About Me:
About Me:
Hello, I'm Max, a Game Design and Programming graduate from the University of Staffordshire with a passion for gameplay programming, and creating fun, engaging systems.
I've always enjoyed solving problems, which is what got me initially interested in programming. I find the process of taking an idea, and turning it into a working feature, one of the most rewarding parts of game development. Whether it's creating a new mechanic, building a gameplay system, or refining an existing feature, I enjoy the process and being able to achieve a finalised result.
Most of my game development experience has been inside of Unity and Unreal engine, where I've worked with both visual scripting and code using C# and C++. I've also explored other engines, such as UPBGE, a port of the Blender game engine, and valve's hammer editor. Working with different tools has helped me develop a broader understanding of game development, and how different tools can be used to create varying experiences.
Alongside programming, I have explored other areas of game development. I have experience creating simple 3D assets inside of blender, creating 2D pixel art and animations inside of Aseprite, and using photoshop to create different graphic projects, as well as some 2D art work. While programming is my main focus, having an understanding the tools used by other disciplines can help be better understand and collaborate effectively with artists and designers.
I'm always looking for opportunities to expand my knowledge, and improve myself as a developer. I enjoy working with others, learning from them, and contributing to projects to create a fun experience.
Game Engines
Unity - Experienced working within the Unity engine to create gameplay systems, mechanics and game prototypes, as well as some general tooling. I am familiar with C# scripting within the engine, Unity workflows, as well as some general Unity systems such as the input system, scriptable objects and networking.
Unreal Engine - Experienced developing gameplay systems and mechanics using Unreal Engine using both C++ and Blueprint visual scripting. I am also familiar with Unreal's Behaviour tree system, the EQS system, and general data management within the engine.
Hammer Editor - Experienced creating and editing levels using Valve's Hammer Editor.
UPBGE - Experienced using UPBGE to create simple game prototypes.
Programming
C++ - Experienced using C++ within Unreal engine to create different gameplay mechanics. I also have used C++ with the SFML graphic library to create a simple 2D game.
C# - Experienced using C# to create gameplay systems within Unity.
SQL - Basic experience using SQL to create databases, and queries to search through them.
Visual Basic - I have a good understanding of visual basic to create simple systems, and I have used the language in collaboration with SQL to link to a database to input and output various data.
Art & design Tools
Blender -Created simple 3D low-poly assets to create varying scenes, and that can be used in engine. I also have some experience using the tool to rig and create simple animations.
Aseprite - Created 2D pixel art animations that can be used in game as well as some general tile maps that can be used to create a simple environment.
Photoshop- Created graphics, such as posters and general images.
Collaboration
GitHub - I use Github to manage all of my projects, so I can work on them systematically and be able to revert back to older versions of my project if anything happens to them. I have also used Git within a collaborative environment working within my own branch to avoid any conflicts that could occur.
Excel - I have used Excel to create tables of information for general stat tracking and balancing, as well as to visualise different formulas to see how they affect different systems in a game.
Outside of game development, I enjoy playing games with my favourite genres being horror and puzzle games. I enjoy these types of genres as they often have an interesting and immersive narrative to follow, while also including fun and engaging mechanics that encourage players to think and explore different solutions. I am currently trying to play through all of the Resident Evil games which has been a fun experience so far.
Other than games I also enjoy both reading and drawing in my free time. I enjoy reading different stories, and getting immersed following different narratives. Drawing is something else I try to do in my free time and helps me conceptualise different ideas.