Senior Animation / Combat Programmer
Job Description
Kinesthetic Games is looking for experienced Animation Programmers to join our gameplay team, which focuses on implementing the player facing features in our games. Character animation lies at the core of what we do as a studio so if you’re a talented animation programmer looking to put your skills towards revolutionising the field of character animation in games, you will find no better playground to do just that! You will work closely with design and content creators to bring amazingly innovative animation features to life in multiple titles currently in development for all current and next-generation platforms, including smartphone/tablet, PC and consoles. You must be able to quickly familiarise yourself with existing codebases, author systems all the way from prototype to production and have a knack for writing elegant, high performing extensible code that works well within a collaborative environment . Familiarity with industry standard engines like Unity and Unreal is a big bonus.
Desired Skills & Experience
The ideal applicant will have at least 3 years’ experience working in the games industry and will be fluent in languages like C/C++ and C#, preferably with cross platform experience. A strong academic background is also preferred with a 1st class or 2:1 degree in Computer Science, Maths, Physics or other science-related subject, but not essential if you have appropriate experience. Past experience with industry standard engines (Unreal/Unity) is a big bonus as is demonstrable experience in having written or worked with animation systems in shipped games
Responsibilities
- Turn design into gameplay through the prototyping and development of core animation systems for locomotion and combat
- Work with AI coders and scripters to expose animation features elegantly and efficiently to other disciplines
- Coordinate with animators and other members on the team to achieve optimal solutions to problems taking into account all problem parameters
- Supporting animation needs wherever they may occur (dynamic animation like animation controllers for player control, npc animation, locomotion, combat but also static animation like cutscenes and other scripted animation)
Skills
- Excellent C/C++/C# and maths skills with the ability to write clear maintainable code
- Strong debugging skills with ability to work in a large existing codebase, learn new systems/concepts and implement them quickly and efficiently
- Good communication and team attitude working with game developers from all disciplines
- Excellent initiative, self-motivation, organisational and problem solving skills, with the ability to both drive and follow direction
- A genuine interest in playing games. A love for games with deep engaging combat as well as a passion for martial arts is a big bonus.
- Prior demonstrable experience of having implemented or worked with animation systems in shipped games is a big bonus
- Previous experience with Unreal Engine/Unity Engine is a bonus
Company Information
Kinesthetic Games is a young start up where experience, talent and skill are surpassed only by our passion for creating awesome things. We’re a small group of motivated industry vets (ex-Lionhead) looking to make our mark on the world and we want you to join us! As a start up we crave responsibility and ownership and the variety that comes from not pigeonholing ourselves in strictly defined roles and sinking our teeth into all sorts of crazy challenges! Our mission is to maintain an environment where team goals and personal expression are valued and fostered equally. We are a friendly bunch who are strong believers in excellent work/life balance and the “work hard, play hard” philosophy. We offer competitive pay and benefits like annual and project based bonuses. Kinesthetic Games is situated in one of the UK’s most vibrant games development hubs: the historic town of Guildford, Surrey. With its rural countryside and picturesque town centre, a 35 minute ride to central London and its active gamedev community due to the large number of studios operating in the area, Guildford is an ideal base for games developers looking for career opportunities in the UK
Additional Information
Type: Contract/Permanent Option
Location: On Site/Remote Option
Experience: Mid-Senior level
Functions: Engineering
Industries: Computer Games
Job ID: 6779649
