While at Ready At Dawn, I worked on 4 projects. Only 1 of those titles shipped (Lone Echo II), with the other 3 cancelled for various reasons, lastly because of the the closure of the Studio.

Brief overview:
I started off working as the sole Level Designer on a cloud-based console-style action adventure title as an incubation team. I worked on this project for roughly 8 months.

Lone Echo 2 needed support, so the incubation team moved onto LE2 and after 8 months, helped ship the title.

The next project, we worked on for a year, but was cancelled.

The final project we worked on for two years. It shifted from the custom RAD Engine to Unreal Engine 5.

Animatic of "Rift Raider" Project (not actual working project name)

Edited Full Rift Gameplay Level

"Rift Raider" (a codename I am using for this cancelled project) was an action adventure title, set on an alien frontier that was constantly raided by demons from another dimension. Players could follow these demons through Rifts to bring the fight to their world.

This project was making progress before I joined onto the team, but I was brought in to help explore the new gameplay feature they were beginning to look at, namely the "loose gravity" system. I very quickly started working with the programmer to create a usable set of gameplay components that I could then build prototypes with.

Before long, I had created various simple geo mechanic explorations and reusuable prefabs to craft these environments. Soon after, I worked with the programmers, lead designer, director, and animators to craft "real" gameplay spaces that would include combat and traversal while being fully playable in a 3D space.

During this development, I took an early version of the animatic (posted above) and designed the environment around the animation. Before I did my pass, the animatic took place in an empty void, with simply floating squares. Afterwards, it looked like a full gameplay space. This animatic was a huge hit at the studio and helped inform a lot of animation, game direction, and level design decisions.

"Rift Raider" Gameplay and Traversal Exploration. My Level Design begins at 1:58

First attempt at making "Rift" gameplay geo.

Simple Geo Mechanical Exploration of "Rift" gameplay

Lone Echo II was a game that I came on during Project #1, to help finish. 

To read more about it, follow this link... Lone Echo II

I can't say any details about this project due to various NDAs, but I will touch on the work I was doing for it.

For a little over a year, I was assigned to the "Traversal Pod" where I worked closely with the Lead Designers, Directors, and programmers to design and prototype various Traversal gameplay features. Freshly coming from Lone Echo II, RAD had not developed any ground based locomotion systems, and it was my job to research, examine, pitch, prototype, and develop playable spaces for various movement systems.

Early on, I spent a large amount of time looking at how games handled VR movement, teleporting, climbing, and most importantly, what comfort options were they giving Players.

From there, I helped build spaces for the Programmers to test out these movement features, and worked closely with them to prototype various other movement features. One of my main focuses was to make sure any environmental feature we developed would be easy for other designers and content creators to use in their levels.

Just before the end of this project, I was building out a full test level of the game that would have included a number of these mechanics, but also combat as well.

A Game Jam exploring a novel VR traversal and combat mechanic I designed.

Haven - Skywhale Mission Blockout (RAD Engine Version). Click on video for a more detailed description of the level and system work I did on this level.

"Haven" was a VR 3-Player co-op shooter set on an alien frontier where the Players would have to defend the planet from various interdimensional aliens in a mission based, narrative experience.

As we transitioned from Project #3, I continued my work on exploring various travesal gameplay mechanics, but with an eye towards this sci-fi combat exploration title.

I prototyped a throwable "hook" that could be used to pull down trees, pull armor off enemies, expose hidden resources, or swing across long gaps. We found this mechanic so compelling, that I was then tasked with working with a programmer to see the prototype become reworked into code. I worked closely with the programmer to improve upon my prototype and balance immediate needs and features so that the content teams could continue to work with the mechanic. This mechanic eventually became a core element of our three main gameplay pillars, combat, traversal, VR interaction.

As a Level Designer, to really sell this mechanic, I spent a good amount of time creating spaces and exploring ways to use this "hook" gameplay feature, amongst other mechanics I was prototyping/pitching. As the shape of the game started to solidify, I began to work with the other level designers to build out a 20 minute vertical slice. We made over 40 minutes instead, but it gave us a great look at the combination of combat, exploration, interaction, and narrative.

Heres some additional work I did on this project, often times combining System and Level Design to create new, playable experiences.

Various Prototypes I created to explore additional environmental gameplay options.

The Dropship Flight prototype I was making in Blueprints

Modular Climb Wall System I was builidng and designing to ease LD placement of climb surfaces

Jonathan Gregoire - Game Design
JonathanAGregoire@gmail.com

August 2024

Ready At Dawn was closed.

October 2021

Helped ship Lone Echo 2.

July 2020

Started at Ready At Dawn as a Senior Level Designer on an unnanounced project.

July 2020

Started at Ready at Dawn as a Senior Level Designer on an unnanounced project.

March 2020

Last days at Naughty Dog working on The Last of Us Part II.

September 2019

Shipped the Last of Us Part II press demo level "Patrol".

May 2018

Started working at Naughty Dog as a Contract Single Player Level Layout Designer on The Last of Us Part II. 

December 2017

I started doing contract work for a start-up company called MyPad3D that focuses on VR experiences for corporate products.

More interestingly, I have begun to prototype my own card game on the side and have been volunteering with Sunbreak Games on an unannounced product.

July 2017

With a heavy heart, E-Line Media has shut down the Seattle studio, laying off everyone including myself. I am currently looking for new opportunities.

November 2016

Began working at E-Line Media again as a Level Designer on an unannounced and untitled game.

October 2016

Updating my website to reflect the work I did on the Forest Song with Colabee Studios. Unfortunately due to funding issues, I am no longer with them, so I am currently looking for new opportunities.

December 2015

Lots of new stuff since I last updated. Added in a short comic I made called Old Debts. Also have put up information about my role(s) on Never Alone and Never Alone: FoxTales.

January 2015

Promoted to Lead Designer on Never Alone: FoxTales at E-Line Media.

Summer 2014

Graduated Digipen as a BAGD and with a Cum Laude. Started working at E-Line Media as a Level Designer.

March 2014

Uploaded a new Beta build of Chained. Also just put up the old builds of the game for anyone interested in our very quick process and progress.

January 2014

I recently wrote a paper that was published for the IGDA about the benefit of Paper Prototyping. You can read it at this following link: http://newsletter.igda.org/2013/11/30/student-beat-faceoff-the-influences-of-board-games-on-video-games/#!