EA DICE · STOCKHOLM · 2020

BATTLEFIELD
2042

UI Scripting & Experience Design

Shipped gameplay UI flows for one of EA's flagship titles, handling Vehicle Customization, End of Round summaries, and Universal Menu in a high-velocity production environment, balancing franchise heritage with modern usability standards.

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// VEHICLE.COLLECTION // BF2042 Vehicle Screen
VEHICLE_CUSTOMIZATION END_OF_ROUND UNIVERSAL_MENU UI_SCRIPTING

Mission Brief

ROLE & CONTEXT

Embedded in DICE's live team as a UI Scripting Experience Designer, working directly in the game's visual scripting environment, translating player behavior data and design intent into shipped UI interactions.

Studio
EA DICE, Stockholm
Role
UI Scripter / Experience Designer
Platform
PC · PS5 · Xbox Series X
Vehicle Customization
Pre-match vehicle loadout selection flow. Designed the UX for browsing, filtering, and configuring armored vehicles, helicopters, and jets, balancing discoverability with speed in a high-pressure pre-round window.
End of Round
Post-match summary experience covering squad performance, personal stats, level progress, and scoreboard. Redesigned from community feedback to restore stat clarity and improve emotional payoff.
Universal Menu
Cross-platform persistent navigation structure, managing the tension between console controller input, PC mouse/keyboard, and shared layout constraints across a live service game with frequent updates.
Player Behavior Translation
Converted qualitative player feedback and telemetry into concrete UI changes, improving clarity, feedback latency, and usability in high-intensity scenarios with millions of concurrent players.

01
// FEATURE_DESIGN

VEHICLE CUSTOMIZATION

Pre-deployment loadout flow · 128-player servers · Multi-class vehicle roster

// DESIGN CHALLENGE

BF2042's 128-player servers introduced a vehicle scarcity model, limited slots per class (Heavy Armor 2/2, Attack Helicopter 1/1) created real urgency during pre-round selection. The UI needed to communicate availability, allow loadout customization, and not impede deployment, all within a ticking countdown window.

COLLECTION SCREEN BF2042 Vehicle Collection Screen

// M1A5 tank detail view, stat bars, capability tags, CUSTOMIZE entry point

DEPLOYMENT SELECTION BF2042 Pre-deploy vehicle selection

// Pre-deploy insert, vehicle slot availability, live countdown, CUSTOMIZE shortcut

// VEHICLE_CUSTOMIZATION_FLOW.mp4, full UI walkthrough, scripted in-engine

Slot Scarcity Signal

Vehicle class counters (e.g. "HEAVY ARMOR 2/2") communicate live slot availability without cluttering the selection grid.

Loadout Persistence

Customization state syncs across Collection and pre-deploy screens, players build in the menu, not under pressure.

Input Parity

Scripted to support both controller (L2/R2 navigation, tab traversal) and mouse/keyboard with consistent affordances.


02
// FEATURE_DESIGN + COMMUNITY_FEEDBACK

END OF ROUND

Post-match summary · Squad performance · Level progression · Scoreboard

// DESIGN CHALLENGE

The original BF2042 End of Round stripped out much of the stat depth that BF1 players had come to expect, removing K/D ratios, class breakdowns, and comparative squad data. Post-launch sentiment was strongly negative, and community-made "fixed" mockups went viral. The redesign had to restore emotional payoff and information richness while maintaining visual coherence with the 2042 design language.

// FRANCHISE REFERENCE: BATTLEFIELD 1

BF1, End of Round (Reference)
BF1 End of Round
BF2042, Redesigned Flow
BF2042 End of Round redesigned
BEST SQUAD BF2042 Best Squad EOR screen

// Best Squad cinematic, character renders, standout action stat, XP contribution

LEVEL PROGRESS BF2042 Level Progress EOR screen

// Level Progress, ribbon breakdown, XP totals, rank progression bar

Tabbed Architecture

Personal / Highlights / Squad / Scoreboard / Level Progress, each tab addresses a distinct emotional beat, preventing information overload.

Emotional Narrative

Best Squad screen uses full-character renders and a single standout action to create a cinematic moment, rewarding play style rather than just score.

Franchise Continuity

Reintroduced comparative rankings (BEST / 2ND / etc.) from BF1, meeting longtime franchise players' expectations while fitting 2042's design system.


Debrief

KEY INSIGHT

In a live service game, UI design is never finished. It is a continuous feedback loop between player behavior data, community signals, and production capacity. The ability to script, prototype, and iterate within the engine itself collapsed the gap between design intent and shipped state, making every decision immediately testable against real gameplay.

Visual Scripting Gameplay UI High-Intensity UX Cross-Platform Input Live Service Design Player Behavior Analysis Rapid Prototyping Franchise Consistency Information Architecture Emotional Design