Lead Combat Designer

Description

Spark is looking for an experienced Lead Combat Designer to join us in making a breakout hit based on an established console franchise. This is an opportunity for you to have a hand in creating a bold new take on 3rd person action slasher with horror elements for the PS3 and Xbox360. The Lead Combat Designer must own the quality and goals of the Combat team and lead the group to accomplish their goals. The ideal candidate is an outstanding designer with a proven track record designing and balancing combat, player controls, and AI for AAA third-person melee action games. Must have a thorough knowledge of game design theory and tools pipelines, possessing strong leadership skills, production-sensibilities, and the talent to produce and implement the highest quality work. Responsibilities • Work closely with the Game Director and leads to develop a combat system that feels visceral, fast, and fun. • Work directly with animators to tighten low-level mechanical tuning and timing. • Collaborate closely with effects, art, animation, sound and engineering team members to achieve said AAA combat experience. • Work with all departments on the scheduling and integration of the Game Design, as well as game feature development goals and execution. • Collaborate with Game Director and Lead Level Designer on meta game systems and AI. • Generate documentation to clearly communicate ideas and goals to team and publisher. • Spearhead and deliver work on time within a tight schedule. Drive the department to consistently meet project deadlines in a timely manner without compromising artistic integrity. • Develop methods to gather data for game balancing and tuning through focus testing and implement changes based on that data. • Demonstrate initiative as a senior member of the department, mentor other design team members, and set examples of best practices in accordance with Game Director’s expectations. • Work collaboratively with all levels of the development team, including active participation in Spark’s agile-development process. Cultivate a positive team dynamic, and exhibit a professional attitude by demonstrating a good balance between creativity and practical flexibility.