Michael Bellipanni
Level Design and Game Development Portfolio
Job Experience:
2005 - 2008: Level Designer
Critical Mass Interactive
I have worked off and on with CMI for many years, starting as a Design Intern immediately after graduating from high school. Recently I worked as Lead Level Designer for a project in pre-production using Unreal Engine 3.0.
2007: Cinema Scripter
Midway Games
I worked as a Cinema Scripter on Blacksite: Area 51 for Midway's Austin Studio. I implemented in-game cinematic events within Unreal Engine 3.0 using UnrealEd and Kismet.
2005 - 2008: Camp Coordinator
Gamecamp!
Gamecamp! is a summer camp for kids who want to learn about game development. I have worked as the Camp Director, Counselor, and Level Design Instructor. While working at the camp, I managed the camp staff, coordinated camp events, and educated students on the fundamentals of game development and design.
2005 – 2007
President and Founder
Press Start: Game Developers of Texas State University
As a freshmen, I founded Texas State's first video game development club. Press Start focused on preparing its members for careers in the game industry through discussion and game development.
2005 – 2006
Level Designer
Ultimate Community Map Pack Development Team
I worked as a level designer and scripter on volumes One and Two of the UCMP map pack, contributing “DM-UCMP-The Pits” and “DOM-UCMP2-1on1-Smelter.” I also assisted other level designers on the team with dynamic level design elements. The success of our first map pack was a huge surprise to our team. I feel like I have learned more here as a level designer than anywhere else because of my chance to work with this talented community development team.
Digital Media Collaboratory, part of the IC² Institute at The University of Texas at Austin
I got my start in game development at the DMC during my senior year of high school. My partner Daniel Abrego and I develop several projects using the Unreal Engine. Two of the projects we developed, Allied CTF and DM-Coliseum, received awards from Epic’s Make Something Unreal Contest.
Program Experience:
Unreal Engine 3.0:
I used Unreal Engine 3.0 while working on Area 51: Blacksite as a Cinema Scripter. I also developed some levels in Unreal Engine 3.0 for a project in pre-production at Critical Mass Interactive. Most of my experience in this version of the engine is with the Unreal Ed Level Editor and the Kismet Scripting Tool.
Unreal Engine 2.0:
I have completed several community based projects using Unreal Engine 2.0. I have extensive experience using the Unreal Ed Level Editor to design and build levels and mods, with expertise in working with dynamic elements such as movers, emitters, and scripted sequences. I have experience using the Unrealscript programming language. I also have experience teaching students how to use Unreal Ed at the Gamecamp! Summer Camp.
Source Engine:
I have experience using the Hammer Level Editor in the Source SDK. My work so far has focused on level design for Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2. You can see my current work in progress, a level for Team Fortress 2, in the Source Engine Portfolio section of the website.
I am currently a Computer Science Major at Texas State University in San Marcos, where I have been mostly using C and C++ for my academic projects.
Adobe Creative Suite 3:
I have experience using various versions of Photoshop, InDesign, and Dreamweaver.