I was the lead programmer on Life Eater, and was responsible for coding the core systems and gameplay mechanics. My work included creating systems to drive character generation and achieve the desired scheduling outcomes for both scripted and randomized characters, as well as implementing art assets including UI elements, cutscene illustrations, and audio assets.

Life Eater began development in Unity, and the core systems were originally scripted in C#. However early on, the studio decided to pivot to using Unreal 5 over Unity, and I worked to transition the project to the new engine. Switching from using Unity's UI system to UMG widgets required a few substantial reworks to the UI design and flow, however converting the core systems' code from C# to C++ went very smoothly thanks to my familiarity with both languages.

After completing and launching the game, I continued working on the project to implement quality-of-life updates and additional gameplay systems based on player feedback.

My responsibilities included:

•Creating the core UI interactions in UE5 for navigating a weekly timeline of 48 independent half-hour blocks of time per day
•Setting up and maintaining the project repository
•Coding character generation and schedule building according to "Archetypes" that determine a randomized character's typical behavior
•Implementing cinematic cutscenes including illustrations, music, dialogue, and dynamic subtitles
•Scripting progression systems, achievements, and multi-profile save systems
•Packaging builds for testing and public release through Steam and Itch
•Developing systems post-launch to support additional features requested by the community