InfernaLLC
InfernaLLC is an asymmetrical multiplayer, RTS action game developed in Unreal Engine 5. It sees a team of IRS agents pitted against a hellish megacorporation, Inferna LLC, aiming to tank their profits. While working on InfernaLLC, I primarily designed levels and enemy encounters.
Production
Project Work Summary
While working on InfernaLLC, I worked on level design. I created level layouts for the overseer tutorial and the vault level. I also assisted the artists in set dressing a few of the game's levels.
Project Summary
Hell's most profitable Sinstribution™ firm is under attack by IRS operatives hell bent on tanking the company. Play as Inferna LLC's diabolical CEO or as tax-collecting Agents in a hellish conflict over profit margins.
With dichotomous gameplay that balances both strategic resource management and fluid melee combat, plan and execute an attack or defense on the company's income sources.
Role
Team Interactions
As a level designer on InfernaLLC, I acted as a bridge between the level design process and the art and programming disciplines.
When working on level design, I created layouts for two visually distinct levels and collaborated with artists to ensure their aesthetics were cohesive and aligned with the project's art direction.
While working on the tutorial, I collaborated with the systems and UI designers to ensure tutorial prompts aligned with events transpiring in the level.
Contributed Work
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Level Design Process
When it came to designing/iterating a level layout for InfernaLLC, my process could be broken down into seven steps:
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Identify what elements the level needed to include, in order to align the game's experience with the core gameplay pillars
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Create a level layout utilizing the project's grid system
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Graybox walls/cover on top of the initial level layout
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Test to see if the level prototype successfully aligns the game's experience with the core gameplay pillars. Continue iterating and testing until it does.
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Ensure through testing that layout works well as both the agents and overseer roles
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Collaborate with artists to integrate art assets into the level
Level Design for Asymmetrical Gameplay
When designing and implementing level layouts for InfernaLLC, it was crucial to account for the asymmetrical gameplay, ensuring each level enhanced the the experience for both roles
To support the agent role, levels feature clear paths to objectives, emphasizing coordination over navigation. Strategically placed clutter breaks up open spaces, creating branching paths that add tactical options and varied enemy encounters.
To support to the overseer role, levels feature evenly spaced employee spawners in clear sight of objectives, emphasizing strategizing over timing. Limited view of the reduces the reach of the overseer, requiring more tactical decision making.
Post Mortem
Closing Thoughts
Working on InfernaLLC taught me many of the challenges that come with developing a large scale project remotely, as well as how to mitigate them.
The main challenge distinguishing remote from in-person development is consistent communication. Coordinating schedules within a large team made meetings difficult, and busy timetables often led to isolation between disciplines and their work.
In a remote setting, clear and well defined structures are key to addressing challenges. Communication was improved through established processes, with discipline-specific meetings simplifying coordination and daily check-ins encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration.
Team Maple Barrel
Producer: Seth Lyon
Product Owner, Networking Programmer: Michael Kirkpatrick
QA Manager: Carson Griffin
Design Lead, Systems Designer: Will Rutherford
UI/UX & Narrative Designer: Andrew Lounsbury
Systems Designer: Isaac Eddy
Level Designer(s): Liam Dunphy, Lyden Lapensee
Lead Narrative Designer: Daniel Martinelli
Art Lead, Environment Artist: Marit Ullrich
Animator: Cristian Pesante
Character Artists: Kimmy Madera, Olivia Steenburgh
Sound Lead: Braeden Trefethen
Programming Lead: Austin Baird
Physics Programmer: Jake Baranowski
Game Programmer: Celica Lysik