Senior Vehicle Gameplay Engineer

Who are we?

Hypersonic Labs is building HELIX, the ultimate open-world multiplayer sandbox. We are a remote-first, international team and have raised $11M from top gaming VCs.

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Vehicle Gameplay Engineer with a strong focus on vehicle gameplay to join our dynamic team. In this role, you will leverage your extensive experience in Unreal Engine to design, develop, and optimize complex vehicle gameplay systems. You will be working on our AAA sandbox gaming experience platform, where vehicle gameplay is a major element of the experience(s).

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a cutting-edge project and work alongside a highly talented team.

What you will be doing

• Vehicle Gameplay Development: Design and implement advanced vehicle gameplay systems, focusing on driving mechanics and physics-based interactions within Unreal Engine. Utilize the underlying physics system to achieve realistic vehicle behaviors.
• Physics Integration: Develop and optimize various vehicle physics with specific driving models, collision impacts and destruction, and other environmental interactions.
• Animation Systems: Collaborate with the animation team to integrate vehicle animations, including suspension, wheel movement, and damage states.
• Optimization: Profile and optimize vehicle systems to support multiple MP scenarios (PvP, Co-op, MPvE, etc.)
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work closely with designers, artists, and other engineers to ensure that vehicle gameplay systems align with the overall game design and artistic vision, incorporating feedback to refine the experience.
• Problem Solving: Identify and address complex technical challenges related to vehicle gameplay, physics, and animation, developing robust and scalable solutions.
• Tool Development: Contribute to the development of in-house tools and workflows to improve the efficiency of vehicle gameplay, physics, and animation system development.

What we will need from you

• Experience: An experienced engineer with at least 1 title as Senior Vehicle/Gameplay Programmer.
• Unreal Engine Expertise: Extensive experience with Unreal Engine Physics systems (PhysX and/or Chaos)
• Vehicle Physics: Proven experience in Architecting, implementing and optimizing Vehicle Systems for realistic vehicle dynamics and environments.
• Animation Integration: Strong understanding of animation systems and experience integrating animations with physics-based gameplay elements, utilizing Unreal Engine’s advanced animation tools (I.e. Familiarity with Animation technologies such as Root Motion, Animation Blueprints, Montages, and FK/IK support)
• Programming Languages: Proficiency in C++ and Blueprint scripting within Unreal Engine.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on creating efficient and scalable gameplay systems.
• Collaboration: Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with experience working in cross-disciplinary teams.

Nice to have

• Advanced Physics Simulation: Experience with advanced physics simulation techniques, including soft-body physics or procedural destruction using Havok, PhysX or Chaos.
• Networking Experience: Knowledge of networking and multiplayer game development, particularly related to vehicle gameplay.
• AI Integration: Experience with AI-driven vehicle behaviour and pathfinding within Unreal Engine.