Michael Noland

Michael Noland Email and Phone Number

Raleigh, NC, US
Michael Noland's Location
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, United States
Michael Noland's Contact Details
About Michael Noland

Engine/Gameplay generalist with broad knowledge of all aspects of game development driven to empower other developers with easy-to-use frameworks, tools, and APIs

Michael Noland's Current Company Details
Noodle Cat Games

Noodle Cat Games

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CTO
Raleigh, NC, US
Employees:
38
Michael Noland Work Experience Details
  • Noodle Cat Games
    Cto
    Noodle Cat Games
    Raleigh, Nc, Us
  • Noodle Cat Games
    Chief Technology Officer
    Noodle Cat Games May 2022 - Present
    Fully Remote, Us
  • Epic Games
    Principal Engine Programmer
    Epic Games Jun 2021 - Apr 2022
    Cary, Nc, Us
    Lead the development of the Lyra Starter Game project released alongside UE5.
  • Epic Games
    Lead Programmer
    Epic Games Jan 2017 - Jun 2021
    Cary, Nc, Us
    My team is responsible for the game framework in Unreal Engine (actors/components, character movement, abilities, data-driven design tools, the Blueprint visual scripting system, etc...). We work closely with both our internal game teams and external engine customers to design new systems and optimize/iterate on existing features.In addition, I've spent much of my IC time working on Fortnite:Full-stack development of self-expression, retention, and engagement mechanisms (from data authoring and tooling, client UI work, client/server C++, to Java backend code)• Co-created the Battle Pass system• Designed and implemented most of the cosmetic item types (emotes, emoticons, back blings, sprays, toys, pets, loading screens, lobby music tracks, item wraps, as well as various unshipped prototypes; support for reactive cosmetics, allow/deny lists, etc...)• Integrated the calendar-driven event system from Battle Breakers; tied into the playlist system, lobby backgrounds, bonus XP weekends, Battle Bus and Supply Drop replacements, and exposed async nodes for designers• UI/backend development for seasonal refreshes of the locker, battle pass, etc...• Workflow improvements and data validation for quests and the offer catalogue• Designed the variant system used for cosmetics that allow customization• Perf/mem optimization & analytics in the lead up to launch• Created a disguised side channel and a banhammer as nascent anti-cheat mechanisms• Created contextual squad communications prototype• Firefighting as needed• Developer QOL improvements such as the cosmetics and gameplay cheat settings panels, tips and tricks documents, arbitrary text hotfixing, refactoring systems to support the rapid growth of the project• Created dialogue system prototype that was evolved into NPC conversations in Chapter 2 Season 5• Created a prototype of fragment-based components and simulation that later evolved into the MassEntity system
  • Epic Games
    Technical Lead
    Epic Games Jul 2014 - Jan 2017
    Cary, Nc, Us
    Moved back and forth between engine and game teams as neededParagon (PC, PS4)Lead the performance initiative to get to a steady 60 Hz on console (starting at ~12 Hz), and keep it there with an extremely aggressive post-launch content release cadence• Perf/optimization analysis and tasking, fixing low hanging fruit, educating team members on performance, coordinating with the engine team for larger changes, etc...• Designed significance manager for gameplay LOD; implemented strict hero/minion budgets• PS4 cert bug fixing• Created map preload sets to hide load times during the matchmaking/drafting period• Created automated perf tests• Added match performance analytics and used them to spot regressions and tune scalability buckets, create recommended hardware lists for the FAQ, and estimate potential market reach by comparison with external hardware surveys such as Steam• Continued optimization to run on lower-spec computers, pushing min spec down considerably post-launch• Designed and implemented some UI features (settings UI, death log)• Added various kinds of data validation to catch issues as soon as developers save assets• Created asset referencing restrictions (to accommodate the rapid hero release pipeline and prevent classes of failures if hero releases were re-ordered) and worked with tech art to deploy them to the team• Created a rep economy simulator and recommended changes to the design teamBattle Breakers (PC, iOS, Android)• Perf/mem support (profiling and optimization, iOS and Android fixes, PC scalability, performance analytics, driving to zero warnings/errors, pre-ship firefighting, etc...)• Feature development (pet system, point gifting system, contextual tutorials, stat tooltips)Unreal Engine• Improved UE4 user experience for mobile developers• Created 2D game framework within UE4, primarily as an exercise in editor extensibility• Anim feature development such as bone driven controllers• Blueprint usability improvements
  • Epic Games
    Sr. Engine Programmer
    Epic Games Feb 2010 - Jul 2014
    Cary, Nc, Us
    Worked on many aspects of UE3 and UE4:- Developed a performance testing process and tooling to ship Gears of War 3 in budget on Xbox 360 and made various engine optimizations for performance or memory (animation vectorization, new animation compression codecs, reworked brush storage, improved attribution/reporting, profile-guided adjustments to binned allocator sizes, etc...)- Worked on iOS support for UE3, reverse-engineered and re-implemented the codesign process and IPA generation/deployment to provide a Windows-only development path for content iteration; implemented various UI features to ease the pain of certificate and provision management- Optimized Infinity Blade 1 and implemented cheat/jailbreak detection analytics- Moved to UE4 fairly early and worked on several major refactors such as removing UnrealScript and reworking the script compiler into the UnrealHeaderTool, solving the chicken-and-egg header parsing issues of UE3, adding camera components, building out new asset editor framework in Slate, etc...- Co-creator of the Blueprint visual scripting system and wrote the original Blueprint compiler and debugger- Designed and created the Animation Blueprint system- Champion for engine and editor extensibility, refactoring systems so even complex plugins like Paper2D are possible without engine modifications- Created build infrastructure and per-user binary watermarking system for UE4 'rocket' private beta tests- Sole programmer on an unannounced mobile title (cancelled)- New user UX push prior to releasing Unreal Engine 4.0, making minor improvements across all systems in the editor such as systematic support for 'rich tooltips' for any property, class, or type- Engine support and download size optimization for Tappy Chicken sample
  • Emergent Game Technologies
    Senior Software Engineer
    Emergent Game Technologies Apr 2009 - Feb 2010
    Calabasas, Ca, Us
  • Emergent Game Technologies
    Software Engineer
    Emergent Game Technologies Jun 2006 - Apr 2009
    Calabasas, Ca, Us
  • University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
    Research Assistant
    University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill Aug 2004 - Jun 2006
    Chapel Hill, Nc, Us
  • Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs
    Research Assistant
    Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs May 2005 - Aug 2005
    Cambridge, Ma, Us

Michael Noland Skills

Unreal Engine 4 Game Development Optimization C++ C# Assembly Language Ps4 Ps3 Xbox 360 Nes Gba Mobile Game Development Perforce Programming Game Design Analytics Unreal Engine 3 User Interface Design User Experience Embedded Systems Emulation Reverse Engineering Computer Graphics Electronics Robotics

Michael Noland Education Details

  • University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
    University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
    Computer Science
  • University Of Missouri-Columbia
    University Of Missouri-Columbia
    Computer Engineering
  • Coleraine Academical Institution
    Coleraine Academical Institution

Frequently Asked Questions about Michael Noland

What company does Michael Noland work for?

Michael Noland works for Noodle Cat Games

What is Michael Noland's role at the current company?

Michael Noland's current role is CTO.

What is Michael Noland's email address?

Michael Noland's email address is mi****@****uia.net

What is Michael Noland's direct phone number?

Michael Noland's direct phone number is +191985*****

What schools did Michael Noland attend?

Michael Noland attended University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, University Of Missouri-Columbia, Coleraine Academical Institution.

What skills is Michael Noland known for?

Michael Noland has skills like Unreal Engine 4, Game Development, Optimization, C++, C#, Assembly Language, Ps4, Ps3, Xbox 360, Nes, Gba, Mobile Game Development.

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