Nancy Drew®: Mystery of the Seven Keys™
Tools: Unity, C#, Unity Visual Scripting, Git, Rider
Platforms: PC, Mac (Steam)
Role: Player Movement, Puzzle Gameplay Developer
Genre: Adventure/PuzzleThis game was the 34th entry into the Nancy Drew series and the second 3D game. As a game developer on the project. I was responsible for both movement systems (click-to-move and WASD), several of the puzzles, and the audio system.One of the challenges was how we could add the classic click-to-move system from the older 2D games into the new 3D game and how the user was going to move around the 3D environment using 2D screen-space.This was solved by doing two things. First, adding nodes to the 3D environment where we wanted the player to have access to. Second, dividing the screen into 6 quadrants (left, slight left, forward, slight right, right, and bottom). The left, right, and bottom quadrants were always available and were used to rotate the player in place. The slight left, slight right, and forward quadrants were enabled when there was a node to travel to in that direction. This allowed for an intuitive way to move around the environment.Steam Link
Project Empathy – Jack’s Story
Tools: Unity, XR Framework, C#, Git, Visual Studios
Platform: Oculus VR
Role: Lead Gameplay Developer
Genre: AdventureJack’s Story is a narrative VR experience that was highlighted in the Unity for Humanity summit. Using Unity's XR framework, I developed all the gameplay mechanics which included teleporting through the VR environments, interacting with objects in the world, and triggering animations, audio, and cutscenes. I was the admin of the Git repository and was responsible for making all the builds. I reviewed all PRs and resolved all merged conflicts during the project.One of the challenges with any VR project is motion sickness. This was especially important in this project as it was going to be deployed in a trade show environment with the potential for this to be peoples first VR experience.I solved this by using the teleportation movement over the locomotion movement as it minimizes motion sickness.
No Space To Escape
Tools: Unity, C#, Git, Rider
Platform: WebGL (Crazy Games)
Role: Software Developer
Genre: ActionNo Space To Escape was a game entry for the 2024 Crazy Games game jam. Out of the four-person team, I was one of two developers. I architected and implemented the weapons, ship abilities, and upgrade system.One of the challenges was the shotgun weapon's performance. Every time the weapon was activated, a volley of bullets shot out and there was a noticeable frame drop.The solution was to use object pooling. Originally, I had created a new gameobject for each bullet fired, then destroyed them after they hit a target or went off screen. This caused the initial frame of the volley to stutter. It also created extra unnecessary garbage collection. Using object pooling, I instantiated the bullets on level load and enabled/disabled them when needed. This achieved two things: (1) it moved the frame stutter to the loading screen instead of during gameplay for a smoother experience, and (2) it reduced the amount of garbage for the garbage collector.Ranked top 50 out of 300+ submissions.
Bingo Showdown - Live Games
Tools: Unity, C#, Asset Bundles, MVC (Model-View-Controller), Git, Visual Studios
Platform: IOS, Android, WebGL (Facebook)
Role: Software Developer
Genre: Casino Live ServiceDeveloped in Unity for WebGL (Facebook), IOS and Android, this 2D live service game was a port from Adobe Flash after it was deprecated. I worked on the frontend UI/UX using the MVC pattern.One of the challenges was making sure the port was as close to the original as possible because the original game had a dedicated fan base who would notice the minor differences.The solution was to read through the original code base to make sure we had the exact values for all the hand-coded animations. I also recorded videos of the original application and watched them in slow motion to make sure everything matched up perfectly.5 million+ downloads with a 4.6 star rating on Android
4.7 star rating on IOS
84% recommend (4,341 Reviews) On FacebookAndroid Link
IOS Link
Facebook Link
LEGO® TECHNIC® CONTROL+
Tools: Unity, Scriptable Objects, C#, Git, Visual Studios
Platform: IOS, Android
Role: Software Developer
Genre: Companion AppBring your Lego sets to life! This app developed in Unity for both IOS and Android communicates via Bluetooth to your Lego technic model to remote control them. I implemented a framework for quickly adding new models to the application and the UI/UX for the first three of the eleven current models.One of the challenges for this app was the ever increasing amount of models that the app would need to support.The solution was to create a reusable framework to easily add the new models. This was achieved by developing a generic framework that was populated by model specific data using scriptable objects.1 million+ downloads with a 4.3 star rating on Android
4.8 star rating on IOSAndroid Link
IOS Link
Resume
Experience
Unity Technologies , Port Coquitlam— Software Developer
May 2020 - January 2024
Contributed to various games and robotics projects in the Games and Entertainment organization
Developed core gameplay mechanics across multiple genres of games, including 3D narrative puzzles and live service games
Designed and implemented the player housing feature on several metaverse projects
Utilized a Boston Dynamic Spot robot for a large telecommunication company to map out large worksites using lidar
Developed the frontend of a Proof of Concept where we retrofitted an excavator to be self-driving using machine learning
Collaborated closely with QA on all projects to identify and fix bugs to ensure a high-quality and successful final product
Finger Food Advanced Technology Group (Acquired by Unity), Port Coquitlam— Software developer
April 2016 - May 2020
Joined Finger Food in its early years, an elite problem solving startup with a focus on solving industry clients’ business problems
Worked in a fast paced environment on dozens of shipped mobile and mixed reality applications across a range of business sectors and platforms, expanding my Unity3D skillset
Highlighted mixed reality projects include: Lowes home design app, an AR application on the Microsoft Hololens; and the MEC tent viewer app, an AR iPad application for virtual rendering of MEC products in retail stores
Highlighted mobile projects include: Lego Control+, the Lego Technic remote control app; Bingo Showdown, a live service mobile game; The Sphero project, an educational tool for kids to learn how to program showcased in Apple Stores around North America
Traveled around North America demonstrating our products to new and existing clients
Technical Skills
Unity3D
AR/VR
C#
Git
Game Development
Mobile
Jira
Education
Bachelor Of Technology, Computer Systems with Distinction (Video Game Development Option)
British Columbia Institute Of Technology (BCIT), Burnaby, BC (2016)
Highlighted Project Experience
Jack’s Empathy — Oculus VR
Featured in Unity for Humanity summit
A VR narrative experience
Utilized Unity3D and the XR packages
Implemented interactive elements and intuitive user interfaces
Collaborated with artists and designers for seamless integration of assets for a cohesive visual style
Sought and incorporated user feedback to enhance VR app functionality and address usability concerns leading to iterative improvements and increased user satisfaction
Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys — Steam PC/Mac
3D narrative puzzle game
Took ownership over the core movement system, music system, and puzzle mechanics
Handled rapidly evolving design specs from the client while maintaining the growing complexity of the code base
Brainstormed with a team to generate creative and innovative solutions for game design challenges
Conducted code reviews and provided mentorship to junior developers to foster a collaborative and knowledge sharing environment
Bingo Showdown — Android/iOS
Over 5 million downloads
2D live service bingo game
Contributed to successful porting of Bingo Showdown from Flash to Unity as a frontend developer
Developed and implemented UI screens for an identical look and feel across platforms
Adapted existing features and functionalities to fit the constraints and capabilities of the target platforms
Lego Control+ — Android/iOS
Over 1 million downloads
A remote control app for driving Lego Technic models
Developed the application to be compatible with iOS and Android and ensured consistent functionality and performance across platforms
Observed focus groups to solve UX issues and create a more intuitive user experience
Integrated low level SDKs to interface via bluetooth with Lego models
Used data driven approach to scale the application to support a growing number of models while maintaining performance and readability in the code base
About me
If I’m not developing games I’m playing them. When outdoors I’m hiking, bouldering or riding my bike. When at home I enjoy cooking and playing board games. I value a work-life balance and spending time with friends and family. One of the things that I take pride in is seeing other people enjoying games that I had a hand in creating.
Nancy Drew®: Mystery of the Seven Keys™
A thrilling blend of adventure, mystery, and history! Play as Nancy Drew to uncover the truth behind the theft of a client's heirloom necklace. Solve challenging puzzles, uncover a sinister web of cyber crime, and sleuth through Prague's mysterious streets entwined with medieval legends and alchemy.This game was filled with puzzles that I had the pleasure of developing. It was like developing a bunch of mini games, each one had its own set of challenges. One of these puzzles was the Schematic puzzle. In this puzzle, the user has to correctly identify the schematic by dragging the matching label onto it. The approach I used to develop this puzzle was by programming each schematic to store a reference of all the labels placed on it. This was because the user could place multiple labels on the same schematic even if the solution only had one label per schematic. After each label was placed, an event would fire to check the win condition of the puzzle. I chose to use events to save on performance versus checking the win condition in an update loop. Check out the video of the puzzle!Unity Visual Scripting was used for advancing all the logic and story beats in the game. It was also used to play audio on certain conditions. I created several custom visual scripting nodes that allowed audio to be played on story beats as well as when the player entered certain areas of the environment. These nodes made sure that there was no overlapping background music.Steam Link
Project Empathy – Jack’s Story
Project Empathy is a VR experience built in Unity to immerse donors in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. Jack’s Story is about a 10-year-old boy who lives in poverty with his family. By immersing the audience in Jack’s life and imagination, we explore daily challenges including unemployment, social isolation, mental health issues, and lack of basic needs. The project consists of an in-person curated discussion about the realities of those living in poverty to enhance the digital experience and help the audience make the connection to actions we all can do to help.In one part of the app, before continuing through the experience, the user has to interact with several objects around the room. Each of these interactions would trigger both animations and audio. One consideration I had to make was that while one interaction was triggered, the other interactions had to be disabled. This prevented the overlapping audio and animations.Included is a recording of the full experience.
No Space To Escape
You're a spaceship on the run from The Boss - an evil tentacled monster! In each level you have 30 seconds to build up enough warp juice to hyper jump away to safety. The gameplay consists of clicking on enemies and asteroids to shoot and mine them, as well as using abilities. After each level, you can outfit your ship with weapons and abilities and modify them. Once strong enough, you can try and defeat The Boss.Since the main mechanic of the game is clicking on enemies and asteroids, I added an accessibility feature that auto-clicks. This feature allows users to enjoy the game in ways that best suit them, such as when using a trackpad.One of the weapons I developed was a heat-seeking missile that, on impact, exploded and dealt area of effect damage. One of the challenges with this weapon was how the missile should behave if the target was destroyed before the missile reached it. The approach I took was to detonate the missile where it was so it could still deal area of effect damage and not feel like a waste of a shot to the player.I created the bomb and artillery ship abilities which reused the area of effect graphics and code from the heat-seeking missile weapon. Artillery was detonated where the user clicked and the bomb, when used, originated from the player ship. Reusing the graphics and code for the abilities allowed for faster feature development, meaning more content for the users to enjoy.
Bingo Showdown - Live Games
Howdy, winners! It’s your lucky day! This showdown of free bingo games is about to start and you have front-row tickets! The free app Bingo Showdown will take you for a wild ride from the Wild West! This bingo live app is a celebration of thrilling prizes and awesome bingo live features! Enjoy the best bingo in town!We used the MVC (model-view-controller) pattern so the application logic would be separate from the visual code so that the app wouldn’t be locked into using Unity. Being a live service game, we employed the use of asset bundles so the UI could be reskinned for events without the users having to update the application.One of the screens I ported was the leaderboard and with it the animations, which I had to hand-code in Unity. I achieved this by reading through the original code base to find the exact values for the animation timings as well as recording the existing game and watching it in slow motion. These combined approaches made for a seamless match from the original to the Unity version. From doing this I learned how to extract information from large foreign legacy code bases to modernize the code while maintaining the authors original intent and feel.Android Link
IOS Link
Facebook Link
LEGO® TECHNIC® CONTROL+
Take your Lego Technic experience to a new level of awesome realism. Get a uniquely designed experience for each Lego Technic Control+ model. Drive the models with razor-sharp realism with the multi-function control mode. Test your skills by completing challenges and unlocking achievements.I was a developer on the team during the release of the first three models: the “4x4 X-TREME OFF-ROADER”, the “LIEBHERR R 9800 EXCAVATOR” and the “TOP GEAR RALLY CAR”. I Implemented the UI/UX for the main remote control screen for these models and in doing so, I interfaced with the low level model SDKs to move the vehicles.During my time on the project, I was responsible for upgrading all the uGUI Text components in the project --of which there were hundreds-- to TextMeshPro after we updated Unity to v2018.1. This was the first version where TextMeshPro was integrated into the Unity Editor. In order to achieve this goal I wrote an editor tool that did three things: (1) found all instances of the Text component and saved all their values to JSON, (2) replaced all the Text components with the new TextMeshPro component, and (3) mapped all the stored values to the corresponding fields of the TextMeshPro component. This approach saved time and human error compared to manually copying over the values.Android Link
IOS Link
