Built with the Unreal Development Kit, Grimoire is a free multiplayer shooter featuring six customizable classes with thousands of possible spell loadouts. Developed by a small team, with a limited budget the game has been well reviewed by its dedicated community.

http://www.grimoirethegame.com
http://store.steampowered.com/app/335430/

As a F2P class based MOBA FPS it was developed at the same time as similar games like Overwatch. What began as a hobby project turned into a commercial venture after it’s first Alpha test was met with overwhelming positivity. As a co-founder on a tiny indie team I have been a part of nearly every single part of the game’s development but my main job was level and game design.

Level Design

  • Extensive experience in all aspects of level design through the creation of 10 multiplayer and 2 singleplayer maps from block out to final release.
  • Designed and created all aspects of in-game tutorial using Kismet visual scripting.
  • Created and maintain a consistent art style throughout all levels and on a limited budget using a majority of pre-built marketplace assets as well as some custom art.
  • Developed guidelines for level design based on the game’s unique combat and player movement.
  • Selected, prepared, and imported hundreds of pre-built and custom environment art models to create the game’s four settings.
  • Created two singleplayer wave survival levels utilizing Kismet and game mode tools to design two different difficulty based scenarios.
  • Utilized performance profiling to optimize maps to meet the minimum required specifications.
  • Updated level layouts using A/B testing and multiple iterations based on personal and player feedback.

Game Design

  • Created the original concept of a multiplayer wizard shooter which then evolved into the final game design through collaboration with co-founder.
  • Designed and playtested six different game mode prototypes with team members before deciding on the final three: Conquest, FFA, and Survival.
  • Collaborated with co-founder to design five of the final six classes as well as their starting spells and roles.
  • Worked with other designers to create an archetype for each of the 5 spell slots for each class.
  • Designed the F2P progression and class customization update which introduced 8 new spells for each class and creating thousands of possible spell loadouts.
  • Created a system for estimating a spell’s potential power and utilized internal testing as well as community feedback to balance within the overall spell design and time-to-kill parameters.

Production

  • Set and reached production milestones for Early Access release, 2 Steam Free Weekends, 4 major patches, 30+ minor patches, and Final release.
  • Worked within a limited budget by focusing on efficiency and by utilizing each member’s talents.
  • Organized and managed a dynamic team of 3-6 as well as more than a dozen independent contractors.
  • Designed the game’s switch from paid to F2P to fit within the limited time schedule and budget.
  • Recruited and hired a new lead programmer after losing the game’s co-founder and original lead programmer.
  • Negotiated, modified, and signed dozens of contracts using lawyer provided templates.
  • Setup and organized project management tools such as Trello boards and Slack work chat.

Community Management

  • Wrote or edited all DevBlogs, Newsletters, and Announcements.
  • Utilized Discord, Twitter and Facebook to inform and grow the game’s community.
  • Created and attended Bi-Weekly “Play with the Devs” playtests to gather feedback and bug reports.
  • Steam community and forum management collecting bug reports, creating and maintaining sticky topics, as well as providing technical support, and general moderation.
  • Wrote a detailed game guide.
  • Created and posted all Patch Notes by collecting major changes from all team members and SVN logs.

Other

  • Restored and hardened the game’s development server after a major disaster in which it’s hard drive failed. Recovered the lost files from local backups and setup a new server plus automated backup system using Amazon’s AWS.
  • Developed and used a set of quality assurance guidelines for reporting bugs, collecting player feedback, and finalizing public game builds.
  • Responsible for creating, testing, and releasing all builds after Feb 2015.
  • Setup and maintained the game’s Steam store page. Collaborated with lead artist to create branding images and edited/updated all descriptions to reflect changes to the game such as the paid to F2P transition.
  • Responsible for marketing creating six class showcase trailers, game website, contact lists, social media, and Steam store page. Collaborated on branding images, Kickstarter campaign, email campaigns, and general copywriting.
  • Setup primary and backup game servers over multiple regions using Amazon’s AWS.
  • Created a base outline for the game’s world and then collaborated with other team members and a writer to refine the world of Grimoire explaining the game’s conflict and backstory.