Combat Designer - Enemies

Are you looking for an opportunity to work as a Combat Designer for an exciting new project? Anyone can put enemies together, but do you have an eye for style and choreography, a dash of sadistic glee for combat creativity, and flair for the dramatic? Are you someone who has a strong understanding of what makes combat fun, exciting to play, and enjoys implementation? Our team at Stoic, 4-time BAFTA nominated independent video game company, is seeking a Combat Designer for development of our next project.

As a member of the Combat team, you'll be working closely with the Lead Combat Designer to design and implement a variety of enemies for an Action Role Playing Game (ARPG).

What You Will Do

• Concept, pitch, and implement enemies, from trash to full-blown Bosses
• Use Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) and custom tools to:
• Implement and choreograph combat moves
• Tweak and tune montages to adjust the timing and pacing of moves
• Setup and tune attack hitboxes and hitsettings
• Revisit existing enemies and enemy types to ensure parity across the difficulty tiers
• Work with the AI team and Missions team to ensure that enemies behave accordingly
• Collaborate with all departments, most notably the Combat and Animation team

Need to Have

• At least 2 years of Combat Design experience
• Be able to perform under deadline in a fully-remote environment
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to see the big picture with enemy design and enemy encounters to create fun and unique experiences
• Ability to collaborate with various teams (Combat, AI, Missions, Systems) to take an idea from start to finish
• Strong command of character body mechanics, animation mechanics, and motion flow for complex actions
• Experience with montages in Unreal, with an eye for adjusting the timing of combat moves quickly
• Ability to quickly act out and perform actions to provide visual references for animators
• Ability to communicate effectively with Animators, demonstrating clear intent and using references when needed, to craft great combat experiences
• A critical mind towards troubleshooting and problem solving; we are looking for individuals who take initiative and create solutions
• Genuine love for making something out of nothing

Nice to Have

• Experience implementing combat loops
• Ability to articulate complex combat designs to a variety of disciplines
• Experience working with Unreal Engine 4 or Unreal Engine 5
• Someone who would consider themselves an action game aficionado
• Ability to prototype ideas using existing tools and animations to prove out an idea
• Has some knowledge for basic AI behavior and can prototype ideas quickly

Stoic has transitioned to a fully remote, forever remote workforce.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

$100,000 - $130,000 USD

We provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Don't meet every requirement listed in this job description? Think your experience level is not where it needs to be? Studies show that women and underrepresented minorities are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet all qualifications. Stoic is focused on building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. If you're interested in this position but your past experience doesn't line up perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we want you to apply anyway. The right role for you may be a future one at the studio.