I currently work as a Technical Game Designer at Respawn Entertainment where we recently released our new title, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
As a technical game designer on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, some highlights include:
• Owned the complete creation of the Skill Tree in collaboration with the UI/UX, environment art and lighting teams
• Handled the New Journey + system and its implementation across all relevant game systems and features, along with title screen NJ+ conversion flow, and handling save files and persistent save data
• Acted as owner of all chests and chest adjacent interactables, overhauling the system's capabilities, efficiency, quality of life improvements as well as expanded animation variety.
• Created, inherited existing and improved upon a multitude of interactive world objects such as Force interactables (Push, Pull, Lift, Slam, etc) to deliver highly polished player experiences.
Skill Tree
UI Collaborators:
Daanish Syed, Jordan DeVries
Environment Art Collaborators:
Kevin Quinn
Design Collaborators:
Justin Perez
Overview
The Skill Tree allows the player to spend skill points acquired throughout the game to unlock new lightsaber combat, survival and force ability upgrades. As the player progresses through the game, new abilities are made available to them in the skill tree as they acquire new core abilities and reach critical story moments.
While working on the Skill Tree my work included:
• Designing the system to dynamically generate the skill tree based on data defined in the Skill Tree Data Table, allowing other designers to update, add or remove skills without needing to make changes to the skill tree blueprint directly.
• Implementing and tuning omnidirectional navigation in the skill tree menu, as well as tab support for skill subcategories.
• Updating skill descriptions based on currently selected skills according to skill unlock validity
• Managing skill icon and line state based on upstream unlock dependencies
• Creating all of the animation for skill tree movement and rotation programmatically.
• Implementing unlock and preview popup windows with Bink video support
• Created the Skill Reset logic and screen to reset all skill unlocks
New Journey +
UI Collaborators:
Daanish Syed, Jordan DeVries
Overview
After completing the final mission, the player will unlock New Journey + which can be accessed via the title screen. Starting a NJ+ will take an existing main game complete save file, and allow you to start a new game, with some features carrying over, as well as new features.
Features carried over include Lightsaber Stances, Cosmetics, Perks, Stims, Health Upgrades and Force Upgrades from your previous game save. All skill points are refunded and made ready to spend immediately as well as all map upgrades.
Abilities are reset, as they would otherwise allow the player to break story progression in our metroidvania inspired worlds.
We also grant new features in the form of two new lightsaber colors (Red & Party) as well as three new Perks to remix your gameplay experience.
• Purity: Grants a massive increase in weapon damage for both friends and foes.
• Warrior: Replaces standard enemies with new, more difficult combat encounters.
• Trendsetter: Cosmetics will be randomized on death.
While working on New Journey + my work included:
• Defining and tracking relevant save game data within a lightweight metadata file associated with each save slot
• Created logic within the UI screen that handles save game conversion and creation of new slots
• Updating player systems on NJ+ start based on meta data stored in the source save slot as well as NJ+ specific unlocks
• Designing and updating save game relevant systems and actors to interface with the save game meta data in order to respect save game persistence
• Implementation of title screen UI unlock and navigation logic, displaying save slots for overwrite according to needs
• Supported gameplay tag filtering during NJ+ conversion flow to ensure specific tags are always added. removed and checked against for bespoke needs like the Bounty Hunter system.
Chests
Basic Chest
BD Dart Chest
Epic Chest
Lift Slam Chest
Hack/Map Upgrade
Stim Chest
UI Collaborators:
Daanish Syed, Jordan DeVries
Animation Collaborators:
Annelise-Noura Filali
Hard Surface Art Collaborators:
Shane Estanislao
Overview
I inherited the basic, hack and stim chests from Fallen Order and was tasked with expanding and improving upon them. We added additional chest types in the form of BD Dart Chests, Epic Chests, Lift Slam Chests, Droid Hack/Map Chests as well as quality improvements for the existing ones (Most notably on the Stim Chest). This helped to better define the types of rewards the player would get from chest types, as well as making specific chests feel more rewarding, such as the Epic and Stim Chests.
While working on Chests my work included:
• Overhauling the existing chest system to make use of simpler logic, and improved memory costs
• Created a number of new chests including the Lift Slam, BD Dart, Droid Hack/Map Upgrade variants
• Updated the chest animations to allow for expanded randomized animation variety when interacting with a chest.
• Created guidelines for animation durations to reduce overall time off stick for the player to make the chest interactions feel more punchy and satisfying.
Force Interactables
Force Cubes
Lift Slam Platform
Droideka Turret
Push Pull Puzzle
Overview
I inherited the existing force interaction system and its associated actors. I was responsible for the logic of actors receiving force from the player. This included force push, pull, lift and slam according to the needs of the asset. Force interactables are a key element in the game and encompass hundreds of related and unique assets.
While working on Force Interactables my work included:
• Consolidation of existing force actors to use a base class that allows for easier implementation of force abilities
• Creation of the Lift Slam base actor, and its programmatic vertical movement, as well as animated subclasses.
• Creation of more complex force actors such as the Force Cubes featured in the Chamber of Clarity, and Droideka Turret enemy.
• Custom overwritable logic for a unique character specific moment where different looping animations are needed
• Polishing implementations to ensure consistent and expected behavior whenever force interacting
