Every World Makes A Promise To The Player
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With every world I designed, I put myself into the player’s perspective. As if I was stepping into the world itself. Which creature would I expect to see at this corner? How would a monster normally act? My goal was to make every experience feel like it lived in the world naturally.
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The Challenge
"How do you guide thousands of players without ever speaking to them?"
Elder Scrolls Online is played by millions of people with different skill levels, playstyles, and expectations. Our job was to design encounters that feel intuitive the first time, reward curiosity, and clearly communicate challenge and risk.
Role
Encounter Designer
Team
Combat, Quest
Tools
LUA, Block Script, Custom Proprietary Engine
Shipped
4 Major Bosses, 20+ Player Experiences
Explore Works
View my official game design portfolio.
View videos going through and gameplay of player experiences I designed.
Exploration
01
How Do Players Navigate?
Design Decision
Use encounter placement, creature behavior, and dynamic world events to naturally guide player exploration.
Evidence
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Encounters emerge from concealed spaces to reward curiosity.
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Creature behaviors encourage exploration through environmental cues.
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Dynamic world events draw players toward new areas and encourage organic discovery.
Impact
Players are rewarded for curiosity, making exploration feel intentional rather than directed.
Design Decision
Balance anticipation, readability, and pacing to create encounters that reward player mastery.
Evidence
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Enemy telegraphs communicate intent without reducing challenge.
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Dynamic encounters introduce moments of surprise throughout exploration.
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Combat pacing alternates tension and recovery to sustain engagement.
Impact
Victory is earned through understanding the encounter rather than overcoming unclear mechanics.
02
Combat
What Keeps Players Engaged?
03
Immersion
How Does The World Come Alive?
Design Decision
Use creature behaviors, lore-driven encounters, and world events to make each environment feel alive beyond the player's presence.
Evidence
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Creature AI reinforces the identity of each region.
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Lore-driven encounters connect gameplay to the world's narrative.
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Scripted world events create the feeling of an active, evolving environment.
Impact
The world responds around the player, reinforcing the feeling of participation rather than observation.
The Process
How Ideas Become Gameplay
Every encounter needed to feel intentional. As if this could happen in the real virtual game world. It needed to function separate from the players actions.
Understand
Gameplay & World
Build
Interactive Experiences
Test
Balance & Combat
Launch
Live Gameplay
Test
Feedback & Reaction
The Impact
Designing For Immersion
20+
Builds
Encounter Experiences
Wilderness, Hostiles
+60%
Engagement
Season 3: Rise Of The Worm Cult
Delves, Boss Fights
+50
Playtesting
Live Events
Up To 50 Player Quests
Balance
Combat & Story
Conducted tests on encounters to ensure challenge, without discouraging players.
Perspective
Think Like The Player
Designed encounters based on what players expect and recognize.
Experience
Virtual To Reality
Created experiences that brough the game world to feel real.
Takeaway
"The best encounters are the ones players don't notice."
Encounter designing taught me that it's not about standing out that equal success. It's about creating experiences that feel so natural in the world or environment that players don't notice it's extra. I learned to create as a developer, but with the players actions and thoughts in mind.