faster play style. At the end of the cave,
the player enters Hircine’s Observatory and fights a boss werebear. The player then travels back into the Brine and
encounters a large battle in progress. The player must help defeat Ursus and the remaining Hircine’s Hunters.
Creation & Testing ~ 200+ hours
Download for Skyrim: Special Edition on
ShadowMaster
ShadowMaster gameplay
2 Months (March - May 2012)
4 Developers
2D Spatial Puzzle Adventure
2 hours of gameplay
ShadowMaster is a 2D top-down spatial puzzle game with a twist. The player controls a necromancer, named Gary, and Gary's
shadow simultaneously. The player has the ability to project his shadow away and call his shadow back to him. This mechanic
becomes the basis of solving several increasingly difficult spatial puzzles.
I designed around a third of the levels as well as the game's mechanics. ShadowMaster is available to download upon request.
Total project time ~ 1000 hours for the team
GTA 5 Maps
In April, 2014, I created seven GTA 5 missions using their in-game editor. Out of those, one was a classic deathmatch, two
were races, and four were Capture missions. Capture missions are GTA's flavor of Capture the Flag.
All of the missions were published to Rockstar Social Club and are playable right now everywhere you can play GTA 5.
Total project time ~ 35 hours (5 hours per map)
Kraven Manor in UE4
To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.
One is a screen capture from UE3. If you compare to the image in UE4, you will see I tried to faithfully recreate the scene
with the same props and materials.
For this exercise, I had to reimport all props and textures from the base game. Then, I had to painstakingly create the
scene, and create new materials out of the textures.
