Equinox: Homecoming

Game: Equinox: Homecoming
Job Title: Lead Level Designer
Studio Project at Blue Scarab Entertainment

Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Release Date: March 5th 2026
Live Service Game

Equinox: Homecoming is an horse-centric open world MMORPG. Tend to your horse, hang out with friends, explore the scenic islands and engage in various minigames and quests to level up your character & stable of horses.

World Design
On Equinox: Homecoming I am the (Lead) Level Designer. My responsibility is in making environments from start to finish and being the central point of communication between Quest Team, Art & Tech to make it all come together.

One of the greatest challenges was how to make the world itself fun to traverse, as the open game world lacks the typical game mechanics such as combat or puzzles. Because of this the act of riding your horse without extrinsic motivation, exploration and mastery of the routes became central to the design of the world.

Being a Live Service Game, I made every environment with the intention of future expansion. I frequently built unspecified Opportunity Spaces for Quest Team to utilise in future, as well as being incredibly aware of the story so far and what is to come to give Quest Team whatever they need - Sometimes pre-empting requests before they are even made. What isn't prepared is made to specificiation in short order.

When a briefing is unspecific I will investigate how much range I have to invent my own stories, then offer these Soft Stories back during development with enough leeway for Quest Team to mold the outcome, or replace it wholesale if they prefer.

Tools Design
The world of Equinox: Homecoming is made by a team of two permanent artists and myself as the World Designer, occasionally increased with two art interns and one design intern.

Utilising Unreal Engine's Blueprint Utility Widgets I improve our workflow continuously, focusing on:

Reducing human error
Verifying file setups & object placements according to rulesets
Finding tedious sequential operations and converting them into single button solutions
Exposing variables for easier access on dedicated panels to keep teammates in flow-state
Exposing frequently used files, maps and websites (bug-tracker) to an in-engine dashboard for easy access.

All tools were contained in a single tool, nicknamed "The Basic" for easy access and one-time setup to new team members.

Everything in the game world was shaped with intent. Whether it is to evoke nostalgia for summer days, a sense of adventure, or to support the story.

Communication Maps:

Used to communicate intent between departments.
Note: Due to website compression these images were altered to have larger fonts

The World had been given a very rough plan before I joined the team.
Below shows the world as it was blocked before I started, and the shipped variant I made.

A large amount of the environment was dressed by me, using sculpting/painting tools, Foliage, PCG, Houdini and the kits provided by our Art Team.

The Town

Before I joined

After my design & art pass

Shipped version of the player hub as I made it. Complete with opportunity spaces for future content, particularly in the more industrial area to the right.

The Wilderness

Before I joined

After my design & art pass

Responsibilities include:

Lead World Designer

World Design:
- Early Stages:
  - Receive a mock-up or create one from scratch
  - Plan reveal shots, activities, points of interest
  - Create pathways:
    - Primary Roads
      - Obvious paths, but not the fastest
    - Secondary Roads
      - Shorter routes, if you know where you are going
    - Hidden Shortcuts
      - For the aficionado who knows exactly where they want to go.
  - Break the environment into sub-regions for progress tracking
  - Sculpt environment and place Landscape Splines to prove out concept
  - Present & Obtain sign-off from all parties
- Development:
  - Prove out any new Point of Interest types
  - First Pass Sculpt & Procedural Content Generation:
    - Create compositions that draw the eye for scenic views and inform the player of the layout of the region.
    - Create the moment-to-moment to easily relay navigable spaces and means to get to quest objectives
  - Second Pass Sculpt, PCG & Foliage Placement:
    - Improve moment-to-moment information relay
    - Make the immediate surroundings beautiful for the player to be in.
    - Ensure the player is drawn to quest sites/objectives and the environment does not detract from them.
  - Block out any buildings using existing modular kits
    - Request new assets if necessary, or kitbash solutions from existing materials
- Collaboration with Art Team:
  - Typically relates to buildings or setpiece locations
  - Provide briefings on what the area is intended to support
  - Identify feasibility of art-support needed and negotiate if needs be
    - Modify scope, create contingencies based on negative outcomes
    - Create briefings for accepted assignments.
  - Review & feedback until assets are delivered and final
- Prototyping Caves methodologies & requirements
  - Tools were then finalised using Houdini by our fantastic Tech Artist.
- Manage gameplay systems & integrations
  - Invisible walls, navmesh generation (and adapting terrain for improved navmesh), jumpable obstacles, etcetera.
Leadership Role:
- Look after the well-being of the World Designers & Artists
- Look out for communication or interpersonal issues and address them as soon as possible.
- Provide resources and feedback to encourage personal growth
- Report progress and issues to our producer

Tools Designer

Create a single access point for all tools made
- Tools are divided by department using tabs
- Opens with a dashboard to below items, for easy start of day or reset after crash:
  - In production maps
  - Frequently used game files
  - Important websites
    - Wiki, Project Management, etc...
Tools fall under following umbrellas:
- Reducing repetitive, sequential tasks to single button inputs
  - Removing human error
  - Removing the need for operators to memorise and execute processes
    - Tedious processes
    - Rarely, and more easily forgotten, processes
  - Keep operators in flow-state for longer
- Visualising data for easy identification
  - Find and report on all objects of specified type/configuration, and summarise all objects set up different from intended.
  - Find and report on all actors in game world of specified/type/configuration set up different from intended.
  - Highlight low performant areas
- Exposing frequently used (and often buried) variables, global or of selected actors, on dashboard for easier access.
- Making BugIt and BugItGo more accessible to non-technical team members to make world navigation easier for:
  - Marketing
  - Bug Reporting/Fixing
  - Art Briefings

Recommendations (continued):

Martin Kupski
UI/UX Designer

Michiel has been a great support to the team! He is one of the kindest and hard working people I've met in the industry. He takes criticism well and has a professional aura around him, as well as a sick announcement voice. The tooling and design work he has done with the engine is top tier and he has a vast knowledge about level design, as well as other gamedev wisdoms that would be a boon to any studio.

Thomas Huttenlocher
Composer & Sound Designer

Mika is truly a force of nature. It’s rare to come across someone who combines such deep expertise with a highly professional approach, while also maintaining such a friendly, collaborative, and solution-oriented mindset.

What continues to impress me is that, beyond delivering exceptional work himself, he constantly looks for ways to support the rest of the team. Time and time again, he has created custom-built tools tailored specifically to our workflow, helping us work faster, smarter, and more efficiently.

Anyone considering hiring him would be incredibly fortunate to have him on their team.

Recommendations:

Colin Cragg
CEO

Available for Reference

Michiel has been an absolute inspirational game-changer for our product since day one.

He produces beautiful and believable spaces that our players have been raving about in reviews of our game with our customers consistently referring to his work as "breathtaking" and "gorgeous".

While personally producing amazing results Michiel has also provided tools for the Unreal Engine he developed independently before joining us and expanded upon since. His tools significantly improved the collaborative work of developers across multiple departments and enhanced our QA process. It is hard to imagine the workflow before Michiel turned it into a fast and efficient process for everyone.

Beyond tools he consistently levels-up the work of everyone around him and has also been a fantastic member of the team on a personal level. He is funny, kind, and helpful while at the same time he inspires his colleagues to build great things.

I can not recommend Michiel strongly enough. Anyone wishing to know more should reach out to me directly and I would be happy to sing his praises for as much time as you can spare. This is a 5-star employee and human being and we are lucky to have had a chance to work with him. For all World Creation needs, he is my first call.

Ylva Mesonero
Senior Producer

Available for Reference

I worked as Michiel’s manager at Blue Scarab Entertainment for around 2 years.

During this time Michiel was responsible for the planning and construction of our levels. While working here he planned and executed the construction of 7 levels in our game. During a period of time (6 months) he had an intern assisting him that he was also mentoring at the same time.

As a person Michiel is kind, careful, and hard working. He is technical and often makes tools of his own and shares them to assist the project processes. Throughout the project he promotes best practices, and makes the team aware of useful engine features for best results.

Whenever Michiel works on a new area, or level, he likes to create detailed overviews of the area, specified with the intent and use cases for that specific place. These overviews are very helpful for the team members that later will set dress or test the areas. He would also use these as plans for himself.

As a team member I think he is very considerate of other people, and always goes the extra mile to ensure everyone is on board. He also guides & helps the more junior team members without being asked to do so.

As a level designer, Michiel always tries to understand the narrative of an area before he builds something, to ensure he gets the intent of the level. He is great at creating points of interest, and considers important level design practices, such as line of sight, in his daily work.

To conclude - if you are looking for a hard working, team oriented, and senior level designer for your team, you should hire Michiel!

Tobias Peulicke
Tech/Environment Artist

Michiel Werring is a very productive and reliable level designer. He has a good understanding how to guide the player and create interesting flow in a level. On top of that he also has a good eye for composition. As an artist it's really nice to work with his level, as there is always an underlying aesthetic throughout the experience, providing a good base to work with.

Iryna Melnychenko
Narrative Director

During several years we've been working together, Michiel has shown an enormous professional approach to every smallest detail (not to mention big things obviously). Working closely as level design and narrative, I am always impressed to see how each encounter turns into magic when the technical solution grasps and enhances the narrative vision.

It's always quick, delivered on time, and better than you expect. And on top of that, Michiel is just an amazing person to work with, and that means as much as being a real professional.

Claudio Scuderi
Quest Designer

Working with Michiel at Blue Scarab was a true pleasure. He is a reliable and friendly Designer who not only excels in level design, but also brings exceptional value through his ability to create practical tools to make everyone work easier. If you are searching for a competent and easy to work with Designer, he is the guy!

Maezza Romero
Social Media Manager

My name is Maezza Romero, and I’m a Social Media and Community Manager. I worked with Michiel for about 10 months during my contract at Blue Scarab. We worked together on Equinox: Homecoming, a horror / murder mystery inspired horse MMORPG. Although we were in different departments, him in Level Design and myself in Marketing, our paths crossed frequently, especially when it came to designing player-first events. (Seasonal and general!)

My role often involved creating seasonal events, suggesting world decoration, and finding ways to keep the world feeling exciting and alive for players new and old. Every time I approached Michiel for support, he exceeded my expectations. Ideas I initially proposed as small or simple were consistently pushed into something far more exciting through his input and direction.

His work is consistently high-quality, thoughtful, and, most importantly, deeply player-driven. Which, as a Community Manager, is huge! I felt incredibly lucky (and regularly inspired) that I got to work with someone who not only cared about how their work looked personally, but also considered the potential impact it could have on players.
Michiel is also incredibly professional. He communicates clearly, shares his process openly, and provides strong reasoning behind his design decisions. He also is regularly open to feedback, and is comfortably flexible if it comes down to changes.

Beyond our work together, observing his work in level design more broadly was always impressive! He operates at a very high creative level, bringing artistry, care, and passion into everything he creates. I truly admire the way his mind works. I often found myself asking questions out of curiosity because his process interested me so much! (Which he was also always open to sharing when we had a moment free!)

On a personal note, Michiel is also an incredibly kind and supportive person. Whenever I needed help, reassurance, or simply someone to talk things through with, he was always there. We had some great laughs and conversations. I feel I learned a lot from him.
I can’t recommend Michiel enough. He’s someone who stands out on any team he’s part of and consistently delivers work that inspires those around him. Thanks for all you did and hope to cross paths with you sometime in the future!

Lisa Aspblad
Support Director

I've really enjoyed working with Michiel, he's great at making sure important information about his work reaches other people in the team/functions and is always open to feedback from both co-workers and our community. I've also greatly appreciated him always making time to thoroughly answer any questions and thoughts that someone in my position might have when something needs to be tested or communicated to players.

Player Acknowledgements:

Excepts from Steam Reviews:

"If you like riding horses in beautiful landscapes this game scratches that itch. It has good features like racing and riding with friends. The horse animations are good. Galloping through the surf is a delight."

"The map is large and well designed enough that you don't need to constantly look at the minimap to get around because the landscapes are distinct enough to identify by eye once you've ridden around a while."

"The world: huuuge map. You have to run everywhere except for the barn, there is fast travel for that. Beautifully done too. Its scale feels realistic and accurate, the audio design is to die for. Many horse games are unable to create a good feel for trail riding, something that I personally find to be essential in the experience of a horse game. The execution of the environment feels full and alive"

Discord Quotes from Players:

"People go on trail rides for nothing but the beauty of the world, the pleasure of each other's company, and the serenity lent by the sound of hooves.
The game does not reward this. Nor does it have to."

"Every now and then I'll just stop and take in these views. This world is so immersive and organic I'm loving it"