PATRICK MURPHY Level Designer

Professional experience

Level Designer - Freelance

JULY 2019 - PRESENT

As a freelance designer, I have worked as an advisor on the pre-production of PAYDAY 3, shipped the CS:GO level Breach (including updates and an upcoming overhaul) and developed and released the tabletop wargame RENEGADES as a hobby project (including a physical product).

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Level Designer - DICE

JANUARY 2017 - JUNE 2019

At DICE, I worked on multiplayer levels for Battlefield V and Battlefront 2. On Battlefield V, I had the design responsibility for the Fjell 652 level, taking it from the concept stage to release. Additionally, I designed the airborne mode on the level Rotterdam and, after launch, I contributed to the Firestorm battle royale game mode. For Battlefront 2, I joined the team after the concept and early prototype phase of the Starkiller Base level and was tasked with taking over responsibility for the level by creating a redone, high quality blockout and seeing it through production until release. I also contributed to the layout of the Yavin IV level and implemented alternate game modes on Starkiller Base.

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Level Designer - Starbreeze Studios

MARCH 2013 - NOVEMBER 2016

Working as a level designer at Starbreeze, I was responsible for designing and scripting coop levels for PAYDAY 2. This work began in the middle of production, and I only spent a few months on the base game, being responsible for a handful of smaller levels. However, the base game was just the beginning of a very long and popular live service - the post-launch content of PAYDAY 2 severely dwarfs the initial content. I helped ship more than a dozen levels over the years, mostly as the sole or primary level designer. The levels are incredibly varied in theme, layout and objectives as experimentation and surprising our player base was strongly encouraged. During this time, I also helped to onboard newer members of the team, helping them tackle the PAYDAY 2 formula and ship their levels. Similarly, I helped establish best practices, systems (like the objective system used by virtually all levels since) and new level design mechanics. I was a champion of pursuing radically replayable levels, a topic which I have written about here.

 

CS:GO Level Contributor - Valve

Before joining the industry, I worked on the Counter Strike Global Offensive level 'Agency'. I spent many months playtesting and refining the layout. The level was quickly picked up by Valve for inclusion in an operation (a live service season). The map became a fan favourite and would return in 3 later seasons, until being added to the game's permanent map pool (as of writing June 1st 2022, still is). In addition, I designed the more competitive-oriented 'Breach' level, which was also part of the game's map pool in 2019 and 2020 and was played on-stage during an Intel Extreme Masters Beijing showmatch. 

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