Hello! I’m William, the designer of Manifold Garden and the Creative Director of William Chyr Studio (WCS). We are a small indie game studio based in Chicago, with a remote team located around the world. 

We are currently working on an unannounced original game as a follow-up to Manifold Garden and are looking for a Graphics Programmer to work with us on a contract basis. 

The position is remote and will require 20-30 hours per week of availability, with the potential to scale up. 

Background

Manifold Garden’s development began in 2012. It was inspired by the works of M.C. Escher, physics, and architecture. While the game started as a solo project, it was a team that took it through the finish line. The core team came together beginning in 2017, and the final product is a collaborative effort with all of our contributions.

Manifold Garden was released in October 2019 to critical acclaim. It was nominated for a BAFTA and Game Developers Choice Award and has since been exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Design Museum in London. The game is available on Apple Arcade, Steam, Epic Games Store, Itchio, PS4/PS5, Xbox One /Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. In addition, we partnered with iam8bit to release a physical edition for PS5 and Switch, as well as a beautiful edition of the soundtrack on vinyl that won the Best Vinyl Gatefold Award.

What are we working on? 

Since Manifold Garden was released, we’ve been working on several new projects. We are excited about the creative potential of new technologies. Our focus is to create innovative games that push the boundaries of gameplay and reimagine space, physics, and architecture. One of the projects we are working on is an original VR title that explores impossible geometry. 

What are we looking for in a Graphics Programmer? 

Our ideal candidate is a programmer that is familiar with core rendering techniques and wants to become an expert on Unity render pipelines. When you look at Manifold Garden, you’re mainly interested in the portals and infinite world rendering, and have your own ideas on how you'd implement those features. You can dig into the depths of Unity rendering and emerge with a pipeline that strikes a balance between high fidelity and performance, targeted towards mid and high-end VR hardware.

Responsibilities

• Keep on top of the latest Unity render systems, specifically on URP and HDRP Render pipelines.
• Diagnose rendering performance bottlenecks and implement optimizations where possible.
• Work closely with the Creative Director to achieve desired visual results on various target platforms.
• Regularly interface with the Technical Director on matters critical to the team’s success.
• Review art assets, from textures to models, to recommend optimizations where necessary.
• Diagnose and report Unity render pipeline bugs to Unity.
• Learn new skills, tools, and workflows on the fly to adapt to current needs.
• Advance the holistic vision of the game by regularly participating in team playtests and contributing your ideas and feedback to group discussions.
• Regularly update and troubleshoot with the project’s producer regarding the estimated timeline of deliverables and any potential roadblocks. 

Qualifications

• GPU profiling experience with an understanding of knowing when, what, and how to optimize.
• Strong C# programming skills.
• Good with either Shader Graph or writing Unity shaders.
• Understanding of stencil buffers in Unity.
• Good working knowledge of current GPU architecture and modern rendering APIs.
• Good mathematics ability and familiarity with common 3D graphics principles and rendering algorithms.
• Ability to analyze unfamiliar code of a reasonable complexity to understand, extend and refactor an existing system.
• Possess good self-starter instincts and an ability to work with little oversight.
• Strong desire to become an expert in Unity render technologies.
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize tasks, estimate time for deliverables, and communicate regularly regarding these matters.
• Willingness to provide schedule availability well in advance for project planning purposes.

Skills and Experience that would be beneficial but not required:

• Unity URP and/or HDRP usage a plus.
• Unity Scriptable Render Pipeline usage major plus.
• Renderdoc familiarity.
• Console GPU tool familiarity.
• Good knowledge of Virtual Reality rendering techniques

Location

• Anywhere
• The Studio’s synchronous office hours are 10 am - 2 pm CST. Regular availability to meet remotely during this time will be required. 

How we work

We are primarily a remote work environment, with team members and collaborators working in multiple cities and various time zones. We use a synchronous/ asynchronous model to ensure we can have real-time meetings as a group, as well as time for each of us to do deep work according to our own schedule. Our synchronous hours are Monday to Friday, 10 am - 2 pm US Central Time. When we have meetings with contractors, we aim to keep them in these times. 

To Apply

Please send an email with "WCS -  Graphics Programmer'' in the subject line. Please also include 

• A brief outline of why you think you'd fit the position
• Contact information for two professional references
• Attach any relevant supporting documents –resume, CV, or portfolio
• Your location and time zone
• Your hourly rate and other contract requirements

William Chyr Studio is an equal-opportunity employer committed to facilitating an inclusive environment for all team members. We encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

Application and Interview Process

The job posting period is from January 9, 2023, to February 17, 2023. After this period,  we will look over all applications and reach out to select candidates for interviews. If you are selected for an interview, we will coordinate with you to set up a video call in order for us to get to know each other.