Hi there, I'm Jake Hart. I'm a gameplay engineer with over 15 years of experience and a fervor for character traversal and designer collaboration. I'm primarily looking to work remotely, but I may be willing to move for the right position. If you think I'd be a good fit for your team, let's chat!

Status: Seeking full-time remote work
Contact: jacobdhart at gmail
LinkedIn profile

WORK
Project Blackbird PC/Xbox/PS5. C++, custom engine.	Developed movement and parkour tech for Project Blackbird, a cancelled AAA MMORPG from Zenimax Online Studios (Microsoft). What I did: Architected and engineered a designer-driven root motion API for character traversal. By abstracting calculus-based internals into a robust suite of familiar building blocks, I enabled designers to independently create and iterate on 8 core parkour and movement mechanics, reducing the time required to stand up a new mechanic from weeks to days. Created a system that enabled designers to define their own sensors to follow the player and perform both simple and multi-sensor queries on world geo, firing only when needed. Created in-game motion recording and debugging tools that were used daily by designers and QA. Collaborated with a 400-person international team to deliver multiple well-received internal milestones showcasing world verticality, parkour fluidity, and player self-expression in a multiplayer open world. [Article on IGN] [Article on engadget] [Article on vgchartz] [Article on TrueAchievements] [Article on Bloomberg] (paywalled)
Old School RuneScape (C++ port) PC/mobile. C++, Java, OpenGL.	Contributed as a specialist to a consulting team tasked with porting the classic MMORPG client from a legacy Java codebase to a modern C++ architecture. This effort was the foundation for the official Steam and mobile versions. What I did: Low-level rendering translation: Engineered the core graphics layer responsible for marshaling and translating the original software renderer's draw list (with its highly specific, custom Z-ordering) into a single, efficient OpenGL draw batch. Used frame debugging tools (RenderDoc and Intel GPA) to ensure that the new rendering was accurate to the original game. Performed migration from Java's native reference counting to modern C++'s smart pointer library (std::shared_ptr and std::unique_ptr). This included ensuring proper lifetime management to prevent memory leaks and crashes. Contributed to a high-performance, cross-platform client that met stringent memory and FPS targets for mobile and low-end PC hardware. [Steam page] [iOS App Store page]
speedboats.io WebGL browser game. JavaScript, node.js, THREE.js, socket.io.	A real-time multiplayer nautical combat game that scaled to 1.6 million unique players and supported high concurrent usage. As the sole engineer, I designed, built, and maintained the entire full-stack system, from the custom physics engine to the live service infrastructure. What I did: Engineered a custom, horizontally scalable server architecture using Node.js/recluster worker threads. This made it possible to scale my AWS instances to match player traffic. Wrote a custom Redis API as a high-speed server persistence layer. Used Redis hashes for player state and sets for game/session management, enabling stateless worker processes and the ability to dynamically shard games to the least-loaded CPU. Built a simple, fast, custom physics engine and a fixed-step timer to ensure simulation integrity. Designed a data-driven component framework for all content (weapons, levels), allowing for content balancing and feature integration without code changes. Implemented server-side logic for essential anti-cheat verification. [Play in your browser]
Batman: Arkham Underworld iPad/iPhone. C#, Unity.	A PvP base-building game set in the Batman universe. Control DC supervillains and fight to wrest control of Gotham from your rivals. Cause mayhem, gain notoriety, and take on Batman himself. What I did: Authored the in-game builder, which is used by both players and designers to create bases Worked closely with designers to develop gameplay and AI systems Wrote an intuitive, momentum-based camera controller for multitouch devices Architected and implemented localization system [Trailer] [Images]
Mind Your Own Budget iPad. C#, Unity.	An iPad game that combines a customizable environment with lessons about financial responsibility. What I did: Served as lead developer Implemented furniture catalog and arrangement systems Wrote gameplay and UI systems [App Store] [Screenshots]

[Personal Projects]

See what I build for fun, including Unity tools, audio plugins, and other passion projects.