writing samples
Dialogue
Sedrick Kincannon
Both a charismatic crime boss and a successful corporate executive, Sedrick is the head of SubLight Underground (SLUG) and runs the Piraeus Spaceport on Eridanos as smoothly as he runs his smuggling operation. His unsavory side makes him a prime suspect in the murder of Halcyon Helen, a popular serial star, and the player has been tasked with acquiring his alibi.
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
Black Hole Bertie
“Black Hole” Bertie Holcomb is a renowned tossball player with anger issues and a lighter helping of brains than most. He’s also the ex-boyfriend of Halcyon Helen and thus another murder suspect whose alibi the player must extract. How this accomplished varies, depending in part on which player companion is chosen to play “bad inspector” to the player’s “good inspector.”
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
Orick West
Orick’s a shady character who deals in alternative medicines, which are extremely illegal in The Outer Worlds. (It’s hard to say why — he makes most of his money selling vitamins.) The player can optionally speak with him to confirm Black Hole Bertie’s alibi and to learn a little more about the Prince of Tossball.
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
Probably Carl
Probably Carl used to be a top Spacer’s Choice salesman before he had to resort to scavenging after the planet of Gorgon was abandoned by the company. Unfortunately, thanks to the degenerative effects of the Adrena-Time Spacer’s Choice manufactured on Gorgon, Carl has been gradually losing his mind as he slowly turns into one of the game’s enemies, a marauder.
Here’s an additional video that captures some fun reactivity — specifically, what happens if the player opts to put on a MoonMan helmet before talking to Carl. - URL
The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon
Found Text / Examinables
FOUND TEXT: The Nomai
I wrote Outer Wilds’ in-game text to fulfill highly specific design needs and support nonlinear narrative progression. Every piece of found text
communicates a clue,
sets up an important piece of world lore, and
builds on themes and characterization.
By finding these pieces of text and following their clues, the player can uncover the mysteries of the cosmos and piece together the story of the Nomai, the ancient aliens who lived in the solar system long before the player’s species.
I developed a non-linear style of branching dialogue as part of the Nomai’s unique voice, then worked with the creative director and lead designer to create a translator tool that the player uses to interact with found text in 3-D space. Not only was this more fun for players, it also increased information retention. (See video for an example of how the translator tool is used in-game to interact with found Nomai text.)
Outer Wilds
JOURNAL: Riebeck
(PDF)
Some of the astronauts in Outer Wilds leave behind journals (framed as audio recordings) that aid the player in their exploration of the solar system. This journal from astronaut and anthropologist Riebeck helps the player navigate Brittle Hollow, the planet Riebeck is exploring in pursuit of answers to an ancient alien civilization called the Nomai.
Outer Wilds
AUDIO LOG: Black Hole Bertie
A potentially incriminating audio log from The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos left by tossball star "Black Hole" Bertie Holcomb for his ex-girlfriend, Halcyon Helen, a recently murder film star whose death the player is attempting to solve.
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
Looking for something specific?
If you’d like to see work that demonstrates a particular skill, voice, or genre and can’t find it here — or if you’d simply like to see more of what I’ve written — please don’t hesitate to let me know!