Beyond Contact

Beyond Contact is a fiercely formidable survival game, inspired by the art and style of pulp science-fiction comics, the moral dilemmas of contemporary science-fiction films, and the unforgiving gameplay of survival genre classics.

Taking place on the often mysterious and always deadly, procedurally-generated, alien world of Ketern, Beyond Contact features exploration and discovery, a robust system of research and crafting, intuitive base building and defense, farming and creature feeding, narrative-driven objectives to save the inhabitants of the planet, and enough flora, fauna, extreme weather, and environmental hazards to kill even the toughest players 1000 times over.

As a senior software engineer, I was responsible for working closely with designers and artists to develop accessible tooling and engaging gameplay experiences. Most importantly, I accomplished the following:

• Developed several large systems using data-oriented design, DOTS, ECS, and Burst
• Developed and applied a suite of modular, entity-agnostic AI systems including perception
• Established and applied clear patterns for implementing editor windows using UI Builder
• Reworked pre-existing systems to address chronic stability issues and limited configuration
• Ran several presentations explaining how to develop flexible data-driven systems that scale
• Provided support, direction, and insight for engineers working on a variety of game systems
• Formalised our engineer offboarding process to ensure an effective handover of knowledge

As a lead designer, I was responsible for designing gameplay systems and managing design initiatives and resources to maximise the commercial potential of the game. Most importantly, I accomplished the following:

• Designed, scheduled, and implemented large features and prototypes
• Revitalised creature combat archetypes and AI under strict resource and time constraints
• Designed systems in a uniquely holistic way that led to easy planning and assessment
• Evangelised the work of the design team to gain teamwide investment and engagement
• Pitched, planned, and executed initiatives to improve project engagement teamwide
• Introduced tailored surveys to improve feedback loops and enrich the development pipeline
• Streamlined and simplified project management practices and tools for all developers
• Successfully reintroduced abandoned tools and strategies including calendars and epics
• Established clear and concise documentation to aid onboarding, playtesting, and tool usage
• Became an advanced user of tools such as Jira, Confluence, Google Workspace and more