Thinking back, a lot of my focus on this product was working in level design with level designers and artists directing the progression and visual flow of each ‘run’. Being the studio's first game that used HDR lighting and lot of shader tricks, a great deal of focus also went into balancing the look/feel of each ‘film’ (or chapter). Like many projects I’ve been a part of, when the product neared its launch, I spent cycles capturing the feel of the game developing various marketing assets and defining the brand. The movie posters for the ‘faux’ movies in the game were a lot of fun to direct and develop.
Primary focus on this project was art and marketing direction. The project had probably the most involved licensor I’ve worked with. While that can have a tendency to entangle production with friction, we formed a solid relationship with our Terminator movie partners (C2 Pictures) through consistent communication and approval success. We were able to build trust as we developed and expanded content into the Terminator/Skynet universe. Once that happened, we were moving efficiently.
I was very fortunate to have worked with this particular art team. Some superstars were in the group covering concept, animation, environment building, cinematics and character modeling. Most importantly the art team culture was solid. High talent and low-ego helped the group collaborate and make some great visuals and moments out of a very clunky toolset and design plan.
When the project neared completion, I switched gears into the marketing/advertising machine again and worked to capture the look/feel of the project. The posters were fun to create using assets developed by a stellar team. (Chris Moffitt built the Terminator character model for the game.)
After directing a few hardcore projects, it was an interesting challenge to switch gears and connect with a much different audience in the free-to-play space. Old school Disney has been an inspiration for me since I was a kid and this project was leaning on that greatly.
I was fortunate again to be working with a stellar team of artists. The superstar team was very low ego and loved to collaborate. I have to mention Mark Sinclair, an incredible concept artist (AD now), that captured the world in endless concepts and character designs. Everything here had some roots in his exploratory work and visual design sense.
I enjoyed working with some friends from hardcore gaming on this project as well. We managed a very challenging content pipeline and created one of Zynga’s most successful titles.
Team management, concept work, visual direction, liveops content design and marketing design were areas I focused on. Due to the structure and nature of the team, a lot of focus on UX/UI design as well (games like this typically are loaded with tons of UI).
Allan is a top tier talent, in design direction and art. His level of experience in games is a massive help in defining a project from start to finish. Allan is a natural leader, extremely talented in design and art, and picks up tools quickly so he can test assets in game independently. His actions set an example for the rest of his team. I highly recommend Allan, he is a very rare talent that will elevate any organization he joins.
I've worked with Allan on different projects at different studios and I've always been impressed by his versatile skillsets at a project level (design, visuals, UX) as well as his ability to manage and lead creative groups with amazing culture and collaboration. Top notch pro! Highly recommend working with him if you have the chance. Your studio and products will benefit.