Welcome the aemuse

My name is Daniel Amend and I'm in the video games business since the early 1990's and worked on numerous projects ranging from small to quite big on various platforms and with different professions.
Therefore, in the archive section you'll find a detailed overview of all the games I've worked on split into a semiprofessional and professional category ranging from early 2D-work to current level- and game design. Each project will have a detailed rundown, background informations, my contribution of work as well as some pictures, movies or even some sounds and from time to time some trivia. So just take it as my portfolio.
You'll also find a curriculum vitae for a more compact reading.

Besides that this site also includes some of my work, concepts and game designs I'am doing on a private basis. So if you are interested in some neat stuff go to the projects section. If you like to know why I'am working on games even in my spare time, then take a look what it's all 'bout.

Due to heavy time constraints, the wanted section is currently empty. If you are interested in some of the concepts or anything else, still feel free to contact me of course.



News:
NOTE: If you see strange background colors in the navbar or the headers, then your browser does not support PNG files. Update, man!

02-12-2014 Sacred 3 is nearing it's completion. Yay!
But, even as there is still a lot of work to do, I had to leave the company due to business decisions and the lack of need for a lead level designer in the upcoming projects. That's a sad thing, mainly because I do not like to have some unfinished work left over and of course, I wanted the project concluded while still in the company. But still, I think this will be a great game and I hope it get's the success it deserves after such a long period of development. It was a hard piece of work, but totally worth it.

03-11-2012: Ok, there's been a long time no update. But I'am still here. Unfortunately I had a really terrible car accident and a lot of other things happened. ANNO 1404 - Venedig has been released since then and the completely new ANNO 2070, too. I'am happy to say, that both of the games are a big success! Hurray!!
On the other hand I've left Related Designs and the ANNO brand due to restructuring in the company as well as some growing dissensions about how to work and how people should be treated equally. Nothing big here, but to my opinion there had been some decissions I didn't like very much. Although, after 3 ANNO games it's time to move on.
Now I'am working for Keen Games in Frankfurt, which are famous for some brilliant games, like Tunnel B1 for the PSX, Legend of Kay for PS2, lot's of DS games and many more. Once again I'll be lead level designer for a unannounced action game for PS3, XBox 360 and maybe PC.

05-25-2009: PHEW!!! Finally ANNO 1404 or Dawn of Discovery, as it will be called in the US is finished! Hurray!!
This means, besides another AAA-Title in my track record, I'll have more time to waste on my hobby projects and this site. So, first off, I've updated the archive section with lots of pictures (text still to come). Second, I've finally managed to put in a java script for the pictures galleries. They look much better now, are more easy to browse and I can also add nice little captions of text to each pic. Hope, you like it.
On the other hand I'am really looking forward to work on the DS strategy game with James Larson again. So I hope, there will be some progress in this case in the future. Maybe we'll get a small running prototype of the game by the end of the year.

02-26-2009: I've started updating on the ZeroG site. ZeroG is a sci-fi racing game with some interesting game design concepts and a huge multiplayer part. More to come.
Still working of the DS strategy game. Hopefully there will be something playable around by summer.

01-21-2009: Still very busy with ANNO1404. But I've not been lazy. So here's a update on NEO Basudusho. You'll find a beauty shot of the Air Vent section of stage01 (which is almost finished, have to resize some textures). There's also the finished first midboss which is already textured and skinned (just have to do the room. And finally there's a fake ingame shot of the Air Vent section.
On the other hand I'am very busy with the NDS strategy game I'am working on together with James Larsen. There is some significant progress been made. We are now able to export the textured meshes into James engine and we managed to draw 56 foot soldier units incl. terrain in one frame (which is quite impressive, but necessary for a strategy game). We may be able to do even more objects on screen by using quads and tristrips. Of course everything is 3D and the foot soldier is completely animated. We've also set up a (private) wiki to handle all the design and communication for that project. Take a look at the other-section for some pics anyway.
More to come.

01-05-2009: Just a little update in the archives section for the games Eat My Dust and Einmal Hoelle und Zurueck. Don't worry, I'am still heavy at work on some of the projects, namely Neo Basudusho and the DS Strategy Game. More to come soon.

07-24-2008: Still very occupied by Ubisoft for ANNO 1404. Just uploaded 3 screens of a teststage for Eternal Circle because of some questions in a dev forum.

07-24-2008: Long time no updates. Sorry, but lots of work to do for my real job (Games Convention draws nearer). Nevertheless, I thought about a lot things! So, I changed my design approach for NEO Basudusho. It will be more game element and event driven, which will make it a more interesting and creative game. It will no longer be a simple shooter with simple graphics but rather a full blown action game with huge graphics and more action.

06-25-2008: First character of NEO Basudusho has a walkcycle. The first walkcycle I've ever done. Found a way to render the model without filtering, which looks far more like DS graphics. Take a look in the game design-section.

06-23-2008: Finished texture work on first player character for NEO Basudusho. Okay, some finetuning could be done...

06-20-2008: Added a first glimpse of the first player character for NEO Basudusho in the game design-section of the game. Also started to fill up the GUI and interface section of Eternal Circle. I added some pictures and concepts as well as design informations. More to come.

06-19-2008: Changed site structure in some areas (NEO Basudusho, Eternal Circle). Added a few example pics and anims for weapons for NEO Basudusho. Added some informations from the game design of Eternal Circle to the Magic-section.

06-13-2008: Started with the basis for the archive section. Some finetuning. More to come.

06-12-2008: Added some pics and concepts of further enemies for NEO Basudusho.

06-10-2008: Added some informations on game design, weapons, stages and other tiny things for NEO Basudusho. Added detailed informations in vitae.
Added my email adress in the wanted-section. So if you want to contact me, be my guest.

06-06-2008: Added some informations about Eternal Circle - The Blood Spirit. Added a few pics and anims for the characters and a detailed excel sheet about the enemies appearing in this strategy RPG. More to come.

06-04-2008: Added some enemies and animations for NEO Basudusho. More to come.

05-30-2008: Added some stuff in the wanted section. If you'd like to participate in a actiongame for the DS, you are my man. Added first game design information for the DS action game NEO Basudusho.

05-28-2008: Finally the site is up and running in a first, basic form. No content there, yet.