Magicka 1 DLC

Action Adventure, PC

Designer, scripter and writer of several campaign, challenge and item pack DLC for Magicka 1.

Pieces Interactive head-hunted me to join them as a game designer and scripter on Magicka 1, originally an Arrowhead Studios game that they had been tasked to make DLC for.

My employment began by finishing up a campaign DLC called "The Other Side of The Coin" while the project's other designer moved on to do other things, leaving me the sole game designer on the Magicka projects. I also created and maintained documentation for a lot of existing enemies and functionality so that we could use them more easily and get an overview (big picture view) of things when making changes and adding new things.

Collaborating with our programmers and a 3D artist I produced several challenges and item packs for the game. Challenge maps with new functionality using much of what was already present in the scripting toolbox but with some new functionality to really give the players something new to play with.

This video shows YouTuber "TheSquirrel" playing the challenge map Elemental Roulette, a map that switches up what elements you're allowed to use each wave.

I also designed and implemented the Dungeons & Daemons and Dungeons & Gargoyles campaign DLCs before moving on to become official lead game designer on Magicka 2, now in charge of a small team of designers.

This picture carousel shows some of the level design documents for Dungeons & Daemons.

• Step 1: Hand-drawn concepts given to the 3D artist who then created the actual map model in Maya.

• Step 2: Using an overview screenshot of the modelled map, I defined exactly where various triggers should be, which the 3D artist then added to the model as named "joints" in Maya.

• Step 3: Using the game's own scripting "language" (written in XML), I tied it all together into a final working campaign map.

Challenge maps followed the same process.

Campaigns

Dungeons and Gargoyles (Steam)

Dungeons and Daemons (Steam)

Challenge / PvP Map Packs

WOOT (free, olympic themed, included in the main game)

Villain Hideouts (challenge maps)

Item Packs

Mega Villain Robes (Steam)

Aspiring Musician Robes (Steam)

Peculiar Gadgets Item Pack (Steam)

Heirlooms Item Pack (Steam)

While my role in many of these DLC was more of a game mechanics and technical flavor, I did inject at least some diversity and inclusion.

An example would be our Heirloom Items pack with its Grandfather Clock being accompanied by a Grandmother Glock.