Joel Fugere

Level Designer

I am a Level Designer previously working for Downpour Interactive – A Meta first party studio. My passion is creating engaging and immersive scenes primarily in FPS games. I started my journey as a level designer designing custom scenes in Onward, winning in both major mapping contests held by Downpour Interactive before being hired.

Once hired, I quickly learned and took ownership of performance by taking metrics, using renderdoc, and making changes based on those findings. From there I made it my mission to learn as I could, from whoever I could, in order to chase impact.

Once 1.9 was wrapping up we got an opportunity to come up with a scene using rapid greyboxing. Egress was chosen as the next map by the team and we got to work turning it from a rough greybox to a polished level, worthy of play by the Onward community in PVP and PVE based game modes.

Onward VR

Onward VR is a Tactical Shooter exclusively in VR; Developed by Downpour Interactive, a first-party studio for Meta. Supporting PVP and PVE game modes, Onward encourages close-knit teamwork and communication for an authentic tactical experience.

Onward – Egress

Principal Designer and concept for Egress; a scene taking place at a recently occupied port city somewhere in Estonia. Concept to shipped level, taking on a producer role by directing other level designers and artists who assisted with scene creation. Playtest, iterated, and delivered as part of the Onward 1.10 official update.

Design Goals

– Medium sized, CQB focused map

– Interesting and varied flank routes, including building interiors

– Beautiful and immersive background: non-playable area with low performance overhead

– Provide a unique Onward experience while fitting in with the overall design ethos of other Onward scenes

– Designed to work on Meta Quest 1 specs

Onward 1.10 Official Trailer, featuring Egress

Personal Projects

RoN_Restuarant

A Ready or not custom map greybox

RoN_Restuarant is a WiP custom map for Ready or Not, a tactical shooter built in Unreal 4. I wanted to build a scene that challenged Ready or Not players in ways they don’t really get normally; larger spaces.

Taking inspiration from larger themed restaurants, RoN_Restuarant has quite a lot going on; An art gallery, multiple dining areas, and a ‘nature’ area reminiscent of ‘outdoor’ interiors that you see in Las Vegas.

Blocked out and play tested, the scene is now in the art phase.

ArtRoom1

Alley

UpperDiningArea2

UpperDiningArea1

Transition

SupplyRoom

RoNOverview

RockDiningArea

OverviewNatureRoom

Outside – FrontOfRestuarant

NatureRoom2

MainDiningArea4

MainDiningArea3

MainDiningArea2

MainDiningArea1

KitchenFront

KitchenBack

ArtRoom3

ArtRoom2

Skocjan Caves - Unreal Engine 5

When I saw the Skocjan Caves, I knew I wanted to make a scene based on it. Expansive and breathtaking, the Skocjan Caves was an easy choice to base my scene on in Unreal 5.

I started by taking some reference images and laying them out in a mood board. Once I knew the shape and structure of my scene, I blocked it out in Unreal 5. I made sure to denote the rivers color for easy identification in the greybox phase.

I envisioned that this cave would be a vista for the player to see as they travelled through a cave system; or perhaps a narrative beat where the player is briefed over the radio.

Onward Custom Scenes

– Spaceship: Onward 2020 custom map contest first place winner – AI category. First scene I ever created. Built using free assets and a dream.

– Orbital: Onward 2020 custom map contest honorable mention(Can only win once per contest.) Second scene I’ve ever created. Focused on improved lighting, a larger interior layout, and more aesthetically pleasing props.

– Panda Towers: Onward 2020 Winterland custom map contest Winner. Designed in one week using Maya for basic level geometry. Focused on creating ‘two towers’ style gameplay with dangerous but powerful side routes on the top of skyscrapers. Quest Compatible.

– Forgotten: A sleepy, old time village somewhere in the mountains. Watch out for what lurks in the dark! Designed in two days as a submission for Downpour Interactive. I wanted to catch their eye with stunning visuals and interesting use of fog as concealment for players.