Senior Level Designer

As a Senior Level Designer at Digital Extremes, your main responsibilities include designing and implementing engaging game levels for our titles, such as Warframe and Soulframe. You'll collaborate closely with artists and programmers to ensure each level meets our artistic and gameplay standards. You'll use Lua and other scripting tools to create interactive elements and refine gameplay experiences. Mentoring junior designers is also part of the role, providing guidance and support throughout the development process.

To qualify for the Senior Level Designer position at Digital Extremes, applicants should have 3 to 5 years of experience in level design for AAA games. A strong understanding of level layout, pacing, and encounter design for action-based games is essential. Familiarity with scripting languages like Lua, along with proficiency in 3D world-building tools, is expected. A post-secondary degree in Game Design or a related field is advantageous, as is experience in live service games.

Collaboration is key for Senior Level Designers at Digital Extremes. You will work in tandem with artists and programmers, ensuring that levels are visually stunning and interactively rich. Regular collaboration sessions and playtests will allow you to receive feedback, which is crucial in refining your designs. This teamwork-oriented environment encourages creativity and innovation, allowing you to play a vital role in player engagement.

Senior Level Designers at Digital Extremes utilize a variety of tools to bring levels to life. Scripting languages like Lua, as well as in-editor tools, are essential for gameplay integration. You will also employ 3D world-building tools to create immersive environments. Optimizing levels for performance while adhering to artistic vision will also be part of your daily tasks.

Digital Extremes promotes a development culture that values creativity, collaboration, and mentorship. As a Senior Level Designer, you'll be encouraged to bring innovative ideas to the table and provide support to junior designers. The company has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, highlighting its commitment to employee growth and work-life balance, ensuring that every team member feels valued and impactful.

When asked about your level design process, it's important to outline your steps clearly. Start by discussing your initial concept phase, which involves brainstorming and sketching ideas based on the game's vision. Talk about how you create blockouts and iteratively refine them, integrating playtesting feedback. Highlight how you balance gameplay mechanics and story elements to immerse players in the experience.

To create engaging levels, focus on gameplay balance, pacing, and environmental storytelling. Be prepared to elaborate on how you incorporate player feedback and data from playtests into your designs. Mention using various techniques to guide players through the level while maintaining challenge and excitement.

Reflect on specific challenges you encountered, such as technical limitations or balancing gameplay. Share examples of how you adapted your designs, utilized teamwork, or leveraged innovative solutions to overcome these obstacles. This demonstrates your problem-solving skills and resilience as a designer.

Discuss your experience with Lua or other scripting languages and give examples of how you have used them to enhance gameplay elements. Highlight how you implemented mechanics, triggers, or AI behaviors to create a richer player experience.

Emphasize the importance of communication in collaboration. Describe how you involve artists in the early stages for visual consistency and work closely with programmers for technical requirements. Share instances where you tackled differences in vision or ideas through productive discussions, resulting in an aligned creative vision.

If you’ve mentored junior designers, share your approach to providing constructive feedback and fostering a supportive learning environment. Talk about specific techniques, such as regular design reviews or encouraging independent experimentation, and how you adapted your mentoring style to each individual’s needs.

Discuss key components such as pacing, enemy placement, difficulty curves, and player feedback mechanisms. Explain how you use metrics from player testing to refine these aspects, ensuring that players feel challenged but not overwhelmed as they navigate through the levels.

Share a specific anecdote where you took player feedback into account. Explain the changes you made based on that feedback, the process of implementing those changes, and the resulting positive impact on gameplay, demonstrating your ability to listen and adapt as a designer.

Express your viewpoints on the importance of environmental storytelling in creating immersive experiences. Discuss how you incorporate narrative elements within the level’s design, such as props or environmental cues that enhance the storytelling aspect for players.

Talk about your commitment to continuous learning through attending industry events, following relevant blogs, or participating in online communities. Highlight any recent trends or technologies that inspire you and how you incorporate them into your design work.