Resume & Biography

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Brief Biography

Jonathan Schwarz, Level Designer
953 Diane Avenue :: Elgin, IL 60123 :: (940) 231-1287
www.skippyslist.com/portfolio :: skippy@skippyslist.com


Accomplishments

  • Guildhall graduate
  • Designed all side quests for The Hunt, nominated for 2006 Independent Games Festival “Best mod in Neverwinter Nights category”
  • Almost 2 years experience working at High Voltage Software
  • Creative under fire, former Army PSYOP graphic designer
  • Creator of the popular web site: Skippy’s List, optioned for television by Fox Networks

Game Experience

Unannounced Licensed Adventure Game by High Voltage Software – Level Designer
Currently in progress

Source material research, assisting the initial core game-play design.

Flame-Sim by Flame Simulations LLC, a High Voltage Software subsidiary – Level Designer

Built the initial prototype level, made extensive research into firefighting techniques and equipment, assisted Lead Designer in game design documentation, provided initial level design/fire incident customization, level population, scenario implementation, vehicle and NPC pathing, designed in game communication system, created UI mockups.

America’s Army: True Soldiers by High Voltage Software – Level Designer

Military research, demonstrated proper military techniques, formatted information for in-game database.

Ghost Recon by High Voltage Software – Level Designer

Co-designed coop and competitive multiplayer, built four of twelve levels in the single player campaign, enemy pathing, object placement, gameplay balance, asset development, scripting/triggers, designed menu system, created and maintained documentation, created UI mockups.

Brothers in Arms by Gearbox Software - Intern

Lip-sync for French localization, coordinated work schedule with producer, tested and provided game feedback for three levels of game play under direction from producers.

Kompressor [Half Life 2 Project] – Level & Game Designer
A multiplayer racing game set in the German countryside.

Designed & documented Core game play, built twenty world models including breakable objects, designed and built thirty-nine pre-fabricated buildings for backgrounds, built one quarter of level detail.

The Hunt [Never Winter Nights project] – Level Designer
A single-player action heavy roleplaying game.

Nominated for 2006 Independent Games Festival “Best mod in Neverwinter Nights category”, concepted three levels, designed and implemented twelve sub-quests several of which are branching, extensive scripting & dialog work, created new encounter system using in engine assets that was not dependent on player level, created a generic dialog system for NPCs that changes based on player activities, responsible for major sections of game play.

Greed [Unreal Tournament 2004 project] – Level & Game Designer
A team based death-match variant.

Concepted core game play, invented a new form of team-based combat, designed and built one out of four levels, created, textured, & imported twenty-one world objects.

Software Skills

  • 3d: 3dsmax 6, Unreal Ed, Radiant, Hammer, Maya, Quantum Ed
  • 2d: Photoshop CS, Corel Draw, Illustrator, Inkscape
  • Editing: Premier, After Effects, Sound Forge, Vegas Video
  • Other: NWN Aurora Tool Set, Text based scripting, menu based scripting, Microsoft Speech Recognition 4.0, Tortoise SVN, MS Office, Alien Brain

Skill Set - Level & Game Design

  • Game Mechanics Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Character Design and Behavior
  • Combat Systems
  • Player and Character Dialogue
  • Level Layout
  • Design Documentation
  • Menu Systems
  • User Interface Systems
  • Experience Training Others

 

Education

Guildhall @ SMU – Graduate Certificate in Digital Game Design.

John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Indoctrination Center – Psychological Operations, Arabic language and culture, Serbo-Croation language.

Fayetteville Community College – Combat Life Saver course, Emergency Life Saver course.

Ft. Benning Airborne School – Basic parachute course.

Defense Information School – Graphic Design.

Other Experience

Strategic Psychological Operations – 3 years; designing and constructing information operations campaigns and devices.

Tactical Psychological Operations – 3 years; disseminating information operations products, crowd control, combat support.

Additional formal training in: Fine art, traditional animation, cinematography, game design, computer animation, and editing.