About the role
Your Mission
Develop, implement, and refine combat systems for Call of Duty: Warzone. Report to the Associate Design Director and balance/implement combat systems including weapons, functional equipment, kill streaks, and perks. Thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, working with internal and external collaborators. Execute high-quality work with consistency and serve as a self-sufficient systems designer who takes ownership and proactively solves challenges.
Responsibilities
Systems Design Execution
- Balance and maintain core player-facing combat systems to define the player experience for Warzone and enhance engagement and investment.
- Define the vision and structure of proposed gameplay systems, ensuring alignment with overall mechanics and pacing.
- Establish workflows and best practices to maintain high quality and mentor less experienced team members.
- Investigate and implement superior development methods to keep quality at competitive levels.
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
- Communicate the vision for weapons and combat systems to Designers, Engineers, Artists, Producers, and Animators.
- Communicate with the Combat Lead and Production to manage expectations, timelines, and deliverables.
- Maintain consistency across systems through close collaboration with the premium studio.
Prototyping and Implementation
- Develop and test combat systems to evaluate player experience and balance.
- Analyze player feedback in test and live environments to refine key tunings and support diverse playstyles.
- Proactively implement high-level direction independently.
- Use scripting tools to create, iterate, and balance game mechanics.
- Pitch designs and features effectively using multimedia tools.
Tools and Documentation
- Create and maintain design documentation, including systems design briefs, flowcharts, and implementation guidelines.
- Work within tools and scripting systems to bring combat gameplay to life.
- Play builds of games in-progress and provide concise, prioritized feedback to internal teams, user-testing teams, and external partners.
Quality Control and Polish
- Ensure systems meet high standards of quality regarding gameplay balance and technical performance.
- Collaborate with internal and external teams to resolve system-related bugs and oversee final polish.
Minimum Requirements
Experience
- 8+ years in the games industry in a system design capacity.
- At least 3 shipped titles in the AAA/PC space, with 2 as a combat designer.
- Prior and current implementation experience with programming/scripting languages.
- Prior experience balancing combat system metas, including weapons.
- Prior experience working on a games-as-a-service product.
- FPS experience.
Knowledge & Skills
- Understanding of Call of Duty: Warzone, including systems, modes, and gameplay.
- Solid understanding of systems design with the ability to discuss modern trends.
- Comprehensive understanding of the design process spanning all facets of the game.
- Expertise writing high and low-level documentation (Confluence, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Visio, etc.).
Key Attributes
- Passionate and egoless attitude that welcomes feedback.
- Ability to lead by example.
- Impressive communication skills.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Hunger for gaming (especially online) with a broad range of game experience.
Extra Points
Experience
- Experience with visual software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).
- Experience mentoring junior designers.
Knowledge & Skills
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of the F2P games space.
- Profound understanding of the Call of Duty franchise and Warzone.
- Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the FPS games space.
Working Conditions
- Location: Middleton, WI office.
- Schedule: Onsite, four days per week.
- Note: Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs.
Company Information
Raven Software was founded in 1990 in Middleton, Wisconsin. Portfolio includes Hexen, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and contributions to the Call of Duty franchise. Currently lead developers for Call of Duty: Warzone and contributors to the Black Ops series. Motto: "Our Work Speaks For Us."
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation
- Standard base pay range: $82,240.00 - $152,160.00 Annual.
- New hire compensation is negotiable.
- Employees may be eligible for incentive compensation (not guaranteed).
Benefits
- Health: Medical, dental, vision, health savings account (HSA), health reimbursement account (HRA), healthcare spending accounts.
- Insurance: Life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance.
- Financial: 401(k) with company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching.
- Leave: Paid holidays, vacation, sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave.
- Wellness: Mental health and wellbeing programs, fitness programs.
- Perks: Free and discounted games, supplemental life and disability insurance, legal services, ID protection, rental insurance.
- Relocation: Assistance may be available if the company requires a geographic move.