Erick Wujcik

U.S. Citizen, currently residing in Shanghai, China

Imaginative, productive, team-oriented game designer, known for cutting-edge original concepts and ideas, as well as for adapting licensed products. Adept at building project and team consensus with executive, technical and artistic personnel.

• Studio Manager. Organized, inspirational, growth-oriented studio manager, Experienced with international cross-cultural production groups
• Creative Director. Imaginative, innovative, natural team-leader as creative director or lead game designer
• Game Designer. FPS, RPG, RTS, Combat, Military, Action-Adventure & MMO Games
• Writer. Professional author, freelance writer & contractor
• Researcher. Historical, technical & scientific
• Speaker. Conference, seminar, workshop, inspirational & classroom

Game Design Studio Manager

Reported to C.O.O. and Vice President of Production, and kept in continuous contact with all Producers and Studio Managers, as well as administrative personnel and game designers on all levels. Responsible for building the Shanghai Studio's game design staff from 5 to 27, while the overall studio numbers increased from under 250 to over 600.

• Creative Oversight. Worked directly with the entire game design staff, including Creative Directors, Lead Game Designers, Game Writers, Game Designers and an entirely new staff of locally recruited Junior Game Designers.
• Titles. Managed game design on as many as five production teams simultaneously, including Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (PS2), Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PS2), Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Xbox360), Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox and PS2), Nightmare Creatures 3 (concept for Xbox360), MMO (not yet announced) and an Original Tom Clancy Product (Xbox360 scheduled for announcement at 2006 e3).
• Game Design Studio Management. Coordinated staff and procedures for all game design, game designers, and game writers, in Shanghai, including personnel placement and evaluation.
• Junior Game Designers. Created a training program for local Chinese staff, along with a mentorship program, allowing local hires to take the professional game design positions, contributing to production, and resulting in higher productivity and substantial savings.
• Recruiting. Recruited top-notch talent internationally and locally. Visited and spoke at a range of Chinese universities and art colleges in Shanghai, Xian, Nanjing, Chongqing and Beijing.
• Training & Teaching. Courses in Creativity and Game Design, both as individual seminars and ten-session classes. Wrote articles on creativity published through Ubisoft worldwide.

Senior Game Designer

Worked to originate concepts, develop business plans, and assist in administration while designing and producing two original role-playing game books.

• Concept Author and Lead Designer. Published Rifts China One: Hells of the Yama Kings and Rifts China Two: Heroes of the Celestial Court.
• Research. Ranging from medieval fantasy to contemporary culture.

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Game Design

Taught classes in game design, creativity, project management, and design presentation, as well as a series of seminars and workshops on the games industry. Organization of professional events, including the Digital Entertainment Conference of the Hong Kong Information Infrastructure Expo. Worked with students as Supervisor on eight (8) Graduate Final Projects, including the following completed games:

• Soccer Ref. A combination of Alan Li's game design, Wai Wai Lim's programming, and Bryan Fong's art direction, using Touchdown's Jupiter Development System, created a completely original action sports game, where the player experiences the difficult decisions required of a referee, all in a humorous vein. Winner: "Best Computer/TV Entertainment Software," 2nd Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Excellence Awards.
• Ancient Gears. Vivian Luke's original adventure game, which included completion of the design document, art bible, a text-based demo (in Adrift Runner), and a fully interactive sample level implemented in 3D Game Studio from Conitec Datensysteme GmbH.
• Bee's Quest. Clement Lui's original graphic RTS game, based on the Auran Jet 3D development engine), incorporating a detailed simulation of a beehive; SimBee, and a novel simulation of combat; FightSim, as well as team development of cinematics, models and animations.
• Endless Glory. Using Touchdown's LithTech Development System, Chester Chan & Ross Kei created an on-screen pattern recognition system allowing for player gameplay involving 'drawing' magical lines on the virtual ground of the 3D environment.
• Shadow of the Moon. Samuel Siu's original GameBoy Advance (GBAgame, including a working level with at least 40 minutes of exploration and combat, where the creation of art resources were coordinated with a small team of undergraduate design students.

Virtual References:
Multimedia Innovation Centre
Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Game Designer

Alter Echo, scheduled for released a September release for PS2 and X-Box, previewed at the 2002 e3, where it was named by IGN as "Most Innovative Game Design." Previously game designer for Rubu Tribe, previewed at the 2001 e3 by Interplay.

• Writer & Game Designer. Co-creator of the original story, characters and dialogue for Alter Echo based on both art and technical requirements. Also created story, character and level concepts and documents for Rubu Tribe.
• Level Break-Down Designer. Created original and revised level documents while being responsible for changing game length requirements, adjusting overall story and level break-downs.
• Technical Document Writer. Created a variety of milestone document covering gameplay and technical issues, including detailed descriptions of special effects, game contents and dialogue.
• Scripter. Using Maya and Outrage's in-house visual scripting system placed and adjusted objects in levels, set a variety of programmed triggers and generally programmed events to respond dynamically to player actions, most recently on one of the four levels for the 2002 e3 demo for display by THQ.
• Intraweb Document Creator. Worked with in-house web developer to create an on-line, interactive, master design document for Rubu Tribe.
• Mentor. Responsible for interacting and coordinating training and assignments for all High School and College interns, from their initial interviews, through volunteer/classroom oriented terms, and eventually as paid employees.

Virtual References:
Outrage Games; THQ
Alter Echo Website
My Outrage Entertainment Profile from 2002
Alter Echo Overview
Rubu Tribe Overview

Lead Game Designer

Delivered, under intense deadline pressure, the game and story mechanics for the computer role-playing game, Return to Krondor, based on the best-selling Riftwar novels by Raymond E. Feist. Created story line continuation based on the graphics, audio, interface and artificial intelligence technical specifications for a Year 2001 high-end Windows game.

• Writer & Game Designer. Responsible for writing and designing the sequel to Return to Krondor, with a mandate to create the most advanced computer role-playing game ever. Research included in-depth knowledge of the source books, and over forty hours of face-to-face consultation with the author. Created a game script designed to accommodate eight different classes of player-generated characters, with a novel-sized back-story, and a non-sequential interactive route of gameplay providing a minimum of 100 hours of intense solitaire play, as well as a novel new multi-player mode. Generated a hierarchical structure of current and historical characters and artifacts, along with a unique system of generating different opponents, based on the player's progress and situation.
• Character & Artifact Designer. Completed the database for Return to Krondor, with all game elements, characters, magical spells and effects, artifacts and areas, generating hundreds of intriguing new story elements. Added ambiguity and intrigue by twisting the names and descriptions, breaking away from the usual computer game conventions, and inserted added role-play flavor.
• Role-Playing System Design. Introduced gameplayenriching randomness into game levels, characters attributes and possessions, containers, and objects of all kinds. Created event resolution systems for both turn-based and real-time combat.
• Game Balance Consultant. Created range of player options, including balancing advancement tables and rewards with the game contents. Repeatedly tuned and adjusted the combat system according to the evolving developments in play-testing and QA. Built formulas and algorithms for the player-machine interface, including systems that provided a random generation alternative to skilled mouse control.
• Author & Editor. Sole author and editor of the user manual, as well as main contact and advisor for Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Reviewed and edited all dialogue, descriptions and other in-game text for consistency, content, and accuracy.

Virtual References:
Sierra Entertainment - Return to Krondor™
Game Over Review of Return to Krondor™
Elder Scroll Review of Return to Krondor™
Return to Krondor Overview

President

Built an independent role-playing game publishing company with a license from Roger Zelazny for the Amber literary property, and based on entirely new diceless role-playing game design. Update: Currently negotiating the sale of the Amber Diceless to Guardians of Order.

• Book Writer & Publisher. Created entertainment market role-playing books and supplemental material in 8.5" by 11" trade paperback format, selling over 30,000 copies through international distribution channels. Solely responsible for production design, art direction, typography, layout and coordination with large commercial printers.
• Periodical Editor & Publisher. Founded Amberzine, a literary magazine in 6" by 9" trade paperback format, featuring a range of literary, critical and artistic work, including the work of Roger Zelazny, Ray Bradbury, Henry Kuttner and Jane Lindskold.
• International Licensor. Negotiated with foreign publishers, such as Jeux Descartes in France, to publish foreign language versions of the product.

Virtual References:
Phage Press, Publisher of Amber Diceless Role-Playing™

Contract Employee

• Internet Implementation Manager. Coordinated the construction of a large-scale website, designed to showcase exhibits and educational programs for the Curator of Education at the Detroit Historical Museum, and a contract team at Internet Operations Center.
• Project Manager for Glimpses of Michigan's Past. Designed a series of ten color posters, along with a teacher's guide. Selected topics, stories, photographs, drawings and paintings; providing captions and background narrative for all ten poster subjects; as well as resource and usage guidelines for instructors. Completed another set of nine posters based on the exhibits dedicated to Detroit's Tricentennial in 2001. Currently working on a set of five posters for the Dossin Maritime Museum.

Virtual References:
Detroit Historical Museum

Freelance Writer & Game Designer

• Role-Playing Game System Designer. Creator and writer of several role-laying game systems, including the recently-released, After the Bomb Role-Playing Game (a revision of my hit game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness, which sold 175,000 copies), Revised RECON (Vietnam-era combat), and Ninjas & Superspies.
• Series Story Author. Creator & writer of a wide range of role-playing source books ranging from medieval fantasy to contemporary cultures to science fiction. Prominent titles include Mutants Down Under, Mystic China, and The Palladium Book of Dragons & Gods.
• Most Recent Publications: Wolfen Empire, February, 2003, Rifts China One: Hells of the Yama Kings, scheduled for release in February, 2004, and currently writing Rifts China Two: Heroes of the Celestial Court.
• Electronic Game Licensing. Assisted in the licensing and contracting of Palladium Books' Rifts IP (currently optioned by Disney for a major motion picture), of the mobile game rights to Nokia, as well as helping with the licensing of the console, MMO and other electronic game rights.

Virtual References:
Palladium Books

Computer Columnist

Wrote the weekly Computer Column covering the latest developments in hardware and software, as well as the theory and philosophy of computer science. Media correspondent to events ranging from computer trade shows (such as COMDEX) to President Ronald Reagan's White House Conference on Computers. My "Introduction to Basic," a primer on computer programming was initially serialized, then published in book form.