Santa Monica Studio is seeking a Sr Technical Combat Designer to support companions, characters, and boss designs from concept to implementation completion.

In this role you will assist, collaborate with, and take direction from the Lead Combat Designer, Lead Hero Designer, and Directors. You will work with multiple disciplines including Engineering, Animation, Art, Encounters, etc. in ensuring that characters are cohesively executed in game. Applicants are expected to be able to drive features forward by representing them with confidence and knowledge, and keep all feature stakeholders well informed, as well as using their skills and experience to bolster the team via process improvement, mentorship, and leading by example.

• Create and drive combatants, tools, and combat systems from initial design through implementation, iteration, and completion
• Create high level character design intent and combat flow plans
• Create and maintain complex state machine and behavior tree scripting architectures for characters
• Maintain, tune, bugfix, and polish all aspects of character implementation, including animation, visual effects, behaviors, and other systems, to a polished, shippable quality
• Iteratively work within the set standard for all character asset design, creation, and in-game implementation within the production path as it relates to design, art, VFX, sound, etc.
• Attend and participate in combat-specific discussions concerning combat design and combat design issues
• Attend and participate in production-related discussions concerning relevant feature pipelines and roadmaps
• Represent complex design and character features to multiple departments as "the point person" for Companions
• Value the relationship between gameplay elements within the level and the overall game and all the ways the player can respond to each gameplay element
• Respond and act on playtest and lead feedback with the aim of creating the best experience for all player skill levels
• Drive and create opportunities for value addition within the team and studio

• 4+ years in game development, with at least 2 in a character combat design capacity (creative and technical)
• Significant experience using text-based and visual scripting languages to set-up character logic, debug complex problems, and test work thoroughly
• Self-sufficient in getting to the root of a problem or issue and taking the necessary steps to find solutions
• Basic knowledge of vector math, scripting languages, and code (e.g., XML, C++, Lua)
• Must be able to grasp and work with code-based proprietary tools to implement and troubleshoot assigned characters
• Must have knowledge of competitive products and various gameplay genres, as well as a personal understanding of video game fun with regards to combat and enemy design
• Ability to think logically with a strong level of attention to detail; should be able to break down design concepts and analyze them with regards to purpose and intent
• Must possess quality written communication skills and the ability to convey abstract concepts
• Must be able to professionally communicate and work with other members of the game production team
• Must be able to speak to and discuss, in depth, combat systems, mechanics, and enemies in one or more 3^rd person melee action RPG

• Candidates who are fluent with the combat design choices, systems, mechanics, and enemies in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok (2022) are preferred

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