Joining Diverge:
In February 2023, I joined Diverge as a Senior Game Developer. Due to my extensive experience and advanced C++ programming skills, as well as my leadership experience, I quickly became the Lead Developer. My role expanded to include leading the art team, assisting level designers, and supporting junior developers.
Key Responsibilities:
Pipeline for Digital Twins:
- Created a comprehensive pipeline for generating digital twins, including photogrammetry processes for generating meshes and textures, adding skeletons, and importing them into Unreal Engine.
Character System Pipeline:
- Developed a character system pipeline to easily create multiple characters with different heights and weights, ensuring compatibility with shared animations and clothing.
- Implemented a morph system to change body proportions at runtime, optimizing performance and customization.
Modular Character System:
- Created a modular character system for runtime changes of clothing, hair, and accessories, enhancing player customization options.
Backend Platform Development:
- Designed and implemented a PHP platform for the game's backend to handle user sign-up, account management, subscriptions, payment gateways, in-app purchases, currency systems, and marketplace systems.
- Connected the backend with the game via an API, creating subsystems in the game to manage all interfaces.
Optimization and Performance:
- Worked extensively on optimizing scenes and code for GPU and CPU, achieving the best visuals and performance using technologies like Lumen and Nanite.
Furniture System:
- Developed a furniture system allowing players to change house furniture at runtime, adding another layer of interactivity and customization to the game.
Pipeline for Testing, Packaging, and Publishing:
- Established a pipeline for testing, packaging, and publishing the game, ensuring a streamlined and efficient development process.
Promotion to Project Manager:
After five months, I was promoted to Project Manager, where I took on additional responsibilities:
- Team and Project Management:
- Managed the team, projects, and sprints, creating milestones, tasks, and roadmaps.
- Prepared necessary documents such as requirement documents, GDD, TDD, executive summaries, and pitch decks.
- CRM and Cloud Hosting Solutions:
- Set up a CRM platform to manage employees, projects, clients, and tasks.
- Established a cloud hosting solution for hosting the CRM, file storage, and source control.
Achievements:
- Developed a pipeline for digital twins and character systems.
- Implemented a modular character system and comprehensive backend platform.
- Optimized scenes and code for maximum performance.
- Managed the team and projects, ensuring successful and timely deliveries.
- Set up CRM and cloud hosting solutions to streamline project management and development processes.
Sugar world Game
Project Overview: Sugar World is a life simulation game that immerses players in a virtual girlfriend experience within an open world. Players can engage in activities such as buying properties, furnishing homes, customizing characters, and exploring the city to visit places like restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs.
My Role: As the lead developer, I managed a team of nine developers and artists, overseeing the distribution of tasks, quality assurance, and providing guidance to senior team members. I was integral in developing all the major game systems that formed the foundation for further development. Examples of the systems I implemented include:
- Backend System: Established the backend connectivity for managing accounts and achievements.
- Locomotion System: Engineered the system facilitating character movement and interactions within the game.
- Patching System: Developed a system for the real-time downloading and management of game assets.
These systems served as starting points for the senior developers to build upon, ensuring a robust and scalable game architecture.
Sugar world Web platform
Project Initiation: While working on the "Sugar World" game, I recognized an opportunity to enhance the player experience by integrating a community aspect, especially given the game's reliance on content creation similar to platforms like OnlyFans, where we used 3D replicas of real content creators. I proposed the development of a dedicated web platform that would not only serve as the backend for the game but also foster a community for users to interact with, even outside the game environment.
My Role: I spearheaded the idea and took the initiative to develop a prototype using PHP and a robust codebase. This platform was designed to enable players to access content, interact with virtual content creators, and purchase game assets, pictures, or videos directly through the website.
Outcome and Expansion: The prototype received positive feedback from the company, leading to its approval as the next major product. I developed the platform to the stage of early access, laying down the fundamental systems and user interface. Following this initial phase, a full team of web developers was assigned to continue its development, expanding on the groundwork I had established.
Diverge CRM & Project management
Challenge: While managing three diverse teams—game development, game design, and web development—I encountered limitations with existing project management tools that were not meeting our needs for task management, time tracking, and progress updates.
Solution Development: Determined to find a more efficient solution, I conducted extensive research and testing on various services such as Jira and ClickUp. However, to fully address our specific needs at Diverge, I decided to develop a custom solution. Initially, I experimented with PHP scripts like Rise and Perfex. I selected Perfex for initial deployment, setting it up on our server, integrating all employees, and inputting all projects. Despite these efforts, I discovered that Perfex was not scalable, particularly in terms of performance and file storage.
Refinement and Implementation: After further research and development, I transitioned to using WorkSuite, which I installed and configured as a SaaS solution. I developed multiple modules to customize it further, tailoring it to better meet our operational and scalability requirements. This system became the backbone for managing all internal projects, client interactions, and even recruitment processes at Diverge.
Server Management and Backend Development
Operational Needs: During the development of the CRM system and Sugar World platform, I required a robust environment to test my PHP scripts. Initially, I utilized Digital Ocean's cloud solutions, but due to cost considerations, I opted for dedicated servers to better suit our needs.
Implementation: I personally set up the dedicated server from scratch. This process involved installing the web server and database, configuring the firewall and Web Application Firewall (WAF), and setting up a statistics system to monitor server performance. Additionally, I installed a server panel that facilitated the hosting of multiple websites and provided a development environment for testing API development tailored for Unreal Engine integration.
Role and Responsibilities: I was solely responsible for all server-side tasks, including installation, configuration, and management. This role was crucial in ensuring that our platforms were not only functional but also secure and efficiently managed to support both development and production needs.