As far from fantasy as possible, the realism of war also needs vibrant and exotic locals to be waged over as well. On Call of Duty, I worked as the project manager for the multi-player team and worked closely with environment artists, art directors, producers and designers to maintain the holistic vision of maps while leading level builders in creating cohesive and beautiful worlds for players to clash in as well as helping solve problems, track assets and improve studio pipeline.
Fat with the loot from a night of celebration after the Monaco Grand Prix, the scene is set for a grand heist. Eerily silent save for the sounds of the slots and the clink of brass on marble, there's about to be a fire fight.
The snowy sheer cliffs of the Himalayan mountains house a popular mountaineering village where hikers stop before they trek to the top.
Even in this cacophony of concrete, a tree thrives and a peaceful park fills the street with the natural, vibrant green of life.
The worn asphalt of the city streets of Bangladesh crack and crumble to give way to the hand set tiles of the old market plazas and paved paths.
A mixture of metal and concrete mix stability with ease of access to the variety of computers and cables interwoven into this listening station in the sky.
Built into the side of a monolithic rock spire, precariously hanging high above the jungle, this listening station serves as a platform for military espionage on an impressive scale.
Lush and vibrant, the moss and grasses grow easily with the wealth of rich mineral deposits and dewy, humid air of this Icelandic dig site.
Before making wine was industrialized, it was all done by hand and feet, and before the impressive mansion was built, the owners of the land lived and worked here.
The opulent halls of the head honcho's hacienda are lavishly decorated with his numerous collections ranging from modern art to the antiquities that count only as collateral damage during the raid.
In a unique act of collaborative celebration, the people of this street in morocco have painted their buildings various shades of blues.
The once impressive facade of a Spanish fort crumbles as the lush foliage drags it's solid stone back into the earth.
This ramshackle abode on a once deserted island holds a few mysteries, but most recently is where off duty guards go to play poker.
A new dawn casts long shadows on the snowy mountains that seclude this suspicious military installment deep in enemy territory.
The fresh footprints and deep tire treads of recent operation are a fresh addition to this abandoned military base, now active with insidious intent.
Along with the locals, the costumes, characters and cosmetics all shine and allow the players to tell their own story. During my time at ZOS I also helped the marketing team take screenshots of in game content for premium items, achievements, and promotional materials. All posing and lighting done in game, then taken into photoshop for touching up.
The Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood congratulates you on the chaos and carnage you've created.
Despite his sinister looks and the stench of death, the toxin doctor concocts powerful brews to aid the sick of Tamriel.
The Primate of the church of Akatosh in Kvatch is a brooding fellow, often with his nose buried deep within a tome or bowed in prayer.
This argonian struts his stuff after having his head fins styled by the fancy new barber in town.
Under the surface of Tamriel lurks danger and dread that's brimming with just as much life as it's surface. Through cracks in ceilings and long dead adventurers clutching still burning torches, interiors allowed much more metric room for vibrant lighting and dense scene propping to tell even more elaborate and visually stunning stories than the open lands above.
While the Gold Coast is pivotal in the Dark Brotherhood's plotting in Cyrodiil, Anvil still hosts other dangerous denizens who unload stolen goods in this ancient, abandoned bath.
This ancient tomb holds the secrets of an ancient tale of Orsinium's past, but you'll have to clear out the Winterborn who've been using it as a camp to unravel the mystery.
A previously successful mine near the city of Vulkhel Guard, now littered with miners slain by the Veiled Heritance who are using the cave as their base of operations in the region.
The great statue of Akatosh carved from the onyx cave walls cries into this cavern of ritual sacrifice where you finally confront the Black Dragon and uncover the truth of those out to corrupt the sanctity of the Dark Brotherhood.
In this tranquil cave, before the great Azura, the failed incarnates rest, waiting to fulfill their duty and tell their tale to the Vestige of Morrowind.
The chilled northern winds of Eastmarch have encroached on this ancient and dilapidated tomb, filling it with ice and snow, though that doesn't seem to hinder the walking dead.
The dead have been risen by a practitioner of the dark arts and the local militia were unable to hold out against them, it's up to you to vanquish the necromancer.
Half of this abandoned Khajiiti ruins is overwhelmed with goblins and ogres, preying on adventurers and passing merchants on the long road through Reaper's March.
Beneath the thriving port city of Abah's Landing, the thieves guild headquarters teems with life. Sparkling jewels are pressed into hands and coins jangle in purses as members return from lucrative delves into other people's coffers.
A long abandoned mine in the Eastmarch mountains is now home to giant, fuzzy white bears, as well as some giant, fuzzy white trolls. Neither are very friendly.
An inconspicuous tidal cave leads to a sinister black walled ruin. The only known daedric ruin on the island stinks of sulfur and salt.
This profitable glass mine has been shut down due to a mysterious string of murders and the hushed whispers of a childhood boogie man. Remember when the Ruddy Man is about, you cannot scream and you cannot shout. You cannot run, you cannot hide, he's already killed everyone who tried!
Deeper into the tomb, light filters through cracks and foliage takes over the ancient stone, creeping up the legs of the stone statutes of the long dead orcs of Orsinium.
Soldiers from the nefarious Ebonheart Pact have invaded the sacred grounds beneath the Silvenar and set up a base of operations in the heart of Malabal Tor.
The majority of Elder Scrolls Online is it's vast, sprawling overworlds with gorgeous vistas and exciting nooks and crannies brimming with small stories for the players to discover between quests and combat. Working with quest and encounter designers to create spaces to tell these tales in was some of the most fun I've had working on games.
A glistening jewel in the rough, the port city of Abah's Landing is a vibrant den of thieves, it's denizens just itching to get their hands on what ever is in your pockets.
The hub of all activity in the Clockwork City where Sotha Sil benevolently allows other mortals to be graced by his presence as they learn the intricate machinations of the universe from his mechanical microcosm.
The sun breaks over the grapes in one of many vineyards on the Gold Coast, but beneath the grounds lurks vaults and caverns full of contraband and illegal goods waiting for nightfall to be smuggled to far off locals.
In the swamps of southern Vvardenfell, the Dwemer city of Balmora bustles with trade and travelers new to the region. Bisected by it's canal, it's waterways connects it to the nearby coast and allows for commerce to flow freely.
Delinquent gamblers are not forgiven easily in the Grand City of Dune. Off the beaten path, under the baking sun, the remains of brutal retribution still linger.
The ancient ruins of an impenetrable island fortress built by the Ayelid, long abandoned and left to crumble into the ocean. Recently skeletons and spirits have been seen haunting the grounds.
Something is afoot in this den of debauchery along the road to Dune. This sparkling oasis in the desert is a lush backdrop, usually home to vacationing nobles is now home to the sinister activities of gamblers, drunkards entertaining wayward troops from the three banners war.