Technical Combat Designer - StarCraft | Irvine, CA
Blizzard Entertainment · Irvine, CA · 1 mo ago
On-siteArt & Creative$30.47–$56.35/hrFull-time
We need to output HTML fragment with sections: h3 headings for sections present: About the role? The posting includes "Your Mission" maybe treat as About the role. Responsibilities, Experience (maybe Requirements), Knowledge & Skills, Key Attributes, Extra Points, Your Platform (maybe About company), Benefits (Rewards Requirements), Pay (they gave base pay range). Schedule: they mention hybrid work week. So include Schedule section.
We must not repeat job title as heading. No Job ID. Remove boilerplate like EEO etc. We need to preserve all substantive info.
We need to decide headings: Use for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). So we can map:
- About the role: from "Your Mission" paragraph(s) describing mission and role overview. Could also include "We are looking for a Technical Combat Designer..." etc.
- Responsibilities: list bullet points.
- Requirements: maybe "Experience Minimum Requirements" and "Knowledge & Skills" and "Key Attributes" and "Extra Points". But we have separate headings for Skills, Qualifications etc. The instruction says use those headings if content exists. We can combine: Requirements (minimum requirements), Qualifications (maybe extra points?), Skills (knowledge & skills). But we need to avoid thin sections. Let's see content:
Experience Minimum Requirements: bullet-ish list of requirements.
Knowledge & Skills: list.
Key Attributes: list.
Extra Points: list.
We could make sections: Requirements (combining Minimum Requirements), Skills (Knowledge & Skills), Qualifications (Key Attributes + Extra Points?) But maybe better to follow typical: Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. Also About the role.
We need to ensure we don't create empty sections.
Let's extract content:
About the role / Your Mission:
"Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of StarCraft, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games. We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time. We are looking for a Technical Combat Designer to help craft a new, StarCraft game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for designing and implementing enemy NPCs and combat encounters that create memorable gameplay experiences for players. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose. This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio."
That's the mission.
Responsibilities list:
- Design and implement exciting gameplay experiences on a AAA title.
- Drive development of enemies and combat encounters from ideation through prototyping to final execution.
- Create custom enemy behaviors, attacks, and abilities that deliver engaging and challenging combat experiences.
- Tune enemy perception, combat effectiveness, and encounter difficulty to achieve intended gameplay outcomes.
- Leverage technical expertise to implement combat systems and gameplay features.
- Collaborate closely with engineering, art, animation, and level design partners throughout development.
- Create one-page designs, briefs, and system outlines to communicate design goals and implementation plans.
- Iterate on gameplay systems and encounters using feedback from internal playtests and development partners.
Experience Minimum Requirements (list):
- 5+ years of experience in combat design, systems design, technical design, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience designing gameplay systems and combat encounters from concept through implementation.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively within teams and foster productive partnerships across disciplines.
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and manage responsibilities independently while maintaining strong ownership and accountability.
- Experienced player of a wide variety of game genres and able to leverage those experiences to inform design decisions.
Knowledge & Skills (list):
- Experience scripting gameplay systems and creating functional gameplay prototypes.
- Comfortable working with basic 3D mathematics including vectors, rotations, and spatial reasoning.
- Experience designing, tuning, and balancing combat systems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Comprehensive understanding of player-facing gameplay systems and encounter design principles.
- Ability to identify problems, propose solutions, and execute with minimal oversight.
Key Attributes (list):
- Passion for creating exceptional gameplay experiences.
- Collaborative approach to development and problem solving.
- Curiosity and willingness to continuously improve craft and technical expertise.
- Adaptability in a dynamic development environment.
- Commitment to delivering polished, player-focused experiences.
Extra Points (list):
- Experience developing games in Unreal Engine.
- Experience using Blueprint visual scripting.
- Familiarity with Combat AI behavior trees and state machine systems.
- Background in encounter design, enemy design, or Combat AI design.
- Professional experience developing AAA games.
- Experience taking combat encounters from prototype through shippable implementation.
Your Platform (company description) maybe not needed as a section; could be omitted as it's boilerplate? It's about Blizzard. Might be considered "About the company" but not required. The instruction says include a section only when posting has real, specific content for it. This is generic but still specific to Blizzard. Could be considered "About the company" but not in list of headings. We could omit.
Benefits: from "Rewards Requirements" section: list of benefits.
We need to extract benefits list:
- Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
- 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
- Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
- Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
- If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.
- Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.
- You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.
We should keep all that.
Pay: "In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $30.47 - $56.35 Hourly. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable."
Schedule: "This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio." Already mentioned in mission but we can still have Schedule section.
We must not duplicate content. The mission already includes hybrid work week sentence. If we put Schedule section, we might repeat that sentence. Better to keep schedule info only in Schedule section and not repeat in About the role. But the mission sentence includes that; we could remove it from About the role to avoid duplication. However instruction: Preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail. We can keep it in either place but not duplicate. Let's keep it in Schedule section and remove from About the role. But we need to ensure we don't lose that info. We'll move hybrid work week to Schedule.
Thus About the role will be the mission without the hybrid sentence.
Let's craft About the role paragraph(s):
"Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of StarCraft, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games. We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time. We are looking for a Technical Combat Designer to help craft a new, StarCraft game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for designing and implementing enemy NPCs and combat encounters that create memorable gameplay experiences for players. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose."
Now Responsibilities as ul.
Requirements: we could combine Minimum Requirements as a list.
Qualifications: maybe we treat Key Attributes as Qualifications? But we have both Knowledge & Skills and Key Attributes. Let's assign:
- Requirements: Minimum Requirements (5+ years etc.)
- Skills: Knowledge & Skills
- Qualifications: Key Attributes + Extra Points? But Extra Points are "nice-to-have". Could be under Qualifications as "Preferred Qualifications". However instruction says use headings like Qualifications, Skills. We can make Qualifications for Key Attributes, and maybe add a separate section for "Preferred Qualifications" but not in list. Better to keep Extra Points as part of Qualifications? Might be thin.
We could make sections: Requirements, Skills, Qualifications (Key Attributes), and maybe a separate "Preferred Qualifications" but not in allowed headings. The instruction says use those headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). It doesn't forbid other headings? It says use
for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). So we can map:
- About the role: from "Your Mission" paragraph(s) describing mission and role overview. Could also include "We are looking for a Technical Combat Designer..." etc.
- Responsibilities: list bullet points.
- Requirements: maybe "Experience Minimum Requirements" and "Knowledge & Skills" and "Key Attributes" and "Extra Points". But we have separate headings for Skills, Qualifications etc. The instruction says use those headings if content exists. We can combine: Requirements (minimum requirements), Qualifications (maybe extra points?), Skills (knowledge & skills). But we need to avoid thin sections. Let's see content:
Experience Minimum Requirements: bullet-ish list of requirements.
Knowledge & Skills: list.
Key Attributes: list.
Extra Points: list.
We could make sections: Requirements (combining Minimum Requirements), Skills (Knowledge & Skills), Qualifications (Key Attributes + Extra Points?) But maybe better to follow typical: Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. Also About the role.
We need to ensure we don't create empty sections.
Let's extract content:
About the role / Your Mission:
"Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of StarCraft, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games. We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time. We are looking for a Technical Combat Designer to help craft a new, StarCraft game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for designing and implementing enemy NPCs and combat encounters that create memorable gameplay experiences for players. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose. This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio."
That's the mission.
Responsibilities list:
- Design and implement exciting gameplay experiences on a AAA title.
- Drive development of enemies and combat encounters from ideation through prototyping to final execution.
- Create custom enemy behaviors, attacks, and abilities that deliver engaging and challenging combat experiences.
- Tune enemy perception, combat effectiveness, and encounter difficulty to achieve intended gameplay outcomes.
- Leverage technical expertise to implement combat systems and gameplay features.
- Collaborate closely with engineering, art, animation, and level design partners throughout development.
- Create one-page designs, briefs, and system outlines to communicate design goals and implementation plans.
- Iterate on gameplay systems and encounters using feedback from internal playtests and development partners.
Experience Minimum Requirements (list):
- 5+ years of experience in combat design, systems design, technical design, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience designing gameplay systems and combat encounters from concept through implementation.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively within teams and foster productive partnerships across disciplines.
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and manage responsibilities independently while maintaining strong ownership and accountability.
- Experienced player of a wide variety of game genres and able to leverage those experiences to inform design decisions.
Knowledge & Skills (list):
- Experience scripting gameplay systems and creating functional gameplay prototypes.
- Comfortable working with basic 3D mathematics including vectors, rotations, and spatial reasoning.
- Experience designing, tuning, and balancing combat systems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Comprehensive understanding of player-facing gameplay systems and encounter design principles.
- Ability to identify problems, propose solutions, and execute with minimal oversight.
Key Attributes (list):
- Passion for creating exceptional gameplay experiences.
- Collaborative approach to development and problem solving.
- Curiosity and willingness to continuously improve craft and technical expertise.
- Adaptability in a dynamic development environment.
- Commitment to delivering polished, player-focused experiences.
Extra Points (list):
- Experience developing games in Unreal Engine.
- Experience using Blueprint visual scripting.
- Familiarity with Combat AI behavior trees and state machine systems.
- Background in encounter design, enemy design, or Combat AI design.
- Professional experience developing AAA games.
- Experience taking combat encounters from prototype through shippable implementation.
Your Platform (company description) maybe not needed as a section; could be omitted as it's boilerplate? It's about Blizzard. Might be considered "About the company" but not required. The instruction says include a section only when posting has real, specific content for it. This is generic but still specific to Blizzard. Could be considered "About the company" but not in list of headings. We could omit.
Benefits: from "Rewards Requirements" section: list of benefits.
We need to extract benefits list:
- Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
- 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
- Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
- Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
- If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.
- Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.
- You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.
We should keep all that.
Pay: "In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $30.47 - $56.35 Hourly. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable."
Schedule: "This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio." Already mentioned in mission but we can still have Schedule section.
We must not duplicate content. The mission already includes hybrid work week sentence. If we put Schedule section, we might repeat that sentence. Better to keep schedule info only in Schedule section and not repeat in About the role. But the mission sentence includes that; we could remove it from About the role to avoid duplication. However instruction: Preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail. We can keep it in either place but not duplicate. Let's keep it in Schedule section and remove from About the role. But we need to ensure we don't lose that info. We'll move hybrid work week to Schedule.
Thus About the role will be the mission without the hybrid sentence.
Let's craft About the role paragraph(s):
"Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of StarCraft, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games. We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time. We are looking for a Technical Combat Designer to help craft a new, StarCraft game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for designing and implementing enemy NPCs and combat encounters that create memorable gameplay experiences for players. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose."
Now Responsibilities as ul.
Requirements: we could combine Minimum Requirements as a list.
Qualifications: maybe we treat Key Attributes as Qualifications? But we have both Knowledge & Skills and Key Attributes. Let's assign:
- Requirements: Minimum Requirements (5+ years etc.)
- Skills: Knowledge & Skills
- Qualifications: Key Attributes + Extra Points? But Extra Points are "nice-to-have". Could be under Qualifications as "Preferred Qualifications". However instruction says use headings like Qualifications, Skills. We can make Qualifications for Key Attributes, and maybe add a separate section for "Preferred Qualifications" but not in list. Better to keep Extra Points as part of Qualifications? Might be thin.
We could make sections: Requirements, Skills, Qualifications (Key Attributes), and maybe a separate "Preferred Qualifications" but not in allowed headings. The instruction says use those headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). It doesn't forbid other headings? It says use for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). Likely they expect only those headings. So we should map content to those headings only. So we need to fit all content into those sections.
Thus we need to decide which content goes where:
- About the role: mission overview.
- Responsibilities: duties.
- Requirements: minimum requirements (5+ years etc.)
- Qualifications: maybe knowledge & skills? Or key attributes? But we have both Knowledge & Skills and Key Attributes. Could combine them under Qualifications? But we also have Skills heading. So we can put Knowledge & Skills under Skills, and Key Attributes under Qualifications. Extra Points could be added to Qualifications as preferred qualifications (still under Qualifications). That seems okay.
- Benefits: benefits list.
- Pay: pay range.
- Schedule: hybrid work week.
Thus we will not have a separate "Your Platform" section; we can omit as it's not needed.
Now ensure we don't include boilerplate like EEO etc. We removed.
Now produce HTML fragment:
About the role
About the role
...
Responsibilities
- ... ...
Requirements
- ... ...
Qualifications
- ... (Key Attributes) ...
- ... (Extra Points) ...
Skills
- ... (Knowledge & Skills) ...
Benefits
- ... ...
Pay
...
Schedule
...
Make sure no extra whitespace? It's fine. Now extract precise lists. Requirements list items: - 5+ years of experience in combat design, systems design, technical design, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. - Experience designing gameplay systems and combat encounters from concept through implementation. - Proven ability to work collaboratively within teams and foster productive partnerships across disciplines. - Demonstrated ability to take initiative and manage responsibilities independently while maintaining strong ownership and accountability. - Experienced player of a wide variety of game genres and able to leverage those experiences to inform design decisions. Knowledge & Skills list: - Experience scripting gameplay systems and creating functional gameplay prototypes. - Comfortable working with basic 3