Matthias Worch
@mworch.bsky.social
I’ve been making games for over 25 years. Design Director @ Epic. (LEGO Fortnite, Matrix Awakens, Lumen In The Land Of Nanite, Mandalorian.) Opinions are my own.
You can find my GDC talks at http://www.worch.com.
You can find my GDC talks at http://www.worch.com.
“Environmental Storyyelling”: environmental storytelling that really hits you over the head.
August 25, 2025 at 3:29 PM
“Environmental Storyyelling”: environmental storytelling that really hits you over the head.
I grew up on these streets
August 1, 2025 at 4:35 AM
I grew up on these streets
Reposted by Matthias Worch
🧵of my level / game design videos, talks etc:
Every game designer should understand Orthogonal Design:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5s...
Dishonored 2 LD critiques Dishonored 1 level:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQD...
Why Speed Level Design videos are so misleading:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcCF...
Every game designer should understand Orthogonal Design:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5s...
Dishonored 2 LD critiques Dishonored 1 level:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQD...
Why Speed Level Design videos are so misleading:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcCF...
May 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM
🧵of my level / game design videos, talks etc:
Every game designer should understand Orthogonal Design:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5s...
Dishonored 2 LD critiques Dishonored 1 level:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQD...
Why Speed Level Design videos are so misleading:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcCF...
Every game designer should understand Orthogonal Design:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5s...
Dishonored 2 LD critiques Dishonored 1 level:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQD...
Why Speed Level Design videos are so misleading:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcCF...
Indy’s Vatican hub was extensive, almost overwhelmingly so. Love the sense of place and the flow between the attached story quests. Some ancient contraptions are out there for Indy standards, but I’m going with it. The airship is “another airship” of course (Last Crusade). But it’s also very Indy :)
May 21, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Indy’s Vatican hub was extensive, almost overwhelmingly so. Love the sense of place and the flow between the attached story quests. Some ancient contraptions are out there for Indy standards, but I’m going with it. The airship is “another airship” of course (Last Crusade). But it’s also very Indy :)
Indiana Jones is the Thief game I didn’t expect to see in my lifetime. I’m late to the party, I guess. But it’s been 11 years since the last Thief game, too 🙂
May 17, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Indiana Jones is the Thief game I didn’t expect to see in my lifetime. I’m late to the party, I guess. But it’s been 11 years since the last Thief game, too 🙂
I‘m officially hooked on the Oblivion Remaster. I’ve known that feeling from Morrowind and Skyrim (and Fallout 3), of course. But it’s nice to fill that gap in my gaming history. Gameplay and compulsion loops hold up rather well.
April 28, 2025 at 6:38 AM
I‘m officially hooked on the Oblivion Remaster. I’ve known that feeling from Morrowind and Skyrim (and Fallout 3), of course. But it’s nice to fill that gap in my gaming history. Gameplay and compulsion loops hold up rather well.
Savegames and AI awareness in Oblivion are maddeningly inconsistent. Save while standing behind an unaware enemy (ready to backstab), reload… half the time, that enemy will be aware of you now. I think it’s because AI is making a pathing decision on reload, and half the time they decide to patrol.
April 27, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Savegames and AI awareness in Oblivion are maddeningly inconsistent. Save while standing behind an unaware enemy (ready to backstab), reload… half the time, that enemy will be aware of you now. I think it’s because AI is making a pathing decision on reload, and half the time they decide to patrol.
Generally the Oblivion remaster looks good; texture streaming and Nanite see to that. But the game world retains a constructed quality because it’s full of areas like this: when stairs don’t follow the golden ratio, environments feel artificial. No human would put up with this.
April 27, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Generally the Oblivion remaster looks good; texture streaming and Nanite see to that. But the game world retains a constructed quality because it’s full of areas like this: when stairs don’t follow the golden ratio, environments feel artificial. No human would put up with this.
That’s an unfortunate look.
April 27, 2025 at 2:14 AM
That’s an unfortunate look.
Behold my goblin slaying skillz!
April 27, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Behold my goblin slaying skillz!
Reposted by Matthias Worch
April 25, 2025 at 9:48 PM
So many feels playing the Oblivion Remaster, both good and ambivalent. I bounced off Oblivion rather quickly (compared to the insane hours I poured into Morrowind, Skyrim, Fallout 3), but I still played 10+ hours of it back in the day.
April 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
So many feels playing the Oblivion Remaster, both good and ambivalent. I bounced off Oblivion rather quickly (compared to the insane hours I poured into Morrowind, Skyrim, Fallout 3), but I still played 10+ hours of it back in the day.
Considering playing the Oblivion remake. I never got much into the original, so this might be a good time.
I played Arena a ton back in the day. Tried to get into Daggerfall, but it never quite clicked. Played the hell out of Morrowind, but when Oblivion arrived, it felt like more of the same.
I played Arena a ton back in the day. Tried to get into Daggerfall, but it never quite clicked. Played the hell out of Morrowind, but when Oblivion arrived, it felt like more of the same.
April 23, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Considering playing the Oblivion remake. I never got much into the original, so this might be a good time.
I played Arena a ton back in the day. Tried to get into Daggerfall, but it never quite clicked. Played the hell out of Morrowind, but when Oblivion arrived, it felt like more of the same.
I played Arena a ton back in the day. Tried to get into Daggerfall, but it never quite clicked. Played the hell out of Morrowind, but when Oblivion arrived, it felt like more of the same.
GDC completely sneaked up on me this year. Didn’t realize it was “that week” until people started posting about it on Monday. Will I make it to the city? Hopefully, but not sure 😅
March 18, 2025 at 8:27 PM
GDC completely sneaked up on me this year. Didn’t realize it was “that week” until people started posting about it on Monday. Will I make it to the city? Hopefully, but not sure 😅
This is a very cool book on the history of computer RPGs, and you can download the entire book as a PDF before you buy a printed copy: www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/the...
The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Expanded Edition)
The CRPG Book reviews over 450 defining Computer Role-Playing Games from 1975 to 2019 across 684 pages, such as Ultima, Wizardry and underrated genre treasures alike.
www.bitmapbooks.co.uk
March 2, 2025 at 4:50 PM
This is a very cool book on the history of computer RPGs, and you can download the entire book as a PDF before you buy a printed copy: www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/the...
Reposted by Matthias Worch
Me: I'm tired of feeling shitty. I'm willing to do anything to just feel better and more healthy.
Brain: You should drink less, sleep more, get some exercise and eat less crap.
Me: IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS, I'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM.
Brain: You should drink less, sleep more, get some exercise and eat less crap.
Me: IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS, I'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM.
February 21, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Me: I'm tired of feeling shitty. I'm willing to do anything to just feel better and more healthy.
Brain: You should drink less, sleep more, get some exercise and eat less crap.
Me: IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS, I'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM.
Brain: You should drink less, sleep more, get some exercise and eat less crap.
Me: IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS, I'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM.
This is Blackberry. Most of the time she’s curled up somewhere. But occasionally, she’s going full-on cliché Widow like this morning.
February 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
This is Blackberry. Most of the time she’s curled up somewhere. But occasionally, she’s going full-on cliché Widow like this morning.
Watching all these computer backdrops of New Orleans makes me want to recreated Mafia 3 in Unreal Engine.
February 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Watching all these computer backdrops of New Orleans makes me want to recreated Mafia 3 in Unreal Engine.
Sounds like the industry is already fully compliant.
⭐Executive Order⭐
All video games must add an escort level. The escorted NPC will move faster than your walking speed but slower than your running speed, so you're always either falling behind or sprinting past them. They will get stuck on furniture and say "Hurry up slowpoke!" while standing still
All video games must add an escort level. The escorted NPC will move faster than your walking speed but slower than your running speed, so you're always either falling behind or sprinting past them. They will get stuck on furniture and say "Hurry up slowpoke!" while standing still
February 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Sounds like the industry is already fully compliant.
Started replaying Mafia 3 on PS5 last night. Character and camera controls felt sluggish and weird to to me, which is weird *because I was responsible for determining all those settings 9 years ago!*
Controlling the game is starting to feel like a warm blanket again, but habituation is real.
Controlling the game is starting to feel like a warm blanket again, but habituation is real.
January 31, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Started replaying Mafia 3 on PS5 last night. Character and camera controls felt sluggish and weird to to me, which is weird *because I was responsible for determining all those settings 9 years ago!*
Controlling the game is starting to feel like a warm blanket again, but habituation is real.
Controlling the game is starting to feel like a warm blanket again, but habituation is real.
Reposted by Matthias Worch
The Axis Unseen is on sale for its biggest discount yet. It’s 25% off! 🔥
I have patched it a lot since release to fix, balance and add things and reviews have climbed up and up. It’s 100% positive in the past 30 days!🤘
I have patched it a lot since release to fix, balance and add things and reviews have climbed up and up. It’s 100% positive in the past 30 days!🤘
January 30, 2025 at 1:58 AM
The Axis Unseen is on sale for its biggest discount yet. It’s 25% off! 🔥
I have patched it a lot since release to fix, balance and add things and reviews have climbed up and up. It’s 100% positive in the past 30 days!🤘
I have patched it a lot since release to fix, balance and add things and reviews have climbed up and up. It’s 100% positive in the past 30 days!🤘
Also: the Mulmaster Beholder Corps! dragilefant.com/2021/01/07/t...
January 29, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Also: the Mulmaster Beholder Corps! dragilefant.com/2021/01/07/t...
Sometimes you gotta go back.
January 27, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Sometimes you gotta go back.
