I'm Rob, a narrative designer and games writer with eight years of experience.​
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Read on to learn more about my recent work!
PERFECT DARK
SENIOR NARRATIVE DESIGNER
Project highlights:​
Owning and developing the narrative of two complete missions through planning and writing to final implementation​.
When crafting a mission, everything depends on collaboration. That's why I start by creating a visual outline of the narrative all teams participate in. I plot theme, beats, pacing, environmental storytelling, and more.​ Once we're aligned around a plan, I start planning the more discrete narrative elements in spreadsheet form. It's here where I'm focused on signs & feedback, clarity of goals, and story comprehension.
With the moment-to-moment narrative mapped out, I then begin writing the level script in Final Draft, where brevity, clarity, and illustrating character are key. ​After approvals, I import the script to Unreal, where I coordinate with level design, artists and more to implement the narrative using Blueprints, Sequencer and our in-house tools.
Collaborating with all disciplines to define how we use narrative and develop the tools we need to put it on screen.​
Throughout the project, I supported the development of most narrative tools and features, including our scripted dialogue system, barks system, and collectibles system—writing feature outlines, as well as coordinating with engineers to communicate our team's needs.
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I also developed in Blueprint one of the features myself—our hint system—an opt-in, contextual method of serving intel and guidance to the player at the press of a button.
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I was a leader for my team around dialogue implementation—writing guides, best practices, and directly training junior narrative designers.​
Collaborating with writers and creative leadership to develop our story, world & characters.​
Good stories are about hard choices. How lucky are we then, to work in a medium where the audience gets to make them?​
On all of my projects, I advocate as loudly as I can for the unique ways we can tell stories in the medium. I also served as story-doctor in the more traditional sense, collaborating with our team around how we can create a structurally sound, satisfying journey—featuring characters with believable motivations and compelling arcs.​​
GEARS 5
JUNIOR NARRATIVE DESIGNER
Project highlights:​
Implementation of campaign dialogue for multiple missions in Unreal Engine using Blueprints visual scripting and Sequencer.​
In Lizzie Carmine's intro scene, timing was key—I used Unreal's Sequencer event track for implementation.
Writing & implementing barks for over twenty five unique characters.​​
Designing, writing & implementing over eighty collectibles to improve story comprehension & expand worldbuilding.​​​
Gears 5's story is in many ways about connecting the franchise's past and present—collectibles were key to supporting this.
Designing, writing & implementing new bark events to support the PVE multiplayer mode: Escape.​​​
Strong signs and feedback were crucial in a mode with a ticking clock, environmental hazards, and non-linear environments.
Coordinating with level design partners to develop the "Lost Outsiders" open world side quest.
This quest starts from a collectible discovered on the critical path, acting as what I call a "trailhead collectible"—the first of a set that puts forward a mystery to get the player curious.
Each collectible acts as a breadcrumb—ultimately leading to the location of our lost outsiders' fate, and an ability upgrade.