Hi! I'm William Dyce -
Portrait of William Dyce
Who?
I'm a video game designer based in Melbourne, Australia. My focus tends to be on economic and progression systems, and on non-player character behaviour, but I'm pretty versatile. I've been making video games since 2003, and have been a games industry professional since early 2013.
What?
I pitch novel interactive experiences and flesh out, analyse, discuss, iterate, tune, document and champion game systems. Thanks to my background as a programmer, I'm able to build simulations and prototypes to smoke-check designs before they are put into production. I've worked as a solo developer at times, but I've also hired, managed and collaborated with large, multi-disciplinary teams.
How?
I try to approach every challenge, be it technical or political, with curiosity, diligence and good humour. I'm very passionate about my work, and am always looking for ways to improve and to push the envelope.
Speaking engagements / Teaching
Speaker
Speaker
"It's dangerous to design games, take this!" (2021)
Speaker
"Entropic Game Design" (2019)
Guest Lecturer
Game AI (2018, 2019, 2020)
Gameplay Programming (2017)
Teaching Assistant / Tutor
Imperative Programming (2013, 2014)
Information Technology (2012)
Consulting
Amplitude Studios (2024)
Unannounced Title
Studio Imugi (2024)
"Bonaparte: A Mechanised Revolution" (PC)
Firesquid (2023)
"Great Houses of Calderia" (PC)
Studio work
Twice Different (2024)
Technical Content Designer
"Winnie's Hole" (PC)
League of Geeks (2022-2024)
Senior Technical Designer
"Solium Infernum - Belphegor, Paragon of Impiety" (PC)
"Solium Infernum" (PC)
Amplitude Studios (2015-2023)
Lead Game Designer
"Humankind" (PC)
Game Designer
"Endless Space - Galactic Statecraft" (PC)
"Endless Space 2" (PC)
"Endless Legend - Tempest" (PC)
"Endless Legend - Shifters" (PC)
"Endless Legend - Forges of Creation" (PC)
"Endless Legend - Shadows" (PC)
Le Cortex (2014-2015)
Gameplay Programmer
"Les Delices de Nina" (Android/iOS)
"Los 40 Principales Karaoke Party" (PS3/Wii)
"La Voz Volume 2" (PS3/Wii)
NaturalPad (2013-2014)
Gameplay Programmer
"Hammer and Planks" (PC)
Tools and technologies
I've designed and implemented video games using a variety of multimedia libraries, engines and programming languages, and am always interested in learning new tools and techniques. At the time of writing, I'm particularly comfortable using the following:
Unity 3D (C#)
Love 2D (Lua)
Git
Excel
PowerPoint
Confluence
Jira
GIMP
Bibliography
Every project, client and team is different, and requires a different approach. I thus pick and choose elements of methodology from a variety of sources as needed. To give you some idea of how I work, here are a few of my favourite design books:
The Aesthetic of Play - Brian Upton
The Art Of Game Design - Jesse Schell
The Gamer's Brain - Celia Hodent
A Theory of Fun - Raph Koster
Procedural Storytelling in Game Design - Tanya Short
Game Feel - Steve Swink
Thinking in Systems - Donella Meadows
Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud
Don't make me think - Steve Krug
Looking to collaborate on something?
You can reach me using the following links: