Social Spaces
Action wheel
I designed the action wheel that allows players to unlock, equip and use emotes and other displays in-game. This feature added a layer of expression and communication to each social experience. It translates emotes, displays and quips, originally organized in a vertical list with ten slots, into an intuitive action wheel. The wheel showcases each action in a clockwise arrangement, mirroring their original order from the top-down orientation of the vertical list. Additionally, I came up with the default emotes made available to all players and worked with our animator on implementation. I documented my design and created UI wireframes and mockups for every aspect of the action wheel. I worked with our UI artist to finalize designs and implement them into the game.
Collections
I also designed the collection system that allows players to view and equip all of the items they collect throughout the game. This includes avatars, equipment, vehicles and other cosmetics. Players can interact and rotate each collection item, view the stats of equipment and vehicles and customize their banner. This system was essential as it offers a sense of progression and customization. It encourages players to invest time and explore the game, providing goals to strive for and rewards to collect. Players can showcase their unique style and personality, adding depth and creating a more compelling social experience. I documented my design and created UI wireframes and mockups for collections. Again, I worked with our UI artist to finalize designs and implement them into the game.
Player-on-player interactions
I was tasked with designing the player-on-player interaction system that allows players to interact with each other in-game. Players can examine, message and form parties with each other. They can also add and remove other players from their friend list, adjust their volume, mute, block or report them to ensure a positive and respectful social environment. These features enable players to engage in meaningful social interactions, learn more about each other and build friendships. I documented my design and created UI wireframes and mockups for the player-on-player interaction system. Once again, I worked with our UI artist to finalize designs and implement them into the game.
Parties
I designed the party system, a core feature to the social interactions in the game that allows players to create, maintain and disband a party. This functionality allows players to join forces, strategize and engage in collective adventures. Additionally, I ensured that the party system and the friend system coexist correctly. Players can quickly add friends to their party by using the predictive search option from the party menu. I documented my design and created UI wireframes and mockups for the party menu. I worked with our UI artist to finalize designs and implement them into the game. I also designed parties to remain active when the leader moves from one space to another, giving each member the opportunity to join them or leave the party.
Chat
The text chat system is another feature I helped design that lets players send messages to text channels using various filters including say, whisper, yell, party and biome. Using these filters, players can communicate effectively based on context, whether engaging in a casual conversation, a strategic discussion within a party or broadcasting information across a specific biome. I documented my design and created UI wireframes and mockups for text chat. I worked with our UI artist to finalize designs and implement them into the game. I also focused on voice chat and designed it to be made proximal in game and remain persistent within a party. These features encouraged players to interact with others, coordinate activities, seek help or simply socialize within the game.
Portals
I was also in charge of designing the portal system that allows players to quickly get from one experience to another. Portals include a 3D parallax preview of their destination to help players make informed decisions about whether to enter it or not. Players can use a portal by interacting with it while in close proximity. I documented my designs and ensured that portals were balanced and taken as intended by setting restrictions to prevent excessive use. Portals were necessary for players to discover specific experiences located in separate instances such as Desert Driving.
