Zynga / Natural Motion
Senior Level Designer
Game Summary
STAR WARS: Hunters™ will connect players in real time to battle in settings inspired by iconic STAR WARS locales. Players will join squads of all-new and authentic characters, including daring Bounty Hunters, heroes of the Rebellion and Imperial stormtroopers, in an action game that immerses players in a fast-paced and visually stunning STAR WARS galaxy.
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Responsibilities
​In 2021, I was invited to be a part of the Level Design team where my responsibilities evolved from improving existing work, to map creation, to spear heading the level design team. As my tenure evolved, I became the owner of most of the map content which included:
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- Pipeline and Map workflows
- Content map planning
- Map Metrics Completion
- KPI and Heatmap Analysis
- Map Intent and Stakeholder Documentation for LucasFilm.
- Mentored Zynga and Natural Motion employees in Level Design Practices.
- Lectured on behalf of Zynga at the University of Texas.
Designed Maps
- Mos Espa Waystation
- Vespaara Row
- Vader's Castle
- Mos Espa Podrace
- Dune Sea Outpost
- Ewok Village
- Over 50+ Different Map Blockouts
Content Designed & Implemented
- All key game modes and it's variants from Day to Night implemented.
- Game Mode Designed.
- Narrative Content for Maps.
Mos Espa Waystation
The original goal for this map was to design a map that was exclusively made for the FTUE of STAR WARS: Hunters. The Opening of our game! This changed as I realized we needed to have a lot more content, so combined with production, a strike team was formed. Our new goal was to build a map for onboarding players as well as easily fit into new game modes. With the goal still focused on creating a narrative, intuitive new player experience.
We opted for a 3 lane, asymetrical layout that fit into an existing biome that we had already used for the base game. This was mainly to save cost and encourage more blockout time.
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I also worked with narrative and design to create a FTUE experience using my tenure at Amazon (as well as applying Kishotenketsu design structure) that constructed a linear but themed tutorialized experience.
The result was a total map production time of around 4 weeks.
Vespaara Row
Following the success of Mos Espa WayStation, I was given the opportunity to leverage my experience with arena shooters to craft a fresh gameplay experience. The goal was to encourage combat across the entire map, rather than confining player engagement to key objective spaces.
Using my test map, originally codenamed "Juneau," I designed a compact, two-tiered, square map. The concept was inspired by Call of Duty's Shipment, aiming for a crosslane design that allowed players to traverse spaces within three seconds at most.
Up until this point, Hunter's maps had primarily followed a large, three-lane structure. My ambition with this design was to evolve the formula in response to early player feedback, which suggested that gameplay was becoming repetitive and predictable. Creating a small, compressed map with vertical elements—something entirely new for the game—was an exciting challenge that aimed to bring variety and dynamism to the experience.
Vader's Castle
The initial goal for this map was to create a dedicated space for the FTUE (First-Time User Experience) of Star Wars: Hunters, designed to serve as the game's opening experience. However, as the need for additional content became apparent, production and I formed a strike team to expand the scope. The new objective was to develop a map that not only onboarded new players but also seamlessly integrated into future game modes, all while maintaining a narrative-driven and intuitive experience for first-time users.
We opted for a three-lane, asymmetrical layout, leveraging an existing biome from the base game. This decision helped save production costs and allowed us to dedicate more time to iterating on the blockout phase.
Collaborating closely with the narrative and design teams, I drew on my experience at Amazon and applied the Kishotenketsu design structure to craft a linear, thematic tutorial experience. This structure guided players intuitively while immersing them in the Star Wars universe.
The result was a polished map completed within a production timeline of approximately four weeks.
Note to Recruiters
Due to the confidentiality of working on a STAR WARS project, my blockout work and concepts are prohibited for sharing. If there are any resources or information you need that isn't listed here, please inform me.