Brief Bio: I've played games all my life, but it took me 28 years to discover that making them is my true passion. Before I came to the Guildhall, I spent 5 years wandering through Asia, from Taiwan, to China, and then Japan. I was everything from translator, English teacher, restaurant marketing agent and adult toy salesman to waiter and bartender. I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese and conversational in Japanese. I studied martial arts for 8 years, and then spent another year training under a Praying Mantis grandmaster in Taipei, so I understand the meaning of hard work and discipline. I also love to laugh, eat well, and spend time with good friends. My hobbies include reading, mixology, and karaoke.

 

Address: 6301 Stonewood Drive #413 Plano, TX 75024       

E-mail: tsheets@mail.smu.edu                      

Phone: 214.717.2247

Download Resume: (.doc format) (.pdf format)  

SKILLS
 

• Level Editors: UnrealEd, Radiant, Hammer
• Level Design Skills: BSP blockout and detail geometry, lighting, optimization, level and game flow planning, 2D concept and layout sketching, scripting (menu and code based), static mesh creation (modeling, unwrapping, texturing, normal mapping), texture and shader creation, level and game design documentation
• Art Tools: 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Illustrator
• Documentation Tools: MS Word, MS Excel, MS Project, MS Powerpoint
• Source Control Tools: Tortoise SVN

PROFESSIONAL GAME EXPERIENCE
 

Klear Games – Poseidon                                                                    Dallas, Texas 2006
Level Designer

• Designed and implemented blockout and puzzles for 50 of the 60 rooms in the game using the Mappy tile-based editor
• Placed the final art tiles made by the art team in 50 0f the 60 rooms in the game
• Wrote the level walkthrough and created level flow maps to accompany the submission of Alpha and Beta milestones to the publisher

Klear Games – Dogfight                                                                      Dallas, Texas 2006
Level Designer

• Designed and implemented 4 escape sequences for the game using the Mappy tile-based editor
• Designed and implemented 1 exploration sequence for the game using the Mappy tile-based editor

STUDENT GAME EXPERIENCE
 

The Guildhall at SMU – Shantytown                                                       Plano, Texas 2006    
Level Designer / Game Designer

• Designed the layouts for all three levels
• Placed all cameras in level 1
• Built detailed bsp in the 4 major playable spaces of level 1
• Built and implemented the 3D skybox for level 1
• Modeled, unwrapped, and textured 3 static meshes
• Designed the original game concept
• Wrote the game design document
• Worked with the art, level, and programming teams on a regular basis to guide and influence the design of the game

The Guildhall at SMU – Gulag                                                                Plano, Texas 2006    
Level Designer

• Built, textured, lit, and optimized a Half-Life 2 level
• Modeled, unwrapped, and textured 2 meshes for use in the level
• Designed and implemented all gameplay and AI encounters
• Wrote the level design document

The Guildhall at SMU – Sandstorm                                                         Plano, Texas 2005    
Level Designer / Team Lead

• Oversaw a team of 4 other level designers in the creation of the second level in a game demo using the Call of Duty engine featuring modern weaponry and convoy tactics in a Middle Eastern setting
• Built the blockout
• Designed the major encounters and objectives
• Modeled, unwrapped, and textured 4 models
• Built, textured, and lit the palace section
• Created 25 tileable textures from photo reference
• Scripted the bomb equipment and hostage objectives
• Built five bsp buildings and placed them in the outskirts of the city
• Arranged all bsp buildings created by other members to create the opening city layout

The Guildhall at SMU – Omicron I                                                          Plano, Texas 2005    
Level Designer                                                                                                                  

• Built, textured, lit, and optimized a Doom 3 level featuring approximately 10 minutes of gameplay
• Placed and scripted all enemy AI and placed all items
• Scripted a complex machine featuring 3 separate moving parts, triggered lights, and sounds
• Wrote the level design document

The Guildhall at SMU – Mythos                                                              Plano, Texas 2005    
Lead Level Designer

• Oversaw 7 level designers as part of a multi-disciplinary team in the creation of a multiplayer team deathmatch game demo for Unreal Tournament 2004
• Built, textured, lit, and optimized the “Kraken” level for the project
• Modeled, unwrapped, textured, and animated a waving tentacle for use in the “Kraken” level
• Modeled, unwrapped and textured over 75 static meshes
• Created 3 ink concept sketches for 3 of the levels in the game
• Designed and implemented a complex triggered sequence for the “tentacle smash” death trap using UnrealEd’s menu-based scripting system
• Wrote the level design document for the “Kraken” level and also wrote the environments sections of the concept and game design documents

The Guildhall at SMU – Junkyard Spawn                                               Plano, Texas 2005   
Level Designer / Game Designer

• Designed and built a 2D side-scrolling action/puzzle game using Scrolling Game Development Kit
• Created 283 environment and sprite tiles
• Created 7 animated sprites
• Created 10 animated background tiles and pick-up icons
• Designed and built 4 game levels and one tutorial level
• Wrote the concept, game design, and asset and development documents

EDUCATION
 

The Guildhall at SMU                                                                                       2005 – 2006
Master’s Certificate in Digital Game Development, Level Design Specialization              GPA 3.7

National Taipei Normal University – Mandarin Training Center                        1999 – 2000
Certificate of Completion in Mandarin Chinese Language Courses                                 GPA 3.5

University of Texas at Austin                                                                           1994 – 1998
Bachelor’s Degree in Asian Studies                                                                               GPA 3.2