Script-doctor role - all text across the game (barks, cutscenes, trailer, character bible maintenance, matching text to existing animation length)
Process and approach
Process
Scoping conversation with client, check-ins on Discord with the game developers, worked on the cutscenes in Googledocs to share real-time updates, and in Excel for easy implementation for all other game texts.
Approach
I worked with both the producer (Epic Games) and the game developers to ensure the tone and vibe across all pieces of text was right. I also matched lipflap on pre-existing animations.
Tools and technologies
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Audacity
Sample of work
Team collaboration
Internal
Epic Games producers hired me and asked me to provide regular updates
External
Game developers answered questions via Discord and provided feedback
Result and impact
Winner of Best Expert Game at the German Computer Game Awards 2023
Working with you was an absolute pleasure. I think the team really appreciated all your feedback and effort working on the game text, and I think we all believe the game will be thoroughly improved and polished as a result. We regularly speak to each other as a production team for recommendations of discipline specialists and, given how happy we have all been with your work, we shall absolutely put you to the top of our contact lists for work like this in the future. We’d happily pass on positive sentiment for any application.
James Clarke, Epic Games
Reflection and improvement
It was exactly my favourite type of narrative project - it allowed me to use my historical knowledge, poetry skills, quirky sense of humour, and passion for total game design to ensure every piece of text surfaced to players supported the overall story. In an RTS based on touch-typing, the text had to be just right, and every tooltip needed to be efficiently communicated in the comic historical flavour. I had a great time maintaining the lore of this world as well!