RICHARD PAU LEVEL DESIGNER
Professional Work
About
I am a Level Designer who believes that the best player experiences come from a seamless blend of mechanics and environment. Starting my career as an Environment Artist gave me a unique perspective on level design: I understand how to guide player flow not just through geometry, but through lighting, composition, and visual language.
Over the last decade at Crystal Dynamics, I have evolved from building assets to crafting complex gameplay systems. My passion lies in solving the "puzzle" of development, whether that is designing a challenging tomb encounter or mapping out rewarding traversal paths for the player.
I am particularly proud of my work mentoring junior developers and fostering environments where teams feel empowered to iterate on bold ideas. I thrive in cross-disciplinary teams where Art, Design, and Engineering intersect.
Key Skills:
- Action/Adventure Level Design
- Puzzle & Combat Encounter Design
- Visual Scripting & Prototyping
- Cross-disciplinary Collaboration
Resume/Contact Info
WORK EXPERIENCE
Level Designer II | Crystal Dynamics | [ Tomb Raider Catalyst ] 2022 – 2025
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Pipeline Optimization: Spearheaded the standardization of gameplay metrics and validation workflows, resulting in a 50% reduction in reported gameplay bugs and significantly reduced iteration time
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Level Production: Owned the end-to-end design for 20+ side tombs, successfully delivering 5 to Alpha quality prior to the first vertical slice production milestone
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System Design: Prototyped and scripted 30+ unique puzzle interacts/objects that provide puzzle variety and allow developers to dynamically scale puzzle difficulty
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Documentation: Authored comprehensive design documentation, including top-down flow maps and object behavior specs, to align Engineering, Art, and Animation teams on puzzle flow and dependencies
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Team Collaboration: Fostered a collaborative environment by establishing peer-review sessions that encouraged cross-disciplinary ownership and resource sharing
Level Designer I | Crystal Dynamics | [ Marvel’s Avengers / Shadow of the Tomb Raider ] 2016 – 2021
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Live Service Content: Designed multiplayer objectives and layouts for live-service updates, focusing on player retention and cooperative gameplay mechanics
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Combat Design: Prototyped early combat encounters to stress-test AI behaviors, identifying system limitations and defining best practices for the combat design team
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Technical Implementation: Collaborated with Engineering to implement and showcase new water physics technology within complex side-tomb puzzles
Environment Artist | Crystal Dynamics | [ Rise of the Tomb Raider / Lara Croft Temple of Osiris ] 2013 – 2016
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Modular Construction: Partnered with Level Design to create the "Kitesh" city modular kit, enabling the assembly of the entire game hub
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Future-Proofing: Established modular building techniques that became key technical pillars for future projects
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Level Composition: Expanded and improved the composition of 10+ reward rooms, including level layouts and set dressing
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Mentorship: Mentored several junior developers who eventually progressed to Senior roles leading their own teams
SKILLS & TOOLS
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Core Skills: Level Design, Visual Scripting, White boxing, Pacing, Encounter Design, Modular Kit Construction
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Software: Unreal Engine 5, Horizon 2, Maya, Perforce, Jira, Confluence, majority of Adobe multi-media
EDUCATION
The Art Institute of California Los Angeles 2011
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Bachelor of Science in Game Art & Design
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GPA - 3.4
AWARDS
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Outstanding Achievement in Game Art and Design