Features Overview

As the Lead Gameplay Designer of the Hardware Pod I was in charge of selecting the weapons, gadgets and vehicles that would be featured in Portal, as well as tackle the design inconsistencies that arose from combining assets from different games. I was also involved in the implementation of the weapons, attachments, loadouts and metadata (strings, icons and categorization tags).

After initial implementation I continued to manage the Hardware team, overseeing the development of weapons, gadgets and vehicles for Portal. I regularly communicate with other disciplines in the team, as well as other collaborative teams like Criterion and DICE Stockholm, to make sure there are no complications and content is created on time and to quality.

available hardware

Early in the project I developed lists of hardware for all possible Battlefield eras, based on gameplay variety, visual identity and player sentiment. As development progressed I had to make cuts and keep the most defining hardware from each chosen era. It’s difficult to please everyone, but player reception was very positive when it came to the selection of weapons we made available.

vehicle design

Much like the Character and Loadout designs, vehicles were not set up the same way either. Classic vehicle weapons and upgrades had to be reorganized into categories that matched the design of vehicles in 2042.

character design

Specialists in Battlefield 2042 feature both a Trait and unique Gadget. To match this new design I borrowed elements from the previous games to mirror this new character structure while retaining the defining features of classic kits. Specializations from previous titles became the new characters’ Traits, and the most kit-defining gadgets became that soldier’s new Character Gadget.

implementation

Using Frostbite I implemented many of the weapons, as well as all weapon attachments and metadata. I also implemented all soldier loadouts, and managed the “tag” system that is used for UI organization, engagement features, and Portal editor functionality.

loadout design

In Battlefield 2042 any character can use any weapon, but in past Battlefield titles weapons were restricted by kit. We wanted to retain the old weapon restrictions for each soldier to retain their identity and the classic feel of titles we were remaking. I made sure each character was implemented properly with all of the necessary weapons and gadgets found in their original kits.

live service

As a key stakeholder in the creative group for Portal I continue to design, document and manage the development of upcoming content and features.