Game Developer / Author

Elawn Mc Donald

A guy with a million ideas a day, but only two hands. I build games and write stories. Curious?

Astral Pursuit

Risk of Rain, Warframe, and Vampire Survivors Inspired High Intensity Roguelite

  • Designed a flexible dynamic stat system handling thousands of simultaneous buffs, each with independent timing and behavior.

  • Built a fully customizable skill system from scratch, supporting mid-execution value changes and cross-skill interaction.

  • Includes safe map transitions, memory management, save data integration, and unlockable content.

Ball is Life

Funny and Challenging Visual Novel and Platformer In a World of Balls

  • Modular visual novel system with text logs, auto-progression, sprite movement, and custom settings.

  • 3D platforming with aerial movement, timers, stage records, and multiple map biomes.

  • Integrated external scripts into in-game data tables to deliver a concise, downright silly story.

Werehouse

Overcooked Meets COD Zombies in an Amazon Warehouse

  • Seamless netcode taking players from server search through lobby, gameplay, and back.

  • Synchronized physics, enemy AI, and player goals while separating server-side and client-side logic.

  • Third-person gameplay featuring guns and melee weapons with matching holding animations and offsets.

Unreal
Engine

Blueprint & C++

I've spent half a decade with the behemoth of an engine, building everything a game needs to function: AI behavior trees, physics-driven interactions, UI/UX design, networking, combat and shop systems, procedural generation. If I can dream it, I can build it.

Steamworks Integration

SDK & Launch Pipeline

Published multiple fully-fledged games on Steam — complete with demos, store pages, wishlist campaigns, and marketing content. I've handled the entire pipeline solo, from an idea scratched on paper, through prototyping, development, testing, and back through development again, all the way to the Steam page.

Story and Writing

Lore, Dialogue, & Storyboard

Over 20 years of experience writing stories for books, games, and media. Capable of putting together large worlds in days, complex character dynamics in hours, and lore for absolutely anything in minutes (even for a basketball).

Always Creating

As you're reading this I'm probably knee deep in another project. If you're interested in my work, or perhaps wanna squeeze my brain for your own benefit, I'm open to conversation and always swiftly reply.