Vladimir Chavdarov: Creating a terrain editor for RTS games

What was your journey leading up to BUas? 

Vladimir: ‘I studied informatics in high school back in Bulgaria, which gave me a solid technical foundation. When I discovered BUas, I realised it was the perfect place to combine my programming skills with my passion for games. I already had experience with C++ and a love for real-time strategy games. My journey started with playing these games, then organising esports events, and eventually transitioning into game development.’ 

Can you describe a project you worked on? 

Vladimir: ‘One of my most exciting projects was in my second year at BUas. We had an assignment early in the year to develop a feature, individually. Some of these projects were selected for team-based development. My project was a terrain editor tailored for real-time strategy games, inspired by classics like Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2. My tool was well-received, and I was placed in a team to build an entire strategy game engine.’ 

‘In the later phases, I expanded my terrain editor, allowing designers to place buildings and objects with ease. We wanted to create a tool that empowered designers to shape their vision efficiently. By the final stage, artists and designers joined us, and over eight weeks, we used our custom engine to produce a game. Throughout this process, I continued refining the tool, adding new brushes, and guiding the different disciplines while maintaining and debugging the engine.’ 

What was your role in this project? 

Vladimir: ‘I primarily worked as a tools programmer, focusing on the engine and editor. My main goal was to create a tool that enabled designers to express their creativity effortlessly. By developing an intuitive and powerful editor, I aimed to bridge the gap between technical complexity and artistic vision.’ 

Tell us about the game 

Vladimir: ‘The game we developed is called “Owlet”, a real-time strategy game where players build bases, fortify their defences, and produce units to defend a mystical forest from mythical creatures. It emphasises strategic decision-making, ensuring that every action a player takes matters. It provides the core elements of classic strategy games in a simple yet engaging way.’ 

Play the game on Itch.io: https://buas.itch.io/owlet  

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

Vladimir: ‘One breakthrough was implementing a brush system in the terrain editor that allowed designers to interact with the tool naturally. We had brushes for terraforming, texturing, and placing objects like grass patches and trees. Later, we developed a foliage brush that enabled designers to paint entire scenes with a single stroke, randomly placing trees, rocks, and bushes. We also integrated noise masking to make the placement appear more natural.’ 

‘The tool was inspired by Unreal Engine and was developed in close collaboration with a visual artist. We worked together to ensure it met practical needs while remaining technically feasible. This iterative approach helped us fine-tune the editor into a powerful, user-friendly tool.’ 

What are your future plans? 

Vladimir: ‘Looking ahead, my immediate goal is to complete my studies and close this chapter before starting the next one. For the future, I would love to focus on strategy games, though I understand it is a niche genre. It is where my passion lies.’ 

‘I also want to continue working on tools because I enjoy helping people bring their creative visions to life. The people I care about most are my colleagues, and I want to create tools that empower them to do their best work. I love the collaborative aspect of game development—understanding what people need and combining that with technical innovation to produce something great.’ 

Connect with Vladimir on LinkedIn or check out his portfolio website.