Assassin’s Creed : Nexus
An immersive, free-roaming and thrilling VR experience
(Credited as Joseph Zellerkraut)
(All content and trademarks are property of their respective owners)
Role : Game Designer & Programmer
Platform : Meta Quest 2, 3 & Pro
Tools : Unity, Custom Tools & Editor, Visual Studio
Duration : 2 years (2021-2023)
Team Size : 50+
As a game designer and programmer for Assassin’s Creed : Nexus, I worked on the 3Cs team and pitched player mechanics and interactions, designed them in docs, prototyped them and owned them to polish. I also worked closely with other teams such as Combat, Stealth and Accessibility to design or refine mechanics that better aided their mission goals.
Player/Avatar Grabbing and Interactions
I got to design and implement various aspects of what and how players could interact with the world, NPCs and enemies ranging from Parkour, throwing objects, pushing through crowds, tossing aside dead enemies or even pushing them to their doom. This had me working closely with our Combat, Level Design and the Living World teams to explore the best options and how best to introduce and implement them throughout the game.
Weapon Embedding
I designed and implemented the Embedding system which let weapons embed and stick into enemies and certain surfaces. It was a crucial aspect for nailing down that assassination feel and immersion within VR as it let us simulate a feeling of weight and force behind attacks both entering or being pulled from the NPC’s body. This was noted as an extremely satisfying aspect of gameplay during beta testing, especially with the signature Hidden Blade, after we layered on other key aspects such as controller rumble feedback, SFX and VFX such as blood sprays when pulling the weapon out.
Slow-Mo/Windows of Opportunity
I pitched, designed and co-scripted the Slow-Mo/Windows of Opportunity system which allowed players more control and reaction time during key gameplay moments while also lending a cinematic feel. While it was initially intended to address a couple aspects of 3Cs, I pitched, prototyped and advocated for its use in other areas such as Combat and Stealth as they were used in a similar capacity in the main console titles. This system later became a staple for general Combat and as a bonus upgrade for Stealth on certain kills allowing players a chance to perform multiple stealth kills in rapid succession and truly feel like a master assassin. This is featured heavily in the official gameplay video as well.
Enemy Ragdolls
I designed and co-scripted the ragdoll system for enemies. This was an important handshake between the player and Embedding system so that immersion wasn’t lost when an enemy was killed. The ability to grab various parts of the enemy’s dead body added a sense of realism especially when paired with pulling your hands apart to un-embed your hidden blade from the NPC or pick them up to toss overboard a ship. Players at one point could drag and hide the bodies as part of the Stealth mechanics but this was eventually dropped mainly to streamline level playthroughs.