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Rachel Gu

Game Programmer

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Portfolio

Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver

Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver Key Art Unreal Engine 5 | PC (Steam, Epic) | TBA | Project Site

Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver is a co-op action RPG where players harness the mystical abilities of the Wu-Tang Clan to fight against the Deceiver, an entity invading and corrupting their home of Shaolin.

Role: Gameplay Programmer

  • Implemented and maintained multiplayer combat systems using GAS (Gameplay Ability System) from input to animation to hit resolution systems:
    • Input System
    • Hitbox and Hit Detection
    • Hitstop
    • Hit Resolution System
    • Status Effects System
    • Multiplayer Scaling System
  • Supported in-engine content creation pipelines through blueprint libraries, animation notifies for animation montages, and data-driven architecture for designers and artists.
  • Worked closely with designers to develop bespoke gameplay mechanics thematically based off of the Wu-Tang Clan members.
  • Documented technical decisions and architecture through technical design proposals, system diagrams, reference documentation and how-to guides.

Silent Slayer

Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire Key Art Unreal Engine 4 | PCVR (Steam), Meta Quest (Meta Horizon Store) | October 2024 | Project Site

Silent Slayer is a VR precision-based puzzle horror game where the player must disarm a variety of traps around the coffins to get in and slay the vampires.

Role: Gameplay Programmer

  • Prototyped initial puzzle interactions to define and prove out the concept.
  • Created a pipeline to dynamically generate 3D sigils as segmented triangular prism meshes with a graph data structure for connectivity and custom point and segment collision detection.
  • Implemented encounter architecture and puzzle interactions with real world design affordances without breaking game physics:
    • Physical key that must be inserted and turned inside a lock
    • Prybar as leverage to pull nails out of the coffin
    • Snippers to cut trap wires
    • Grippers to maneuver objects into their sockets with “buzz wire” style gameplay
  • Refined the grabbing system based off of VR Expansion.

Lost Recipes

Lost Recipes Key Art Unreal Engine 4 | Meta Quest (Meta Horizon Store) | January 2022 | Project Site

Lost Recipes is a VR cooking simulator that teaches historical recipes from ancient Greek, Chinese, and Mayan civilizations.

Role: Gameplay Programmer

  • Took ownership of the following systems mid-way through the project:
    • Dynamic mesh cutting and water mesh physics
    • Osmosis, marination, spice rendering
    • Dough systems
  • Implemented the following systems:
    • Multi-purpose spoon
    • Plate and food stacking systems
    • Pooling, state resetting, and respawning systems
  • Supported designers growing technical skills with Unreal blueprints.
  • Optimized for the lower end Quest 1 VR system while primarily targeting the Quest 2.

Mission: It’s Complicated

Mission: It's Complicated Key Art Unity | PC (Steam, Itch.io) | February 2020 | Project Site

Mission: It’s Complicated is a superhero match-making visual novel featuring a diverse cast of characters that can get paired up in various romantic and platonic relationships.

Role: Gameplay Programmer

  • Adapted a proprietary messaging system into a chatroom-style visual novel.
  • Built out relationship systems and chat features.

Deep Time Detectives

Deep Time Detectives Key Art Unity | PCVR + PC Exhibit | September 2019 | Project Site

Deep Time Detectives is a two-player asymmetric cooperative experience developed as part of the Smithsonian’s hands-on pale­on­tology exhibit for their documentary film When Whales Walked: Journeys in Deep Time. The VR player acts as a field paleontologist, and the non-VR player acts as an offsite research expert to uncover a fossil and classify its evolutionary lineage.

Role: Gameplay Programmer

  • Implemented fossil manipulation and brush interactions.
  • Assisted with camera work for the VR rig and for the non-VR player.
  • Traveled to install experience and provide tech support at multiple sites in various states.

HistoryMaker VR

HistoryMaker VR Key Art Unity | PCVR (Steam) | August 2020 | Project Site

HistoryMaker VR is an educational VR content creation tool where users can set up a scene with props, read a script off a teleprompter, and export the performance as a video.

Role: Gameplay Programmer

  • Prototyped Ben Franklin as part of the phase 1 grant.
  • Implemented object tracking system for recording and in-game playback.