Created by Jon Favreau, Gnomes & Goblins was nominated for Best VR Experience in the 2020 Venice Biennale. I was a Sr. Designer on the project and was involved with A.I. design and scripting as well as small space access and interactions.
Wevr
Senior VR Designer
Sr. Designer and Prototyper
Unannounced Quest 2 Experience, 2021- March 2021
Design responsibilities: Prototyping using Unreal 4, C++ and Blueprints
VR hand gesture, hmd/hand input for visceral VR simulation experience.
VR input driving IK skeleton used for player pose estimation.
Mechanics design, logic, scripting.
Unreal 4 C++ class definition, creation and Blueprint integration with the lead engineer.
UI and player experience design.
Design documentation and presentation.
Gnomes & Goblins, 2019 - 2020
Design responsibilities: A.I. and Level design using Maya, Unreal 4 and Blueprints
A.I. Designer and scripter for goblin interactions and orchestrated goblin events using Unreal Blueprints.
Level Design for "Goblin Scale" environments and interactions using Unreal/Blueprints and Maya.
action and interior spaces.
A.I. design and scripting examples from Gnomes & Goblins
Gnomes & Goblins, Brew Sequence A.I. design, scripting, staging and orchestration.
This montage of production clips shows the goblin brewery after the player has initiated a brewing sequence. This is an example of when large scale AI interaction was required to work not only with the player but also animated vignettes and environment objects to tell the story of how the goblins brewers create beer.
The brew cycle event involves 19 goblins, each with a specific role and set of objectives. The goblins were divided into groups that travel to and interact with each other from the beginning of the cycle to the end. The goblin brewmaster starts the sequence as he travels from tree to tree issuing instructions to the brewer goblins. The boiler operator turns wheels to start the brewery in motion. The keg foremen oversee the cycle ending where kegs are rolled into the goblin pub below.
Small space design and interaction from Gnomes & Goblins
Gnomes & Goblins is an immersive experience where the player is able to shrink down to goblin size and actually go into the goblin houses and pubs. The spaces required a delicate balance of level design and tech implementation where I worked closely with cross-discipline teams of engineers and environment artists to craft the collision and spline placement that allows smooth access and traversal in the magical spaces.