Project contribution report
Expedition Agartha
Contributed to the production of a medieval first-person PvPvE extraction game through level design, player-hub improvements, environment implementation, technical art, QA, DLC concept development, and community-facing presentation.
Contributed to the production of a medieval first-person PvPvE extraction game through level design, player-hub improvements, environment implementation, technical art, QA, DLC concept development, and community-facing presentation.
Expedition Agartha is a medieval first-person PvPvE extraction game in which players prepare a loadout, enter dangerous expedition zones, collect resources, fight creatures or other players, and attempt to extract successfully.
Ruin joined Matrioshka Games during the second half of production and contributed as a contract Level Designer from February through October 2023.
Gameplay loop: Hub → Prepare loadout → Select expedition → Explore and loot → Survive PvE and PvP threats → Extract → Return to hub.
- Ruin contributed during the second half of production through public release work in a contract role within a professional studio team.
- Released on Steam for Windows PC.
- Level Designer, Contract
- Ruin worked primarily under the Lead Level Designer and Game Director, implementing level-design tasks while adapting to changing production needs.
- Responsibilities expanded across level layout and revision, set dressing, environment implementation, lighting, texture correction, player-hub flow, technical-art implementation, DLC concept development, QA and playtesting, intern feedback, production coordination, event support, and Steam- and Twitch-facing community presentation.
- During a temporary leadership absence, Ruin assumed additional level-design coordination responsibilities for approximately one month, including hub revisions, intern guidance, and translating direction into actionable environment work.
- Level layout and revision
- Set dressing and environment implementation
- Lighting and texture correction
- Player-hub flow revision
- Technical-art implementation
- DLC concept development
- QA, playtesting, and issue documentation
- Intern feedback and production coordination
- Event support and community-facing presentation
- Improved player-facing flow by reorganizing the hub and repositioning established NPC services without claiming ownership of the underlying gameplay systems or code.
Player Hub Flow and Environment Revision
Challenge
The player hub needed to support loadout preparation, NPC interaction, and access to major services while minimizing unnecessary travel between activities.
Contribution
- Revised layout and spatial organization.
- Condensed a larger hub arrangement.
- Repositioned established NPCs.
- Updated set dressing and worldbuilding.
- Corrected textures and presentation issues.
- Iterated through playtesting and PlasticSCM submissions.
Result
The revised hub created a more compact and legible preparation space, reducing unnecessary traversal between important services.
Blood Orb Technical-Art Effect
Challenge
An expansion environment needed stronger ambient motion and visual energy because much of its presentation relied on static scenery outside characters and creatures.
Contribution
- Developed the visual concept.
- Created a metaball-inspired material treatment.
- Implemented morphing and merging behavior using Unreal Engine material nodes and supplied geometry.
- Tested the effect in engine.
- Submitted it for programming review and integration.
- Revised it based on production feedback.
Result
The Blood Orb was used in game as an animated environmental element that introduced more fluid motion into the scene.
Gladiator Champion Helmet DLC Concept
Contribution
- Researched gladiatorial visual language.
- Developed the visual concept and design direction.
- Considered the game’s existing style and production needs.
- Communicated the concept for 3D execution.
- Reviewed the resulting asset in context.
Result
The design was released publicly as the Gladiator Champion Helmet DLC.
Environment and Level Production
Contribution
- Supported live and unreleased environments through level-layout implementation, set dressing, lighting, texture correction, worldbuilding, and continuous playtesting.
Result
Some work remained internal when development priorities changed. Only publicly cleared areas and media may be shown in the final portfolio.
Player Education and Community Presentation
Challenge
Player and event feedback indicated that the game’s mechanics and progression could be difficult for new players to understand.
Contribution
- Proposed a clearer educational presentation.
- Co-presented a Steam-facing gameplay showcase with the Game Director.
- Supported Twitch creator outreach.
- Assisted with booth and event demonstrations.
- Used player questions and feedback to identify comprehension gaps.
Result
The presentation created clearer educational material for prospective and existing players and supported broader community communication.
- 01Idea or assigned task
- 02Research
- 03Production planning
- 04Implementation
- 05Personalization and visual integration
- 06Cleanup and polish
- 07Playtesting
- 08Feedback and correction
- 09PlasticSCM submission
- Organized each task around required software, production needs, and available time.
- Aimed to complete work ahead of deadline where possible so dependent disciplines had time to review or request corrections.
- Balanced real-world reference with the project’s established visual language.
- Maintained a dedicated local storage structure for project files and organized source work by discipline.
- Used descriptive PlasticSCM submissions to record completed tasks.
- Verified work through self-review, playtesting, and Director feedback.
- Responded quickly to corrections when scope and complexity allowed.
- Collaborated with the Lead Level Designer, Game Director / CEO, designers, programmers, DevOps, artists, co-op interns, and community creators.
- Communicated through Discord, phone, PlasticSCM, HacknPlan, and Google Docs.
- Coordinated PlasticSCM submission timing with the project’s DevOps developer. This helped reduce conflicts and gave the development pipeline clearer information about when updates and corrections would arrive.
- After observing booth, tutorial, and online feedback indicating that players found some mechanics difficult to understand, Ruin proposed a more structured and educational Steam-facing presentation and discussed the approach directly with the Game Director.
Problem
Hub traversal and preparation friction
Solution
Condensed the hub layout, repositioned established NPC services, and revised environmental presentation.
Outcome
Created a more direct and readable preparation flow.
Problem
Static environmental presentation
Solution
Designed and implemented the Blood Orb material effect.
Outcome
Added an in-game animated focal element and more fluid environmental motion.
Problem
Difficult player onboarding and comprehension
Solution
Proposed and helped deliver a clearer Steam-facing gameplay presentation.
Outcome
Produced more structured educational material for players and community outreach.
Testing and review
- Tested assigned tasks and level areas regularly.
- Participated in periodic studio-wide playtests.
- Checked set dressing, collision or traversal problems, textures, lighting, and presentation.
- Documented issues through Discord screenshots, PlasticSCM descriptions, and HacknPlan.
Iteration
- Revised the player hub through multiple passes.
- Tested and refined the Blood Orb material behavior.
- Responded to Director and team feedback.
- Verified fixes through continued in-engine testing.
Expedition Agartha was released for Windows PC through Steam.
- Player-hub revisions
- Level and environment implementation
- Set dressing
- Lighting and texture correction
- Blood Orb technical-art implementation
- Gladiator Champion Helmet DLC concept development
- QA and documentation
- Intern feedback and production coordination
- Community-facing presentation
- Some internally developed environment work was not publicly released and must remain excluded from the media gallery unless it is later approved.
All Expedition Agartha media must be cleared for public portfolio use before launch. Every supplied item must include public-use approval, contribution context, a caption, descriptive alt text, and an authorship disclosure where required.
Related public links
- Engine and software
- Unreal Engine · Blueprint workflows · Unreal Engine material-node workflows · Adobe Photoshop · Autodesk 3ds Max · PlasticSCM · HacknPlan · Discord · Google Docs · OBS / Streamlabs · Adobe Premiere Pro · Twitch analytics and creator-coordination tools
- AI used in Ruin’s personal contribution
- No
- Learn how neighboring disciplines structure their work.
- Coordinate submissions so dependent teams can review changes safely.
- Build enough schedule margin for feedback and corrections.
- Maintain a consistent visual language across contributors.
- Test player-facing spaces repeatedly rather than treating layout as complete after one pass.
- Translate player confusion into clearer design and educational presentation.
- Document work clearly so other developers understand what changed.
The project reinforced Ruin’s player-experience-focused development style and expanded practical skills across level design, technical art, QA, production collaboration, and Unreal Engine implementation.