SCRAPS

First-Person Shooter & Collaborative Sandbox 

Project Overview

Engine: Unreal Engine 5 

Role: Level Designer & Technical Lead 

Key Skills: Collaborative Level Design, Perforce Conflict Resolution, Pipeline Management, Gameplay Iteration.

Summary: A team-based FPS project focused on scavenging mechanics and vertical traversal. Beyond my direct contributions to the level architecture and blueprinting, I acted as a production lead, facilitating the integration of disparate mechanics into a single cohesive world and managing version control pipelines for a multi-disciplinary team.

Core Design & Production

Pipeline Adherence (LDD to Final)

I enforced a strict "Documentation First" workflow. By treating the Level Design Document (LDD) as the project's "Source of Truth," I ensured that the blockmesh phase adhered strictly to the agreed-upon metrics. This minimized scope creep and streamlined the transition from whitebox geometry to final asset integration.

Mechanics Integration & Polish

I acted as the technical bridge for the team, taking modular mechanics developed by other designers and integrating them into the core loop. When team members felt their contributions were "too simple," I demonstrated how simple interactions—when layered correctly with sound and feedback—create complex gameplay depth. This boosted team morale and ensured a unified code standard.

Production Management (Velocity Tracking)

I managed the team's version control etiquette using Perforce. A key part of this role was mediating disputes regarding "perceived output." I educated the team on the difference between "Asset Commits" (high volume) and "Logic Architecture" (low volume, high complexity), ensuring that technical debt was valued equally alongside visual progress.

Postmortem: Challenges & Leadership

Challenge: Creative Fragmentation ("Too Many Chefs")

The Issue: With multiple designers working on the same level file, creative vision often drifted, leading to friction when areas were modified without consensus. 

The Solution: I implemented a "Sector Ownership" model. We divided the map into exclusive zones based on the LDD. Modifications to a zone required the owner's approval or a unified team vote. This reduced hostility and restored autonomy to the individual designers.

Challenge: Metric-Based Disputes

The Issue: Friction arose when team members equated "number of commits" with "effort," causing tension between artists and programmers. 

The Solution: I led by example, shifting the conversation from "Quantity of Submits" to "Milestone Completion." By demonstrating that a single blueprint fix could solve critical blockers, I realigned the team's focus toward playable stability rather than raw data entry.