Dune: Awakening
Lead Level Designer · YAGER Development
During YAGER's co-development with Funcom on Dune: Awakening, I led the level design work on the modular crashed ship system.
The work involved both leading the designers working on the system and figuring out how the modular pieces could be used from a level design perspective. I also worked directly with Funcom's directors to review the designs and keep our work aligned with the wider project.
Leading the level design work
- Position
- Lead Level Designer
- Scope
- Team leadership, design direction, and hands-on design support
- Duration
- 2022–2024
My responsibilities included:
- Guiding the level design team through planning, blockout, iteration, and polish
- Mentoring designers and helping them work through design problems
- Reviewing designs with Funcom and coordinating feedback between the two studios
- Establishing workflows and guidelines for building the modular crashed ships
- Reviewing the team's work and helping keep the direction consistent
From concept to implementation
Concept & Blockout
I oversaw the initial blockouts and helped establish guidelines for scale, usability, and how the modular pieces would work with the game's other systems.
Production
As production progressed, I reviewed iterations with the team, ran playthroughs, and helped identify and solve design issues. A significant part of the role was also communicating with Funcom and making sure feedback was understood and incorporated by the team.
Polish & Modular Implementation
I helped refine the modular crashed ship layouts and the way the pieces were used, with a focus on making the system practical for the level designers using it.
Building a reusable modular system
The crashed ships needed to work across different locations without every level becoming a one-off solution.
I worked with the art team to establish guidelines and documentation for using the modular pieces, giving the level designers a consistent foundation to work from.