Insomniac Senior Combat Designer responsible for designing, prototyping, implementing, and polishing enemy AI, mini-bosses, and boss encounters at Insomniac. Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver combat gameplay.
Responsibilities
Hands-on implementation work on initial design, prototyping, iteration, balance and polish of AI enemy combatants, mini-boss characters, and large-scale boss encounters.
Directly implements and iterates on Enemy AI and bosses through proprietary internal tools and scripting systems.
Works within a cross-disciplinary pod. Collaborates directly with Gameplay Programming, Animation, and other pod members to best leverage skills and creativity across all departments.
Writes and regularly updates clear gameplay system documentation detailing functionality and best practices for using Enemy AI across missions and levels.
Gathers and prioritized feedback from multiple sources. Proactively implements changes and improvements in enemy / boss design to respond to issues around clarity, balance, and playability. Drives continual improvement on assigned combat work.
Supports Mission Designers, as needed, through best practices, training, and model encounters. May also work on combat encounters directly within Missions.
Coordinates with other combat design staff on game-wide combat issues, including difficulty, balance, enemy differentiation, enemy introductions, etc.
Contributes to a safe, supportive, and creative work environment that exemplifies our studio values.
Other creative duties as needed.
Five or more years of professional game design experience, with at least one shipped title as a Combat Designer.
Expertise in the current state of combat design craft across the games industry.
Experience in designing, prototyping, implementing, and polishing enemy AI combatants and boss characters.
Qualification
Strong skills in written
Required
High proficiency with modern game engines, such as Unreal or proprietary engines. Proven experience in scripting, prototyping, and iterating gameplay systems directly. Experience in 3D layout a plus.
Strong skills in written, verbal, and visual communication across disciplines.
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.
Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Intermediate knowledge and experience with level editing tools and scripting (Unreal Engine, Unity, or similar editors).
Intermediate knowledge of Maya or other major 3D modeling programs.
Adobe Illustrator experience and UE4 Blueprint scripting skills are a plus.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
Individual must have very good interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with team members and other developers.
Strong communication skills including verbal and written skills are required.
