Hello, thank you for visiting my portfolio! I am a Game Programmer working remotely at the Colorado-based studio Serenity Forge from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am working in Unreal Engine 5 on an unannounced project and previously worked as a Unity Gameplay Programmer on Homestead Arcana and other work-for-hire contracts through Serenity Forge. Previously, I worked at Thomson Reuters as a C++ Software Engineer and Inora Technologies as a Software Developer and Web Development Intern.
Outside of work, I volunteered as a member at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor’s student game development studio, WolverineSoft Studio. Following leaving the student studio, I returned for several semesters as a mentor to do mentorship sessions and playtests. As one of the organization’s original members, I find it essential to give back to something that has helped me get to where I am today!
Professional Work
Homestead arcana
Serenity Forge, In-house
Unity Game Engineer, March 2021 - May 2023
Contributions:
Built and owned the implementation of several systems from initial concept to release ready. This includes Crafting, Racing, Porter Shop, Inventory Management, Miasma Stashes, and more.
Built and maintained tools to aid in the development of game content
Wrote and maintained documentation on systems and tools
Nour: Play With Your Food
Serenity Forge, Dev-assistance contract
Unity Game Engineer, February 2023 - April 2023
Contributions:
Worked alongside a Technical Designer and Technical Artist from Serenity Forge to aid Terrifying Jellyfish in fixing bugs, completing level implementations, and extending and polishing existing game systems.
Helped ensure all existing levels were configured consistently, aligned with the intended game progression outline, and that the in-game systems present in each level were working as intended.
Unannounced Serenity Forge Project
Serenity Forge, In-house
Technical Designer
Other Work
Circuitry
Game Design & Programming, September 2020 - December 2020
Circuity was my final contribution to WolverineSoft Studio and is a case study of Vlambeer’s Nuclear Throne.
Contributions and tasks:
Determining the scope of the cases study, and working with designers and programmers to find the best ways to approach tasks
Optimization, cleaning, and bug hunting within code throughout the project
Creating tools to aid designer’s ability to quickly create content
Writing documents outlining how to use tools, systems, and designs
Level Design Projects
Level design & Scripting, Independent Projects
This page contains my independent level design practice and projects focused on the Half Life: Alyx Source 2 Hammer editor.
Bloom: Tome of Power
Level Design & Programming, June 2020 - August 2020
Bloom: Tome of Power is a retro-inspired first-person shooter treated as a case study of classic games such as DOOM, Hexen, and Dusk
Contributions and tasks:
Overseeing all aspects of design to ensure the whole of the experience was progressing forward
Developing and iterating my own level (Level 3) working collaboratively with artists, programmers, and audio members
Created a playtesting pipeline for designers to follow to improve WSoft Q/A and feedback gathering
IO
Technical Design & Level Design, January 2020 - April 2020
Io is the second release by WolverineSoft Studio. It is a 2D platform focused around a teleportation movement mechanic.
Contributions and tasks:
Leading development of the player controller and its design
Leading the development of backend level architecture and level design
Developing several levels, including the tutorial
Reviewing and balancing the experience as a whole
DreamWillow
Technical Design & Level Design, September 2019 - December 2020
DreamWillow is the first major release by WolverineSoft Studio. It is a 2D top-down shooter following a necromancer resurrecting your foes to free a forest from cursed creatures.
Contributions and tasks were:
Leading the design and iteration of moment-to-moment gameplay including balancing combat and level progression
Leading the Level Design team and creating two of my own levels
Created a map generation tool for the quick development of new levels
The Right Perspective
Quality Control, 2018
The Right Perspective is a small puzzle game focused on navigation. The player must get to the goal while being limited to move only right or forward, backwards, and left. To get to the goal Players must adjust their perspective of the map by moving, being thrown, or rotating.
Contributions:
Insured visual consistent from level to level
Added juice and polish where I could
Set up game audio included SFX and music
Blog Posts and Side Projects
Adding weight to being hit
A short blog post on juice and visual feedback, as well as how to program a small on hit effect in Unity.
Map Generation Tool
A breakdown of a tool I made to help with the level creation process of DreamWillow by creating randomly generated map shells.
2D PLATFORMER CONTROLLER
A showcase article displaying the player assistance techniques used in the original character controller personal project.
Before the case study
A breakdown of the prototype shooter used as the foundation for Circuitry
Tone Matrix Platformer
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me through email or LinkedIn with questions, comments, or even a basic hello. I'm generally available during the standard work hours based around Eastern Time.
matt@radermatthew.com