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Lead AI Designer - Ridgeline Games

Lead AI Designer - Ridgeline Games

Ridgeline Games is focused on building rich narrative campaigns with memorable characters and powerful experiences all in the Battlefield universe. We are building a new studio in the Seattle area composed of leaders and talent with a vast array of AAA game dev experience. As we assemble our diverse team, all who have a voice in making great games together, we're looking for a healthy mixture of tempered veterans and young passionate individuals eager to make a difference.

Role Overview: Reporting to the Design Director, you are a Lead AI Designer who will design & improve the player experience against and with enemy and NPC AI characters and vehicles. Your analytical skills, player insight, and creativity help create gameplay experiences that engage and surprise players.

You will build upon and improve the core foundations of our AI. You will collaborate with interdisciplinary and international teams and work with every tool at hand to improve and iterate AI combat systems and encounters that'll thrill our players.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a cross-discipline team to build core AI systems that bring our NPCs and combat enemies to life and make them behave authentically.
• Manage enemy and NPC AI systems and experience.
• Mentor other designers in AI design and implementation practice.
• Collaborate with encounter designers to deliver compelling combat experiences.
• Collaborate with animators and engineers to develop high quality AI movement and interaction systems.
• Playtest the game frequently and help push for continued improvements.
• Seek opportunities for new improvements that are built upon existing AI systems.
• Manage AI animation needs and behavior using state machines and behavior trees for a variety of combat encounter experiences.
• Create design documentation, content briefs, system outline, and other means of sharing all the necessary information with involved teams.

Qualifications:

• Shipped at least one AAA online game.
• 5+ years of professional experience in a leadership, directorship, or team management role on a AAA project.
• 3+ years of experience working with AI foundations like behaviors, movement, coordination, and combat.
• Proficiency in scripting in at least one game engine in a shipped title.
• Created complex AI mechanics and systems with attention to player agency and resulting effects.
• Deep level of understanding of PvE games.

Next Steps

The following are required as part of the application process:

• Apply online with resume
• Provide web link on resume for online portfolio (required)
• As part of the application process, we may ask you to complete a test
• This may be an Art, Audio, Design, or Writing test

Benefits

We are proud of the great perks we offer like comprehensive health and benefit packages, tuition reimbursement, 401k with company match, and of course, free video games. And since we realize it takes world-class people to make world-class games, we offer great compensation packages and a culture that values creativity and individuality.