PG | tom-bolton

Project Genesis

Platform: PC (Steam)

Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Released: 2022 (currently in Early Access)

Role: Senior Game Designer

Project Genesis is a team-based space combat game featuring various objective-based game modes involving a hybrid of battlecraft and FPS gameplay.

As the Senior Game designer, I was involved with many areas of the game, including:

Core gameplay
System design
Prototyping new mechanics using Blueprints
Weapon and ability systems
Balance
Controls
Player Progression

Project Genesis Trailer

Balancing

BattleCraft Weapon Systems

For each of the BattleCraft, I set up and balanced the primary and secondary weapon systems and created alternate loadouts for each. Using Excel to help inform and plan the setup, I layed out each of the weapon's attributes, and configured each variant in such a way that it was noticably different to the 'stock', and was a viable alternative but wasn't necessarily more powerful overall.

To do this I would initially calculate Time to Kill, test it out in an editor-only firing range, test in internal play sessions, test in live. At each step of the way I would take feedback into consideration, as well as telemetry data that I used to inform ongoing balance changes.

Using Excel to help inform Battlecraft weapon system configuration and balance

Avatar (FPS) Weapon Systems

In addition to the BattleCraft, I also set up and balanced the primary, secondary and throwable weapon systems for the Avatars (FPS characters). In most cases, I also created alternate loadout variants for each.

Using Excel to help inform and plan the setup, I layed out each of the weapon's attributes, and configured each variant in such a way that it was noticably different to the 'stock', and was a viable alternative but wasn't necessarily more powerful overall.

Using Excel to help inform the Primary and Secondary weapon system balance

Example of using one base class to create a series of alternative tactical weapons

Player Progression

I was tasked with evaluating the progression system, in which the level up XP had recently been doubled to slow down player progression, but we still found that players were maxing out too early while it took new players too long to achieve thier first level up.

I started by setting up an Excel model, and generated some graphs to better understand the current setup, and to infom my proposed changes.

Using Excel to model Player Progression and estimate time to Max

I set up a dynamically increaing XP return (to reflect the progressing player's increased skills), and using this estimated the player's time to level up. I re-worked the levelling structure in such a way that:

Time to initial level up reduced from 4 matches to 1.
The progression ramps up gradually, such that around level 80 the average matches to level up is increased from 5 to 8.
Estimated average time to Max level increased from 75 to 120 matches.
Exposed the assumed variables and made them easily tweakable so team could plug in different values and see how it would affect each setup.

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