Hello! I'm Connor Hoss
A level designer currently situated in Ashburn, Virginia
I always strive to work as hard as I can on a project, no matter how short the deadline is. Most of the projects I’ve currently worked on have been completed in the span of a week or two. My favorite games to make however are classic platformers and the like!
On the projects I’ve worked on, I’ve been the only level designer and sometimes the only game designer on the team. As such I’ve had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders with not only the design aspect of the game, but also with regards to leading the entire team to make sure deadlines were met and that we were all on track and focused.
Of all the aspects of the design process, I especially love working on environments and building the actual level the most!
Featured Projects
Ratatime
Ratatime is equal parts 2D platformer and strategy with a timed element and theme, developed for the “Gamedev.js Jam.”
It features classic platformer elements, but with a twist! As players progress, the environment will swap from a peaceful utopia to a dangerous apocalyptic wasteland. Players are timed to make it to the end of the level in time, and to do so they must collect items and trade them with peaceful npc’s to literally buy time for themselves.
Genre: 2D Platformer, Strategy
Engine: Unity
Team Size: 5
Duration: 13 days
Platform: PC
Contributions:
General Game Design:
- Worked closely with programmers to fine tune the game’s trading system and enemy functions.
- Playtested and adjusted the game as needed.
Narrative Design:
- Assisted our artist with creating assets to better suit our story.
Level Design:
- Designed the drafts, developed the whitebox, and then established the final product.
- Adjusted enemy/npc locations to better balance platforming sections.
Escape Suburbia
Escape Suburbia is an endless runner that I created myself as an educational project, with the help of Udemy!
This project contains: procedurally spawning terrain, hazards, and collectables. Players can jump, move horizontally, or even slide to avoid some obstacles. In addition, the longer the game is played the faster the player moves! All of these features come together for a simple but very entertaining project made with Unreal!
Genre: 3D Top-Down, Endless Runner
Engine: Unreal 5
Team Size: 1
Duration: 4 days
Platform: PC
Contributions:
Technical Design:
- Set up all the code using Blueprints.
- Established the UI for the main menu and game over screen.
Level Design:
- Set up the base for the level to be procedurally spawned in.
- Fine tuned the spawn locations to be as accurate as possible.
- Adapted the layout when a problem arose with the assets.
Alone in the Machine
Alone in the Machine is a dark and gritty survival shooter developed for the “Mech Jam III” game jam.
It features constantly spawning enemies, a system that has players keep track of ammo along with the state of their weapons and giant mech. There’s also a scrap-collecting mechanic to buy ammo, weapon repairs, and mech health at specific locations across the map. All this, and more, combine for a truly tense experience as you locate key parts for your ship in complete darkness on a completely alien planet.
Genre: 3D Top-Down, Survival Shooter
Engine: Unity
Team Size: 4
Duration: 14 days
Platform: PC
Contributions:
General Game Design:
- Assisted the programmer with gameplay conceptualization.
- Beta Tested the game to ensure it was stable and functional.
Level Design:
- Created a draft layout for the world/environment, then worked from there to fully flesh out the area.
- Planned out enemy spawn locations, resource stations, and key items for the player to find.
- Adapted the environment when we lost our main artist in the middle of the game jam.
Combat Design:
- Worked with the programmer to adjust enemy spawn rate and creature roaming.
- Balanced bullet damage, enemy health, and player health.
Shinobi's Shadow
Shinobi’s Shadow is a hack-and-slash side scroller developed for “Juice Jam II.”
The game has you take on the role of a ninja running across rooftops, slaying enemy samurai to reach the end. Combat for this game is simple, yet satisfying as players combine simple strikes with a dash that can be used in any direction! There are also multiple paths a player can take to reach the goal, giving lots of options and replayability. Reach the end of the level as fast as you can, and try to get as high of a score as possible!
Genre: 2D Platformer, Hack-and-Slash
Engine: Unity
Team Size: 6
Duration: 9 days
Platform: PC
Contributions:
General Game Design:
- Beta tested the game during development.
- Adjusted player controls to be more smooth and consistent.
- Took over as project lead when our previous lead abandoned the team and the project halfway through.
Level Design:
- Created drafts incorporating numerous paths for a player to take, built the whitebox, and then plugged in the official assets.
- Designed where enemies were going to be placed, as well as checkpoint locations for fairness.
Combat Design:
- Adjusted ranged projectile visibility with the help of our artist.
- Tweaked and refined projectile speed for gameplay balance.
- Helped out programming with polishing enemy attack animation when the player got within close proximity.