Project Contribution Summary

My journey with Aether Studios and Rivals of Aether II began as a Game Engineer tasked with contributing to the implementation of new UI and all UI tooling. Despite having no experience with Unreal Engine, I embraced the challenge, quickly learning and picking up the skills I needed. My determination not only enabled me to meet the role's demands but also allowed me to deliver significant contributions that went above and beyond the job description.

One of my earliest accomplishments was spinning up and maintaining a Jenkins CI/CD pipeline. This involved creating reliable daily builds and developing custom tooling to prevent early leaks of future content. By enhancing pipeline adaptability and efficiency, I provided the team with a robust foundation for streamlined development.

As my expertise grew, I took ownership of several critical systems. I developed tools to empower seamless screen transitions, pop-up dialogs, and controller navigation, significantly enhancing the game's UI/UX. I also designed a powerful cosmetic management system that optimized the retrieval and loading of hundreds of cosmetic items, dramatically improving speed and reliability. To further support our artists, I created internal tools that simplified the process of adding premium cosmetics, enabling seamless backend integration with minimal effort.

Another highlight of my contributions was implementing support for multiple keyboards on a single PC. This feature was something that I had been researching and testing for quite some time before beginning my position with Aether Studios. With this new position I was given the opportunity to put my research to the test by implementing what I had learned.

Despite starting the role with a steep learning curve, my willingness to adapt, learn, and tackle challenges head-on allowed me to grow into a key contributor on the team. I continuously sought opportunities to improve workflows, deliver impactful player-focused features, and foster collaboration, culminating in the successful Steam release of Rivals of Aether II in October 2024. My time at Aether Studios exemplifies my dedication to learning, innovation, and delivering results that exceed expectations.