CURRENT PROJECT · GTA V / FIVEM · PART-TIME
Managing delivery of an RP product
Project Manager + Game Designer I coordinate two full-stack developers and collaboration with a dedicated game designer, clarify fixes and priorities, and update the project owner on readiness and product risks.
In progress · third paid project as PM
Restarting work after a month of inactivity
Joined after a month of inactivity: the paid team had no tasks or testing underway. Restarted product testing, documented development tasks and coordinate their implementation.
Context and responsibility
In an RP product, player actions affect several systems at once: the economy, reputation, vehicles and interactions with other players. An isolated change can break a connected journey. My task is to identify these dependencies before implementation and specify consistent behaviour.
- Analyse existing mechanics and player journeys
- Design game systems and their dependencies
- Requirements, priorities and acceptance criteria
- Testing, bug tracking and behaviour clarification
Team coordination, delivery and owner updates
I combine development coordination with analysis of game systems. A dedicated game designer handles a defined set of specifications; I connect contributors’ work with current tasks and the product’s status.
Two full-stack developers
Coordinate two developers: explain what needs fixing and where, clarify requirements and align priorities.
Dedicated game designer
Coordinate collaboration with a game designer who handles a defined set of specifications.
Investor and owner
Report work readiness to the investor-owner and keep them informed about product risks.
Weekly team meetings
Meet with the team once a week to discuss the project’s current state and work-related questions.
41 findings from product testing
On my first day I documented 26 items. The supplied testing history contains 41 items authored by me: defects, interface improvements and gameplay scenarios needing changes.
Game-task states
Found a scenario where a rejected operation, an active task status and subsequent restrictions contradicted each other. Documented the sequence for correction.
Item consistency
Identified a discrepancy between depositing an item, retrieving it and the displayed quantity. Passed the issue to development.
Launch and the first player experience
Found launcher display and startup issues, alongside unclear entry points into gameplay activities.
Interface and controls
Collected findings on button feedback, repeated actions, localization, readability and interface consistency.
From a problem to a product decision
Dynamic job economy
- Problem
- Players cluster around popular jobs while other activities attract little interest.
- My approach
- Designed temporary incentives that account for player distribution and cap the volume of bonus payouts.
What it demonstratesProduct economics, user behaviour and working within constraints.
Reputation and consequences
- Problem
- Rules in individual mechanics can conflict with character roles and expected consequences.
- My approach
- Worked through links between reputation, player actions and access to scenarios. I check conditions, exceptions and feedback as one journey.
What it demonstratesSystems thinking, consistent UX and edge cases.
Violation → evidence → portal
- Problem
- Players need a clear context for a violation, and connected systems need a consistent event history.
- My approach
- Prepared requirements for photo evidence and a government portal covering fines, violations and related records.
What it demonstratesEnd-to-end journeys, transparent rules and data consistency.
Vehicles and game balance
- Problem
- Vehicle behaviour on different surfaces affects route choice and the usefulness of vehicle classes.
- My approach
- Developed the concept for surface-aware behaviour within the gameplay context, so vehicle and route choices matter.
What it demonstratesBalancing, user experience and effects on adjacent mechanics.
Reviewing the whole player journey
For example, recording a violation needs to align with the history entry and what a player sees in the portal. I consider the preceding conditions, resulting state and exceptions alongside the individual action or screen.
- Player action
- Event and evidence
- Portal history
Requirements, priorities and verification
Understand the journey
Identify the player goal, initial conditions and points where existing logic fails.
Specify the solution
Describe expected behaviour, dependencies and constraints; clarify disputed requirements.
Prepare verification
Define acceptance criteria and test scenarios, including rejection paths and edge cases.
Refine priorities
Track bugs, test mechanics and work on priorities for fixes and changes.
Further areas of design work
Phone-based ATM interactions, player observation and tracking, freight-train robbery, graffiti conflicts and additional gameplay scenarios.
Completed work and current limits
I have coordinated ongoing team work and kept the owner informed about readiness and risks. Detailed specifications have been prepared; requirements clarification, testing and bug tracking continue.
This case covers ongoing Project Manager responsibilities and completed analysis and design work. Implementation of every described mechanic, post-release outcomes and commercial impact are not yet verified.
Internal parameters, balance formulas and implementation details remain private.