Games
Young Suns
A multiplayer narrative-rich life sim set in the orbit of post-revolutionary Jupiter. Explore, salvage, decorate, and make friends.
Microfiction Writer
- Designed playable prequel experience for Discord.
- Wrote bot in Python with Discord.py.
- World, scenario, character, & dialogue writing.
- Developed setting & scenario from existing world bible.
- Closely matched style, theme, & tone of main game.
- Close collaboration with Marketing.
Hope in the City
A non-linear narrative mystery game. 17-year-old Hope Song must use her artist's eye to investigate the disappearance of her parents.
Game & Narrative Designer
- Prototype systems & narrative design.
- Level design & in-engine scene implementation.
- Deduction and puzzle mechanics.
- Worked with art team to develop visual style through camera design.
- Programmed multiple aspects of GDC pitch demo in C#.
Sky of Tides
Narrative adventure game in a rich sci-fi setting. Help Rin D'Lorah find her missing father, and uncover ancient mysteries in the process.
Game & Narrative Designer
- Implemented narrative content.
- Restructured scenes to improve flow.
- Wrote dialogue to fill gaps in script.
- Provided notes for localization.
- Thoroughly tested all narrative branching & character interaction.
- Kitbashed models into new improvised assets.
Goodbye Volcano High
2023 Tribeca Games Award-winning cinematic narrative game. How will the graduating class of Volcano High face the end of the world?
Content & Audio Integrator
- Implemented cutscenes from storyboards & provided assets.
- Adjusted timing, framing, & other elements to enhance storytelling.
- Implemented & timed all audio.
- Used Unity Timeline to develop bespoke effects.
- Narrative testing & bug fixes.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
In this critically-acclaimed simulation game, salvage decommissioned spaceships for the exploitative Lynx Corporation.
Console Port QA
- Provided bug testing & QA for console port.
- Tested performance to optimize for PS5, Series X, & Series S.
Who Hacked?
An immersive educational experience created to offer professionals continuing education in cybersecurity. Shut down in April 2024.
Game Designer
- Came on to project as new design leadership mid-production.
- Rescoped and redesigned game, leading to a successful launch.
- Shepherded new design through approval by top stakeholders at Microsoft.
- Coordinated & mediated discussion between three corporate parties.
Dr. Neb
Developed for the American College of Chest Physicians in order to teach the benefits of nebulized medicine for patients with COPD.
QA & Asset Implementation
- Created & implemented animated assets using in-house tools.
- Tested & debugged game state flow.
- Worked with engineering to provide feedback on and improve in-house tools.
NDA Project
Anemone Hug Interactive
An original science fiction IP with action and puzzle elements. This project was presumably canceled when AHI closed its doors in 2023.
Game & Narrative Designer
- Writing including lore entries, worldbuilding, and more.
- Creation of dev-facing timeline and world bible.
- Action-oriented enemy, boss, and player ability design.
- UI & UX design and development.
Tools
Engines & Languages
- Unity, Unreal Engine
- C#, Python
- CSS, HTML
- Blueprints & Unity Visual Scripting
- Unity Timeline
Narrative
& Writing
- Ink, Twine
- Google Sheets & MS Excel
- Google Docs, MS Word
Prototyping
& Visual Art
- Figma, Miro, Sketch
- Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Procreate
- Illustrator, InDesign
- Premiere, AfterEffects
- SketchUp
Project Management
- GitHub, Sourcetree, Fork, Plastic/UVC
- Notion, Jira, Confluence, Monday
Partial or Learning
- Articy, Yarnspinner
- Javascript, C++
- Aseprite, Blender, Crocotile3D
Skills
Narrative
- Focus in SFF; especially Urban, Weird, or Science Fantasy.
- Comfortable with comedic elements and undertones.
- Matching style, tone, themes, & other facets of existing IP.
- Original worldbuilding, character, & story development.
- High-level story & character outlines, branching narratives, scripts & dialogue, item descriptions, incidental lore, & more.
Design
- Developing design from paper prototype to implementation.
- Proficiency with spreadsheets.
- Character, Camera, & Control.
- Enemy movement, behavior & abilities, boss design.
- Systems design.
Tech
- Rapidly adapt to new tools, tech, systems, & workflows.
- In-engine mockups & playable prototypes.
- Systems, asset, actor, & code implementation.
Soft Skills
- Critical thinking. problem solving, & curiosity.
- Inter- & intra-disciplinary teamwork & collaboration.
- Public speaking, client management, & communications.
- Offering, receiving, & implementing feedback.
- Mediation, diplomacy, & conflict resolution.
- Friendly, self-aware, & enthusiastic.
About
Ryan McDiarmid
He/Him
Ryan is a multidisciplinary writer, game designer, and artist. He is based out of Vancouver, Canada, where he shares a home with his wife, cartoonist and storyboard artist Caitlin Rose Boyle, and two black cats answering to Leap and Burly.
He has worked in the games industry since 2019, including on titles from KO_OP, Blackbird Interactive, and Lofty Sky Entertainment, among others.
Prior to his life in games Ryan had brief careers as an illustrator and cartoonist, and as a graphic designer. He was educated at the University of British Columbia and Capilano University, from which he received degrees in English Literature and Illustration respectively.
For inquiries, including rates and availability, Ryan can be contacted via email.