Project History

Defeat waves of enemies taking over your living room with this mobile AR tower defense game inspired by The Clone Wars

Roles: Gameplay Programmer, UI Programmer, Systems Designer

Using Google's ARCore SDK for Unity, I helped develop an Android app that allows the user to create and play a tower defense level in AR space. The user can place enemy spawn points and different tower types to populate the level, as well as waypoints to create paths for enemies to follow. New towers are available as players earn credits from defeating waves of enemies.

My Responsibilities Included

• Learning and utilizing Google's ARCore SDK for Unity to use real-world planes in AR simulation and allow the user to select a desired plane

• Designing an adaptable system for making new AR objects

• Creating tower objects with different mechanics, such as ones that deal AOE damage, slow down enemies, or target the furthest enemy

• Designing particle systems for tower radii and spawn selection

• Creating UI elements that allow the user to select AR objects to place

Teaching club members how to utilize game development tools such as Unity, C#, and GitHub throughout three semesters

Roles: Instructor

As a General Officer, and eventually President, of the Video Game Development Club at NCSU, I conducted workshops to teach our members skills for using Unity and GitHub. These workshops included beginner tutorials on setting up a work environment, introductions to Unity features such as the input system and UI, and examples of how to create different 3D and 2D game mechanics.

My Responsibilities Included

• Preparing and conducting 2-hour workshops once per month, each with an average attendance of 20 members

• Assisting club members outside of workshops if they ran into issues while developing their own projects

• Creating written outlines detailing everything covered in the workshop

Networked game engine built from the ground-up in C++

Roles: Sole Developer

I learned the fundamentals of game engines by developing my own with C++ in CSC 481 - Game Engine Foundations. Concepts taught through this project included multithreaded loop architecture, networking, event handling, and scripting. My engine is designed for expansion and allows for the creation of different types of games.

My Responsibilities Included

• Implementing a REQ-REP networking model with the 0MQ library to allow multiple clients to connect to a server's game instance

• Designing and implementing a entity-component game object model for different object types within the engine

• Implementing game time so that all movement-based actions in the engine can be sped up, slowed down, or replayed at will

• Creating an event management system for various engine features

• Utilizing the Duktape and Dukglue libraries to implement scripting capabilities with JavaScript

• Developing two small games with the engine: a multiplayer side-scrolling platformer and a single-player arcade shooter

Visualization of data from Sneakaway Studio's browser application Tally Saves the Internet! currently displayed across NCSU Libraries

Roles: Particle Systems and UI Designer, Physics Programmer

I was contracted through the NCSU Libraries to assist in developing a visualization of data from Sneakaway Studio's browser application "Tally Saves the Internet!" This visualization is displayed throughout the NCSU Libraries in locations such as the Immersion Theater, Game Lab, and Visualization Studio.

My Responsibilities Included

• Creating particles systems to visualize different types of data

• Manipulating character and particle physics in an existing wander algorithm to create the desired particle and trail effects

• Implementing user input so the user can control characters or view statistics using a touchscreen, keyboard, or game controller

• Creating UI to display character statistics

Defeat skeletons, collect coins, and run from an approaching wall of doom in this 2D action-platformer with a procedurally generated endless mode

Roles: AI Programmer

Developed in a week for VGDC SPOOK Jam 2020, this 2D action-platformer has the player defeat skeletons, collect coins, and traverse over obstacles while running from an approaching wall of doom. Two game modes exist: a pre-designed set of levels, and a procedurally generated endless mode of my own design.

My Responsibilities Included

• Programmatically assigning a sprite tilemap to environment objects

• Designing and implementing a procedurally generated endless mode with varying elevation levels, coin amounts, and enemy locations

• Debugging and restricting the endless mode algorithm to ensure it only creates possible levels

Standalone party system visualized with a GUI

Roles: Sole Developer

The system works by itself, so it can be reused as the party system in a full game with minimal adjustments. The system allows for party members to have stats, attacks, and equipment, as well as for the party to have reserve members and equipment that can be moved at will.

My Responsibilities Included

• Designing and creating the classes in the party system and their interactions with each other

• Testing the party system with test cases for each function

• Designing and creating a UI system that connects to the party system

Collect memes and prepare for battle in this funny mobile game

Roles: Gameplay Programmer, UI Developer

Developed in a week for VGDC Spring Jam 2020. The player partakes in rock-paper-scissors-esque "meme battles" to gain memes. As the player collects memes, they must engage in increasingly longer battles to unlock more memes for their arsenal. The game is themed as a messaging app and allows the player to "text" opponents for funny interactions.

My Responsibilities Included

• Designing and implementing a system for earning and storing memes

• Implementing all UI elements, such as the opponent selection screen, chat screen, and message bubbles

• Debugging various UI-related issues

Explore molecules and compounds in AR with this mobile app used as a companion to a physical card game

Roles: Sole Developer

This project is a companion app to a physical card game designed to teach chemistry concepts. Its primary function is to show players how certain ions (represented as cards) could combine to form compounds. The app uses the augmented reality platform EasyAR to detect cards and create visualizations in augmented reality space.

My Responsibilities Included

• Utilizing an existing AR platform to trigger interactions with image recognition

• Importing models from Jmol for use within the application

• Working alongside a team on a physical card game to ensure AR compatibility

• Creating links to online articles within the app so users can learn more about ions and compounds

Developers can use this open-source system alongside Oculus' SDK for Unity to detect and parse user hand gestures in VR

Roles: Sole Developer

I used the Oculus Quest's built-in hand tracking capabilities to detect and parse the user's hand gestures. Detectable gestures include letters from American Sign Language, rock-paper-scissors, and communicative gestures. The system is expandable and allows developers to create their own gesture libraries.

My Responsibilities Included

• Utilizing the Oculus SDK for Unity to get real-world hand movement and pose data

• Using vector math to parse hand data and translate it to gestures

• Ensuring the system is expandable so other developers can create gesture libraries

• Creating a tech demo to demonstrate the library's capabilities and show developers how the system can be used

Beware this VR escape room where you have to escape while undergoing symptoms of psychosis

Roles: Programming Lead, Gameplay Programmer, Systems Designer

A virtual reality horror game where the player must solve problems while undergoing symptoms of psychosis. I was brought onto the project as a gameplay programmer and was later promoted to programming lead.

My Responsibilities Included

• Creating "symptoms," which are various effects that plague the player

• Restructuring the development of "symptoms" to be more efficient and designer-friendly to implement

• Implementing shared functionality, such as destructibility, for objects that the player can grab

• Creating interactive objects for the player to use, such as books, handles, cups that fill with water, and a fold-down bed

• Organizing and delegating tasks for the programming team

Fulfill orders while putting out fires, fixing queso machines, and avoiding flying ingredients in this deteriorating VR taco truck

Roles: Gameplay Programmer

Developed in a weekend for Global Game Jam 2020. The player must fulfill taco and nacho orders while also repairing a deteriorating taco truck. Ingredients must be prepared before being combined, fires will have to be extinguished, and queso machines will require attention as the player frantically tries to complete the job. This game was developed for the Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, and Oculus Quest systems.

My Responsibilities Included

• Programming the ability for players to create tacos and nachos with different ingredients

• Modifying a refill system developed by another team member so the appropriate meshes appear

• Managing the GitHub repository and merging feature branches

Follow the journey of an Aztec tlacotin to stop the apocalypse in this stealth-puzzle game

Roles: Gameplay Programmer, Level Designer

A puzzle-platformer following the journey of an Aztec tlacotin to stop the apocalypse of the Era of the Fifth Sun. In the end, it is revealed that the apocalypse is actually the Spanish Conquest, and the mythological beings and events encountered throughout the game are how the Aztecs perceived the atrocities.

My Responsibilities Included

• Creating the four player characters' abilities

• Creating three types of enemies, each with unique behaviors

• Creating interactive elements that lure enemies and affect the environment

• Creating a designer-friendly dialogue tree system that gives the player up to four branching choices for each line of dialogue

• Using animation blend spaces to animate the player character

• Designing and building levels

Video Game Development Club at NC State onboarding project for the Fall 2019 semester, designed and directed by myself

Roles: Project Director, Systems Designer

After being promoted to a General Officer in the Video Game Development Club at NC State, I designed this onboarding process for new members to encourage learning and involvement in the club. Members formed teams and created small minigames connected through the Byte-Sized Bonanza framework.

My Responsibilities Included

• Designing and creating a minigame menu that includes a search bar, tag system, and sort orders

• Designing and creating an easy-to-implement system for developers to create minigames

• Overseeing production and keeping track of over 20 developers

• Assisting in the learning process of using Unreal Engine, Visual Studio, and GitHub

• Managing the GitHub repository

Use sketches of your targets to hunt them down as an assassin traffic cone

Roles: Sole Developer

The player must hunt down specified targets as an assassin traffic cone. Targets are identified solely by the hat they are wearing, and each one has their own path they walk along on the map that the player must memorize.

My Responsibilities Included

• Creating a random target system to determine which character must be killed next

• Creating simple AI that follows a path in the scene

• Programmatically changing NPC appearances

• Implementing aerial and ground attacks for the player

• Implementing a score system that assigns points based on attack type

• Designing three different endings based on the final score