Erik Murrell

Technical Game Designer and Gameplay Programmer

Work

In my studies, I have had the chance to work on a few different games. These are the ones I am most proud of.

About

I started my education as a Computer Science major, but after nearly two years decided to switch to Game Design. This gave me an advantage over some of my peers, having already had some programming experience. Since I already had taken many of the classes, I ended up also getting a Computer Science minor. My goals are to make my own game design studio and to develop my skills, making games that are fun to play.
I have skill and experience in both Unreal Engine 4 and Unity. The skills I have actively been developing include level design, gameplay design, and gameplay programming. My ideal job position is at the head of a game design studio, with creative direction or at least having the creative freedom to experiment with fun game mechanics and styles. I’d more like to focus on my design skills, but I also enjoy incorporating programming into some of my ideas.

Contact

(941)-735-6170
[email protected]
Orlando, FL

Descend

Unity

I worked primarily on level design and creature design, as well as set dressing later. I started
working with the team on creative creature designs/mechanics for a fantasy underwater setting, and from there crafted ideas for different biomes or areas in the game.
Due to time constraints, we narrowed the scope to 2 main themed areas. From there, I implemented the first few creatures alongside the first few levels.
We decided to make level templates that we could load randomly, to make a different player experience every time the game is loaded. After making and testing paths that the player could take, I continued working on more unique creatures, designing their mechanics to positively and negatively affect the player, such as regaining energy (health) or falling off the wall to hurt the player.
As development continued, I shifted focus to the visual design of the levels, adding plants and barnacles to make the world feel alive and adjusting levels to feel smoother as the player’s speed picks up.

Courier's Quest

Unreal Engine 4

I helped to develop this game as a gameplay programmer, working on many player mechanics and some level mechanics that interact with the player. The combat system was redesigned by myself to make attacks feel smoother and spells feel powerful, but not overly so. Some of my specific work includes the melee combo system, the Graviton spell, and the Slow spell, which was removed from the final cut of the game due to limited utility in the levels. I also worked a flex role as needed, implementing footstep sounds, UI updates, and some quality-of-life tweaks like Health regeneration.

Blueprints

Graviton

Slow

Combat

Other

Spirits of Neyfari

Unity (Limited)

This project stemmed from a video game idea I had a few years ago. However, the nature of the project meant I would focus on art, rather than gameplay. I developed a story, pixel art assets, and basic animations to show in Unity as a baseline for the game. I spent the most time focusing on the design behind the story and the gameplay mechanics. I developed collectibles, unique power-ups, and in-game reasons for each ability. I plan to expand this game idea in the future, eventually making it into my own full-fledged game.