Short Term (to long) C++ / Blueprint Unreal Engine Dev for Heavy Metal Bot Shooter Prototype
Budget: $1,500 – $3,000 USD
Greetings!
In need of an Unreal Engine developer who can help us push our prototype across the finish line in time for Steam NextFest submission and funding rounds.
The game; think Heavy Metal co-op based PVE bot action on other planets with old school inspirations from SWG and MechWarrior! We're looking for someone experienced with both C++ and Blueprint visual scripting who can help optimize systems, implement features, and polish our prototype for public testing. A key part of this work will involve converting Blueprint functionality to C++ for performance optimization. Experience with multiplayer, specifically co-op PVE mechanics, lobby systems, would be a major plus for certain functionality we're implementing.
We currently have one other developer (aside from me) on the project working alongside you, so we need someone who can work both independently and capable of coordinating with our team. We keep the project up to date (UE 5.7) and utilize or own Perforce server, so familiarity with version control (or willingness to learn) is super important.
This is a short term gig, fully credited, with strong potential to extend long-term as a paid employee position. We're working towards getting our playable multiplayer Prototype ready for Steam NextFest, an Unreal Megagrant application, and an upcoming funding round. As such, this is currently self funded and working within a tight budget. The short-term work is structured in 3-5 development milestones (each milestone a group of related bugs/features), with payment on delivery of each milestone. There may also be opportunities for side work converting some of our functionality into sellable plugins. To be transparent: this initial contract is budgeted modestly as we're self-funding development. However, if it's the right fit and we secure funding, we're looking to bring you on as a salaried/contracted employee at competitive premium developer rates. This might be a good opportunity for someone with some availability, maybe looking for a credit or resume work.
Important: Carbyne Games is a registered LLC in the United States. For US-based contractors, we'll need a completed W-9 form before beginning work, and will issue a 1099-NEC for payments of $600 or more. For international contractors, we'll need a completed W-8BEN form to establish tax status and withholding requirements. This is a legitimate contract position with proper tax documentation. We handle everything by the book.
If interested please DM or reply here with your availability, location (US/international), version control experience, and samples of relevant Unreal Engine work (GitHub repos, portfolio, shipped titles, etc.). Please also share what you'd typically charge for this type of work so we can have an honest conversation about fit and budget. Unfortunately I won't chase down missing portfolios or rate information. To help me filter out auto-spam if you could also work in the word "Skynet" in the DM title or first line!
A little more about the game...
The plan is currently to release a multiplayer prototype which will have a training and tutorial section that will introduce players to the lore of the game. Giving players a tactile hands-on multiplayer experience will hopefully help drive a funding round which will be used for the single player/co-op experience.
We have invested a lot of time (entering our 3rd year), and are doing some neat things with a fully procedural animation system to help really convey the weight of these metal exoskeletons: https://youtu.be/i3tupqyfGTo. Also, who doesn't love blowing parts off bots! We can't wait for folks to get their hands on it and start giving feedback.
I'm really excited to hear from you all!
-Ben
Project:
https://twitter.com/CarbyneGames.
https://bsky.app/profile/carbynegames.bsky.social
We have an active public discord for development if you are interested in checking things out more ahead of time.
In need of an Unreal Engine developer who can help us push our prototype across the finish line in time for Steam NextFest submission and funding rounds.
The game; think Heavy Metal co-op based PVE bot action on other planets with old school inspirations from SWG and MechWarrior! We're looking for someone experienced with both C++ and Blueprint visual scripting who can help optimize systems, implement features, and polish our prototype for public testing. A key part of this work will involve converting Blueprint functionality to C++ for performance optimization. Experience with multiplayer, specifically co-op PVE mechanics, lobby systems, would be a major plus for certain functionality we're implementing.
We currently have one other developer (aside from me) on the project working alongside you, so we need someone who can work both independently and capable of coordinating with our team. We keep the project up to date (UE 5.7) and utilize or own Perforce server, so familiarity with version control (or willingness to learn) is super important.
This is a short term gig, fully credited, with strong potential to extend long-term as a paid employee position. We're working towards getting our playable multiplayer Prototype ready for Steam NextFest, an Unreal Megagrant application, and an upcoming funding round. As such, this is currently self funded and working within a tight budget. The short-term work is structured in 3-5 development milestones (each milestone a group of related bugs/features), with payment on delivery of each milestone. There may also be opportunities for side work converting some of our functionality into sellable plugins. To be transparent: this initial contract is budgeted modestly as we're self-funding development. However, if it's the right fit and we secure funding, we're looking to bring you on as a salaried/contracted employee at competitive premium developer rates. This might be a good opportunity for someone with some availability, maybe looking for a credit or resume work.
Important: Carbyne Games is a registered LLC in the United States. For US-based contractors, we'll need a completed W-9 form before beginning work, and will issue a 1099-NEC for payments of $600 or more. For international contractors, we'll need a completed W-8BEN form to establish tax status and withholding requirements. This is a legitimate contract position with proper tax documentation. We handle everything by the book.
If interested please DM or reply here with your availability, location (US/international), version control experience, and samples of relevant Unreal Engine work (GitHub repos, portfolio, shipped titles, etc.). Please also share what you'd typically charge for this type of work so we can have an honest conversation about fit and budget. Unfortunately I won't chase down missing portfolios or rate information. To help me filter out auto-spam if you could also work in the word "Skynet" in the DM title or first line!
A little more about the game...
The plan is currently to release a multiplayer prototype which will have a training and tutorial section that will introduce players to the lore of the game. Giving players a tactile hands-on multiplayer experience will hopefully help drive a funding round which will be used for the single player/co-op experience.
We have invested a lot of time (entering our 3rd year), and are doing some neat things with a fully procedural animation system to help really convey the weight of these metal exoskeletons: https://youtu.be/i3tupqyfGTo. Also, who doesn't love blowing parts off bots! We can't wait for folks to get their hands on it and start giving feedback.
I'm really excited to hear from you all!
-Ben
Project:
https://twitter.com/CarbyneGames.
https://bsky.app/profile/carbynegames.bsky.social
We have an active public discord for development if you are interested in checking things out more ahead of time.
Related categories:
Game Design
C++ Programming
Game Development
Steam API
Documentation
Unreal Engine
Game Testing
Game UI
Menu Design