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Derailed Arts Internship

Overview

  • Company: Derailed Arts

  • Role: Game AI Programmer / Gameplay Programmer

  • Tech Stack: Unity & C++

  • Duration: January 2025 - June 2025

  • Team: Worked within a multi-disciplinary team of 4 developers.

Key Contributions

  • Feature Ownership:

  • Developed and polished a Fish (NPC) System from concept to implementation.

  • Bug Fixing & Optimization: Identified and resolved high-priority gameplay bugs in coordination with the main programmer.

  • Tooling: Created editor utilities to streamline the creation of further breeds of fish and adjust their behaviour.

  • Collaboration: Participated in weekly goal setting, code reviews and talked to multiple consultants on the project.

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Note on Confidentiality: Due to a Non-Disclosure Agreement, specific project titles and source code cannot be shared. The following outlines the technical systems and methodologies implemented during my tenure, supported by approved visual exceptions used in my Master's Report.

Details

Feature Development:

  • Implementation: Architected a NPC System using Prefabs and Scriptable Objects to ensure Scalability

  • Refinement: Iterated on player-facing mechanics based on feedback from the CEO and Lead Designer to improve "game feel."

  • Integration: Ensured all new code followed the studio’s internal style guide and performance benchmarks.

image8.gif

Fish swimming through the lake using the Physics Engine

Systems Optimization & Maintenance

  • Profiling: Used Unity Profiler to identify bottlenecks in NPC pathfinding.

  • Bug Squashing: Resolved Bugs ranging from physics glitches to logic errors, ensuring a stable build for internal milestones and the final Demo.

  • Refactoring: Modernized all my existing code to improve readability and reduce technical debt for the final hand off.

image13.gif

Fish interacting with the Bobber, which shows my work interacting with the other Developer's code.

Technical Tooling

  • Editor Scripting: Developed a custom Unity Editor window that allowed Designers to tweak, generate and save Voxel grids.

  • Scriptable Objects: Create a Prefab Structure which allowed for easy creation of further fish breeds to be inserted. Personalities and Physics all easy adjustable through Drag and Drop Scriptable Objects

  • Debug: Created multiple Visual Debug Options to help finding issues with the Pathfinding Code.

image14.gif

Visual Debug of the scored Voxel Grid clearly depicting the shape of the lake.

NPC Systems

  • Movement: Physics based pushing the fish forward, while rotating them to their targets.

  • Game AI: Used a GOAP inspired State Machine, which would change the Behaviour based on desired and needs. Then execute  a a series of action to fulfil them.

  • Navigation: Used a 3D A* Algorithm to pathfinding through a 3D Voxel Grid.

image15.gif

A fish following a path created for it, displayed as a green Debug line.

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