Kenneth Roman
Systems Designer
I'm a systems designer that strives to create flexible and extensible systems through data-driven design.
“Good design is redesign.” - Paul Graham
Projects
In Moonlight Manor, the idea was simple, but implementing the systems was more difficult than I had hoped. However, as the playtests rolled in, I found that I could use player data to give the systems some direction. This allowed us to take a product that had little to no direction and give it a gameplay loop that ended up getting very positive feedback in later iterations of testing.
Research
This ongoing personal project is me building a gameplay system from the ground up with data-driven design utilizing Unreal Engine's tools. By utilizing tools like data tables, data assets, and C++ programming, I'm able to create a modular, scalable system that can easily respond to player feedback. In creating the system this way, it has also allowed me to use tags inside my design so i can collect player metrics during playtests, further enhancing my ability to adapt the design to what players do, not just what they say.
Research
For this unannounced RPG, I'm utilizing the Lyra framework. This allows me to take a data-centric approach in an already established system and use community metrics to guide my design principles. This also creates a unique opportunity for me to start designing with a large pool of player data using a pre-built system. It's my goal to take that data and create an extension of Lyra that adapts not only to the currently available data on playtesting in the project and RPG genre as a whole, but also within the game itself, utilizing gameplay tags and metrics gathered to help inform my work.
Contact Me
Game Design: Data-Driven Systems
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Experience building systems using both Blueprints and C++ in Unreal Engine 4/5
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Data-centric approach where systems can be built and iterated on quickly
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Design that starts with the end-user and works it's way back
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Technologies Used:
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Engines: Unreal Engine 4/5, Unity
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Source Control: Perforce, Git, Plastic
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Programming: Visual Studio, CMake, g++ Compiler
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Game Engineering: Clean and Extensible
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Worked on large codebases, helping troubleshoot server-side issues with replication, as well as code readability
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Helped release demo build of a new IP, building both server and client project files
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Technologies Used:
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Engine: Unreal Engine 5
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Source Control: Plastic, Git
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Programming: Visual Studio, CMake, VS Code
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Moonlight Manor
Get Tricky!
Unannounced RPG
Solo Developer
Lyra Framework reimagined
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Took the popular framework and reimagined it within an RPG setting
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Modular and scalable weapon and player classes
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Gameplay Ability System implementation and extension
Working within the confines of an established codebase
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Extending Lyra's C++ classes and interfaces to work within a customized experience
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Scripting multiplayer-ready code with server calls and client updates
Tools Used
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Unreal Engine 5
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Lyra Starter Template
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Visual Studio
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Visual Studio Code
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Diversion Source Control
Solo Developer
Dynamic Puzzles
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Puzzles produced with variance in mind, no two puzzles are alike
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Simple, neon-light visuals that keep the focus on the gameplay
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Dual-mode design where the player adds obstacles to bounce the ball off of, as well as shoots the ball.
Modular Design
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Gameplay is centered around lightweight components built with data-assets
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Data-tables and gameplay tags keep progress outside the player object, making the systems efficient and scalable
Tools Used
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Unreal Engine 5
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Niagara Effects
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Visual Studio
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Visual Studio Code
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Microsoft Excel
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Diversion Source Control
Systems Designer
Abilities and Puzzles
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Created Hunter ability, highlighting important details inside the manor
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Designed initial puzzles, including both win and lose conditions
Class Options
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Data-driven class design, with dynamic skin allocation using data-assets
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Designed character selection level
Research
Tools Used
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Unreal Engine 5
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Niagara Effects
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Visual Studio
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Visual Studio Code
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Microsoft Excel
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Microsoft Word
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Diversion Source Control