Experience the infinite possibilities of space exploration and domination in the palm of your hand.
Moving to China to work for Netease Games was an exhilarating opportunity for me. Having a strong passion for gaming and user experience design, I had always aimed to work abroad, and Netease was undoubtedly a top contender. When the offer to join their team in Guangzhou came my way, I knew it was a chance to explore new horizons and take my career to the next level. The prospect of living in a new city, immersing myself in a new culture, and collaborating with some of the most talented minds in the gaming industry was both exciting and daunting. However, I was eager to embrace this new challenge and channel my expertise towards creating engaging and intuitive gaming experiences for Netease’s users.
My first project was Eve Echoes, a mobile version of the Eve Online pc game.
Players take on the role of spaceship pilots and are free to choose their own path, whether it be mining resources, engaging in faction warfare, forming alliances with other players, or simply exploring the vastness of space. The game features a complex economy system that relies on player-driven markets, production, and trade, which adds depth and complexity to the gameplay.
In terms of visuals, Eve Echoes boasts stunning graphics and detailed environments that bring the sci-fi universe to life on mobile devices. The game also features a rich set of customisation options, allowing players to personalise their spaceships, equipment, and even their avatars.
As part of the UX team we worked very close to the system designer, since the original game was so rich of features, we had to drastically simplify the mechanics and interface since we were adapting the PC gameplay of EVE Online to a mobile platform. This required a careful rethinking of the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to ensure that the game was both accessible and functional on smaller screens.
The game was a clutter of features and pages, meaning that a deep understanding of both the original game and the intentions of the game designers was needed to proceed.
Maintaining Game Balance: Eve Echoes features a vast and player-driven economy system, which required a delicate balancing act to ensure that the game remained fair and enjoyable for all players. Balancing resources, equipment, and gameplay mechanics to avoid an unfair advantage for a particular group of players was a critical consideration.
Designing for games in China challenges me to think outside of my comfort zone and incorporate cultural nuances into my designs.
Creating a Compelling Storyline: The game’s narrative needed to be immersive and engaging, drawing players into the world of New Eden and keeping them invested in the game’s characters and events.
Catering to Diverse Player Preferences: Eve Echoes offers players a vast array of gameplay options, from resource gathering and trade to combat and exploration.
Performance and Stability: The game’s development team had to optimise the game’s graphics and code to ensure that it ran smoothly and without issues on a range of devices.
Being the foreigner in the studio allowed me to bring a fresh perspective and diverse experiences to the table.
An exchange of expertise between different cultures can go in both ways, in this case I had to overcame language and cultural barriers during the work time, like waiting for translations or understanding that the Chinese audience have different traits.
While on the giving side I believe that designing a game for the global market clearly needed an input from a foreigner and what to expect from western players.
