Shane Slama Level Designer
Download my resume: PDF TEXT shane.slama@gmail.com
Skills:
Level Design Skills Level Editors
Level flow, objectives, and concept design Unreal Engine 3 (Gears of War, Unreal Tournament III)
BSP blockout and texturing Hammer (Half-Life 2: Episode 2)
Scripting (traditional code, kismet, input/output) Gamebryo (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion)
Artificial-intelligence behavior and pathing Torque X Builder (2D team project)
Lighting and sound integration
3D model creation (placeholder assets) Art Tools
Cinematics using Faceposer and Matinee 3D Studio Max 2009
Adobe CS4: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Documentation Tools Adobe CS4: Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver
Microsoft Office 2007: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Project Google Sketchup 7
Sony Vegas Video 9.0
Programming Languages Adobe Soundbooth CS3 and Audacity 1.2.6
Lua 5.1
Kismet (Unreal 3) Source Control Tools
C# Tortoise SubVersion 1.6.5
Game Experience:
The Guildhall at SMU
Braveheart: Primae Noctis, Team Unreal Engine Project July to December 2009
Level Designer
• Decorated two interior spaces, including mesh work and BSP creation
• Scripted enemy movement and focused on what makes great stealth-action gameplay
• Planned out and implemented gameplay events including 3+ triggered matinee sequences
• Developed an in-depth level design document for the throne room encounter
• Worked closely with the artists, programmers, and other level designers to achieve milestone goals
• Improved mastery of Scrum and utilized Scrum methods to increase team productivity
Master’s Thesis Project May to December 2009
Level Designer
• Researched and wrote a Master’s Proposal looking into how time limits affect player’s willingness
to explore optional side areas, this included a well-developed level design document
• Gathered and interviewed participants, collected necessary data then compiled and anaylized
• Reworked BSP/mesh sections from previous work to function as a testing level in Gears of War
Where the Strider Things Are, Individual Half-Life 2 Level August to December 2009
Level Designer
• Created an interactive gameplay sequence using Faceposer
• Unique gameplay goal, players attach a device to a strider that makes the strider fight for the player
• BSP blockout of above-ground forest area with intricate terrain and believable battlefield elements
• Ultimate goal of making the level feel larger than it is using creative background entities and sounds
• Implement lighting, native Half-Life sound, custom sound, AI, balanced gameplay, and on-screen text
• Authored and compiled a comprehensive level design document
The Great Antlion Escape, Individual Half-Life 2 Level May to August 2009
Level Designer
• Focused on creative Half-Life gameplay, particularly antlions and how to integrate them in a new way
• Crafted an interesting puzzle involving scripting, animation sequences, and balanced timings
• Used Faceposer to import nine custom speech clips and animated an NPC based on each line of dialog
• Authored and compiled a comprehensive level design document
• Implemented player feedback and expanded on new ideas to evolve the level to a better form
From Sun Up Till Sun Beatdown, Individual Gears of War Level March to May 2009
Level Designer
• Crafted a believable city street environment involving BSP world building, mesh placement
• Extensive Kismet scripting, AI behavior and patterns, and key entity placement to balance action
• Fused scripted events and wow moments to create memorable combat that contributed to the gestault
• Focused on Kryll and ways to implement their attacks, resulted in a sun setting, race against the clock
• Researched and inserted dyanamic lighting and material instancing to bring the sunset sequence to life
• Documented the level from beginning to completion with comprehensive updates
RUN, Team Unreal Engine Project February to May 2009
Level Designer
• Worked closely with other level designers to stream levels and solve complex technical problems
• Designed and documented the level layout for the second half of the game and assembled using BSP
• Placed custom assets while thinking of creative solutions for using limited assets to flesh out the world
• Constructed three button-activated script sequences to activate doors and various traps
• Critically participated in game design discussion and the overall player experience
The Farmer’s Debt, Individual Gamebryo Engine Project November to December 2008
Level Designer
• Crafted an original quest with branching options within the world of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Focused on an engaging storyline, terrain editing/texturing, creative tileset usage, and scripted events
• Wrote a comprehensive level abstract including map drawings, walkthroughs, and reference images
EnGarde!, Team Torque X Builder 2D Project September to December 2008
Game Designer/Level Designer
• Lead a team of four individuals in the creation of a 2D side-scrolling adventure game
• Implemented one level and the final boss fight, including the addition of eight self-created art assets
• Created various documents: concept, game design, level design, asset and development plans
Education:
The Guildhall at SMU, Plano, TX December 2009
Masters of Interactive Technology, Digital Game Development - specialization in Level Design
Additional Work/Studies
• Developed four environment spaces using Unreal and Source engines, as well as six multiplayer maps
• Created a text driven adventure using only C# and modified a 2D role-playing game using Lua
Minnesota State University of Moorhead, Moorhead, MN May 2006
Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications, emphasis in Digital Design
Work Experience:
Casino Enterprise Management June 2007 to August 2008
Production Manager - Promoted within three months of starting date
• Spearheaded redesign of magazine layout; rebuilt style sheets and templates for articles
• Facilitated communication between production and editorial departments
• Created an array of materials and completed tasks including: house advertisments, magazine covers,
web graphics, 50+ feature stories, MP3 audio production, and file archiving/backups
Gamestop/Software Etc. July 2004 to July 2007
Senior Game Advisor - Part-time Management
• Customer relations, solid fundemental knowledge of the game industry and video game products
• Assist in store layout, organize, and sell store promotions
Take 2 Video August 2000 to July 2004
Shift Supervisor - Organized/budgeted game section, researched products to assist customers effectively