In Developement
Warhammer Warlords
Overview
Warhammer Warlords is a digital card game set in the Grim Darkness of the 40,000 Millennium.
ROLE
Game Designer, Visual Designer.
Research, wireframing, data analytics, visual design, prototyping.
Background
At the end of a project delivery we are given time to ideate new game opportunities. Noticing the catastrophic rise of the Auto-battler genre I successfully pitched the idea and was given the green light to start developing.
One issue that commonly plagues auto-battlers is they are not designed for mobile, creating usability friction and limiting gameplay possibilities.
As such I ensured to design the UI from the start to work with the most common, low-end devices.
Visual Design
A robust visual prototype meant that the final visual element was created with minimal revision required. It also meant that the art did not define the design, as the combination of art and design was addressed early on.
Assets where created in-engine such that they're production ready. Each element is modular and data-driven via scriptable assets.
Monetisation
Monetisation was considered from the beginning, with two primary suggestions.
At the beginning of a match, players will select their Warlord. However their choices are limited to a rotating free selection. To gain access to all options, players will have to purchase their favourite characters.
The Second option is that players can purchase cosmetic board panels that other players can view
during matches.
A great way for players to show their allegiance!
Learnings
This short project was a chance to apply what I had learnt from previous projects, to great success. Considering a two week deadline, much was achieved thanks to;
Robust prototyping:
Extra time and care was taken to ensure that the wireframe was as high quality as possible. This made creating final assets a painless process, with minimal revisions.
Mobile First:
It's tempting to design for the best devices first, where you can indulge in the most impressive designs. However, designing for mobile first meant upscaling was painless, and ensured no gameplay elements would have to be compromised.
In-Engine Early:
Implementing the assets in engine meant data driven tools could be created which makes creating new assets as easy as clicking a button. It also meant that the assets had to be designed in a modular fashion from the beginning.
The idea was presented to Games Workshop for a potential licensing deal, progress pending.
