Game Designer - Gameplay Scripting

Designed and scripted gameplay, NPC behavior, and level progression through 4 levels.
Analyzed focus test data to inform an iterative design process.

Refined combat encounters to fully engage all play styles, difficulty settings, and user abilities.

Crafted seamless transitions between gameplay and cinematics.
Managed loading and unloading of assets to stay within level memory constraints.
Coordinated efforts across departments to hit level-specific deadlines.
Integrated accessibility features into levels.

Seattle Tunnels - Horde escape sequence

I scripted the cinematics and AI behavior in this sequence.
Our design goal was to give a heart-pounding finale to the level that incorporates Dina's exhaustion into the gameplay and is intuitive for the player to complete.
I achieved this goal by stringing together a series of unique moments where Ellie and Dina are forced to face the infected alongside each other.
In the top left debug, you can see the names of cinematic and gameplay cameras currently running.
On the right you can see my scripts switching between various states that control horde behavior, Dina's behavior, and cinematic animations.

I scripted the gameplay cinematics, AI behavior, and the final squeeze-through before dropping down into the combat space.
Our design goal was to smoothly transition the player from a high-intensity force-flee into a stealth encounter which requires careful decision-making.
To achieve this, I scripted Dina to take lead just after barricading the door, then passed initiative to the player after dropping down a floor. The lengthy squeeze-through gives the player time to think and develop a strategy before engaging with the next encounter.
The player can stop at 4 different points in the squeeze-through, allowing them to realize the complexity of the next encounter from a safe position.
The result is that most players feel smart for figuring out a way to use the clickers and WLF against each other.

I scripted the crowd behavior, cinematics, buddy behavior, and burrito eating.
Our design goal was to gently guide the player through an exploration beat which first reveals the scale of the WLF's operation and their connection to Ellie's story.
One big challenge I faced is that we wanted to have some of the crowd walking around, but the performance cost of using a lot of AI navigation can be pretty high, so about half the crowd movement is done through scripted animations. However, there are about seven crowd people that are moving around the space using AI navigation. You can see them getting water, looking at clothes, or dropping off a food tray.

I scripted fetch, dog petting, buddy behavior, cinematics, and the gun range minigame.
Our design goal with the dog interaction and the gun range was to give a sense of home for the player that mirrors Jackson and to also develop Abby's character through interactivity.
The interaction with the dog specifically helps with this goal because the dog here, named Bear, appears earlier in the game as a named enemy you likely killed as Ellie. It is one moment I saw many players pause and reflect on the trajectory of the story. It helps reinforce one of the main themes of the game: that Ellie and Abby live these mirrored stories that have become violently intertwined.
The gun range allows the player participate in Abby and Manny's camaraderie through a mini game while also introducing you to Abby's initial weapon load-out.

I scripted the crowd behavior, cinematics, buddy behavior, and some of the dialog cues.
Similar to Stadium, our design goal was to gently guide the player through an exploration beat which helps build this narrative that tension between the WLF and Scars is at its peak -- Something big is about to happen. Additionally, we wanted to show that Abby is well known and respected at the base.
Similar to Stadium, adding crowd movement on a tight performance budget was a challenge. There are a few animated vignettes happening just in front of the player to give the appearance that the crowd is more active than it really is. The triggers for these vignettes are carefully constructed so that the player is likely to see them all. Most triggers use a combination of player proximity, player regions, and on-screen checks.
To help build a narrative that Abby is well known and respected here, I scripted nine different people who can recognize and interact with Abby.