Building a custom game engine: Amzy Zarcu’s experience

What was your journey leading up to BUas? 

Amzy: ‘I have always loved playing games and was initially interested in both art and programming. After some introspection, I decided that programming was my greatest passion. It took me more than half a year to prepare for the BUas intake since I didn’t have much programming experience at the time. The admission assignment was to create a small game in C++. Fortunately, I had a little experience with C++ from high school in Romania, where we had some programming courses, but I still had a lot to learn. Eventually, I applied and got in.’ 

Can you describe a project you worked on? 

Amzy: ‘In year 2, the first block required programmers to choose between three specialisations: AI and physics, graphics programming, or engine and tools. I chose the last one and had to build my own engine as an individual project. In the second block, we selected a self-study focus. I chose to implement an ability system in my custom engine.’ 

‘In the third block, we had to combine what we had learned and created, working in teams on specific game types. In our case, we developed a top-down action game, for which the ability system I built in the second block was designed. Our team of programmers chose one of my classmate’s engines because it had a lot of features. Each of us contributed to its development—I added my ability system and physics system, while others worked on graphics, AI, and other aspects.’ 

‘At the end of block three, the lecturers selected engines for the final block, and our engine, Coral Engine, was chosen. In the last block, we focused on developing our game Lichgate. Unfortunately, not many people were interested in working with a custom engine, so we didn't have an artist on our team—just four designers and six programmers.' 

What was your role in this project? 

Amzy: ‘In the last block, I was the main gameplay programmer. Not everyone in the team was interested in gameplay programming, but we had a solid division of roles. One teammate focused on AI, two worked on graphics—one for Windows and another for PS5—while our main engine programmer also assisted with gameplay. Another teammate was a generalist and worked on animations.’ 

‘One of the biggest challenges was helping the designers learn how to use our custom engine. To make it more accessible, one of my teammates, Guus Kamperman, created a visual scripting system similar to Unreal Engine, which we implemented, to reduce the learning curve. At first, the designers were hesitant, but eventually, they became comfortable working with it.’ 

‘Bojan Endrovski, our lecturer, provided great support throughout the project. He gave us valuable feedback and, at the end, told us, "This is one of the best student-built game engines I've seen."’ 

Tell us about the game! 

Amzy: ‘In Lichgate, you step into the role of a powerful mage fighting against relentless hordes of undead. The game revolves around harnessing and upgrading magical abilities, allowing players to create game-breaking synergies to turn the tide of battle.’ 

‘Players can choose from three weapons, and every enemy killed grants upgrades. The final encounter features large waves of enemies in a score-based system, challenging players to survive as long as possible.’ 

Check it out here: Lichgate 

What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them? 

Amzy: ‘The two biggest challenges were the absence of an artist and getting designers comfortable with our custom engine. However, we anticipated these hurdles and focused on making the engine as user-friendly as possible. Even before the designers started using it, we gathered their feedback to prioritize usability. To tackle the first challenge, the university provided asset packs, and team members stepped out of their comfort zones to handle the visual aspects of the project.’ 

‘I care a lot about usability, and I worked closely with the designers to make the engine modular and easy to use. In the end, we successfully created an expandable tool that allowed designers to contribute effectively.’ 

What are your future plans? 

Amzy: ‘Currently, I am working on a year-long project—an online co-op multiplayer shooter in Unreal Engine. We are using Unreal's Gameplay Ability System, which has a steep learning curve but is incredibly useful for networking in multiplayer games. I am the programming lead, which also involves managing people. Our team now consists of 23 students, so I am learning a lot about working in larger teams.’ 

‘I am also looking for an internship for Year 4, with my main focus being gameplay programming.’ 

Check out Amzy's work: Portfolio 

Connect with Amzy on LinkedIn: Amzy Amalia Zarcu