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TOPHAT
Overview
Tophat is a casual Arcade Battler game made for Meta Horizons playable on Web, Mobile and Quest Vr headsets. I was tasked with creating the core Tophat Level and all Associated gameplay mechanics provided within a pitch doc by upper management at Nearlight.
Key Features
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Perform Rock Paper Scissor Battles with other players
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Roam the world and discover secrets
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Acquire presents to gain currency
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Chase and battle others to acquire their presents
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Jump, Double Jump and Dash to Victory
Main Contributions
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Designed the core social level from concept to release
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Established a new workflow for Studio Nearlight to Use within Horizon Worlds
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Collaborated closely with Engineering and Art teams to implement level assets and gameplay mechanics
Responsibilities
Designing a replayable social playground
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Designed and iterated on level variants from pre-production through release, including integration of Meta AI into existing levels.
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Defined level design pillars and supported the team in planning the overall direction and content roadmap of the game.
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Developed the Horizon Level Design workflow for Studio Nearlight, streamlining practices to create a more efficient development lifecycle.
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Led the design team workflow, establishing a flexible review schedule, mentoring designers, and managing the onboarding process to the Horizon Worlds Editor.
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Designed core level mechanics to enable emergent gameplay within TopHat.
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Analyzed player feedback and user heatmaps to identify data-driven iteration targets.
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Created and maintained asset templates to ensure gameplay prefabs were functional, up to date, and fit for use within TopHat.
Documentation and communication
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Created the TopHat GDD for Meta and iterated on it based on stakeholder feedback and the evolving requirements of the game.
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Documented all planned gameplay mechanics in Confluence for use by the Art and Code teams.
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Managed feature handovers between Code, Art, and Design throughout development.
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Organized studio playtests and stakeholder feedback sessions to gather targeted insights on game progress.
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Took on cross-disciplinary task assignment in the absence of a producer, ensuring milestone goals and deadline criteria were tracked to meet the agile timeline set by Meta.
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Attended key meetings with Meta to relay engine feedback and request new features.
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Managed communication between Directors and the team, relaying feedback and highlighting when feature requests were not feasible due to time or engine constraints.
Designing levels fit for multiple platforms
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Organized play sessions and test criteria across Mobile, Web, and VR devices.
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Tracked and reported key platform differences to ensure consistency and performance across all platforms.
Art and Code Support
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Assisted the Code Team by providing focused testing for key persistent online features.
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Reported Art and Code bugs to support timely resolution.
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Maintained consistent, clear communication between departments to monitor overall game health and assess deadline feasibility.
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Created and oversaw all handover briefs with both the Code Team and the Art Team to ensure smooth cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Moodboards
Moodboards / References
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Create an infinitely replayable social space style level
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Build the level around core movement and gameplay mechanics such as Dashing Jumping and Sprinting. To tage and acquire loot from battles.
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Create a feeling of exploration and discovery
Node Diagrams
Moodboards / References
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Create an infinitely replayable social space style level
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Build the level around core movement and gameplay mechanics such as Dashing Jumping and Sprinting. To tage and acquire loot from battles.
-
Create a feeling of exploration and discovery
Top Down Plans
Initial Blockout
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Create an infinitely replayable social space style level
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Build the level around core movement and gameplay mechanics such as Dashing Jumping and Sprinting. To tage and acquire loot from battles.
-
Create a feeling of exploration and discovery
Initial Blockout
-
Create an infinitely replayable social space style level
-
Build the level around core movement and gameplay mechanics such as Dashing Jumping and Sprinting. To tage and acquire loot from battles.
-
Create a feeling of exploration and discovery
Level Iterations
Initial Blockout
-
Create an infinitely replayable social space style level
-
Build the level around core movement and gameplay mechanics such as Dashing Jumping and Sprinting. To tage and acquire loot from battles.
-
Create a feeling of exploration and discovery
Notable Iterations
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Create an infinitely replayable social space style level
-
Build the level around core movement and gameplay mechanics such as Dashing Jumping and Sprinting. To tage and acquire loot from battles.
-
Create a feeling of exploration and discovery