Project type: Featured

10
May
2021

America Rising – A Tale of the Enclave

Video by Ali Oram

You’ve woken up after 200 years of cryogenic preservation. The world you knew, the people you love, all replaced by a twisted and desolate wasteland. You then discover that there are others like you. Others working towards bringing back that world you lost. Is it all too good to be true?

Mod synopsis

A spiritual successor to my Fallout: New Vegas mod For The Enclave and my first Fallout 4 mod, America Rising – A Tale of the Enclave sees you work to rally the shattered remnants of the Enclave in a multi-hour adventure seamlessly integrated into Fallout 4. Currently, at Version 1.1.2, I’m working on a large update serving as the definitive version which will overhaul significant aspects of the story and gameplay as a whole. I regularly update the community via the mod’s file pages, and post large updates on my blog.

As the sole developer, I perform multiple roles on this project. Jumping between level design, mission and gameplay scripting and managing voice actors and actresses, it’s been a great way of keeping on top of my skills.

My favourite aspect of this project has without a doubt been the scripting. I set myself the challenge to implement some of the most complex functionality I’ve ever had in one of my projects, and I’m very pleased with the results. It’s led to me having robust quest functionality that can self-correct if the player completes actions in an unexpected order, allowed me to create even larger and more grandiose setpieces and even create a puzzle-minigame element that the player must complete to continue a quest. All the while I’ve been enforcing a strict scripting style guide on myself, and self-documenting all my scripts along the way. I’ve included a sample of the code corresponding to the puzzle on this page. Opening images in new tabs allows you to view them full-size.

Overview of Work

  • Design
    • Performed extensive pre-production designing an engaging main quest, as well as multiple side quests, characters, locations and encounters
    • Assembled over a dozen levels ranging from small interiors to vast exterior world spaces
    • Wrote hundreds of lines of dialogue
    • Implemented numerous custom art assets and audio effects
  • Scripting
    • Used Bethesda Game Studios proprietary Papyrus scripting language to implement numerous missions, encounters and gameplay systems
    • Created a modular and easily expandable wave survival codebase
    • Implemented various complex scenes and cinematics
  • Production
    • Managed a cast of 23 voice actors & created multiple voice-acting documents & scripts, offering direction

Platform: PC & Xbox, Fallout: 4
Role: Lead scripter, lead designer, producer
Duration: 6 Months
Tools Used: Creation Kit SDK, Sublime Text 3, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Audition

Download (PC – Mirror 1)
Download (PC – Mirror 2)
Download (Xbox)

Credits

  • Art
    • Elizabeth Sharp for the majority of the custom textures
  • Marketing
    • Ali Oram for the trailer
  • Voice Acting
    • AliMackScot as General Russell Ward
    • Josef Boon as Staff Sergeant Toby
    • MaevesChild as Doctor Ellen Kane & Female Enclave Soldiers 1
    • Knight0mega as Female Enclave Soldiers 2
    • Nik Pedro Balson as Sergeant Peterson
    • RealWarhawk as Corporal Fitzpatrick
    • Elizabeth Sharp as Enclave Dispatcher, Female Enclave Technicians 2 & Female Enclave Scientists 2
    • InsomniaVA as Quartermaster Barratt
    • Mchenry as Doctor Dagless
    • NeverNotNinja as Male Enclave Officers 1
    • Oridaellin as Male Enclave Officers 2
    • K-athleen as Female Enclave Officers 1
    • Ali Oram as Brotherhood of Steel Soldier
    • Jenk City as Male Enclave Soldiers 1
    • Critikal Miss as Male Enclave Soldiers 2
    • LonnieIIV as Male Enclave Technicians 1
    • Cory as Male Enclave Technicians 2
    • Irusu as Female Enclave Technicians 1
    • Brad as Terrified Settler
    • PurpleCoffins as Vault Distress Beacon
    • Dead-Vo as Male Enclave Scientists 1
    • Fuya_Jo as Male Enclave Scientists 2
    • Livski as Female Enclave Scientists 1
10
May
2021

Fallout 4 – The Pint-Sized Slasher

Images by Bethesda Game Studios

Who hasn’t heard the story of The Pint-Sized Slasher, the tiny terror of suburbia? Whether it’s his frightful clown mask or his signature chef’s knife, having become one of the more popular legends in American folklore. Some believe the Pint-Sized Slasher only a myth, though the bodies tell a different story. Quest created by Thomas “Otellino” Mitchell

Creation Club Store description, courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios

The Pint-Sized Slasher is my first Creation as part of Bethesda Game Studios’ Creation Club. I initially pitched the project because I saw an artist created the Pint-Sized Slasher Outfit and Knife assets, and I realized I had an opportunity to create a fun quest to go along with those assets that contained subtle homages to Fallout 3, where the Pint-Sized Slasher first makes an appearance.

The project saw me working in the Creation Kit (Bethesda Game Studios’ SDK for Fallout 4) as well as scripting in Papyrus (Fallout 4’s text-based scripting language) and collaborating with other Creation Club Creators, balancing the clothing and the weapon, performing mild level design to implement NPCs and quest content, writing and implementing the quest, and scripting a boss fight with unique mechanics.

Additionally I worked alongside a production schedule, submitting an Alpha and Beta prior to delivering the final product while also working with Bethesda Game Studios’ Quality Assurance and internal development pipelines.

Overview of Work

  • Pitched the original project to Bethesda Game Studios
  • Iterated on the pitch after going through feedback rounds
  • Balanced stats for the Pint-Sized Slasher Outfit & Knife
  • Implemented weapon modifications for the Pint-Sized Slasher Knife
  • Designed and implemented unique gameplay effects for the Outfit & Knife
  • Designed and scripted the quest “A Pint-Sized Problem” that culminates in the player acquiring the equipment
  • Designed and scripted unique mechanics for the fight against the Pint-Sized Slasher to serve as an interesting boss fight, wherein when certain conditions are completed the Pint-Sized Slasher will vanish in a cloud of confetti, the position behind the player is calculated, and the Pint-Sized Slasher will re-appear there, ambushing them.
  • Wrote and implemented a first pass of all letters, notes and terminal entries
  • Iterated on and fixed bugs as reported by Bethesda Game Studios Quality Assurance

Platform: PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Fallout: 4
Release Date: 6th December 2018
Role: Designer
Tools Used: Creation Kit SDK, Sublime Text 3

Available for purchase in the Fallout 4 Creation-Club in-game store for 400 Creation-Club Credits.

10
May
2021

Distant Kingdoms

Early Access launch trailer courtesy of Kasedo Games.

A unique blend of City Building, Social Management, Exploration and Adventure gameplay, Distant Kingdoms brings a rich fantasy world to life. Help the Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Orcs of Talam, begin anew in the fabled land of Ineron.

Steam store page overview

Distant Kingdoms is an ambitious socio-economic City Builder set in a medieval high-fantasy world with rich lore. A complex game where the player must satisfy the complex needs of their population, manage  production chains and explore an unfamiliar and hostile new world.

As part of my role as Lead Game Designer – and then Design Director – my day to day included planning and implementing new game features adhering to an internal roadmap, iterating on and re-scoping features to meet deadlines as dictated by production and the publishers, and ensuring the team were up to date on the game’s vision and direction at all times.

In addition, I created UI wireframes and flowcharts, and provided technical specifications to the programmers as well as asset lists to the art team to support its implementation. I also iterated on the game’s UX with feedback from the team, in particular the art lead.

It was important to me that the team felt they had a say in the game’s features, and I always maintained an open floor for suggestions and concerns. If a suggestion wasn’t workable I’d sit down with the developer in question and explained why we wouldn’t be able to take it forward – inversely if a suggestion was taken on board, I ensured the developer received all due credit and thanks.

After the game’s launch into Early Access, I monitored players’ reactions to the game, identified pain points and worked with the publisher to modify the roadmap as necessary, allowing us to pivot and remedy said pain points.

Overview of Work

Design

  • Principal vision holder, ensuring the team was in sync with the overall goals of the project
  • Created the original high-level design of the game
  • Wrote and maintained extensive design documentation, including art and audio asset lists, wireframes and technical spec documents
  • Shared responsibilities with the Narrative Designer to create a rich, vibrant new IP
  • Wrote and implemented numerous lines of dialogue, events and the tutorial
  • Designed, implemented and iterated on the game’s maps

Scripting

  • Worked with the Lead Programmer to set out the requirements for the creation of a proprietary text-based scripting language
  • Created an in-house Syntax Highlighting + Snippet extension for use with Microsoft VS Code to work with the propietary scripting language
  • Implemented hundreds of lines of dialogue, events, modifiers and other elements of game logic using the proprietary scripting language

Platform: PC
Publisher: Kasedo Games
Release Date: April 29th 2021
Role: Design Director
Tools Used: Unity3D, World Creator 2, VSCode, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop

Purchase (Steam)