DEVELOPMENT INFO
Genre: 3rd-Person RPG Shooter Engine: Unreal 3 (UDK) Development Time: 6 months |
RESPONSIBILITIES
Role: Technical Designer - Creation and maintenance of game Archetypes - Design, implementation, and balance of: - Enemy combat behaviors, abilities, and scaling - "Demon King" boss-enemy and event-encounter - Player weapons, spells, and consumables - Pet active abilities, auto-attacks, and scaling - Balance enemy and player health and damage, and difficulty progression - Modify code as necessary to maintain balance - Implement cosmetic modification systems: add-ons and character skins |
My Role
Overview
As the Technical Designer on Monster Madness Online (MMO), I was responsible mostly for the design, implementation, and balance of instances of all major gameplay systems--such as weapons, abilities/spells, enemies, pets, and consumables. After the Game Designer and Lead Programmer implemented each system, I made the Archetypes that create any given weapon/ability/etc in game.
Weapons/abilities/consumables
Once a major combat system was implemented by the programming team, I was responsible for maintaining the game balance by increasing/decreasing the power of each weapon/ability/consumable to bring it in line with the others. I used my own experiences in playtest sessions, as well as the feedback of our Beta team to determine which weapons/abilities/consumables needed buffing or nerfing in order to keep the player experience robust and varied. I particularly voiced the need to make the "tank" and "support" roles viable, and not to cater solely to a high-damage character build.
Enemies/pets
I had the privilege of designing many of the pets and enemies in MMO, and even designed one of the game's three bosses (the "Demon King"). While designing enemies, I made sure that each enemy played a role that keeps the game interesting and the player engrossed. Each enemy feels alive and different from the others, and different tactics are best against each enemy. Similar to the enemies, I made sure I design each pet so that it felt different from the others, and that each playstyle had at least one pet to assist the players.
Buffs
When the project began, MMO had a simple buff system implemented that allowed a simple stat-changing effect to be on a player. After discovering the shortcomings of the system, I laid out a plan for a much more robust system. The Game Designer liked the changes so much that he had the new system implemented immediately. The new system gives designers significantly more control and flexibility.
As the Technical Designer on Monster Madness Online (MMO), I was responsible mostly for the design, implementation, and balance of instances of all major gameplay systems--such as weapons, abilities/spells, enemies, pets, and consumables. After the Game Designer and Lead Programmer implemented each system, I made the Archetypes that create any given weapon/ability/etc in game.
Weapons/abilities/consumables
Once a major combat system was implemented by the programming team, I was responsible for maintaining the game balance by increasing/decreasing the power of each weapon/ability/consumable to bring it in line with the others. I used my own experiences in playtest sessions, as well as the feedback of our Beta team to determine which weapons/abilities/consumables needed buffing or nerfing in order to keep the player experience robust and varied. I particularly voiced the need to make the "tank" and "support" roles viable, and not to cater solely to a high-damage character build.
Enemies/pets
I had the privilege of designing many of the pets and enemies in MMO, and even designed one of the game's three bosses (the "Demon King"). While designing enemies, I made sure that each enemy played a role that keeps the game interesting and the player engrossed. Each enemy feels alive and different from the others, and different tactics are best against each enemy. Similar to the enemies, I made sure I design each pet so that it felt different from the others, and that each playstyle had at least one pet to assist the players.
Buffs
When the project began, MMO had a simple buff system implemented that allowed a simple stat-changing effect to be on a player. After discovering the shortcomings of the system, I laid out a plan for a much more robust system. The Game Designer liked the changes so much that he had the new system implemented immediately. The new system gives designers significantly more control and flexibility.
Game Description
The citizens of Suburbia City were caught totally unprepared for the Martian invasion! Harnessing the mystical power of Monster Tokens, the evil extraterrestrials sucked all of the town’s adult inhabitants into the Void, paving the way for the Invasion’s second phase, a new Monster onslaught intended to weaken the Earth’s remaining defenses. What these atrocious aliens didn’t reckon on, however, was the Monster Tokens’ inability to affect anyone under 18!
Saved from another hellish day at High School (“Go Wildcats!”), our four heroes — Zack Fowler (the Nerd), Andy Gomez (the Skater dude), Jennifer Sweeney (the Cheerleader), and Carrie Rosenberg (the Goth) — are ready to take back their town from the interlopers.
Aided by the always-generous Barry Tools, the kids are on a mission to beat back this insidious invasion, block by block, and then take the fight to the enemy’s mothership and beyond! It’s time to team up, gear out, craft some weapons, and get hunting… in Monster Madness Online!
Saved from another hellish day at High School (“Go Wildcats!”), our four heroes — Zack Fowler (the Nerd), Andy Gomez (the Skater dude), Jennifer Sweeney (the Cheerleader), and Carrie Rosenberg (the Goth) — are ready to take back their town from the interlopers.
Aided by the always-generous Barry Tools, the kids are on a mission to beat back this insidious invasion, block by block, and then take the fight to the enemy’s mothership and beyond! It’s time to team up, gear out, craft some weapons, and get hunting… in Monster Madness Online!