Gabby's Dollhouse
Platforms: iOS, Google Play (Android), Amazon & Amazon Kids+
Engine/Language: Unity Engine / C#
App store links here
Game Description: Mobile game based on Netflix show “Gabby’s Dollhouse” and matching toys by SpinMaster.
Lets players experience a virtual dollhouse bringing to life references from the show and toys, that they can decorate, play minigames in and interact with.
Role: Lead programmer for last 2 years of project.
Contribution:
- Optimization w/ addressables, profiling, code optimisation, cleaning up redundent objects, sprite atlasing etc.
- Created Content Importer and debug tools to significantly speed up implementation and testing time.
- Implemented own FTUE and Milestone management system.
- Rebuilt some existing features to fix bugs / optimize for future proofing / match our re-design passes (QR code scanning for IRL toys, implementing toy rewards, theatre mode that plays clips from TV show), etc.
- Updated, streamlined and maintained documentation hub to fill legacy knowledge gaps.
- Upkept lead responsibilities (i.e. Created plan, estimates and jira tickets to split up developer work between programmers over sprints, running 1on1’s with programmers on my team to check in, give geedback and leave an open dialogue space for questions/requests/support, etc.)
Barbie Fashion Closet:
Platforms: iOS, Google Play (Android)
Engine/Language: Unity Engine / C#
Google Play link
iOS link
Gameplay video
Game Description: mobile dress up game based around Mattel’s Barbie dolls, with outfit challenges, red carpet challenges and scrapbook features for more gameified elements.
Role: Co-lead programming beginning to end for 2 years of project life.
Took on a legacy codebase from previous developer with no contact to them, optimised and restructured codebase where possible whilst actively developing new content.
Contribution:
- Integral role in creating systems for new features from inception to release (Red Carpet Challenges, Outfit Challenges, Scrapbook, new FTUE).
- Optimised our workflows by creating tools to simplify implementing and testing new content in the game, such as clothing for dolls. Supported and collaborated with non-programmers on the team with how to use and build onto these tools effectively. This enabled art to be independently implementing new clothes faster and find bugs with blendshapes earlier before they got to QA testing.
- Created Milestone management system (allowing us to work several releases ahead and safely test these changes early).
- Created library of our commonly used tween animations into plug-and-play components for UI implementation, allowing the team to add more polish without coder/animation support. Large amounts of UI animation polish in this game was my doing to give my UI implementation tasks that extra wow factor.
- Upkept and created large amounts of documentation for this project to help with onboarding of new team members smoother/quicker.
Peter Rabbit Run & Lego Heartlake Rush (Endless Runners):
Platforms: iOS, Google Play (Android)
Engine/Language: Unity Engine / C#
Google Play link
iOS link
Gameplay video
Game Description: Endless 3D runner for mobile themed around their relevant IP’s.
Role:
- Joined Lego team to help release Lego Movie mode alongside movie release whilst leads were on business trip. Stayed on to help with development until Peter Rabbit Run came up.
- Joined Peter Rabbit run with senior programmer Simon from beginning to end, used Lego codebase knowledge to bring over endless runner framework and build new Peter features on top of this, releasing game with movie sequel launch.
Contributions:
- Imported over basics of Endless Runner framework from Lego Friends codebase to Peter Rabbit Run inception.
- Big learnings from pair programming with senior programmers on this project - learnt so much about clean code habits and building modular codebases.
Star Trek Lower Decks:
Platforms: iOS & Google Play (Android)
Engine/Language: Unity Engine / C#
App store links
Game Description: Mobile idle game based on animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Role: Joined as part of new squad to increase testing coverage & improve developer workflows.
Main Contribution:
- Implemented data validation (utilizing Odin) and unit testing to increase testing coverage over data-heavy game, significantly improving early bug detection before they got to QA testing.
Other Student C++/C# work:
The following projects I showcase below will be listed from my student work, you can access builds for these here
- Prison escape Console Application - C++ Adventure game where the player has to escape a prison cell.
- Math Library - Developed static C++ library, developing deeper understanding of Vector and Matrix maths.
- Paint Application - WPF C# paint application (draw, select/move, erase, clear, save/load).
- Tile Map Editor - WPF C# application (Change tile sizes, input own images, save/load).
- AI maze - C++ SDL application (AI spawns in ‘open’ tiles of an input map based on colour of the tile, AI dies after a certain time if not ‘within range’ of the player, player can choose 2 waypoints and it will show the shortest path through the maze).
Student Major Work Year 2 - God of Steam
Platforms: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift (PC)
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Language: Blueprints/C++
Game Description: VR God Game where you must raise a village to take down the enemy god’s village.
Team: 5 people including myself (2 programmers, 2 artists and 1 designer).
Timeline: 2 months.
Contribution: AI functionality and behaviour (Roles of villagers and their tasks, resource handling & combat), Resource Management, Tower Defence behaviour, Time and Wave Management.
OpenGL Graphics & Physics:
- Created from the ground up an OpenGL C++ graphics-specific project, showcasing programming shaders, particle effects, animations/fbx model importing and using height maps.
- Created a second OpenGL C++ physics-specific project, showcasing programming AABB/Sphere/Plane collisions, physics constraints and spatial partitioning (optimization).
Game Jams & other Student UE4/Unity projects:
- Chesster - VR game in Unity/C# where the player takes on the abilities of different chess pieces to traverse a level.
- Mr Blobby goes for a Bounce - Developed a 3D Jumping puzzle game in UE4 with a team of 7 where 2 blobs connected via an elastic must escape their lab.
- True Crime Spelling Romance - Developed a typing challenge game in a team of 4 where a dyslexic man who is trying to write to his true love to confess his crimes.
- UE4 Networking Chat System - Created a simple networking chat system in blueprint function libraries to utilise in future projects. Functionality: time stamps, in-game chat commands, guild chat and local/world chat.
