Payday 2 Build Creator transitioned from a website to a native mobile application. A few liberties were taken for the design and how I transitioned it from webpages to a native application.
I fashioned the build creator after the actual design of Payday 2's Loadout creator. So even if people are not used to the original webpage but are used to playing the game, they can understand how to use the app.
Now players can converse on the go and make the builds of their dreams from the convenience of their phone or tablet.
Project Description
Payday 2 is a game in which players have a variety of ways to play and create their perfect heister. This freedom also makes some “builds” or ways to maximize abilities and perks better than others. It takes time to compare builds and create new ones as well. Now with Payday 2 Builder, you can create new builds faster than in-game and share them faster than before.
This speed and efficiency work well online but could be even faster if ported to a mobile application. And that’s the main reason behind the conversion: to allow players to create builds even on the go and help the community innovate and share even faster than before.
In this breakdown, I want to highlight the process and the research needed to complete this design and high-fidelity prototype.
Features
The features in the Payday 2 Builder are helpful in creating the perfect build for any player. It allows the user to choose all of their abilities in the five different categories: Mastermind, Enforcer, Technician, Ghost, and Fugitive class trees. The builder also allows players to equip their Perks, Armor, Throwables, and Deployables. After the user chooses all of the pieces for the build, they are able to share their build directly from the application.
I feel it is missing another vital piece to compare builds as well. With each ability, perk deck, and armor equipped, the amount of various stats can go up or down. The website does not allow for the player to see those stats before they are input into the game. So I wanted to highlight the stats as well.
Mastermind
Enforcer
Technician
Ghost
Fugitive
Platforms & Dimensions
The Payday 2 Builder App was created with tablets in mind first and foremost. With the inclusion of the stat section, the increased screen size would allow for easier selection and reading of stats and skills. Phone versions of Payday 2 Builder will omit the stat section until the end of the creation or modification of the build.
This way the user can see the changes to the stats as they are creating their build which also allows for seamless transitions from the app to sharing and screenshots. The conversion is from the web to the size of an iPad Pro with a 12.9” screen. This allows for designs on screens with a great amount of detail and clarity.
Site Map
The following site map shows the different screens that the Payday 2 Build Creator has to offer. Though the screens don't break into gameplay or explain the game itself, it does encompass the entirety of making a build and the stats associated with the build. There is also a setting section for people to remove audio effects, link their app to social media, change to a high contrast mode, and a way to upgrade to the premium version of the Payday 2 Build Creator.
Research
Payday 2
Payday 2 is a video game in which players work in a team of four 'heisters' to pull off daring heists of varying difficulties. The heists range anywhere from simple bank heists to infiltrating the White House and escaping with unsigned presidential pardons.
But along with the destruction and crazy thefts, the player gets to choose the way to handle each situation. This requires the creation of builds. These builds allow players to specialize in any way they want. The fun of Payday 2 lies in players making each choice to do whatever they can to pull off the grand heists to make them rich beyond comprehension.
Since the game's release, they have introduced numerous additions to the base game's roles that players can fulfill. And as the list of skills and perks have grown so has the imagination of the community. Want to be a sword-wielding Yakuza that gets stronger with less health? Go for it. Want to be a sniper with double hitman-style pistols? Perfect. Want to be a walking tank with a Light Machine Gun? Don your suit.
People took the idea of playing the way they wanted to the extreme. This led to min-maxing builds that worked in a variety of situations. But the freedom to tinker and try different things was also the path that many players took. Thus leading to the creation of Payday2Builder.com
Payday2Builder.com
Payday 2 Builder or PD2 Builder came about from the need for the community to not have to painstakingly create builds in-game, just to break them down and use that slot for another build that came to mind. Players could quickly and efficiently see stats of weapons, skill trees, and different combinations of skills and perks. The people who run the site have kept up diligently with buffs and nerfs. So it is always the premier way for players to do theory crafting before testing their new experimental builds.
Payday 2 builder allowed the player to pick skills, perk decks, armor, throwables, and deployables before allowing the player to share their build if they wanted to. But as a website, it wasn't sustainable without data or a stable internet connection. So I wanted to take that boon of engineering and move it to a native app to be accessed at any place and time.
Technology & Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe XD
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator was the focus when it came to recreating some of the styles in the game that could not be copied and utilized in the application. I used it for a variety of additive and subtractive techniques to recreate fonts and containers for the stats and equipped items.
Adobe XD
Adobe XD allowed me to shift from static screens to a prototype seamlessly. Since all the graphical elements were created in other Adobe programs, it was easy to shift the design to mobile screens.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop was the crux of the graphical elements used in the Payday 2 Builder App. The graphical elements for all player's items were edited in Photoshop. Removing backgrounds and creating textures allowed me to bring the application closer to the original design of Payday 2.
Process
Personas
For the personas, I wanted to really showcase who could benefit from the creation of the Payday 2 Builder Application. The idea of creating builds is a central part of Payday 2 for everyone from content creators to new players. The personas have general information about them, an introduction, motivations, task objectives, and potential frustrations that could be solved with the application.
General Information
Name: Rhys Clarke
Age: 31
Gender: Non-Binary (They/Them)
Marriage Status: Married
Employment: Animator
Location: Cardiff, Wales
Education: Master of Arts in Animation
Frequency of App Use: 2x a week for 10 minutes
Familiarity with App: Novice
Favorite Build: Crew Chief DPS
Mission Tendency: Loud
Introduction
Rhys works as an independent animator based in Cardiff, Wales. Their days are filled with checking emails and confirming deadlines. At times their job allows them time to dance around a bit while drinking coffee, but not for long.
So when they get on the game after the day is over, they only want to go loud. If it isn’t loud, it isn’t Rhys.
Motivations
Rhys is playing with new friends they met through their last client. Everyone uses similar builds. So they want to change their build to accommodate the new people.
The new teammates focus on survivability rather than damage output. So Rhys wants to make sure that they don’t disrupt the playstyle the group already has while not sacrificing his playstyle.
Task Objectives
Rhys is tired of playing their normal Crew Chief Build. They know exactly how it works and when they should activate their equipment and abilities. They want to keep their DPS ability to keep the enemies off their team, but at the same time be more aggressive.
For this, they want to shift his perk deck to Armorer to have more armor and regenerate faster, use a shotgun, and obtain “Resilience.”
Potential Frustrations
As a veteran of the Payday series, Rhys is accustomed to working with new people and finding out the best way to create synergy between builds. One thing that will hold them back is the amount of time it takes to share their builds with each other.
They want to see the changes in their new build as quickly as possible. This allows them to get right into the game as soon as possible.
General Information
Name: Naolin Carvalho Araújo
Age: 18
Gender: Cis-Male (He/Him)
Marriage Status: Single
Employment: Grocery Cashier
Location: Sao Paolo, Brazil
Education: Senior in High School
Frequency of App Use: 4x a week for 30 minutes
Familiarity with App: Advanced
Favorite Build: Anarchist Sniper
Mission Tendency: Stealth
Introduction
Naolin, in his final year of high school, has a lot of time on his hands. So he fills that time with Payday 2. Payday 2 is his first game in the series, but that has not stopped him from Googling and YouTubing all the tips and tricks he can to stay competitive.
He is seen as an outgoing, charismatic guy at school. But at home, he is an introvert with a fascination for stealth and close calls.
Motivations
Usually, Naolin plays with his close friends from school. But recently, he has connected with some new people from Central America and the U.S. The meta shifts a little depending on the area where you live.
The people he is playing with have a tendency to go loud when things get too close for comfort. So this is what led Naolin to shift his build.
Task Objectives
Naolin has started to look for more missions in which he has to go loud eventually. So after all of his time looking up solutions, he wants to find out exactly how to change his build to allow for more survivability.
To that end, he wants to change his anarchist perk deck to Crew Chief with a Doctor Bag Deployable. He also wants to change his armor to Flak Jacket.
Potential Frustrations
The biggest problem that may arise is the chance that his build won't work in the game. So, he uses Payday 2 Builder to make sure that his build doesn’t change so much that it uses his effectiveness.
Naolin looks forward to the application version of the Builder because it allows him to see the differences in the builds as well as let his buddies know about his new build.
General Information
Name: Latosha Persiva
Age: 35
Gender: Cis-Female (She/Her)
Marriage Status: Married
Employment: Financial Advisor Manager
Location: Montpellier, France
Education: BBA International Finance
Frequency of App Use: 1x a week for 10 minutes
Familiarity with App: Novice
Favorite Build: Ex-President Assault Rifle
Mission Tendency: Loud
Introduction
Latosha works as a manager in a financial advising firm. Her main duties include heading department meetings and meeting with large clients for the company.
After all that hard work and socializing, Latosha wants nothing better than to cut loose, pick up her favorite loud kit, and get into the thick
of it all!
of it all!
Motivations
Latosha has been playing Payday 2 for almost a year now. She is used to going in loud from the start of the mission. But there are some weapon skins and attachments that are only unlockable after certain achievements have been unlocked.
So now, Latosha is gearing up to start tackling the stealth mission she despises so much.
Task Objectives
Latosha is switching to finishing up some achievements in the game. For these achievements, she has to go in stealth which is completely different than her normal run-and-gun build.
So she wants to copy a meta stealth build, so she doesn’t have to research and create a new build that might not work. She also wants to check out a new Graze build and an Ex-President build.
Potential Frustrations
The potential, but very real, frustration that could come about is the fact that a custom stealth build that sounds good could not work in the long run. This would force Latosha to go back and do the research she wanted to avoid in the first place.
The easiest way to avoid this is to introduce a paid version that includes meta builds that work and videos that show how they work.
General Information
Name: Latosha Persiva
Age: 25
Gender: Cis-Female (She/Her)
Marriage Status: Single
Employment: Composer
Location: Asheville, NC
Education: BA in Music - Composition
Frequency of App Use: 3x a week for 20 minutes
Familiarity with App: Advanced
Favorite Build: Stoic
Mission Tendency: Loud
Introduction
Taylor spends most of her time in the studio creating new Americana tracks that pull from her childhood in the mountains of North Carolina. She feels as if music permeates her entire life. So when she plays Payday 2, she likes to play builds that require timing and skill, like her staple stoic build.
Motivations
Taylor is looking for a way to keep her same timing playstyle while at the same time diversifying her build to work in holdout situations as well. So she did a little research on how to take down various enemy types and increase survivability as a whole.
This led to her choosing to change her weapon to deal with more enemy types and armor change to increase her armor amount.
Task Objectives
Taylor is looking for a way to make her build more suitable for more sustained engagements with enemies. So she wants to change her armor and switch to a weapon that breaks through shields since those will be the worst for her current build to deal with. She also wants to increase the survivability of the team with first aid kits.
Potential Frustrations
The frustrations that may arise are the fact that the weapon she chooses won’t pierce shields and the armor that she chooses won’t make enough of a difference to actually be useful.
The shield frustration is circumvented by the inclusion of a section in the weapon description that tells if it pierces armor and shields. The other frustration is diminished by the inclusion of a stat section that shows the increase or decrease from the beginning
build.
build.
Mid-Fidelity Mockups
The transition between Mid-Fidelity and Hi-Fidelity mockups was fairly simple. The shift was really focused on getting the icons and specifics of different decks and skills in place. That was the final piece to make Payday 2 Build Creator feel like making a build in-game.
Splash Screen
Main Menu
Create New Build - Starting
Create New Build - Reset Build Overlay
Create New Build - Build Saved Overlay
Create New Build - Primary Weapon Selection Screen
Create New Build - Throwable Selection Screen
Create New Build - Melee Selection Screen
Options Menu
Options Menu - High Contrast Active
Create New Build - Skill Selection Screen
Create New Build - Perk Selection Screen
Saved Builds
Approved Builds - Pro Version
Scenarios
The scenarios were a way for me to show how quickly someone could change important aspects of a build with minimal steps to do it. Each scenario is centered around each of the personas and the changes they might make to solve their current problems.
User 1: Rhys Clarke
Task Objectives
Rhys is tired of playing their normal Crew Chief Build. They know exactly how it plays and when they should activate their equipment and abilities. They want to keep their DPS ability to keep the enemies off their team, but at the same time be more forward.
For this, they want to shift his perk deck to Armorer to have more armor and regenerate faster, use a shotgun, and obtain “Resilience.”
Task 1: Shift perk deck to "Armorer"
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Perk Deck → Armorer
Task 2: Switch to a shotgun primary
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Primary → Shotguns
Task 3: Switch to a shotgun primary
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Skills → Enforcer → Resilience
User 2: Naolin Carvalho Araújo
Task Objectives
Naolin has started to look for more missions in which he has to go loud eventually. So after all of his time looking up solutions, he wants to find out exactly how to change his build to allow for more survivability.
To that end, he wants to change his anarchist perk deck to Crew Chief with a Doctor Bag Deployable. He also wants to change his armor to Flak Jacket.
Task 1: Shift perk deck to "Crew Chief"
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Perk Deck → Crew Chief
Task 2: Equip Doctor Bag Deployable
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Equipment → Doctor Bag
Task 3: Equip Flak Jacket Armor
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Armor → Flak Jacket
User 3: Latosha Persiva
Task Objectives
Latosha is switching to finishing up some achievements in the game. For these achievements, she has to go in stealth which is completely different than her normal run-and-gun build.
So she wants to copy a meta stealth build, so she doesn’t have to research and create a new build that might not work. She also wants to check out a new Graze build and an Ex-President build.
Task 1: Find a meta stealth build
Main Menu → Approved Builds → Shadow Burglar
Task 2: Find a "Graze" build
Main Menu → Approved Builds → Fire Anarchist
Task 3: Find an "Ex-President" build
Main Menu → Approved Builds → Immortal King
User 4: Taylor McPherson
Task Objectives
Taylor is looking for a way to make her build more suitable for more sustained engagements with enemies. So she wants to change her armor and switch to a weapon that breaks through shields since those will be the worst for her current build to deal with. She also wants to increase the survivability of the team with first aid kits.
Task 1: Equip sturdier armor
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Armor → Combined Tactical Vest
Task 2: Switch Primary to a sniper rifle
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Primary→ Snipers
Task 3: Equip first aid kits
Main Menu → Saved Builds → Equipment → First Aid Kit
Post-Mortem
Finishing the mockup and prototype for the Payday 2 Build Creator app, I felt I had so much more to give to the application. I wanted to make it a fully functional prototype. And I still believe that would be the goal. I adore the Payday 2 community. They are some of the most ingenious programmers, modders, and gamers that I have ever come across. But I think it is time to create another application with a focus on Payday 3.
This application gave me a great chance to test my ability to follow an existing IP's style and design. Being able to shift the design of Payday 2's menus and animations was my main focus. And that came through full force. I'm happy with the way that it turned out. It could use polish and streamlining. But at some point, you have to take what you've learned and apply it to modern and current projects. The lessons I learned adhering to Payday 2, as an existing IP, have and will stay with me through my future mockups and prototypes.
Final Designs
Hi-Fidelity | Main Menu
Hi-Fidelity | Create New Build
Hi-Fidelity | Primary Weapon Select
Hi-Fidelity | Options
Hi-Fidelity | Skill Trees
Hi-Fidelity | Perk Deck Select
Hi-Fidelity | Saved Builds
