Bio
Recommendations
I grew up on a farm outside a small town. After all the work was done there wasn’t much else to do as far as entertainment was concerned, so I played video games. My childhood was full of Super Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Final Fantasy. We didn’t have a lot of money and only had a few games to play, so I played them over and over and started looking at how they were put together. Later I met some like-minded people and started playing DnD, and loved putting together stories and quests.
When I got older my love of games stayed with me and I eventually decided to begin my quest to become a game designer. I got into the Guildhall at SMU to study Level Design and began the toughest and most enjoyable year and half of my life. I got hired at BioWare Austin to work as a World Builder on Star Wars The Old Republic and then at Carbine Studios as a Content Designer on Wildstar, and most recently at InXile Entertainment as a Level Designer on The Bard’s Tale 4 and thus started some of my most enjoyable experiences to date. I am currently working as a Level Designer at Cosmic Forces.
"I have known and worked with Daniel for over a decade and he is hands down the best, most reliable level designer I've ever worked with. From our early days in grad school to his last day on the job at InXile, he has come through at every opportunity. He picks up new skills with ease and comes up with creative solutions to difficult problems. There isn't a single project I've worked on with Daniel that would have shipped without his hard work. He is smart, easy to work with and relentlessly dedicated. His insight and counsel are measured and well thought out. Any project would be lucky to have him."
Russell Krueger - Lead Level Designer at InXile Entertainment
“Daniel is an exceptional designer and a cornerstone member of my team – I wouldn’t trade him for five other designers of equal rank. He’s impressively dedicated to his work and pours himself into every project he undertakes. Additionally, Daniel is a well-rounded and self-sufficient designer who excels at any task he is given. You can assign him the most detailed instructions on a completely mundane task and he will perform flawlessly, quickly, and without complaint; or you can ask him to prototype an entire new system of gameplay and watch him work wonders. If you let him, he will make some of the most memorable, fun content in your game. Daniel is the best kind of designer because he will tackle any work in any area that is needed, and he’ll do it better than you’d hoped it would be done. He takes feedback well and offers it to others equally well. He accepts guidance but works fine without it. And he’s technically mastered more systems and toolsets than I can count with two hands. Lastly, Daniel is pleasant to work with and really too humble. He gets along with everyone and would be an outstanding addition to any development team.”
Megan Starks – Senior Game Designer and Zone Lead, WildStar/Carbine Studios
“I worked with Daniel when he returned to BioWare as a full-time employee in early 2012. He's a highly creative designer with a positive work attitude, and is able to provide input and take feedback with an open mind. He is easy to work with, gets stuff done well and on time, and a well-rounded designer. Daniel was the primary scripter for the well-received Belsavis heroic quest that was revealed at E3 2012. He took the vision, implemented the quest, iterated on the design based on playtests and peer feedback, and got it done. I highly recommend Daniel for a design position and would gladly work with him again.”
Steven Chew, Senior World Designer, BioWare Austin
"I had the great pleasure of having Daniel on my scripting team during a critical period of development on Star Wars: The Old Republic. Our team was given the task of polishing the critical levels that represented the game for the press demonstrations at E3, and the quality of Daniel's work greatly contributed to the huge positive reaction and multiple awards the game received at the show. As a game play scripter, Daniel regularly churned out huge amounts of content (probably more than any other member of my team), without sacrificing quality or stability. He was the first person in the office every morning, and often the last to leave at night. He approached the most difficult tasks cheerfully, without complaint, and often found unique solutions to difficult problems. On a project as large as SW:TOR, it becomes necessary to hire developers on a contract basis, and it's always difficult when the contract of an excellent designer like Daniel reaches the limit of allowable extensions. Not only do I wish I could keep Daniel on the team; I wish I could clone a dozen more of him. I would work with him again in a New York minute, and I highly recommend him to prospective employers. You would be very lucky to have him."
Wynne McLaughlin, Senior World Designer, BioWare Austin