Project Rod3nt

Project Rod3nt is a action adventure game with similarities to Untitled Goose Game and Hitman but with a cute twist. You play as cybernetic rodents sent back in time to commit an assassination that will change history forever.

Technical Architecture & Leadership

As the Development and Programming Lead, I architected the game’s core systems and steered the team through a high-velocity, iterative production cycle.

• Low-Level AI Optimization: Developed custom C++ classes to manipulate AI Perception variables at runtime, overcoming Blueprint limitations to create highly responsive and optimized guard behaviors.

• GAS Integration: Implemented Unreal’s Gameplay Ability System (GAS) to build a modular, data-driven framework. This allowed for rapid prototyping of rodent abilities and status effects, ensuring a scalable and stable stealth system.

• Systems Engineering: Lead the programming of core mechanics and the gameplay loop, ensuring seamless interaction between player controls and complex environmental triggers.

• Production Pipeline: Managed the project's version control (Git/Perforce) and directed the QA process, translating data from extensive playtesting into polished gameplay sprints.

Technical Challenges & Solutions

Challenge: Scalable AI Perception & Optimization For a "sandbox-style" stealth game, we needed a high volume of AI guards that behaved with robotic, predictable precision. However, Unreal’s standard Blueprint-based AI Perception components were too rigid for our needs, specifically when trying to dynamically shift detection variables (like peripheral vision angles and sight radius) at runtime based on game states.

• Solution: I transitioned the core perception logic into C++. This allowed us to bypass the overhead of the Blueprint Virtual Machine and directly manipulate AI sensory variables that are inaccessible via Blueprints. By handling these calculations in code, I achieved significant optimization, ensuring the "robotic" guard behaviors remained consistent and performant even in scenes with high actor counts.
  
  

Challenge: Managing Rapid Mechanic Iteration With a "fail-fast" development philosophy, we were constantly testing new cybernetic rodent abilities, which risked creating a bloated and "spaghetti" character class.

• Solution: I integrated Unreal’s Gameplay Ability System (GAS) to decouple ability logic from the base character. This modular, data-driven framework allowed the team to prototype, swap, and balance abilities in minutes without touching the core C++ architecture. This kept our repository clean and ensured that our rapid development cycles never compromised the stability of the final build.