Genre: Extraction Shooter (Multiplayer)
​
Released: August 2025
​
Studio: Dream Foundry Games
Platforms: PC​
​
Skill Focus: Level Design, Narrative Design, Iteration & Tuning
​
Time Spent on Project: 4 years
Engine: Unity
SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTIONS
​
I was the sole designer on the project - responsible for creating the GDD and adjoining documents. Furthermore, I lead design meetings weekly with the lead developer, artist and producer in order to propose new features and give directions on improving existing ones.
My primary hands-on work was in level and narrative design - in which I created the in-game world of "Domusalus" - specifically a playable region called "The Aurelian Wilds" - through numerous documents, lore and the level design for all of its 13 biome-distinct areas.
From paper -> graybox -> art complete, I ensured that the game's lore and level design stayed cohesive and engaging, bringing players fully into a mysterious land with numerous biomes, points of interests and interactions.
Furthermore, I designed several in-game systems:
• Rising Tension - a changing difficulty based on map areas
• Reforging - allows for re-rolling stats on guns and armors
• Runes - stat increasing gems that can be slotted into armors and weapons
• Global Domination - affected by in-game actions, raising score for your faction
• Archifacts - collectible data discs that reveal histories and lore
​
I also performed the duties of QA Lead and Community Coordinator on this project.
*Alpha gameplay detailing systems
THE AURELIAN WILDS
​​
Designed for 21 players and with 13 distinct playable areas - the Aurelian Wilds is a MASSIVE map filled with numerous secrets, enemies, loot-filled chests, ladders, ziplines, underwater ruins - and so much more.
​
In the beginning, it was simply a sketch on a piece of paper showcasing:
-
Major points of interest --- fully designed "mini-levels" | act as arenas/treasure troves
-
Minor points of interest --- small buildings, ruins, etc. | small treasures, enemies
-
Boundaries and relative size of area --- as well as their name/biome/theming
​
These locations were placed so that as players move between major points of interest, they would inevitably discover the minor points along the way. Furthermore, every major point of interest was made large in size - able to be seen from long distances to draw players along these paths.
​
After the initial sketch, I sketched out each of the areas - by themselves - in more detail, really cementing their intended "feel" and further indicating paths, playable/non-playable space and more.
​
Moving onto the greyboxing stage, I began molding the terrain in Unity, setting the various heights for areas and placing different sized spheres on the map to represent the different points of interest. Once the terrain was in an acceptable state, I then grayboxed the major points and minor points using Unity primitives. Afterwards, I handed it off the concept artists along with examples from other media that captured the intended aesthetic of the area.
​
Map development continued all the way until release - with the artists and myself working closely to ensure the level design stayed in tact as the art team worked to beautify the scene and brought the world to life. Through Leviathan's many playtests - player enjoyment of traversal and the map itself was consistently rated highly in surveys & feedback.
Please explore the world of Domusalus through the included pictures.
​​​​​​
RISING TENSION​
“Rising Tension” is a system that works to keep players on the move from area to area, opens up new opportunities and also attempts to guide players to encountering one another. Along with the 30 minute “Deployment Timer” - players must keep track of the Rising Tension in order to survive against an ever-changing world and extract. These “Rising Tension” events happen every 5 minutes (with a warning 1 minute before the change).
​
Risk vs. Reward
Exploring areas of higher tension difficulties raises the chance of finding higher tier rewards, but also more challenging AI. Furthermore, since the rewards are better, its more expected to find players in these areas as well, making it even more dangerous.
​
For example:
“North Commonlands” is an area that can be raised up to MODERATE difficulty at most. Newer or less geared players may explore this area in search of starting gear or easier encounters. On the other hand “Wracked Crater” can be raised up to INTENSE difficulty, and never falls beneath HEAVY difficulty - harboring the hardest AI and populated by some of the best-geared players... but the chance for fantastic items is very high!​​​​​​​​​​​​
Areas are highlighted via color-coding to indicate their current tension
Every 5 minutes these tensions will change, guiding players to different areas of the map, without ever restricting them from accessing the entirety of the map.
Loot within a chest in a low difficulty tension
Loot within a chest in a high difficulty tension
"ARCHIFACTS"
​
The lore of "Leviathan" is revealed through in-game collectible data discs called "Archifacts." Contained within are histories of the past and present of the planet Domusalus, and also of its invaders and their respective planets. However, only bits and pieces of the story are revealed with each Archifact gathered - with some Archifacts being incredibly rare.
​
If a player finds an Archifact that they've already deciphered, they can trade with friends for ones they haven't - allowing teams to uncover the story together. Each Archifact also comes with an accompanying art-piece, specially created to depict the lore within. The collectible nature of this system encourages players to engage with the story through gameplay, and with each reveal - look at the world of "Leviathan" in new ways.​
​
​
​​​
​
Interested in learning about Domusalus and beyond? Several Archifacts can be read below!
