CORY DE LA TORRE

APEX: Legends is a free-to-play multiplayer, battle-royale developed and released by Respawn Entertainment in February of 2019 on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

APEX reached critical success shortly after launch, garnering over 1 million downloads in the first week, reaching 100 million unique players by the end of 2019. APEX remains in the top 10 of the daily most played games in the world to this day.

APEX features unique class based characters, dubbed ‘legends’ that fight in squads of 3 across giant, monumentally-expansive maps offering a large variety of combat scenarios. 64 players are dropped into a match and duke it out to remain the last squad standing.

As a Level Designer I was responsible for creating new and engaging locations for players to fight in. In my four year tenor I designed and shipped multiple maps and map updates for Apex Legends.

Our updates revolve around “seasons” where a singular major map change, or new map drives that seasonal theme and content. Level Designers at Respawn are tasked with major responsibilities: we plan, design and pitch the main seasonal theme that pushes Apex forward. LD’s are expected to work closely with every department to drive a map from start to finish.

Key Points:

-Designed, planned and worked closely with other departments at Respawn such as animation, code, art and sound to ship massive updates for a live service game.

-Responsible for planning major map updates for Apex Legends. These major map updates required us to redesign significant portions of our ‘Battle Royale’ maps so that they continually evolved and remained an engaging experience for all players in our live service, free to-play-game.

-I was also responsible for shaping and designing our other game mode experiences such as Arenas, Team Deathmatch, Shadow Royale (Our Halloween mode) and Free-for-all Deathmatch.

Links from our press releases can be found below. These feature maps and major updates I crafted alongside an amazing, talented team:

https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/maps#olympus

https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/news/olympus-map-update

https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/maps#worlds-edge

https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/maps#drop-off

https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/maps#rotating-map

Little Kitty, Big City is a single-player, platformer adventure game where you play as a house cat who finds himself lost in Tokyo, Japan.

LKBC was released May 9th 2024, on Steam/PC and Nintendo Swttch. LKBC is built on the Unity engine.

Key Points:

-Designed multiple sections of an semi-open world that the player explores as a small cat.

-Responsible for creating layout, platforming puzzles and optimizing performance for target platforms.

Software used: Unity

Prodeus is the first person shooter of old, re-imagined using modern rendering techniques on the Unity Engine. Prodeus was released on PC, Steam and the Nintendo Switch on November 9th, 2020.

Prodeus features fast paced, action oriented gunplay reminiscent of games like Quake 2 and DOOM. My central focus as a level designer was to create engaging spaces where fast paced combat could breathe and make the player feel like a badass while ‘gibing’ dozens of enemies in whichever way the player choses.

Key Points:

-Created two levels for the Single-Player campaign.

-Responsible for creating layout, combat, scripting, art and lighting. Prodeus features a unique workflow in that the “tool” that allows us to create levels is a fairly advanced modeling suite built into Unity. Because of this, I was able to build complex geometry and art in-editor.

Software used: Unity

Remnant: From The Ashes is a multiplayer dungeon crawler game by Gunfire Games, built on Unreal 4. Releases 2019.

Remnant utilizes procedurally generated multiplayer spaces where players fight to survive random enemy encounters and gather upgrades to progress.

My role on the team was half designer, and half environment artist. I was responsible for maintaining, lighting and dressing/propping configurable tile-sets where enemies could spawn anywhere. This created emphasis on clean, readable and easy-to-navigate gameplay spaces.

I was also responsible for creating physics-driven breakable assets and late production optimization for consoles.

Key Points:

-Designed, lit, and dressed combat spaces.

-Worked closely with additional designers and leads to create clean playable spaces with focus on combat engagements.

-Created physically driven destructible assets via Rayfire. Also created vfx for destructibles such as explosions and impacts

-Authored and optimized shaders to be performant on consoles.

Darksiders 3 is a adventure game by Gunfire Games built on Unreal 4. Released late November 2018.

Darksiders 3 is a large game built by a small team, as a result much of my role spanned across many facets of it’s production. While my primary role was environment artist I was also responsible for creating physically driven destructible assets, vfx, gameplay shaders, design and authoring tiling textures for world surfaces in Substance Designer, all of which had to adhere to the pre-established stylized art direction.

Key Points:

-Created environment art, VFX, tech art and design

-Responsible for look dev and blocking out early sections of darksider’s continuous world. Worked closely with designers and leads to create clean playable spaces that heavily focused on combat.

-Responsible for propping and dressing early block outs to completion. I also assisted in lighting our environments.

-Modeled/sculpted both organic and hard surface objects for our varied game zones.

-Created physically driven destructible assets via Rayfire. Also created vfx for destructibles such as explosions and impacts

FROM OTHER SUNS (FOS) is a Virtual-Reality sci-fi, 4 player co-op roguelike game on Unreal 4, published by Oculus, developed by Gunfire Games. Released August 2017 on PC.

FOS has players board ships that are created entirely via multiple puzzle piece type room layouts (dungeons) that are then procedurally connected realtime to create unique ship and loot/reward layouts.

Key Points:

-Acted as an Level Designer.

-Responsible for creating dungeon layouts, and art passing them from graybox to completion.

-Maintained and created combat scenarios across many dungeons from a VR perspective.

-Responsible for optimizing frame-time of many dungeon sets for VR. This included tweaking material costs, creating mesh lods, and retaining dramatic lighting where light cost was heavily limited.

Winter Peak is a environment designed for Valve Software’s SteamVR app.

I worked with a small team of Valve artists and designers to create this interactive environment. It was released on Steam on December 25th, 2018.

Key Points:

-Created Environment and VFX art. I also assisted with aspects of scripting, lighting and design.

-Sole VFX artist on the team, I was responsible for creating and defining a high resolution stylistic set of FX, designed for close interaction in VR.

-Maintained VFX performance, helped optimize our light and scene frametime cost.

Candy Emporium is a environment designed for Valve Software’s SteamVR app.

I worked with a small team of Valve artists and designers to create this interactive environment. It was released on Steam on October 24th, 2018.

Key Points:

-Created Environment and VFX art. I also assisted with aspects of scripting, lighting and design.

-Sole VFX artist on the team, I was responsible for creating and defining a high resolution stylistic set of FX, designed for close interaction in VR.

-Maintained VFX performance, helped optimize our light and scene frametime cost.

CP_UNDYING is a lite-capture point based map for the game Team Fortress 2

I acted as an Level Designer and Environment Artist, collaborating with (Tanookisuit3).

Key Points:

-A two-stage control point map. Players start above ground, on a mountain-side led excavation. They then journey down into a dig sit that opens up into a large catacomb system that houses Dracula’s tomb.

-Made in 2019 for Scream Fortress, an event that celebrates Halloween in Team Fortress 2.

-A Halloween themed map. Red team’s goal is to protect Dracula’s tomb at all costs, while the Blu team attempts to take over the tomb and ressurrect Dracula.

-Responsible for designing the layout and scripting Halloween specific gameplay elements.

Software used: Photoshop, Source Engine, Zbrush, 3DSmax, Substance Designer/Painter

PL_PRECIPICE is a payload map for the game Team Fortress 2

I acted as an Level Designer and Environment Artist, collaborating with (Tanookisuit3).

Key Points:

-Featured in TF2’s SCREAM FORTRESS 12 event in October of 2019

-A halloween themed map. The “payload” is a cauldron that randomly casts spells as the round progresses. These spells summon skeletons, create spell books and heal or damage players.

-Responsible for designing the layout and scripting halloween specific gameplay elements.

-Modeled and hand painted halloween themed props such.

Software used: Photoshop, Source Engine

DE_GRIND is a bomb defusal map set in a Namibian uranium mine.

I acted as an Level Designer and Environment Artist, collaborating with Konstantin “RZL” Loffler (Design) and Joshua "MaanMaan" Maan (Competitive play feedback).

Key Points:

-Designed as a extremely competitive map, Grind features a clean basic layout that focuses on tactical play and emphasizes player teamwork. Grind has been featured in pro leagues such as Mapcore and Faceit.

-Shipped with 100% self generated art content/assets.

-Responsible for creating and establishing a unique environment theme/locale that focused on clear sight-lines and clean/readable player pathing.

Software used: Photoshop, 3DS Max, DDO, NDO, Quixel Suite, Xnormal, Handplane Baker, Marvelous Designer, Zbrush

DE_STUDIO is a bomb defusal map set in a Hollywood film backlot.

I primarily acted as a mentor, working on light, color, and shape composition thruout the map. Assets I had made for previous maps were also reused.

Lastly I assisted in layout design and balance feedback.

Key Points:

-Assisted in art passing and detailing

-Shipped with 100% self generated art content/assets.

-Responsible for lighting, composition and vfx

Software used: Photoshop, 3DS Max, Substance Designer/Painter

DE_JUNCTION is a bomb defuse map that vertically scales a metro-substation and business plaza above it in the heart of Shanghai, China.

I acted as the primary level designer and primary env artist, collaborating with Brian "Hordeau" Pujals (layout feedback) and Jordan "holiestcow" Gentry (additional level designer).

Key Points:

-Designed a clean, multi-level minimalist space focusing on fast pace competitive play.

-Junction has been featured in top competitive leagues such as ESEA, Mapcore, and Faceit.

-Shipped with 100% self generated art content/assets.

Software used: Photoshop, 3DS Max, DDO, NDO, Quixel Suite, Xnormal, Handplane Baker, Marvelous Designer

DE_IMPORT is a bomb defuse map that takes place on a small shore cargo port in Japan.

I acted as designer and env artist, collaborating with Brian "Hordeau" Pujals (layout feedback), Josh "TerraCotta" Gudmunsen (Logos) and Jordan "holiestcow" Gentry (additional level designer).

Key Points:

-A competitive map that focuses on outdoor spaces, and longer sight-lines.

Software used: Photoshop, 3DS Max, DDO, NDO, Quixel Suite, Xnormal, Handplane Baker, Flowgen, World Machine

Bomb Defusal map for the very popular game Counter Strike: Global Offensive developed by Valve.

Black gold was the most played map in Valve's official Paid DLC: Operation Breakout

Key Points:

-Acted as sole Environment Artist

-Taking place on an offshore Oilrig, Blackgold was designed and intended for casual fast pace play, specifically deathmatch. Blackgold features a layout with sprawling vertcaility, married by tight CQC spaces and contrasting long sight-lines.

-Blackgold has been featured twice in “seasons” and rotated in official matchmaking. It has ranked as the most played casual map.

Software used: Photoshop, 3DS Max, DDO, NDO, Xnormal, Flowgen

BEACON is a highly stylized scifi, roguelike game on the Unity Engine, published by Microsoft, developed by Monothetic. Releases early 2017 on PC, XBOX ONE and PLAYSTATION 4.

Key Points:

-Acted as an Environment Artist, VFX and Technical Art Lead

-Responsible for establishing the technical look and unique visual aesthetic in-engine.

-Maintained and created many of our technical and artistic workflows to achieve the best results that would also perform well on console hardware.

-Helped in creating and designing modular art content that would piece together to create fully procedural generated levels.

-Created visual fx and particles systems for the entirety of the game. 

-Built shaders for character rendering, world rendering. and special effects like player driven statuses, post process, and UI.

-Also acted as Testing lead, took player feedback and organized that to be later implemented in the game

Haven is a scifi, narritive driven survival game on Unreal 4, published by Epic, developed by Monothetic. Release TBD.

Key Points:

-Acted as an Environment Artist and Technical Art Lead

-Direct sequel up to the very successful Half Life 2 mod: Black Snow

-Responsible for maintaining platform performance on PS4 and Xbox One

-Created high res art using modern PBR workflow. All of our art was intended to be interactive, allowing the player to get close and personal.

-Art driven from a VR mindset in terms of fidelity and definition.

-Designed gameplay and prototyped enemy combat mechanics

C17 Episode One is a Half Life 2 mod that takes place in the same universe. This was was both my first personal project, and my largest one. C17 EP1 sees the player taking up the mantle of a very pivotal Rebel Soldier during the uprising. My goal was to tell a story that could fit in the Half Life 2 universe, without overwriting any established valve lore or cannon. We set out to create unique characters and story events that could be seen as an expansion to Valve's Half Life 2 Episode One. Released in 2014.

Key Points:

-Acted as Lead designer. I also created and authored environment art, VFX, shaders, and animations.

-A single player experience with over 6 hours of content.

-Won multiple mod of the year awards.

During the summer of 2012 Valve hosted a contest in partnership with ThinkingWithPortals.com, the largest community site dedicated to creating custom Portal and Portal 2 Puzzles.

For this contest designers were challenged with creating either a single or co-op puzzle. While you could make both, you could only have one entry per each type.

Both of my entries, Infinifling (Single-Player) and Redirecting Redirection (co-op) came in first place.

Models and Textures created by other artists unless noted.

Between 2014-2016 I created VFX for over 20+ cosmetic items, a dozen of which have officially shipped in Dota 2. While I preferred FX authoring, I created concepts for a few cosmetic items and also acted as a texture artist on others using Photoshop to obtain a hand painted stylistic theme.