As the new installment of a cult classic, Jagged Alliance 3 development was loaded with the expectations of fans that grew up with Jagged Alliance 2. The main challenge was to deliver a sequel that feels true to the originals and yet meets the modern standards of gaming.
As the narrative designer of Jagged Alliance 3, I created the concept documents for the world, setting and factions in the game.
Created the mockup map of the game, concept documents for level design of the majority of core maps in the game, and as general guidelines for points of interest on filler maps
Created concept documents for story-related art assets
Prepared the concept documentation used for art production and voice recording of all NPC characters
I was the key figure to developing the narrative design and the quest structure of the game, as well as to the majority of quests, interactions and scripted outcomes.
Took part in the creation of the main quest concept and made sure it works after multiple iterations and changes of design direction
Designed, written, tasked for production and partly scripted the vast majority of side quests in the game
Helped define the types of generic interactables and designed the majority of custom interactables in the game
Designed the structure and features of the Intro and Outro panels containing the quest outcomes that define the ending of the game
More information on the creative process and general quest design is available at the paper I have written as a pre-release Dev Diary on behalf of THQ Nordic.
As one of the main content writers in Jagged Alliance 3, I have created the majority of written content in the game.
Designed, written and set the stat outcomes in the I.M.P. test that is used to suggest initial stats to the player-built merc character in a fun and engaging way
Involved with the development of the main narrative tools of the game - conversation editor, banter editor, quest editor.
Designed, written and scripted the major part of NPC-related content - most dialogs and in-world character lines (banters)
Written some of the merc interjections in dialogs and interactables
Designed and written the majority of quest notes that guide the player
Supervised the editing work on the narrative content and provided revisions and feedback
The content creation process is revealed in detail in a paper I have written as another pre-release Dev Diary on behalf of THQ Nordic.
As main content creator, I have scripted significant part of the narrative game content using the editors provided with the Haemimont Games engine, while requesting and supervising the development of new features where necessary. My involvement included:
Scripting of most conversations and banters, along with the intricate network of conditions and effects that make them work for a game that provides freedom of choice and consequences to the player's actions
The majority of custom interactables on the maps, including some mini quests and interactions with scenes created by the level designers
Scripting polish before and after release, making sure that everything works as intended
I have provided insights on the narrative content variety and scripting complexity of JA3 in a paper I have written as an Xbox release article on behalf of THQ Nordic and Microsoft.
I have created, produced and written the texts for U-Bahn - the first DLC for Jagged Alliance 3, released as a free content update on December 2023.
Production of 9 new maps and related changes to existing maps.
New major quest that relates to several existing quest lines in the game, as well as multiple interactables, new items etc.
Content writing of the majority of voiced and non-voiced dialogs, banter lines, and quest notes in the new game area.
Design of additional features, such as photo mode overlays.
Talked at GDS 2025 on narrative and character design.
Provided practical advice on dialogue building and writing.