Ellie Tsamouli
World/Level Designer
EQUINOX : HOMECOMING
Blue Scarab Entertainment
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Early Access: May 2025
Equinox:Homecoming is an MMORPG centered around the player, their horse, and an open world to explore. It combines elements of cozy exploration with mystery and discovery.
I joined Equinox: Homecoming after its Early Access release, initially working on the low-level blockout of a new map. My focus was on defining points of interest and shaping minute-to-minute traversal flow. Later, I transitioned to a much larger map, where I was responsible for both the low level blockout and final polish phase.
I also designed, developed, and implemented a new gameplay feature that was closely tied to the game’s core systems. When the lead was on a leave, I took over maintenance and issue resolution for the main map, ensuring stability and consistency across any live updates. Toward the end of my time on the project, my responsibilities included navigational cleanup, complementary prop placement, and QA support.
As the game was live, one of the main challenges was ensuring all updates were production-ready on a tight schedule while avoiding disruptive changes to the existing content. Many of the areas I worked on were large and required extensive testing and validation before going live.
Tasks & Responsibilities
Level Design
-
Low and high level blockouts using landscaping, PCG and props
-
Defining points of interest and traversal flow
-
Polished levels to production-ready quality for live deployment
-
Navigational and performance cleanup
Gameplay Design
-
Designed and implemented a new feature
-
Intergrated and tested the feature across key traverasal routes
-
Created blockouts and placement passes to evaluate gameplay flow and reusability.
Art
-
Set dressed environments using props, foliage, and decals to support composition and gameplay readability
-
Supported optimization and cleanups
Genre: Murder Mystery, Exploration
Involvement: May 2025 - December 2025
Job Title: World/Level Design Trainee
Player Comments
“Definitely one of our favorite islands [Five Sisters Island] out of all the current islands out there so far. Whoever worked on that island design and idea — all applause to you!”
“Had a great time out at [Five Sisters Island] !”
“...not to mention the beautiful scenic rides... [Five Sisters Island] , [Sunset Lake] ”
“Had lots of fun at the [Five Sisters Island] !”
Reflection
Working on Equinox: Homecoming was my first experience designing for a live game, and it came with a high level of responsibility. Joining an already established world meant working within existing systems and player expectations, while ensuring all updates were stable and ready for release.
Because blockouts were already close to final quality, I had to learn the tools and workflows quickly and design environments with polish in mind from the start. In practice, this meant working across both level design and environment art, creating spaces that supported gameplay mechanics and player navigation while remaining visually consistent with the world. Navigational cleanup was also a recurring challenge, as issues needed to be resolved carefully to avoid introducing new navigation problems.
My experience in the project reinforced the importance of clear, visible communication in a live production environment, something I now actively prioritize when collaborating across disciplines.