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Russell Krueger

World Builder/Scripter

 

Email:rkrueger@smu.edu

Cell: 518.892.1365

 

Skills

·        Construction- BSP Layout, Texturing, Lighting, Mesh Placement, Encounter/Challenge Incorporation,

·        Gameplay- Level Layout and Planning, Testing and Balancing, Game Flow Refinement, UI/Controls Planning

·        Scripting- Gameplay and Event Scripting, Familiar with Cinematic Scripting

·        AI- Node Placement, Path Finding, Refinement

·        Peer Leadership- Conflict/Dispute Mediation, Boosting Morale, Giving Presentations

·        Documentation- Concept, Level Abstract, Level Design Documents, Game Design Documents, Asset and Development Plan,

·        Project Planning- Milestone Planning and Negotiation, Team Contracts, Task Tracking, Risk Analysis and Mitigation, Updating and crea Documents, Scheduling

·        Production Management- Maintaining product backlog, Running SCRUM, Creating and Updating Asset and Development Plan

Software

  • Editors: Unreal Editor 3 (Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War), Hammer (Half-Life 2), Dragon Age Toolkit, World Builder (Dawn of War 2) The Elder Scrolls Construction Set (Oblivion), Unity, Torque X Builder
  • Scripting: Kismet, Hammer, Lua 5.1, C#
  • Art: 3D Studio Max 2009, Photoshop CS3, Google SketchUp, Maya 8.5
  • Documentation: Microsoft Office 2007 (Word, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, Project, One Note)
  • Source Control: Tortoise SVN, Issue Manager

Game Experience

The Guildhall at SMU

Project: Snakebite                                                              May 2009 – December 2009

Level Designer and Producer – Unity and eMotiv EPOC Headset Team Master’s Project

  • Built Placeholder Assets in 3DS Max 2009 and Co-Created level
  • Construction: Terrain, Textures, Lighting, Decorative Mesh Placement, Entity Placement, Art Integration
  • Scripted Dialog tree to respond to user’s emotional state by playing animations and dialog detected by the EPOC Headset
  • Used Adobe Audition to capture dialog

 

Under Deadly Skies                                                        August 2009 – December 2009

Level Designer – Gears of War Individual Directed Focus Study

  • Wrote Level Design Document
  • Construction: BSP Layout, Textures, Lighting and Lighting Channels, Decorative Mesh Placement, Entity Placement, Cover Links and Groups, Encounter Scripting and Balancing
  • Scripted Boomer to shoot out lights and create areas that are fatal to the player
  • Created Dynamic Sunrise
  • Thematically consistent with Gears of War

Primae Noctis                                                                    June 2009 – December 2009

Associate Producer (Faculty Appointed) – Unreal Tournament 3 Team Project

  • 17 Member Team (8 Level Designers/6 Artists/ 3 Software Engineers)
  • Wrote and updated asset and development plan and maintained product backlog
  • Worked with Game Designer to refine and balance gameplay through playtesting and changing player metrics
  • Conducted SCRUM
  • Tracked tasks
  • Compiled feedback and suggested improvements to gameplay and to development pipeline
  • Managed and directed team
  • Assisted in organizing and creating pilestone presentations

Stranded                                                                            June 2009 – December 2009

Level Designer – Gears of War Individual Directed Focus Study

  • Wrote Level Abstract and Level Design Document
  • Construction: BSP Layout, Static Mesh placement, Lighting and Lighting Channels, Textures, Gameplay Entity Placement, Cover Links, Encounter Scripting, Flow Analysis and Iteration
  • Used Kismet to script gameplay sequences with multiple objectives that trigger on a timer or when previous objectives were completed
  • Studied and maintained architectural style

ROM’s Hard Drive to Silicon Valley                                October 2009 – December 2009

Associate Producer/Level Designer (Faculty Appointed) – Torque X Builder Team Project

  • 4 Member Team (2 Level Designers/1 Artist/ 1 Software Engineer)
  • Game tied for “Best Overall” by peer vote at Guildhall’s 2008 Winter Exhibition
  •  Designed level layouts for Levels 1 and 3
  • Laid out collision for Level 1 and initial collision for Level 3
  • Created and maintained Game Design Document and Asset and Development Plan
  • Prepared Statement of Work
  • Tracked Tasks
  • Conducted SCRUM
  • Managed and directed team

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tex-Mechs                                                                            January 2008 – April 2008

Level Designer – Student Team Project

  •  4 Member Team (2 Designers and Artists/2 Programmers)
  • Placed 1st in the 2008 Vicarious Visions Student Design Challenge
  • Designed and implemented level layout in maya
  • Built and textured environmental assets
  • Co-Developed the game's design

Other Game Experience

  • Amateur Death Race: Lead Level Designer on Mario-Kart style racing game in Unreal Tournament 3 (8 people total)
  • Convention Wars: Designer on Mini-Role Playing Game involving nerds arguing about which superhero would win in a fight, or who was the best Star Trek captain.
  • NonSentience: Art Manager on third person 3-D puzzle game as a hobby project (7 people total)
  • TönWerk: Designer/Artist/Team Lead on keyboard-based rhythm and music creation game.

Education

The Guildhall at SMU                                                                                                               August 2008-December 2009

  • Master’s of Interactive Technology, specialization in Level Design

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute                                                                                            August 2004 - May 2008

  • BS in Electronic Media, Arts and Communications
  • Minors in German Language, Technological Entrepreneurship, and Game Studies