Hi, I’m Adelaide!
Game Designer & Programmer
I have over a decade of experience creating innovative indie games. I thrive on tackling complex design and engineering challenges while continuously expanding my skillset. I'm a lifelong learner, always seeking ways to improve and collaborating with talented teams to craft exceptional games.
Technical Qualifications
10+ Years of experience designing and programming for indie games
Worked on 3 successful Early Access titles, all of which were systemically complex
Extensive experience with Data Oriented Design principles and data structures
Experience with content implementation, writing descriptions and lore entries
Rapid Prototyping skills: Ability to program, draw, create diagrams and mock ups
Design Case Studies
An in depth look at the design of Phantom Brigade’s Simultaneous Turn based system and timeline mechanics
An in depth look at the design of Phantom Brigade’s Turn Based combat system
A retrospective on the history and design of the modular part system in the early versions of Kerbal Space Program
Recommendations
Kimberly Voll
CEO of Brace Yourself Games
“…she always impresses me with her many skills across design and programming.
Incredibly hardworking and dedicated to everything that she does, Adelaide faces challenges head on, approaching them with steadfast dedication and a team mindset…
Nikita Kotter
Game Designer
“…She consistently demonstrates exceptional engineering skills, delivering high-quality work, solving complex problems, and showcasing a deep understanding of engineering principles…
…Furthermore, Adelaide's keen sense of developing features effectively targeting the intended audience is remarkable…”
David Nguyen
Junior Game Designer
“…possessed an impressively deep well of knowledge when it came to anything systemic design and engineering. Capable of wearing many hats, Adelaide excelled at diving deep into many of the roles assigned to her.
She was also willing to help mentor me whenever she had the time from her busy schedule. Any team and project will excel with her depth of technical skills and her experience in directorship.”
Artyom Zuev
Senior Programmer
“…a multidisciplinary expert finding opportunities to automate and optimize at every turn. Her wealth of experience informs her incredibly thoughtful, iterative and efficient approach to game design…
…But most importantly, Adelaide is a wonderful person who is an absolute joy to work with. She is an inspiration, a lead who always listens, always protects her team, seeks to understand every concern and always puts the well being of her colleagues first…
Full quotes are available on LinkedIn
Employment History
Seattle, USA | 2023-2024, 1 Year
Contract Programmer
Identified CPU performance issues and optimized Multi-threaded ECS, and Job System Code
Drastically decreased memory usage, and optimized native data structures
Identified and optimized, 3D rendering, animation and shader performance issues, relieving GPU bottlenecks
Vancouver, Canada | 2018-2023, 5 Years
Game Director, Lead Designer and Programmer
Prioritized development tasks from a list of all game ideas generated by the team and tester feedback
Created detailed design specifications, mock ups and diagrams for implementation by developers
Continuously engaged with the community through Steam, Discord, and forums to better understand player sentiment
Created in-game analytics, bug reporting and feedback submission systems to further inform development decisions
Analyzed data collected from analytics, player feedback and testers to iterate on implemented features
Developed custom low level graphics, level, physics and animation systems based on art & game design constraints
Mentored junior designers at BYG, providing feedback and guidance on their work
Planned sprints, and managed collaboration with external partners, coordinating the work of many disciplines across the entire project
Created YAML backed data models and data driven systems for modular mechs, weapons, actions, events and 50+ other content types
Designed and maintained reactive systems connecting different gameplay layers and mechanics, ranging from overworld AI and narrative events to mech pilot fatigue and physics based abilities
Supervised and supported technical artists, designers, programmers and writers to ensure a cohesive creative direction and resolve production blockers
Seattle, USA | 2016-2018, 2 Years
Lead Designer, Founder
Founded Tetragon Works, and recruited all members of the core development team
Developed the original IP and pitch for Phantom Brigade, leading to a successful acquisition by Brace Yourself Games, and an exclusivity deal with The Epic Games Store.
Designed all game systems and content for the original turn-based builds
Planned sprints and set development priorities for the development team
Managed the development team, external contractors and partners, providing them with detailed direction to efficiently complete their work
Seattle, USA | 2014-2017, 3 Years
Developer
Designed and implemented complex simulations, in collaboration with scientists and field experts
Prototyped and designed new gameplay features, such as material simulations and planetary grids
Assisted with Bug-fixing and optimization tasks
Mexico City, Mexico | 2012-2014, 2 Years
Gameplay Designer
Wrote specifications and data model for new part modules
Designed and implemented new classes of ship-parts by combining behaviour of part modules
Implemented new ship parts, tuned part data, wrote descriptions and lore entries for the parts
Iterated on part designs, based on team and early-access player feedback
Designed and implemented procedural animation and VFX systems
Other Interests
Worked on the Board of Directors for Seattle Indies
Helped to organize The Indie Support Group, and Seattle Indies Expo
Worked as a Teaching Assistant for Unity Computer Shader courses
I enjoy studying, and writing artificial life simulations, as well as cellular automata (Vimeo)
It's long been my goal to design games with emotional impact. To that end, I enjoy playing and studying games that generate stories. In particular Dwarf Fortress, RimWorld, and Oxygen Not Included.
I've been drawing and painting for most of my life. I've found it to be a very useful skill for creating mock ups and communicating designs ideas.