Just Cause 4
Team Size: | ~150 |
Steam Link |
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Just Cause 4 Launch Trailer
Prototyping and Gameplay Support
During our Pre-Production phase, my biggest task was to prototype new gameplay scenarios in our game engine. These prototypes served as a starting point for much of the content you can play in the final game.
Throughout the project, I also served as support for the content team. I was one of the most senior designers on the team at this point, and I helped train the new team on the best practices for our tool set. I created and maintained a number of packaged entities. These entities were bundles of scripts and game assets that were easy for the design team to use and reuse throughout the project.
Strikes
In Just Cause 4, "Strikes" are a type of playable content that tell the story of a specific base or region. I worked on the first iteration of paper designs and early in engine prototypes. I created our first playable Strike, "Zona Tres", and maintained it throughout the project.
Creating a Strike required a lot of coordination across many different teams. I worked with the art team to make sure the space was believable. I worked with the narrative team to construct a story for the space that works with the gameplay beats we developed. I worked with the AI team to make sure that combat in the base took full advantage of the layout and our new enemy types.
As the project continued, my primary focus shifted onto "Operations". I became a sort of adviser to Strike related content.
Strike Video: Zona Tres Upload
Operations
Operations were my main focus throughout development of Just Cause 4. "Operations" are the content that serves as the main campaign. Operations were designed by a committee of project Directors and Leads. My main task was to take these designs and implement them in game.
The big new feature in Just Cause 4 is our "extreme weather". Each Operation highlights one particular type of extreme weather: tornado, lightning storm, sandstorm, and blizzard. I worked with our engineers to script and tune the weather gameplay to create fun scenarios for the player. Fighting against these weather systems, and eventually overcoming them is one of the coolest parts of Just Cause 4.