Rui Silva
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ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Rui Silva
@ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
230 followers 650 following 220 posts
Game Designer. London-based.

Feel free to check out my portfolio: https://ruilsilva.wixsite.com/ruisilvagamedesign
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ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Now onto Halo 2. The difference in lighting is astounding! It definitely creates a stronger atmosphere while playing.

#gamedev #indiedev
A comparison between a door beimg burned through in Halo 2 and the Master Chief Collection edition. Screenshot from @Nick930 on YouTube. Comparing a covenant corvette in the two editions of Halo 2. The lighting creates a stronger glow on objects and sharper shadows. Credit to @Nick930 on YouTube.
December 15, 2025 at 1:50 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Managed to get to The National Gallery this weekend. Seeing so many different ways of creating art and the inspirations behind them felt eye opening.

#gamedev #indiedev #art
The Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo Da Vinci. The Bewitched Man, Francisco de Goya. The Woman taken in Adultery, Rembrandt. Venice: The Grand Canal with S. Simeone Piccolo, Canaletto.
December 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've since updated the UI so that at any time the player cannot shoot, either by being too close to a wall or in the middle of reloading, the bottom section of the reticle disappears. If they try to shoot, the remaining sections flash yellow.

#indiedev #gamedev #screenshotsaturday
December 13, 2025 at 11:08 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been studying physical constraints recently, which led to what you see below. I have compared how constraints can be utilised for different purposes, depending on their environment. Hope you find it interesting!

#indiedev #gamedev
Explaining what constraints are and what physical constraints can be defined as. Comparing the same constraint in real life vs a video game. How constraints can be mapped in different environments. How the focus of physical constraints in the real world vs in play can change.
December 12, 2025 at 10:43 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Spending some time fixing weapon clipping in the game. Your gun now gets pointed downwards when too close to an object, and if you try to shoot, the reticle flashes yellow. I need to iterate on it further, but happy with the progress so far!

#gamedev #indiedev
December 11, 2025 at 2:07 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
An updated look to a level. I found it too unnatural in shape and wanted it to feel like enemies were intentionally behind cover, rather than objects and enemies simply being strewn about the space.

#indiedev #gamedev
The original layout of the level. The updated layout, showing obstacles in different locations and walls being less uniform. Annotations describing the changes.
December 10, 2025 at 1:58 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been playing a lot of Halo: Combat Evolved through The Master Chief Collection recently. It's interesting to see how aspects have changed, such as how the lighting accentuates certain parts of the space whereas the original utilised darkness more.

#indiedev #gamedev #halo
A comparison of Halo: Combat Evolved and the Remastered version. Image taken from r/halo on reddit. Whether intentional or not, the games each have different ways of directing the player through the same space.
December 9, 2025 at 10:05 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Made some slight changes to the UI and start screen. While keeping inspiration from the file manager used in Jurassic Park, I've given it a lighter, softer display to match with the slight overexposure seen in the games' levels.

#indiedev #gamedev
The current start screen, with the settings screen open. The old, darker, start screen and settings screen. An image from Jurassic Park, showing a file management system. A look at the UI of the real file management system Jurassic Park took inspiration from.
December 8, 2025 at 5:52 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I think there's something to say about "real life" constraints too, such as using ropes in galleries vs covering a painting with a thin glass. I've even seen a museum use motion sensors that beep if someone is too close! All different ways of achieving a similar goal.

#gamedev #indiedev
Ropes in galleries restrict access to paintings, but are easy to overcome if someone wanted to. Glass protects paintings more than ropes, but arguably can have issues such as cost, space, and viewer experience.
December 7, 2025 at 12:16 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been designing a level where the player can manipulate almost every object in the space, giving them freedom to approach the level in any way they'd like. Some examples can be seen below, along with how the level looks to begin with.

#indiedev #gamedev #screenshotsaturday
How the level originally looks, before the player changes it to how they like. An scattering of objects, giving the player multiple angles to approch from. A central path which then offers the player if they want to go left or right first. A strict path, eventually allowing the player to flank enemies on the left side of the screen.
December 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been spending time this week trying to understand constraints in video games and how they have varying levels of restricting the player. Such as locks requiring a specific item and bosses that must be defeated. I'll have to make a post about it sometime soon.

#gamedev #indiedev
A page of notes relating to constraints in video games. A chain barring a door in Resident Evil 2 that requires a certain tool to progress. A boss in Hades which you must defeat before continuing through the map.
December 5, 2025 at 5:39 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been balancing out the difficulty of some levels. A level seen here set in a scrapyard was too overwhelming for being early in the game, so I've reduced it's length and slightly dropped the number of enemies.

#indiedev #gamedev
The length of the level before, with even more enemies in the distance. The length now, with the distant enemies removed. A top down view of many enemies in the centre and 4 more at the end of the space (to the left of the image) The enemies at the end of the space (left side of the image) have been removed, creating a simpler but still challenging experience.
December 3, 2025 at 9:43 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I'm trying to create a clear progression in the levels through shape. The player begins with narrow levels, helping them focus on what's vital, later experiencing wider spaces that give a stronger sense of choice in how you approach enemies.

#indiedev #gamedev #screenshotsaturday
The first level, showing a narrow corridor with everything important immediately in view. Level 2, where items are slightly more spaced out. An early level with more enemies across a greater distance. A later level with more interactable objects (in black) and enemies over a wide area.
November 29, 2025 at 10:24 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've since added a small bit more recoil and included an FOV shift whenever you shoot. I plan on making the recoil effect a little stronger, but I like how it's developing!

#indiedev #gamedev
November 26, 2025 at 5:48 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been fine tuning some recoil and a tiny amount of head bob while walking, what do you think?

#indiedev #gamedev #screenshotsaturday
November 22, 2025 at 12:44 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Here with another aspect of design. This one took a good while to grasp but I’m finally happy to post it. It discusses conceptual models and how people may create them with relation to both physical and virtual experiences.

#gamedev #indiedev
Introducing conceptual models. Concpeutal models with a bit more depth. A physical example of conceptual models. A virtual example of conceptual models.
November 19, 2025 at 11:57 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Managed to get to the "Secret Maps" exhibition at the British Library yesterday. It's great for understanding how different societies convey similar information and for what purposes.

#history #britishlibrary #gamedev
A map of Europe from the 16th century. An Inca Khipu from the 16th century. The Secret Book of Secrets from the 14th century, containing information on medicine, ethics and astrology.
November 12, 2025 at 11:29 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I'm always reminded by this image when thinking of video game water. It's amazing how much effort some games put into the water and water physics. I remember reading about how Rare achieved such a good look in Sea of Thieves. Stunning.
November 9, 2025 at 9:06 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been prototyping the introductory level of the game, trying to make it simple to understand but still giving the player enough autonomy to engage with the core aspect of arranging the level yourself.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
November 8, 2025 at 9:51 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
In the midst of designing the start screen, drawing from the Unix system seen in Jurassic Park. There's no inspiration too niche!

#indiedev #gamedev
My current start screen. The unix system seen in Jurassic Park (1993).
November 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
This week I’ve been experimenting a bit with the lighting of earlier levels and comparing them to how the most recently developed levels look. While I can still see room for improvement, I’m happy with the current iteration so far.

#gamedev #indiedev
One of the first levels developed. The enemies don't 'pop' as much as recent levels and the colours don't grab the player as much. The level now, where enemies are more visible. A recently developed level, showing vibrant colours and easy-to-see enemies.
November 2, 2025 at 3:27 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been reading about the three levels of mental processing, being visceral processing, emotional, and reflective. I’ve tried to break down each one below, complete with an example from Battlefield 6.

#gamedev
A slide describing visceral processing. How behavioural processing can affect the user and build expectations. Reflective processing and it's effect on the user's memory. An example of the three levels of processing seen in Battlefield 6.
October 30, 2025 at 12:06 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
My game and its inspirations.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
A screenshot of my game. SUPERHOT: An inspiration due to the cohesive colour scheme, which makes it easy to identify what object does what, such an enemy or a weapon. LEGO: The idea of LEGO was appealing as you can place different objects together to achieve your goal, which inspired me with the idea to enable the player to move objects, creating their own obstacles and paths. Star Wars: The design of the lasers inspired how I designed the gunshot lasers in my game.
October 25, 2025 at 8:34 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been comparing earlier iterations of the game recently. It’s shocking how impactful audio is when engaging with the game. The colours of movable objects have swapped from white to black to stop confusion between interactables and the white environment.

#indiedev #gamedev #screenshotsaturday
October 11, 2025 at 4:33 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been trying to draft a post on the three levels of emotional processing and how it relates to game design. It's going to be a task to try and fit it into 4 slides!

#gamedev #indeidev
A picture of a notebook, showing notes on the three levels of emotional processing.
October 6, 2025 at 4:54 PM