John Crewe - Level Designer

[Ginger Lord]

Hi all,

Thought I'd get my WIP portfolio site up on here for some feedback, looking for general crits etc as intending to start looking for work opportunities by the end of the year, aiming for something hopefully at the start of 2010. So hopefully you guys can help get my portfolio up to scratch.

http://www.johncrewe.com

The one thing I'm concerned with is the lack of recent stuff you can actually download and play with due to it all being non public stuff for Ham and Jam. Ideally we had hoped to have released by now and this wouldn't have been a problem but well, stuff happens!

Worth starting a new small TF2 project for something fresh and current to have on there?

[Defrag]

I'd bin some of that 3D stuff, as a few of the stills look ropey. Basically, go through your site and be brutally honest about what your finest work is. Don't show anything else. I'll add a note to your linkedin because you were very dependable and level-headed on FF

[Ginger Lord]

I apologise in advanced for the bulk LinkedIn invites I just sent out

Thanks for the recommendation, will return it shortly.

I see what you mean about ropey 3D stuff, will probably cut down some of the older static stuff as it is garbage compared to the rest. The other issue in my head is the Foxhole stuff, whilst it is my only "professional" stuff it also looks like pants

Weird how the few weeks I got paid for doing that turned out to be the most profitable of my life so far

[dux]

The most interesting piece you have on there to me, the ww2 trench thing, and the screens blow. Isn't there anyway of getting better ones? Difficult to make much out in them.

Blunt honest mode:

Epicenter screenshots are very below par in comparison to the others you have.

[Furyo]

I would rework the resume too. No recruiter is going to care one iota what GCSE scores you got, or what your hobbies are. If you can do the job, you'll get an interview and if these things come up you can mention them. There is, to me, generally too much text on your pages. I still think the site is easy to navigate so that's a plus, but as others said some of the work you display simply doesn't have its place there. On a side note, if you're looking for work at Ubisoft let me know

[Ginger Lord]

The most interesting piece you have on there to me, the ww2 trench thing, and the screens blow. Isn't there anyway of getting better ones? Difficult to make much out in them.

Blunt honest mode:

Epicenter screenshots are very below par in comparison to the others you have.

The ww2 trench thing? Probably a bad sign as I'm not sure what you're on about! The Vickers MG in the 3D section? As for the screens blowing, all of them? How would you improve them, different focus or just better quality (AA/AF etc)

I'm thinking of ditching the Epicenter stuff, maybe Density.

I would rework the resume too. No recruiter is going to care one iota what GCSE scores you got, or what your hobbies are. If you can do the job, you'll get an interview and if these things come up you can mention them. There is, to me, generally too much text on your pages. I still think the site is easy to navigate so that's a plus, but as others said some of the work you display simply doesn't have its place there. On a side note, if you're looking for work at Ubisoft let me know

Again, will put it on a diet. The resume side is a relic from when we had to do a site for our degree ("this is what you need for getting a job!!!!"...taught by incompetents who have no understanding of the games industry) so will chop it down to the vital stats and get rid of the bumf.

I tried something a bit different than just all pictures for this version, trying to explain my thought process/involvement with each map but that may be a bit overkill in retrospect.

Thanks for the crits so far, keep em rolling!

[dux]

That

http://www.gingerlord.co.uk/portfolio/foxhole.html

You admit the screens are poor, but they are so poor you can hardly get a sense of your work through them as they are rather small and gameplay shots rather than shots of what you did. Which is what you want to show, after all. And I'd keep Density, I think it's better looking than Epicenter by miles.

[Ginger Lord]

Taken on board peoples suggestions:

• 
  [*:1sd57t3u]Shortened the brief resume to the basic important stuff, added LinkedIn link
  [*:1sd57t3u]Ditched Epicenter from front page (may work on this level to add extra detail later)
  [*:1sd57t3u]Replaced all Foxhole shots with less crappy ones
  [*:1sd57t3u]Ditched a load of 3D work, basically left animations and the better 3d models from final project, will add props when I make them!

Have a looksies again and see what you think, may need to clear your cache in FF.

[DysPatch]

very nice portfolio. Only suggestion I have right now is that on your haj_radar page, the last screenshot on the bottom right doesn't really shows barely anything. The only thing it does show is a lack of detail and bland lighting. I would recommend removing that shot since all of the other shots are beautiful.

http://www.gingerlord.co.uk/portfolio/radar.html

Reminds me that I need to make my portfolio soon.

[Ginger Lord]

Will update that picture with one of the actual radar once I've sorted out why its not being lit in the most recent compile

[Pericolos0]

I really like the layout of the portfolio, and thats some very nice leveldesign work =). the only thing I would change to the website is get rid of lightbox and just put all the screenshots on the map's page, so I only have to scroll and have a nice overview, instead of having to click and wait for that loader with every picture. Maybe it's a personal thing but I've gotten really tired of lightbox, and it often is laggy.

I would also really ditch all the 3d work. I'll just be brutally honest and say it's not very good, also if you are looking for a leveldesigner position, it's not relevant at all. It's good to know that you know your way in a modelling program, but if it's for games you should really show stuff made for a game engine (not subd meshes made for animation). I think by putting this work on your portfolio, you are risking that a potential recruiter will think you have bad judgement for good quality work.

another thing i'd do is shorten the about me text, like to one third of it maybe, unless it's something short and fast, a lot of people aren't going to read it.

[insta]

I agree that the layout is very nice indeed, and I also agree with ditching the 3d stuff and just put in writing what 3d packages you know, if some company requires you to know that they'll probably bake that into an art test or something.

I definetly think you should do as you said and do a TF2 map or some other project with a different style than the WW2 stuff, variety is always nice.

And oh yeah, the red text at the bottom of the Radar, Archery and Pegasus is making me crosseyed when I read it, maybe change it to some other color

[Ginger Lord]

Been a bit more brutal on the front page and dropped the 3D stuff, will add it again once I have more game specific stuff to show off. Cut down the about but too, no point explaining what I did in the maps there and on the maps pages.

Also changed the red font to a medium grey for less cross eye action, it was a bit mental.