Details of my experience

I joined the Amerzone team during production and stayed until its release. I had the option of joining the project as a regular level designer or specialising in animal and NPC management. I chose the second option, which allowed me to extend my skills while giving my profile a particular specialisation.

 

The overall framework of the game was already fully defined and my role was mainly technical (and aesthetic), but I was still able to suggest a few additional set-ups, which I really enjoyed designing and then making.

 

As the person responsible for all the animals and characters in the game (excluding cinematics), my tasks were as follows:

• placing all the animals and characters in the game

• testing the animations supplied by the animators (including exchanges to make adjustments)

• integrating animations into animator controllers

  • sometimes randomised, in particular to alternate idles naturally

  • sometimes linked to gameplay triggers

• integration of animations into timelines

  • sometimes for specific scripted behaviours linked to gameplay

  • sometimes for the purpose of moving an animal (animation keys) in parallel with its animations (tracks)

  • for bird management

•  contextual dialogue management and triggering

•  help for cinematographers on certain cutscenes involving animals or NPCs

•  management of certain cameras

•  setting up vfx for animals, particularly in water

•  setting up vfx animals (fireflies, mosquitoes, butterflies, flocks of birds)

•  optimising animals and characters (in collaboration with the tech team), in particular by distance culling, activating/deactivating them at the right moments (using visual scripting) and reusing them

•  randomising the appearance of animals in the hydroflot loops (beginning and end of chapter 3, end of chapter 5)

•  bonus: creation of an easter egg with frogs... but I won't spoil!
   

I also worked with the other level designers on various bug tickets towards the end of production.

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Working on Amerzone allowed me to get closer to the storytelling, while retaining a technical role closely linked to level design. It's something I've really enjoyed and it's helping me to refine my career goals in this direction. I'm passionate about making games come alive and believable, which is why setting up elements that will react to players' actions (directly or indirectly) is particularly appealing to me, and I think that's precisely what I'm doing by being at the crossroads between level design and narration.

 

In conclusion, Amerzone is a great game that I'm proud to have contributed to!

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