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Stephan Haldaman
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Project Portfolio

Professional Shipped Titles

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Onward
As my time as level designer at Downpour I did a lot of work optimizing Quest/Mobile levels with critical performance needs, as well as blocking out and prototyping new map concepts. As a game designer, I fulfilled many duties and designed and prototyped new ideas that fit with the vision of a long standing game to address critical player feedback. I also played a big role in bringing new weapons into the game from conception to final tweaking.
​For: Downpour Interactive
Roles: Level Designer & Game Designer
Date: July 2020 (and ongoing)
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​Borderlands 3
I worked on around a dozen different maps in various stages of their development for 3 years but was most focused on designing The Pyre of Stars, the final main linear map of the game, from initial layout layout all the way up to final combat passes, as well as many of the Trial maps and Slaughter maps which are combat heavy rerunnable maps.
​For: Gearbox Software
Roles: Level Designer
Date: September 2019
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Battleborn
During my contract at Gearbox Software I worked on on multiple map and game ideas for Battleborn post release, eventually leading to the release of  Rocket Brawl, a unique game mode and level event in Battleborn that showcased the unique game mechanics of one of the characters.
​For: Gearbox Software
Roles: Level Designer
Date: July 2017

Modding Projects

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Blade & Sorcery Weapon Modding
For Blade & Sorcery, I have created over 400 weapons usable in the game. And despite such a high number of weapons I have put a heavy focus on quality for each weapon, designing my own damage and handling properties not present in the game, and designing a lot of wholly new concepts for weaponry that the SDK was not necessarily built for. I have stuck with these mods for years and improved on them over time, creating my own gold standard for new content to reach in these mods.

While a few models were created by me, many of them were sourced from other websites, and I worked with many community members who made custom models for these mods, taking their ideas to incorporate into the mods as well as guiding them and giving feedback to get best results.

With these mods I have maintained a strong focus on their identity, creating a recognizable IP of my own in a sense, despite sourcing many models externally. And while some of these mods and weapons deviate from the themes present in Blade & Sorcery, they were designed in a way to respect the original themes of the game.


As a bonus, YouTubers showcasing and using my mods have collectively amassed millions of views and Forbes and PC Gamer both wrote an article about my mods.
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Autumn Forest Gravesite
Date: Nov 2022
Dueling Death Pit
Date: Aug 2022
Dungeon Gauntlet II
Date: Jan 2021
Church of the Cabal
Date:
April 2021

Archived Projects (2016 and earlier)

The following is my portfolio from around the time I graduated college (pre-professional work). While I am proud of the examples below, they don't necessarily reflect my current aptitude, but serve to show my history of interest and desire for designing games from the ground up.

Demo Reel (Spring 2016)

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Going Nowhere: The Dream

Going Nowhere

Going Nowhere is a 3D platforming adventure game made in 3 months. Players use a variety of "parkour" style maneuvers to navigate a dream-like urban environment and discover the mystery behind the town they find themselves in.
Going Nowhere was featured both on Newgrounds and GameJolt, and received very positive feedback from the community for its level design, aesthetic style and game mechanics, leading to dozens of "Let's Play" videos from fans.
For: Independent Work
Team: 4 Members
Role: Designer & Project Leader
Date: August 2015

PLAY HERE
CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS
Play Here

Relic

A 3D action/adventure grappling hook platformer. Players grapple their way through a derelict space ship to find an ancient spear.
For: DigiPen
Team: 22 Members
Role: Level Designer
Date: May 2015

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS
Play Here

Unearthed

A 3D, first person beat-em-up! Up to two players (split-screen) must overcome an army of undead as they travel through an abandoned mineshaft, using a combination of arms, and the very environment itself. Pick up an unconsious zombie and beat up her friends with her own body. Throw a boulder at a skeleton and watch as he collapses on to his friends, domino style. The combat is heavily driven by physics so the fun never stops.
For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Role: Creator
Date: April 2016
Download Here

Heart of Clay

A story adventure game about a clay golem brought to life. Discover the grim reason behind your existence as you explore the town and meet the villagers.
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This game is a ~20 minute experience where players are guided through the town to learn the story of their existence as a golem by interacting with the townsfolk and examining the environment. While most of the story is delivered via dialogue, the environment gives a lot of context to the events that took place before the golem was brought to life. The world and characters come together to create a memorable and engaging experience for players.

For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Role: Creator
Date: April 2015

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS
Play Here

Other Works & Experience (By Date)

Thru The Floor
A 2 player split screen shooter where each player must try to shoot the floor out from the other player to win a round. The winner of 2 out of 3 rounds wins the match as each floor below the players gets more unstable. Developed in 2 months as a competitive shooter and received a lot of praise for its fun and replayability.
For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Date: December 2015​​
PLAY HERE ; WATCH VIDEO
Operation Clarion
Operation Clarion is a 3D exploration based platformer where the player assumes the role of an astronaut on a rescue mission crashed on a strange planet. It has unique but simple tank-based low gravity movement controls and an unfolding environmental narrative, with a playtime of around 15 minutes. It was developed and completed within two months at DigiPen.
For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Date: October 2015​
PLAY HERE ; WATCH VIDEO
SuperSensory
SuperSensory is a 2D puzzle/platform game where players navigate obstacles using telekinesis to reach the end of each level. With about 20 minutes of content, the game contains puzzles, collectibles, dynamic narrative and elements of exploration.
For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Date: December 2014
PLAY HERE ; WATCH VIDEO
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Blood Stone
An asymmetrical turn based combat board game. One player controls the Blood Witch and her Minions. The other player controls 3 Mercenaries. Exchanging health and allowing the death of units are key elements of the game, creating a unique and interesting playing field.
For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Date: December 2014
DOWNLOAD RULE BOOK ; DOWNLOAD MAP ; DOWNLOAD CARD PACK
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Click For More Details
Team Fortress 2: Attack & Defend
A Team Fortress 2 board game adaptation licensed by Valve for educational purposes. 2 players control 6 class units in a fast paced capture point game mode.
For: DigiPen
Team: Solo
Date: November 2014

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS
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Red Rapture
A short score-attack game with physics based gameplay and destruction. Made in two weeks.
For: Independent Work
Team: Solo
Date: June 2014
PLAY HERE
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 Gun Peeps: Revolution
A run-and-gun platforming game with a high degree of challenge featuring 11 detailed missions. Gun Peeps: Revolution won second place (out of over 100 entries) in the Newgrounds 2014 Construct 2 competition.
For: Independent Work
Team: Solo
Date: June 2014
PLAY HERE
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Mini-Metal
Mini-Metal is a 4 player team based shooter where players capture bases, earn money, and buy powerful mech vehicles to influence the tide of combat. Mini-Metal was developed in a custom engine within 4 months by a team of 4 programmers, 1 designer (me) and 1 sound designer.
For: DigiPen
Team: 6 Members
Roles: Designer, Prototype Developer, Artist
Date: April 2014
PLAY THE PROTOTYPE
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Frontier to Nowhere
A point-and-click story game, featuring great detailed art and voice acting. Created and finished in two weeks for Ludum Dare 28.
For: Independent Work
Team: 3 Members
Roles: Programmer, English Localization, UI and Interface Designer
Date: December 2013
PLAY HERE
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The Depths
An underwater adventure game based on exploration, resource gathering and progressive upgrades.
For: Independent Work
Team: 2 Members
Roles: Designer, Programmer
Date: July 2013
PLAY HERE
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Kishin's Lab
An adventure map for Minecraft featuring challenging puzzles and obstacles driven by a narrative.
For: Independent Work
Team: Solo
Date: August 2012

VIEW HERE ; WATCH VIDEO
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The Abandoned City
A map created for Minecraft based on the mod "Smart Moving". The map includes a short tutorial for the mod and about 20 minutes of platforming puzzles. The map serves both as a tutorial and introduction to the Smart Moving mod, as well as a challenging platforming map for experienced players.
For: Independent Work
Team: Solo
Date: July 2012
VIEW HERE ; WATCH VIDEO
© Stephan Haldaman
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