UNRELEASED CO-OP SHOOTER
Ready At Dawn (META)
ROLE
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Senior Level Designer
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Levels | Missions | Encounters
TOOLS
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Unreal Engine 5
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Autodesk Maya 2025
PLATFORM
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Oculus Quest 3
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PC (Dev & Internal Playtests)
STORY MISSIONS
WHALE CRASH | Level Design, Missions, Blockout
This unreleased combat-driven sci-fi VR shooter was intended for 1-3 players, emphasizing co-op combat, traversal, and exploration. I was responsible for 3 of the 5 areas for our campaign (story) mission's vertical slice deliverable: the Outpost (Area 1), the Grotto (Area 2), and the Skywhale Crash Site (Area 5). Each section was designed to deliver distinct pacing and gameplay focus across the story mission.
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Level & Mission Design: Designed levels and scripted missions focused on encounters
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Cross-Discipline Coordination: Worked with teams to align gameplay and narrative
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Cinematics Implementation: Built cinematic sequences with Unreal Sequencer
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Blockout Art Creation: Produced 3D blockouts for rapid iteration before final art
Each area was designed to challenge players with combat-forward encounters while allowing space for environmental storytelling and co-op traversal strategies.
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 1 Blockout Playtest
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 1 Blockout Playtest
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 2 Blockout Playtest
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 5 Blockout Playtest
REPEATABLE MISSIONS
STRIKER IN THE VALLEY | Level Design, Missions, Blockout
I designed and oversaw all aspects of the 'Striker in the Valley' core mission, creating a repeatable, RNG-based experience that ensures every playthrough presents a unique challenge. Players hunt the apex predator "Striker," with random variations in enemy spawn locations and accessible arenas, ensuring no two runs are the same. This dynamic design supports loot & grind while maintaining replayability.
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Designed level layouts, encounters, and scripted missions within shared map spaces
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Collaborated with fellow level designers to support multiple core missions in a single environment
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Utilized Unreal Engine's level instancing, world partitioning, and data layers for optimized performance and dynamic content delivery
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Partnered with cross-disciplinary teams to ensure seamless integration of gameplay and narrative
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Created temporary 3D blockout art assets based on visual development concepts to support rapid iteration before final environment art was implemented
VR Co-Op Shooter | Core Mission Walkthrough
SOCIAL HUBS
RAVENSWOOD OUTPOST | Level Design, Blockout
I spearheaded the design of two social hubs - one large and one small - as part of an A/B test aimed at exploring mission loop flow and player traffic. My goal was to create an engaging space where players could socialize, interact with their pets, buy, sell, & trade with vendors, and select missions.
Large Hub
The large Hub held up to 15 players, or 5 full parties. This was the earlier iteration and pretty blue sky. Ultimately, it was a little large for the necessary for the game loop, so we shelved this one and focused on the smaller hub.
I started by organizing the hub's districts by function - missions, upgrading gear, and socializing. This was challenging since we didn't have any data to guide us, as it was RAD's first attempt at a game with this core mission loop and social space. Eventually, we settled on a more simplified layout that blurred the lines between "districts" to ensure player traffic was evenly distributed.
We ultimately shelved this version as it was a lot of fluff for the intended gameplay loop and instead moved forward with the smaller hub (below).
R22 Hub Large
R22 Hub Small
Small Hub
I designed the small social hub to support up to 9 concurrent players and include around 30 NPCs, such as stationary vendors and patrolling townsfolk. I also peppered in livestock, hidden collectibles like fruits and wandering crabs, and fishing spots where players could use the crabs as bait.
The small hub was being scaled to create a "Goldilocks zone" of activity - no matter where a player was within the level, they were always an equal distance from every feature essential to the game loop.