NAME: PATRIC
OCCUPATION: MULTIPLAYER GAME DESIGNER - MODERN COMBAT
How did you get started in the game industry?
I was a research assistant in interactive media. I got a phone call from Gameloft, passed an interview and immediately accepted a new position. I did some work on some of Gameloft’s social games, but I've worked mostly on the Modern Combat series. I’ve done Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation and now Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour.
What skills would you look for if you were hiring a game designer?
Great communication skills. Perceptive. Knowledgeable. You need to know your way around in... well, in everything. Most importantly, you need to be someone we will enjoy working with.
If I was looking for someone to work on the Modern Combat project, I’d say shooters aren't very different from other games when it comes to game design. I don't think there's a difference in the skills needed to work in a specific game genre, but only for assuming specific game design roles. For example, a narrative game designer will need stronger history and creative writing skills. A system game designer will need stronger logic and intuition. So, it all depends on the position you’re looking to fill.
What was your favorite task during the development of MC4?
Designing the weapons and skills system -that part was just awesome. It's creative, but it lets me make use of my math skills to their fullest extent.
We added a new attachment system that creates thousands of possibilities for weapons. I needed to make sure that specific combos were not overpowering. Balancing all of these possibilities can be very challenging, and I love good challenges!
How do you see the profession of game designer evolving in the future?
I predict two distinct evolutions of that role. In the high-budget blockbusters, designers will tend to overspecialize in precise functions (item designer, puzzle designer, character designer, epic combat situation designer, etc.) But I think indie game makers and small studios will get a growing share of the industry. Designers in these smaller companies will become super-versatile "devs", often doing game design as well as programming or art, or both.
What's a typical day for you?
No day is the same in Game Design.
But my constants are always:
1. Drink coffee
2. Read Markus 'Notch' Persson's latest Tweets
3. Work
If you weren't working in video games, what would you be doing?
I would get my job back at the university. It was a good job, just not as fun as this one. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing as a career.
What was your biggest challenge, working on Modern Combat 4?
Dealing with the fans' high expectations regarding MC4 and finding out how we could outdo ourselves. I think we’ve accomplished that, though. I can’t wait to hear what they’ll have to say about it. We have better maps, better weapons, new modes and we have stronger gameplay in general. MC4 is without any doubt a huge improvement over MC3. If the fans liked MC3, they'll definitely love the new installment, but it's sometimes hard to even meet fan expectations in some aspects. Our game is quite ambitious. We really had some grandiose goals when designing it, we really didn’t hold back. However, it’s sometimes very hard to squeeze in everything you have planned. But with all the cool new features we were able to fit in, I say we'll still exceed their expectations.
We’ve been through quite an evolution since the first Modern Combat came out back in 2008. For you, what have been some of the franchise’s defining moments?
We were thrilled to see MC3 on the official MLG website. To know that our multiplayer mode was competitive enough to be played as an e-sport was quite humbling. It inspired us to implement many new community features that will hopefully make MC4 a new standard for competitive multiplayer. I think that hardcore players around the world will be very excited with the game.
Modern Combat 3: MLG Leaderboards
The Modern Combat series still has a pretty loyal following! Do the game designers spend much time reading what’s being said out there?
Every single forum post we could find was read by at least one of us on the team, even those on fan-made websites. Although every comment is taken into consideration, we're very aware of what can and cannot go into MC4. The comments that concern us the most are the cheater-bashing ones. We understand it is a serious issue with our multiplayer and we're doing everything we can to fix that.
What do you think the fans will enjoy most about the 4th installment of the game?
I worked a lot on multiplayer, so I hope they’ll enjoy that the most. But the solo campaign has also turned out to be something pretty remarkable. We’ve made improvements to the AI that we think you'll enjoy. For "multi", they can expect a refreshingly new perk system, a new weapon system and new game modes. I think players will also be very pleased to see how fluid movement has become in multiplayer, thanks to a new tactical movement mode.
Do you usually play your own games after they're released?
Haha, yep. I'm not going to tell you my screen name, though. I really don’t think I could go up against our die-hard gamers out there. A month after release, these guys had spent more time playing Modern Combat 3 than I had during the whole beta phase. It’s so amazing to see. The only moment where we could possibly rival with them is at the game's launch, because of our knowledge of the maps. We're honored to have such a competitive community.
Esther H.M
Community Manager