On Conduit 2 I was the lead multiplayer designer and handled a great deal of the general gameplay sandbox / systems design. I was excited to have an opportunity to address the areas I felt could be improved in The Conduit.
Our broader design goals with the game were to open up the level design, add more contemporary FPS elements and scripted events / set-pieces, and create varied and approachable gameplay.
I helped come up with a diverse cast of weapons intended to offer a variety of play styles and counter-play opportunities. I spearheaded weapon balance and shepherded the design of the general gameplay sandbox. This included the addition of many contemporary FPS features such as sprinting, iron sights, and recharging health with screen overlay effects rather than a health meter.
Additionally, I designed a number of multiplayer levels and modes, and assisted with some of the single player level design and scripting. One example of a multiplayer mode I came up with that I feel embodies the diverse but approachable gameplay we wanted was the Balloon Battle game type, which took inspiration from Mario Kart.
I also designed the profile and upgrade / loadout systems. This includes their gameplay as well as the relevant player investment mechanisms and the UI screens and menu flow. Again, a big focus was variety and counter-play opportunities. I also wanted to make sure players had plenty of goals to work toward. I designed the game to offer ways to earn in-game currency and unlocks through both PVP and PVE, allowing players to play the game the way they enjoyed most without missing out on any content, with new rewards always on the horizon.
Regarding usability, I designed the menus for the store and profile to be accessible from any screen in the game with a single button press. This way players could jump right to what they were looking for without digging through nested menus. It also gave players something to do in the lobby when waiting for the next game to start.
(As a side note, I also wrote the script for the video above.)