Unreleased Dark Pictures Anthology Game (2)

This project was the second game I worked on at Supermassive Games, and it was already in full-on production when I began working on it. It is planned to be released on all the latest console platforms and PC.

Game:

While I am unable to go into too many details as the project is as of yet unreleased, it is a game in The Dark Pictures Anthology and so is also branching narrative, survival horror game where you play as five different characters whose survival depends on the choices you make throughout the story.

My Role:

As a part of a strike team of other designers, each of us was given a number of scenes/levels to work on, and these levels were divided up depending on our particular skills / preferences. As such, initally I was put in charge of a number of cinematic and gameplay-heavy levels, and I worked to get them all the way from initial blocking, to alpha, beta, and then to final quality.

My responsibilies included:

Data blocking: placing and editing the body and facial animation data in cinematics sequence, as well as the audio (dialogue, temporary SFX) .
Cinematic Design: positioning, framing and editing cameras, taking into account the rules of cinema such as shot composition, camera movement, etc. This work could range from basic block-outs and framing of shots, right through to final camera lock edits.
Level Design: going from paper-design, to white-boxing in Unreal, to working with the Environment team as the whitebox is replaced by final assets (all the while, making changes and iterations based on playtesting and Director feedback).
Working in Unreal Engine & Supermassive's custom plugin (called 'Game Flow') to build the logic and structure of the level, and ensuring that the branching nature of the story was correct and cohesive.
Motion capture:
- Help prepare for motion capture sessions. This included collecting reference materials of how the scenes were blocked out in Unreal, anstage directions and measurements using real-world metrics, and translating the script from Final Draft into our visial branching tool (similar to Twine) to help staff and performers track what's happening more easily on the day of the shoot.
- Take part in those motion capture sessions (behind the monitors) and see first-hand how performances are directed and captured.
Actioning feedback from Lead Designers / Directors.
Working with other departments such as Audio, Cameras, Environment, and Narrative, to ensure that everyone is aligned and up-to-date, and nobody is stepping on each other's toes.
Working with other designers: providing and receiving feedback and support whenever needed.
Bugfixing and testing.

Unfortunately I am unable to say much more about the project at this stage due to NDAs, but I will be updating this page more upon release.