Multiplayer Action Game
NOTE: Due to NDA, I am unable to disclose many details about this project. Therefore what is outlined below is a mix of public information and high-level descriptions of general systems and features used for a game of this kind of genre.
This title was an unannounced first-party multiplayer PvE live service action game for PlayStation 5 and PC. I was involved with this project from its inception, working from the pitching phase, building up the intial prototypes, iteration on it's design and implementing it into a production environment.
As Lead Gameplay Programmer, I was intimitately involved with many aspects of the game such as the core melee and ranged combat systems, enemy AI, camera, controls and traversal mechanics.
As we progressed into production, I was entrusted to lead a multidisciplinary team as one of the key feature owners.
The engine we used for production was an in-house engine that utilised determinism, rollback and ECS.
First Playable
The First Playable build was a showcase of many of the core combat systems that we wanted to build out for this title. It contained many traditional mechanics and structures that you'd might find of this kind of game but also included some key unique features too.
As a Lead, I constantly drove the team to maintain a rapid prototyping mentality and workflows to quickly iterate on the title, making sure they stayed focused on the goals of the project and quickly making decisions to pivot when it was needed. The results of which kept the team highly enganged and highly productive. This consistently produced highly positive feedback in our playtests.
I also played a key creative role in many core aspects of the design. Working intimately with the Lead Designers, I would provide critical feedback and make pivotal suggestions for improvement. I would often make proposals for new systems or gameplay improvements that would end up as key components to the core design.
My other main responsibility was to implement many of the features that went into the build, with a particular focus on striking a balance between creating a strong maintainable structure and allowing for rapid turnarounds.
Combat Systems
In particular I had a big role in defining many of the combat systems required in both the technical and creative aspects.
I defined and built how many of the melee combat systems works, including:
- Hitbox and hurtboxes systems
- Combo systems
- Hitstop implementations
- Animation cancelling
- Input handling so that we can give the most immediate feedback to the player
I was also responsible for building out how our targeting system works to support our ranged combat. This included implementing many of the ranged abilities and developing how our camera functioned.
Ability System
A core system underpining the majority of our prototype work was the Abilty System (similar to Unreal Engine's GAS). Many of the behaviours that were implemented were defined as abilities in a scalable and modular way. Along with defining attributes for a character and being able to alter those attributes dynamically, we created a systematic approach to building out our gameplay.
I was instrumental in mapping out these systems and pushing for them to be built so that we can rapidly develop the core gameplay.
Enemy AI
I also had built many of the structures defining how our AI was created. This included setting out how we used our AI Controller, Behaviour Trees and Spacial Queries in such a way that would allow it to be scalable and efficient. Along with our Ability System, it mean that we could be very rapid in introducing new enemy types as many of the core functionality was already set up to be shared amongst themselves.
For a few of the key enemy archetypes, I was also the main stakeholder in designing and implementing them. This included:
- Outlining their core behaviour.
- Their purpose for existing in relation to the player.
- How they complement other existing enemies.
- Their token and aggro systems.
I had a particular focus on following the principle that they had to have clear, simple and easy to read behaviour so that the player can understand what is required of them to tackle those enemies.
