Maks Maisak

I am a videogame AI programmer.

Basic info

Email
max.maisak@gmail.com
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/maksmaisak
GitHub
github.com/maksmaisak
Location
Haarlem, the Netherlands

About me

I am a videogame AI programmer, primarily in Unreal Engine.
I have a strong work ethic and a keen interest in broadening and deepening my skills.
I create maintainable, reusable, and efficient systems that meet the needs of multidisciplinary teams.
I have great communication and interpersonal skills, which I use to actively support and mentor team members to ensure the success of the project.

Outside of work you can find me gaming, reading, or exploring exciting new technologies. I occasionally dabble in web design and machine learning.

Work history

Game Programmer ⟶ Senior AI Programmer
September 2021 ⟶ January 2024 — Present
Vertigo Studios Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Was the sole AI programmer on a AAA VR title (Metro Awakening) from start to finish (3 years)
  • Designed, implemented, and maintained all AI systems on the project
  • Successfully introduced Functional Testing which improved bugfixing speed and reliability
  • Onboarded, supported, and mentored multidisciplinary team members to build AI encounters
Game Programmer Intern
February 2021 — June 2021
Force Field Entertainment, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Created a JavaScript library for state management in multiplayer games
  • Based on the needs and use cases of present and future projects
  • The library was used to implement all gameplay logic on a Node.js server for a Facebook Rooms game
Game Programmer Intern
September 2019 — January 2020
Force Field Entertainment, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Created character AI for an unannounced AAA VR title
  • Developed tools and plugins for Unreal Engine 4
  • Collaborated with designers to improve workflows

Education

Bachelor of Science (Game Engineering)
Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, the Netherlands
  • Cum Laude
  • Saxion Holland Top Talent Scholarship
  • Extended Saxion Talent Scholarship
  • Saxion Excellent Scholarship (x2)

Experience

  • 4+ years of professional Unreal Engine 4/5 experience
  • Spearheaded the development of enemy AI in a AAA VR title (Metro Awakening):
    • Designed, implemented, and maintained modular AI systems in Unreal Engine 5
    • These systems formed the foundation of AI tech in the company
    • Implemented a variety of enemy behaviors
    • Closely supported a multidisciplinary team to create engaging enemy encounters
  • Created a plugin for HTN planning AI in Unreal Engine 4/5:
    • Visual HTN graph editor
    • Seamlessly using blackboard data as worldstate
    • Subplans: parts of a larger plan being planned or re-planned on demand
    • Ability to make custom nodes in both C++ and Blueprints
    • Realtime debugging features
    • The plugin later became the backbone of enemy AI in Metro Awakening
  • Made an Entity-Component-System game engine in C++ with:
    • Cache-efficient component storage
    • Physically-Based Rendering (PBR)
    • Lua scripting support
    • A versatile resource management system

Skills

Programming languages
C++, C#, Cg, GLSL, Lua, Python, JavaScript, Swift, Haskell, Rust
Engines, Frameworks & Libraries
Unreal Engine 4/5, Unity, OpenGL, GLM, SFML, GLFW, Lua C API, Assimp, VRTK, ShaderLab, Entitas, NUnit, DOTween, Theano, Matplotlib, NumPy, AudioKit, matter.js, math.js, synaptic.js
Tools & Software
Git, Perforce, CMake, Rider, CLion, Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio Code, MonoDevelop, Xcode, Brackets, Machinations, Tiled
Other
HTML, CSS, Bootstrap
Languages
English (Fluent), Ukrainian (Native), Russian (Native), Dutch (Beginner/A2)
portfolio ⟶