Tools Used:

Unreal Engine 5

C++

Blueprints

Jira

Confluence

Perforce

Unreal Game Sync

Overview:

Funcom dropped me into live MMO-scale development faster than I expected.

After onboarding, I was immediately contributing to active DLC production for Dune: Awakening. This wasn’t a slow ramp-up environment. This was live development, real deadlines, and systems that had to scale across narrative, AI, events, and player progression.

My role quickly became centered around building scalable gameplay systems that other designers could safely extend, iterate on, and ship within tight production timelines.



I worked primarily on Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 DLC content, helping build the underlying infrastructure that powered narrative progression, dynamic gameplay events, and modular content expansion.

My Role & Ownerships

Story & Progression Systems – Chapter 3 & 4 DLC

Gameplay Systems – Containers, interactables, scripted events

Technical Design Tools – Editor Utility Widgets

AI & Flow Fixes – Balance, blockers, navigation

Cinematics & Rewards Integration

Designing Scalable Story Systems

For Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, I designed and implemented dynamic Story Management systems that allowed narrative progression to be modular and expandable.

These systems needed to:

• Support nonlinear progression
• Integrate with gameplay triggers
• Be extendable for future content
• Remain designer-friendly

Instead of hardcoding progression, I built flexible frameworks that allowed content designers to plug in objectives, events, and outcomes without engineering rework.

The goal was not just to ship story content, but to build the system that future story content could rely on.

Unfortunately, for the Chapter 4 content, I am unable to go into specific detail, as I am tied to an NDA that prevents me from speaking about what I've done thus far for the content.

Blueprint Systems Extended from C++

A large portion of my work involved creating custom Blueprint systems built on top of C++ architecture.

The philosophy:

• Keep core C++ logic stable and performant in Blueprints
• Expose safe, modular Blueprint hooks
• Enable other designers to iterate rapidly without breaking systems

This hybrid approach allowed our team to move quickly while maintaining technical integrity across live builds.

Building Tools for Other Designers (Editor Utility Widgets)

One of my most impactful contributions was developing Editor Utility Widgets to streamline Chapter 4 gameplay implementation.

These tools allowed other designers to:

• Configure events without manual setup
• Manage gameplay logic more efficiently
• Reduce repetitive work
• Avoid setup errors

Rather than solving the same workflow problem repeatedly, I built tools that solved it permanently.

Breakdown: Dynamic Event Systems

Ownerships:

Event Scripting

Custom Containers

Interactive Logic (Doors, Triggers)

Cinematic Integration

Reward Implementation

Several DLC sequences required dynamic in-world scripting including custom containers, ship crash events, and interactive elements tied directly to narrative progression.

These systems required:

• Trigger-based logic
• AI coordination
• Cinematic synchronization
• Player feedback integration

Every component had to communicate cleanly with the Story Management system to maintain continuity and progression tracking.

AI & Gameplay Flow Fixes

Live development means constant iteration.

I fixed numerous gameplay and AI bugs across builds, including balance issues, navigation blockers, and systemic gameplay flow disruptions.

Many of these issues weren’t isolated bugs, they were friction points affecting player pacing, combat feel, and progression clarity.

Fixing them required:

• Root-cause system analysis
• Cross-discipline communication
• Careful regression testing across multiple builds

Working Cross-Functionally

DLC production moves quickly.

I collaborated daily with:

Design

Narrative

Engineering

Art

QA

I authored and maintained Confluence documentation for item systems and new gameplay features, helping keep cross-team alignment tight as we implemented hundreds of new items into the game.

What This Project Strengthened

• Designing modular systems inside live production pipelines
• Extending C++ architecture through Blueprint safely
• Building internal tools to increase team velocity
• Rapid iteration under tight DLC timelines
• Cross-functional communication across large teams