Name: Michael Abraham (Ezekel Falcon)
Located: London (England)
Long Term Goal: To find a place where my creativity can flourish.
Looking for a job: Yes
Looking for a mod: Yes
CV
I am a recent Physics MSci graduate with a strong passion for computer games. I have an intelligent and creative mindset and possess a good working knowledge of C++, Java and Hammer.
A diligent worker and always eager to hear feedback, I enjoy the challenge of innovation, and improvement that any creative medium requires in order to reach it’s true potential.
I won’t say I’m the best, what I will say however is that I will continue to improve and evolve my abilities and knowledge with every day, so that I can overcome the challenges I may face in the future.
Education:
2004-2008: MSci, Physics, UCL
2003-2004: A levels in Physics, Maths, Biology
2002-2003: AS levels in Further Maths, Religious Studies
Skills:
- Mapping:
- Familiar with level design for multiplayer levels in an FPS, RTS or platformer environment.
- Hammer (since September 2008)
- Unreal3 editor/matinee/kismet
- Drawing/sketching:
- In particular, as a way to develop new character and ideas
- Textures:
- Limited to signs/posters (overlays/decals), with potential to expand the scope further
- Experience with Paint.net and GIMP
- Writing:
- Experience with writing to scientific paper standard
- Creative writing
- Programming:
- C++
- Java
- Visual Basic
- Mathematica
- Python
- HTML
- Matlab
Creative Examples:
Maps:
Tears for Tarnor
Game: Alien Swarm
Type: Campaign
Details:
The 1st chapter of the Tears for Tarnor Alien Swarm campaign, featuring a completely new planet, new environment, dynamic events and new enemy sub-types.
Deceit
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: CTF
Details:
This is a map aimed towards 6v6 competitive play, as part of the TF2maps.net competitive CTF competition. However, it should be enjoyable in non competitive play, and with higher player numbers too.
The map uses standard CTF game mechanics, but attempts to offer interesting gameplay through the use of multiple routes. Much effort has been put into making the map easy to navigate.
Asthetically, the map is set within a canyony area, creating a minor sense of enclosement for players. The team bases both draw on the standard red and blue team colour/material schemes.
Nordhaven
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: CTF
Details:
A map inspired by the midwinter festival town of Nordberg from the game Overlord2.
This map contains a high amount of custom textures and models (over 300 custom files), including the snow particle effect, wooden wagons and coloured festive lanterns.
The goal of this map was to re-create the festive feel of the Nordberg scene at the start of Overlord2 within Team Fortress 2. As such this is more an example of my ability to detail than it is a an example of innovative gameplay.
Having said that, I also used this map as a vehicle for the Scavenge gamemode (at the time called "capture the present") I had come up with.
In Scavenge, the goal is to bring all the presents/flags to your capture zone, or to have the most in your capture zone (representedby a tree) when the round time expires (rounds last 3 minutes long). Teams begin with 3 flags in their capture zone with a further 3 neutral flags in the central area of the map. In the event of a tie, the game continues until all flags are captured or dropped, and one team has a higher number of flags in their capture zone than the other.
The game mode encourages use of all classes, right from the start, as strong defensive and offensive postures are required of a team to hold what's theirs, and to capture the other flags.
Reactor
Game: Orion
Type: CTF
Details:
CTF map for the source mod game Orion.
This map is a simple CTF suited for a smaller player count, or alternatively for a more intense and bloody battle. There are no special gameplay features to this map(i.e. no hacking terminals or one way doors), however, the map is supposed to invoke a retro feel in the player, by attempting to make it feel akin to the maps that might be found in games such as Unreal Tournament.
Incursion
Game: Orion
Type: CTF
Details:
CTF map for the source mod game Orion.
The map features lowered visibility ranges due to the sandstorm, a lockdown system for the flag-room/building and destroyable skylights (windows).
Autumn Twilight
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: KotH
Details:
A Halloween themed map.
The goal here is to create a feeling of "implied supernatural" rather than overt magic/witchcraft. Further, a more european environment is implied by the presence of the stone church.
Red team and Blu team start in abandoned underground bases hidden under a crypt (blu) and under a toolshed (red) and must fight for control over the cauldron in the centre.
A gameplay feature of the map is the fog, which has little effect on the FPS, but reduces sightlines, making sniping a more challenging experience.
Refinery
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: Arena
Details:
An arena map featuring a player activated trap. This will be my entry in the ducksoup mapping competition.
There is a large health pack located within the trap, but the risk is that anyone can activate it by touching or shooting the buttons on either side.
Mainframe
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: ODD (Objective Defence & Destruction)
Details:
Pilot map for a new game mode being developed by myself.
In ODD, each team has an object or device, reffered to as the objective, which they must protect. in Mainframe, it's the computer stack, but it could be anything at all really, as long as it's clearly marked out.
The goal of the game mode is to attack and destroy your opponents objective before they destroy yours. The objectives have a high amount of health, and at each 25% damage increment, there is a visible change to the objective, as well as displaying the information on the HUD.
The game is timed, with time added everytime a 25% damage increment is reached (regardless of team), however if neither team wins after the round time ends, both objectives are set to 25% and "sudden death" mode is activated (round restart, with respawning disabled). In sudden death, you win either by eliminating all opponent players, or by destroying their objective.
The map itself is a simple symmetrical map, with a moderate detail level in order to allow people to get in and play the game mode. The industrial theme was chosen as it already has a fair number of team associated textures coupled with the fact that the industrial theme allows for block/square shaped structures, faciliting a quicker detailing pass, so that the gameplay could be focussed on. The map is small, as a larger map could stutter and stalemate given the nature of the gamemode. The objective room has 4 access points, as it is important that this room does not become locked down by a defending team.
For this map I chose to have the spawnrooms feed directly into the objective room from above. This was for two reasons, one being a desire to give players a quick idea of the map layout (most maps with symmetrical objectives for the teams are symmetrical in gameplay area, thus if a player knows at least one route to out of their base from their objective room, they also know how to attack the other base), and to prevent players locking down the room so that defenders cannot get in to defend their objective.
From playtests, it has been discovered that the objective can be destroyed fairly quickly if attackers are left undisturbed by defenders. Thus, it is important that in such maps, the map is kept small, the objective room needs multiple access points for attackers and defenders and the spawn rooms must be within close proximity to the objective room.
Unfortunately, due to limitations in the game, the fire damage of a pyro's flamethrower does not register on the objectives, making him more of a supporting role class. Due to the nature of the game mode, the spy is also given a more supporting role (which was intended), where he works best focussing on clearing sentries and defenders from the objective room so that damage dealing classes can focus on the objective.
Rivercrossing
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: PL
Details:
5 point, single stage payload, across a river.
Allows a much greater utilisation of water and water combat than available on the official Payload maps.
Devil's Brew
Game: Team Fortress 2
Type: CP (5-point, two way)
Details:
Devil's Brew utilises the standard 5-cp gameplay, with a little twist. For a long time I had wanted to create a map where the control points shift position depending on their ownership. This is what Devil's Brew offers.
The source of this gameplay mechanic stems around my experience of the game mode, where many times the teams would stalemate because as soon as a point is captured it would quickly be recaptured.
The middle three capture points will move behind doors when captured, offering a more defensible position for the current owner. Furthermore, due to the nature of the position shifting, the map encourages players to defend a new captured control point, at least until it has reached it's new position, as a point that is in motion will cease moving if it is being recaptured.
In this map, capturing a point is always something that requires effort, regardless of your team. As a result, every capture and subsequent defense by a team has much more meaning to the players.
Asthetically, Devil's Brew is based around two breweries, and the supporting storage and transport systems surrounding them. The theme was chosen as this was a theme that I had wanted to work with for a while and it fit the map layout.
Drawing:
Textures:
Posters/Signs:
Game: Team Fortress 2
Coals (hot/cold) from arena_refinery:
Game: Team Fortress 2
Lettered CP HUD icons:
Game: Team Fortress 2
RCD holograms:
Game: Team Fortress 2
Writings:
The Isty Dragon Story
The Dice of Fate, Chapter1
Virus
Thydorax Origins
Links:
Deviantart account: http://ezekel.deviantart.com
FPSbanana account: http://www.fpsbanana.com/members/subs/600760
Guardian (an aborted webcomic): http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~zcapac2/guardian/
portfolio/blog webpage: http://www.ezekel.dreamhosters.com
Contact Details:
- PM
- E-mail: ezekelfalcon-dreams [AT] yahoo [DOT] co [DOT] uk