Jessica Hara Campbell (Level Designer)

Jessica Hara Campbell Space Lead, Level Designer

FAVORITE MOVIE?

My “favorite movies” are the ones that get me through late work nights, both at the office and at home working on personal projects. Empire Records is my go-to comfort movie.

FAVORITE ALL-TIME GAME?

Secret of Mana, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Final Fantasy VII hold a special three-way tie in my heart. Transistor has been a recent favorite.

BIGGEST HOBBY?

Dungeons and Dragons when I can get the group together. Drawing Dungeons and Dragons characters when we can’t!

HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN VIDEO GAMES?

Funny enough, it wasn’t until college that I became aware of this as an actual career, even though I grew up playing games. Friends were interning at a local company and suddenly the lightbulb went off that this was something I could actually do. I paired the 3D classes my college offered with my illustration major and by junior year I’d landed an internship with my first company.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON THE TEAM?

I’ve been with the BioWare team for over three years and in the industry for 11 years.

GIVE THE READER AN IDEA ABOUT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY TASKS.

As Space Lead, I work closely with a multi-disciplinary team that includes level designers, level artists, UX designers, and programmers. My role is to keep a clear vision for the space envisioned by the core leads and enable the team to build a beautiful and concise player experience.

As the Tempest level designer, I worked with nearly every department to orchestrate the massive amount of content that is the heart of this small ship. It involved coordinating the squadmate and crew experience with the writers, implementing cinematics scenes, bridging the level transitions to/from the Tempest, and, finally, traditional level layout and content pacing. Not to mention getting everything to run at optimal levels on all platforms.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT ABOUT THE PROJECT?

As a fan of the original trilogy, being given the chance to craft the Normandy’s successor is one of those wild fantasies come to life. It’s been a challenge to live up to previous accomplishments. I think we’ve retained the essence of the Normandy, but with a twist that makes the Tempest her own unique ship.

WHAT WAS YOUR TRICKIEST TASK AND HOW DID YOU SOLVE IT?

I fell into the perfect storm of the Tempest, space, and transitions to other levels. New tech, a new engine, and a desire to craft a certain experience kept many of us on our toes. In no way can I take credit for the team’s achievements. This was an “all for one and one for all” scenario where the expertise of remarkable teammates working together overcame the technical challenges and made this all possible.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF CONCERNING THE GAME?

The Tempest and the Galaxy Map are quite literally the nexus where the game comes together. Having a small team work together to build that level and giving our players their new “home” is something I can be proud of.

THE SHIP ALWAYS FEELS LIKE ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS IN MASS EFFECT GAMES. WHAT WENT INTO CREATING THE SHIP FOR MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA?

Crafting the Tempest was a challenge because we wanted to retain elements of the Normandy, yet also develop a unique identity for the player’s new “home.” Achieving these goals was no simple feat. After all, the beloved Normandy left quite a legacy.

The Tempest is much smaller than the trilogy’s home base, both fictionally and in-game. The ship is much smaller than the Normandy—but it almost feels deceptively larger, as we removed load tunnels and elevator rides. And we have windows! Windows to the various solar systems immediately make the ship seem larger instead of walled in. We wanted to emphasize our tech and beautiful vistas, but also reinforce the fact that Ryder is the Pathfinder, an explorer of worlds, and that right outside the Tempest is the next mystery to discover in our new home.

One of the first ideas the Tempest team had was to emulate a submarine with a bit of extra legroom so gameplay designers wouldn’t have a heart attack and the player wouldn’t feel cramped while exploring the ship. This created the idea of putting new comrades together in tight spaces—what mayhem would ensue? To maintain the familiarity of looking for our friends for heart-to-heart moments or a bit of “special” time, we had our squadmates repurpose rooms to find personal space and unpack their belongings.

This just scratches the surface of the elements we considered when designing the Tempest. It’s not surprising that the Tempest was the first level to reach the basic layout stage and the last to reach the final stage of art and design before polish. After reviewing interior and exterior concepts of the ship, I spent two months prototyping layouts in the editor. Options were presented for feedback, and then I was back to the drawing board or fine-tuning areas that needed further development.

Once we nailed down the layout, very little actually changed over the rest of the project. It just felt right.

WHAT FRESH APPROACHES HAVE YOU BROUGHT TO THE DESIGN OF THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS FOR MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA?

On the Tempest, I wanted to pursue the idea that each squadmate and crew member claims and defines a certain area. At the same time, we wanted the ship to feel lived-in without a cast of dozens. So we pushed the design further to have characters out and about inside the ship. Everyone serves a role and is crucial to keep the ship running, so we wanted the player to see them working and interacting with each other as they build relationships between themselves—for better or worse.