ROLE: Lead Designer/Design Manager
Project:
MechWarrior 5: Clans
Release date:
December 2024
Studio:
Piranha Games Inc.
Platform(s):
PC
I was primarily responsible for designing MechWarrior Online, from shaping the core combat experience to balancing a F2P model while ensuring fair play across all BattleMech chassis. It was a challenging task to maintain gameplay fairness while staying true to decades of lore.
Key Responsibilities:
Owner/designer for most major systems in MechWarrior Online including:
Design of combat systems/core gameplay
Design of all game modes
Design of progression systems and economy
Design of match making algorithms for fair competitive play
Design of solo and group queues for match making and server load balancing
Design of Community Warfare, a persistent state map which allowed for faction capture of planets in the BattleTech universe map including specialized game modes not found in typical play
Design of Solaris 7, a 1v1 and 2v2 arena based competitive game mode taking inspiration from BattleTech’s lore of the same name
Design of the Skill Tree which allowed players to further enhance their gameplay through XP based buffs
Introduced a mechanic (“Heat Scale”) to help alleviate the massive power differential between Clan and Inner Spere BattleMechs as well as prevention of glass cannons ‘Mech builds
Used systemic design to create features that encompass F2P/GaaS business requirements
Monitor player metrics daily to swiftly address any issues or exploits.
Initiated the first wave of community outreach by establishing and maintaining dialogue with the player base through Twitter (now X) and our forums.
Coordinated and managed a group of community players for early feature testing, enabling pre-patch feedback cycles
Organized and ran multiple recurring special events for the community which were broadcasted on official channels for entertainment and rewards to participants
Designed special spectator tools for tournament organizers and eSport event organizers
