NDA GAME DEMOS RUBEN RUNHARDT

ROLE: SENIOR GAME DESIGNER
STUDIO: FORCE FIELD XR
TEAM SIZE: 20+
ENGINE: UNREAL ENGINE 4
CONTRIBUTED DURING: NOV 2019 - MAR 2021
RELEASE DATE: n/a

Retrospective thoughts

Facing a period of cancelled projects is an inevitable rite of passage in Game Development. This was my first experience with it: a year-and-a-half dedicated to building several internal demos, with most focused on major, established IPs. While these projects weren’t released, our efforts trained and elevated the studio’s capabilities to the “AAA” standard.

 

This period of research and development served as a perfect incubator. It gave me the room to sharpen my technical skills, discover new workflows, experiment with new tools and analyze the VR market.

Gameplay Design Rapid Prototyping Systems Design AI Behavior EQS HTN State Machines Virtual Reality UX Documentation Level Design Combat Design Cross-Discipline Communication Team Leadership Mentoring Public Speaking Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints Modular OOP Architecture Sequencer Physics Animation Blueprints Blueprint Utilities Unity Godot JIRA / Confluence Perforce (P4V) Microsoft Office Google Workspace

Adapted mechanics from established IP into VR, engineering intuitive and comfortable solutions for weapons handling, physical interactions, vehicle controls and AI behavior.

Designed gameplay frameworks, overseeing and supporting the implementation of mission flow logic, sequencer-driven cinematics and responsive player hands.

Refactored one specific demo and sanitized it of NDA IP, including the design of replacement AI and improved weapon gameplay feel through ragdolls and improved hit reactions.

Experimented with new workflows, such as using VR hardware to design and concept levels in Gravity Sketch or Microsoft Maquette, and to capture internal mocap using Sequence Recording in UE4.