Technical planning has been very popular in recent years, and it is both Tech and Designer, which sounds awesome. Many people regard technical planning as a career goal, but the ability/positioning of technical planning in China is extremely vague, not to mention that even the technical planning (Technical Designer, TD) positions of overseas AAA companies have different jobs. Are not the same. Just borrowing this question to share the stories of myself and a few TDs around me.
One morning 5 years ago, when I was working on the prototype of the gameplay, I saw a job posting for my studio: We are looking for senior technical planners, and the job requirements are xxxxxxx. I slapped my head and broke into @Tjamc ‘s office: Boss, I can do this! You see xxxxxxxx (500 words omitted).
I have forgotten what the boss said. The main point is that you are indeed recruiting. There is nothing wrong with the direction you are doing now. Don’t care about the name of the position , keep going!
Later, while designing, I made some AI (humanoid shooting AI under the GAS framework, multi-legged AI, BOSS AI), some tools (as needed, level modding tools, UE4 extension Time photography, 3C visual debugging tools, level management tools), countless levels of gameplay and prototypes, all kinds of Cutscene and LevelSequence that can interact but cannot interact… But I never talked to the boss about TD again. It is an unqualified TD, and it is very happy.
Later, my own projects and the projects around me were also joined by TD students. The stories of Xiaojin and Xiaoyuan are very representative (don’t take the right seat:).
Xiaojin is a person with very good technical ability, so he is mainly responsible for the development of planning related tools and the realization of planning prototypes . He hopes to be a booster for planning and a bridge between planning and programs.
Xiaojin’s work should be connected with planning, close communication on the use of tools and the production of new tools, and provide ammunition to the planning brothers. Also help plan to turn ideas into playable prototypes, finalize technical selections and plans, and finally deliver them to program development. But when he was doing it, Xiao Jin was a little unhappy and often came to me for a drink.
“The decision-making power of the design is not mine, I did not design the design, and I am not responsible for the final product. The sense of achievement is very weak…”
“I have done a lot of tools, but how can I quantify creative things? The planning of cooperation is good, but more people around me don’t perceive me…”
“Just simply take the prototype requirements, and then give the client’s program, the functions are not less, the dirty work is done, but the technology is not as deep as the program classmates…”
“I haven’t been promoted this time. It’s difficult as a planner. The judges don’t understand football!”
Xiao Jin made a toast, and it was obvious that he was very depressed.
Xiaoyuan is from a programmer and independent producer to an AI-oriented TD planner. When he first came to the project, Xiaoyuan was more accustomed to working on production and technology, but did not solve the design problem. Later, I figured out that the design and implementation are both hands- on, and both hands are hard.
Starting from the AI design of a gameplay in the game, we finally delivered an AI system with great creativity and quality, and the experience feedback given by the players was also very good. After gaining the trust, Xiaoyuan made persistent efforts to design the AI development roadmap (Roadmap) for this gameplay, and from a long-term design perspective, dig deep into the follow-up gameplay design.
Until now, Xiaoyuan is still in charge of the design of the AI pipeline. The technical route of AI ranges from behavior tree AI to deep learning AI, and the business scope ranges from a single gameplay to more than 10 different styles of AI spanning multiple gameplays. The AI team has also grown from childhood. Yuan Yuan has become one of the most important teams in the project and has become the most trusted and powerful partner in the planning.
These are two real stories around me. We will find that for the so-called technical planning, the TD work content of different teams and different business directions is very different, such as: combat, 3C, checkpoints, AI, and TD technology in different directions. The requirements for ability and design ability vary greatly . Today, with the gradual improvement of game industrialization, more and more gameplay design work needs to be handled. For the planning of gameplay/level direction, experts in a certain vertical field are often needed. to solve a variety of in-depth problems.
So what is the core competitiveness of TD? Are you a tool developer as a team? Is it the implementer of the planning needs? Or the technical selector who decides the ponytail? My answer is neither.
The technical designer’s ability should be more inclined to design ability, not implementation and usability. If a client-side programmer can do the work, why give it to a TD to implement it? All technical means should be in order to promote their own design, to verify more quickly, or to present more effectively. Therefore, TD in my eyes should not only be responsible for the design results, but also help the team achieve good design through technical capabilities . Work in these technical directions can be tools in the process or playable prototypes, but the ultimate goal is a player-oriented user experience.
Here are some examples of projects that are good in my eyes, in which planning or so-called “technical planning” has a considerable degree of participation:
1. The prototype of the early hero battle of OW, it can be seen that the designer has basically made the core gameplay prototype, and verified the fun and uniqueness.
The gameplay prototype of the early heroes of OW
2. The prototype idea of Shenhaiguan card, starting from the level bridge section of the whole process, showing an impressive emotional and tense roof escape level
The prototype of the whole process of the classic level in Shenhai
3. The AI system in Battlefield V supported the attack and defense verification and performance evaluation of 64 people during the research and development period, and made a very good promotion for the final battlefield experience and level design. You can see that The comparison between the final AI automatic running test and the actual player.
Use massive AI to simulate an offensive and defensive battle
4. TitanFall’s Action Block, TD/LD created a large number of prototypes combining gameplay and levels, and the 7 finally selected became the 7 best ideas released by TitanFall2, which impressed countless players.
5. A weapon planning student in the project team fired basic fire and ADS fire, and created a weapon prototype, which solved the problem of realization plan and final effect, and promoted the program to make a “high-quality gun”
High-quality weapon firing prototypes
6. Create an impressive game breakage experience with OK executable performance
Creating broken experiences with UE
The above are some examples of how TD works in the project in my ideal. Not all plans and teams need to have “technical planning”, but for individuals, the actual work of domestic game teams is also more and more demanding. Game planning/level planning/weapon planning/AI planning must have the technical ability to realize the design, or take a step back and say technical awareness, which is very important. At the same time, being able to use our own technology and artistic means to create a good game experience is what I think is the value of technical planning.
Back to the question, what is a qualified technical planner, it must be an irreplaceable role in the planning team, an engine of creativity, not a tool person.
I hope everyone can find their own advantages and realize their own value on the road of Design
Source: Zhihu www.zhihu.com
Author: Dong Haiyang Zero
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Further reading:
Is the position of Technical Designer really necessary?
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