Ben Burkart Resume

Skills

  • Extensive experience using Unreal Engine 3/4
  • Well experienced making concepts and floor plans that fit the desired game play, theme, and atmosphere
  • Ability to communicate well with other team members to get the job done fast, efficiently, and at a professional quality
  • Extensive experience designing layouts for FPS and TPS (SinglePlayer, Coop, Competitive MP)
  • Ability to create an immersive world by using mapping in all its aspects, sound, lighting, details, etc.
  • Strong understanding of architecture, composition, and visual flow
  • Experience leading a team through all areas of the level design pipeline
  • Experienced in 3DS Max

Studio Wildcard

    May 2016 - Present: Level Designer on Ark Survival Evolved (PC, Xbox One)

    Responsibilities: Since starting at Studio Wildcard my responsibilities have been solely on creating and maintaining "The Center DLC" for Ark. As I'm the only person working on the map I have been responsible for every inch of development on the map from the layout, visuals, scripting, optimization, AI setup, finalizing updates, etc.)

Reakktor Studios

    Various Contract work Level Designer on Toxikk (PC)

    I was contracted to do two levels for Reakktor Studios. In both cases I was responsible for taking an existing layout made by another level designer for Unreal Tournament 3 and repurpose them to fit Toxikks gameplay/movement mechanics. I was also responsible for bringing these levels through most of the production pipeline including full visual passes, basic gameplay implementation such as item placement, and getting the map to a mostly final state. On top of these two levels I also gave rights to one of my previous levels made for Unreal Tournament 3 for use in Toxikk.

Empire Studios

    August 2014 - August 2015: Senior Level Designer on Guardians of Valor (IOS, Android)

    Responsibilities: As the only level designer on the project I was responsible from making every level on the project the initial layouts to the final visual passes and polishing. I was responsible for creating nearly 30 levels for the game. On top of the actual level design work I also handled a lot of environment art creation as well as optimization for the levels and also helped oversee the creation of the environment assets for the project.

Trendy Entertainment

    July 2012 - May 2014: Lead Level Designer on Dungeon Defenders 2(PC)

    Responsibilities: As the lead level designer my main task was managing the overall quality of our levels from start to finish. I was responsible for working directly with the level designers on the team to ensure that our layouts were created to the utmost quality before they were passed unto the world builders. Once the maps were passed unto the world builders I worked directly with them to ensure that not only the original gameplay layout was kept intact but also that the levels were being designed to arts standards/desires. I also helped out on various level design/world building tasks such as creating layouts, doing full lighting passes, bug fixing etc..


    February 2010 - July 2012: Level Designer on Dungeon Defenders (PC, 360, PS3, IOS, Android, Mac)

    Responsibilities: I created over half of the levels in the original game from start to completion (Everything but level scripting, VFX, and optimization). Most of the levels created for Dungeon Defenders were created in a 3-5 week schedule from initial layout to final visual polish, with no reiteration time after passing the levels in as finished, so I was required to make levels at a very rapid pace and to get it right the first time. I was also responsible for taking existing layouts from other level designers and doing full art passes on them. I was also responsible for creating about 90% of the DLC levels, some of which were created in a week or two from start to finish.

Blue Omega Entertainment

    October 2008 - May 2009: Level Designer on Damnation (PC, 360, PS3)

    Responsibilities: I started during the last 6-9 months of production on Damnation so most of my work consisted of polishing up their singleplayer levels as well as doing full passes on their multiplayer maps both gameplay wise and visually. From day one I worked closely with the lead game designer and art director to ensure that the multiplayer maps were visually appealing and fun to play. I reworked a lot of their multiplayer maps to give them a better overall flow and also worked on doing basic visual passes on the maps to bring them closer to what the art director was wanting for the maps.

Gearbox Software

    August 2007 - August 2008: Level Designer on Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (PC, 360, PS3)

    Responsibilities: I started at Gearbox during the last year of production on Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway so most of my time was spent polishing the games levels. We were rotated from map to map every 6 or so months but during that time period we were responsible for the quality of our levels overall and were directly held responsible for everything, from art passes, to optimization, vfx, level scripting/streaming, bug fixing, etc... For most of my time at Gearbox I was responsible for the final mission in the game and getting the map polished and runnable on 360/PS3.