Horizon: Zero Dawn

Game: Horizon: Zero Dawn
Job Title: Level Design Trainee
Studio Project at Guerrilla Games
Engine: Decima Engine
Released: February 28, 2017
Horizon Zero Dawn is a third-person action RPG that takes place many years after an apocalyptic event. The world has largely returned to normal with the exception that humanity is no longer the dominant species on the planet, and have been replaced by  gigantic robot dinosaurs.

My initial tasks focused on developing prototypes and combat areas for the design team. Later I co-developed the World Encounter System to populate the open world with random events, which I created encounters for and further iterated on.

The World Encounter System was taken into production and, after my contract expired, had further content developed for it by other members of the team.
Promotional Material

Responsibilities included:

Level Design
  • Design and implement combat areas using Maya (Prior to Decima engine retrofit)
  • Implement encounters into the game world
World Encounter System
  • Specified needs and userstories
    • Designed in collaboration with gameplay programmer
    • Iterated on the system over time
  • Specified the guidelines encounters should adhere to
  • Implemented encounters into the system
  • Contented created after Decima engine retrofit
  • Documented the system
Encounter Development
  • Expanded one-liner concepts to full encounters
    • From ambushes to multiple factions fighting
    • Including self-contained interactive events
  • Prepared in a testing environment, then implemented in the open world

Recommendations:

Patrick Munnick
Senior Producer at Guerrilla Games.
"As a producer I worked with Michiel on Horizon: Zero Dawn. I got to know Michiel as a real team player who owns an area of the game and is driven to bring it to completion and deliver the best possible content. He is eager to learn new things and always willing to share his knowledge with others. I enjoyed working with him!,,
Floris Kooij
Lead Level Designer at Guerrilla Games.
"It has been great having Michiel help us as an intern. He was pretty much thrown in the deep end, but kept his head above water and adapted to our tools quickly. He has been steadily improving the whole time. He works hard, is enthusiastic about his work and on top of that he is always cordial, cheerful and eager to help out.,,
James Kneuper
Principal Quest Designer at Guerrilla Games.
Available for Reference
"Working with Michiel has been a pleasure. His designs are well thought out, he takes feedback in stride, and is eager to both learn and share his knowledge. Working on Horizon: Zero Dawn, Michiel took on challenges well beyond what would be expected of his position and delivered time and again. I recommend Michiel without reservation and hope to have the opportunity to work with him again in the future.,,
Ben McCaw
Senior Writer at Guerrilla Games.
"I worked with Michiel at Guerrilla Games, where he was responsible for designing and building random encounters for Horizon: Zero Dawn. I was continually impressed by his work ethic, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. He worked hard to create fun, believable encounters that covered all the bases for an open-world game. On a personal level, I found him to be affable, funny, and always willing to learn. I would recommend him for any AAA team.,,
Laurens Simonis
Senior Technical Designer a Guerrilla Games.
"Michiel is an awesome guy to work with. He is very diligent. If there was a technical issue he needed my help with, he would describe very clearly what it was he was trying to achieve, what he did to try and achieve it, and what failed. He was very open to my suggestions and try those. If there was a bug in code from another department, and I asked him to try a few things & document the result, I got the best feedback & report I could wish for. I wish all designers were as methodical and thorough in this respect as Michiel. A pity to see him leave us.,,