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My Resume can be downloaded in the following formats: I can be contacted directly by email: spaid@lanclan.com
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Previous Project Experience Build a Foundation FirstIn our early development projects there was little order and to define a deadline was often cumbersome. Designing levels between my brother and I was a trial and error adventure. We knew very little about the elements of creation and publication. As we gradually built knowledge and learned how to adapt to new exciting resources, we were able to get more aggressive with the scale of the projects we undertook. I slowly stepped aside from creating the bulk of my art asset contributions and began coordinating an optimistic 2-year plan that would require learning new fields, outlining a work flow and coordinating a large contributing team. The team would consist of volunteers who specialized in separate areas and the only form of collaborating was through the channels of the internet. At first, the team was bloated and the focus became blurred. In order to achieve our outline, I'd have to manage the contributing resources and release those of obligations who did not contribute what was desired. This proved extremely difficult considering the members were volunteers and, for the most part, hobbyists. I found it extremely difficult removing those from the team who had sub-par work but contributed regularly. As for those who would not follow the outline, I had no regrets removing them and their prior contributions if they so desired. It became apparent to me that I would not be able to contribute as much as I wanted while leading and controlling content. When we reached our third public release, our team eventually dwindled to four. The output wasn't as high, but I noticed a step up in quality and communication. The last six months was a pleasure with the four of us and allowed us to meet our final deadline easily. The lightened load allowed me to polish off artwork and optimize all of the content. The total conversion was as complete as our host would allow and was an amazing success. Benefits of a More Focused TeamWhile working on a two-man design team has benefits in terms of collaboration and communication, it remains challenging to bring a project from conception to completion. In order to meet deadlines and reach milestones, one must understand the dynamics and demands of a project. Prior to outlining a timeline that inherently asks for feature sets and art assets, one must evaluate the tools and documentation available. A clear picture must be painted for what we want to make and what we can actually achieve. It has been my responsibility to aggressively seek out all available resources prior to engaging long projects and to reevaluate when new materials became available. There is a fine balance between capabilities, knowledge and output that demands attention and reiteration throughout the lifetime of such undertakings. I spend about 80 percent of our development cycles acquiring new skills based on demands, researching the latest technologies our hosting platform allows, possible implementations, documenting “Best Known Methods” for an optimized work pipeline, optimizing art for engine technologies, reiterating the codebase for game mechanics, updating and adding detail to areas of the project that have the available resource headroom. Coupled with these dynamics, I have been fortunate to have successfully produced some long lasting projects that have missed very few milestones. Thankfully, the other twenty percent of time spent can be solely dedicated to content creation in various fields. I am extremely grateful for having such a talented and successful two-man team and having the time to work in many areas I am most passionate about. The FutureAlthough, I feel, I have the experience to run a small focused team in the design sense, I admittedly am not prepared to handle the business implications. With no related "professional" experience, my options are somewhat limited. I am, however, prepared to narrow to a particular field in game design in order to learn the inner-workings of a successful studio. I look forward to evolving with the industry and working in a small or large proactive game development team. |
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Name: Daniel Rapp |
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