Iikka Keränen
Encyclopedia
Ilkka Keränen, a native of Finland
, lives in Seattle, Washington
with his wife Rose and two cats. He is a level designer at Valve Software. He also co-founded Digital Eel
, an independent video game development group, in 2001. His range of professional skills include illustration, 2D game art, 3D modeling, programming and game design
.
In his teens, Keränen programmed freeware games for the Commodore Amiga. Later he created the popular Quake
mod Airquake, as well as over a hundred free add-on levels for the Doom and Quake series of first-person shooter
s. He was named the top Doom level maker of all time by Doomworld
in 1998, described as "one of a few pioneer level designers that created the new bottom line for playability and design in Doom levels, as well as helping to develop some of the special FX that many level authors now take for granted".http://5years.doomworld.com/topten/winners/iikkakernanen/
In recent years he has created 3D architecture, textures and models for many well known computer games including Daikatana
, Anachronox
, Thief II: The Metal Age
, American McGee's Alice
and Valve Software's Counter-Strike
, Half-Life 2
, Day of Defeat
and Team Fortress 2
. In December 2005, Iikka completed "Argentan", a map for the multiplayer game
Day of Defeat: Source
.
His Digital Eel credits include design, programming and art. He co-designed all Digital Eel games to date (Plasmaworm, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space
, Dr. Blob's Organism, Digital Eel's Big Box of Blox, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
, Eat Electric Death!, Soup du Jour, Goblin Slayer and Brainpipe
) with Rich Carlson.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, lives in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
with his wife Rose and two cats. He is a level designer at Valve Software. He also co-founded Digital Eel
Digital Eel
Digital Eel is a self-funded independent video game development team located in the Seattle, Washington area. The group was formed in 2001 by Rich Carlson , Iikka Keränen and Bill "Phosphorus" Sears .-Developers:*Rich Carlson - design, sound, music and art*Iikka Keränen - design, code and...
, an independent video game development group, in 2001. His range of professional skills include illustration, 2D game art, 3D modeling, programming and game design
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
.
In his teens, Keränen programmed freeware games for the Commodore Amiga. Later he created the popular Quake
Quake (series)
The Quake series is a line of first-person shooter video games produced by id Software.-Overview:The Quake series is somewhat unusual in that its focus changes frequently; the story of Quake II has nothing to do with Quake, and Quake III Arena has little to do with either of its predecessors...
mod Airquake, as well as over a hundred free add-on levels for the Doom and Quake series of first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s. He was named the top Doom level maker of all time by Doomworld
Doomworld
Doomworld is a news website dedicated to the computer game Doom, having been founded in 1998. It is hosted by AtomicGamer and is independently managed by a small staff of game fans with the help of many contributors...
in 1998, described as "one of a few pioneer level designers that created the new bottom line for playability and design in Doom levels, as well as helping to develop some of the special FX that many level authors now take for granted".http://5years.doomworld.com/topten/winners/iikkakernanen/
In recent years he has created 3D architecture, textures and models for many well known computer games including Daikatana
Daikatana
John Romero's Daikatana, or simply Daikatana, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. Released on May 23, 2000 for Windows, it was led by John Romero. The game is known as one of the major commercial failures of the computer game industry....
, Anachronox
Anachronox
Anachronox is a 2001 third-person computer role-playing game produced by Tom Hall and the Dallas Ion Storm games studio. It offers gameplay in the style of console RPGs, such as Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series...
, Thief II: The Metal Age
Thief II: The Metal Age
Thief II: The Metal Age is a 2000 first-person stealth game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. The sequel to Thief: The Dark Project, the game's plot follows Garrett, a master thief, as he attempts to uncover a conspiracy in a medieval, steampunk city...
, American McGee's Alice
American McGee's Alice
American McGee's Alice is a third-person action game released for PC on October 6, 2000. The game, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, is set in an alternative universe of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
and Valve Software's Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
, Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, Day of Defeat
Day of Defeat
Day of Defeat is a team-based multiplayer World War II first-person shooter video game of the European Theatre of World War II. As of 2008, the game is one of the ten most played Half-Life modifications in terms of players, according to GameSpy....
and Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
. In December 2005, Iikka completed "Argentan", a map for the multiplayer game
Multiplayer game
A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often...
Day of Defeat: Source
Day of Defeat: Source
Day of Defeat: Source is a team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. Set in World War II, the game is an updated version of Day of Defeat, moving from the GoldSrc engine used by its predecessor to the Source engine...
.
His Digital Eel credits include design, programming and art. He co-designed all Digital Eel games to date (Plasmaworm, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space
Strange Adventures in Infinite Space
Strange Adventures In Infinite Space is a hybrid strategy/adventure computer game. It was created by the independent game development group Digital Eel. In the game players explore a "plausibly implausible" region of the Milky Way galaxy called The Purple Void.Unlike "one time through" story...
, Dr. Blob's Organism, Digital Eel's Big Box of Blox, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, the sequel to Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, is a hybrid strategy/adventure computer game created by the independent game development group, Digital Eel...
, Eat Electric Death!, Soup du Jour, Goblin Slayer and Brainpipe
BrainPipe
BrainPipe is an action video game developed by Digital Eel and released on October 1, 2009. The game received "Excellence in Audio" award at Independent Games Festival 2009.- References :* * * * *...
) with Rich Carlson.