Nigel Huens
Game developer
Focused on gameplay- and engine programming.
I love games, from playing to building them. Whether I am making a custom engine, creating gameplay systems, or messing around with NPC behaviors, I love the creativity and problem-solving that comes with it.
Projects
What The Hack!?
- C++
- Unreal 5
- Team
About
You play as Boolian, a facility worker whose consciousness is unexpectedly zapped into a computer. Before you can even process what’s happened, a security drone begins scanning the system—and tries to erase you. With no time to waste, you tap into your newfound hacking abilities, taking control of various machines to escape like a drone, a robot vacuum, or even a towering logistics crane as you maneuver through the facility. Embark on a thrilling adventure, outsmart the facility's defenses, and uncover creative ways to break free. But be careful—some of the robots you encounter might not be as friendly as they seem!
What I did
This project was made in Unreal Engine 5, with all core functionality implemented in C++. Blueprint usage was kept to a minimum.
The game features three levels, each introducing new mechanics and challenges. As one of the three programmers, I mainly focused on NPC behavior, working on everything from cameras and Roombas to humanoid robots. I also contributed to level design and puzzle development throughout the game.
In the final level, I worked on the boss encounter: a massive cannon that continuously applies pressure to the player as they attempt to escape.
Additionally, I implemented localization support and as part of my ongoing research into procedural animation, developed a procedural walk cycle for the robots. Beyond these core features, I also handled smaller gameplay interactions, such as doors that close automatically when the player enters a puzzle room.
Overview:
- - NPC behavior
- - Camera behavior
- - Level design and puzzle mechanics
- - Final boss [BIG CANNON]
- - Localization [English and Dutch]
- - Procedural animations for the robots
Team
Engine Not Found
- C++
- Own 2D Engine
- Solo
About
The engine is primarily built around a component-based design and a scene graph, but it also uses a few other design techniques inspired by Bob Nystrom's book "Game Programming Patterns". The engine uses the command pattern for handling input, the Pimpl idiom for a clean API, the observer pattern for managing events, the state pattern for changing game behavior, and a service locator for centralized service management.
In developing this engine, I applied all my C++ experience to follow the C++ Core Guidelines and coding standards. The engine, named Engine Not Found, is built with CMake and can be integrated as a git submodule, as demonstrated in my recreation of Tron Battle Tanks.
Noteworthy features include: audio processed on a separate thread using SoLoud, and Dear ImGui for debugging support when needed.
Conclusion
This project was the biggest challenge I faced so far in my C++ programming journey, involving six months of independent work with minimal guidance. It has significantly contributed to my growth as a programmer, since I had to apply all the skills I learned throughout my studies.
Footie Frenzy
- C++
- Unreal
- Team
About
Footie Frenzy delivers bright visuals and fast-paced, couch-friendly fun. Its simple controls make it easy to pick up, while mastering ball control and special abilities adds depth and strategy.
Play solo or with friends—every match is packed with excitement and laughter.
What I did
I was one of the two programmers for this project, where I handled key features such as the penguin, local multiplayer, camera system, scoring system, and dynamic mesh changes. All were developed in C++ using Unreal Engine 5.
Overview:
- - Penguin behavior
- - Local multiplayer
- - Dynamic mesh changing
- - Camera system
- - Scoring system
Team
- - [Programmer] Nigel Huens
- - [Programmer] Seppe De Baere
- - [Artist] Remi Pallemaerts
- - [Artist] Alicja Pawelece
Kirby
- C++
- JSON
- School 2D Framework
- Solo
About
This project is a recreation of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, assigned during my second semester at school.
It was my first real attempt at making a game, and it taught me the foundations of game development, especially what it means to handle a full solo project and the challenges that come with it.
I learned a lot through struggles like file management, dealing with delta time issues, and collision detection (slopes gave me a week-long headache!).
Some of the more interesting features I implemented include a finite state machine to handle the player's animations and sounds (flow chart show above), as well as JSON integration for handling data such as map information and animation states.
CATastrophe
About
CATastrophe was developed in just three days by a team of six during a game jam. The theme was destruction, which inspired us to create a chaotic, cat-filled twist on Angry Birds. This time, it’s cats on a mission to reclaim their fish!
You take control of a catapult attached to a toy train, with which you shoot a variety of cats to different levels of block towers and fortresses.
What I did
I was responsible for figuring out how to make the blocks fracture on contact. Since we only had three days to complete the project, I decided to use the OpenFracture package to achieve this. After that, I took on the task of level design. Along with these main tasks, I helped manage the project by setting deadlines to keep the team on track and assisted them with Git, coding issues, and general art style questions.
Overview:
- - Level design
- - Managing project
- - Git support
- - Code support
- - General art support
Team
Droids
About
This was a fun little jam game I created with two good friends over the course of three days. It’s a modern twist on Asteroids, where you dodge flying debris, battle enemy ships, and collect power-ups to survive.
What I did
I was responsible for creating the enemy AI, which included two types of ships: a kamikaze ship that explodes on contact and a sniper ship that attacks from a distance. I also implemented the visual effects and sound design.
Overview:
- - Enemy AI
- - VFX
- - Sound design
Team
Vulkanish
- C++
- JSON
- Own 3D Engine
- Solo
About
This project was a completely new challenge for me, and that’s exactly what made it so valuable.
Looking back at my previous work, I had already built rasterizers, both CPU and GPU-based using DirectX11—as well as a ray tracer. But this project earned its place here because it went far beyond simply rendering a triangle on the screen. Ironically though, it did start with over 900 lines of code just to do exactly that.t.
What made this project special is that it was my first real attempt at building a renderer completely from scratch, without relying on any school-provided or publicly available engines. It taught me a lot about how a rendering pipeline works and, more importantly, how to structure one in a way that makes sense while giving me full creative freedom.
That said, I did not do it completely alone, I followed the Vulkan tutorial as a foundation to get started.
Key features include model loading via JSON, material support, physically based rendering (PBR), and an additional pipeline for 2D rendering.
Procedural World
- C#
- Unity
- Solo
About
This was a fun little project where I had the chance to research a topic of my choice. I ended up diving into procedural world generation.
Yes, it’s been done a lot, but come on, I grew up with Minecraft, how could I not be interested? If you want a more detailed explanation of what I did and what I learned, feel free to check out this report.
AI Survival Behavior
- C++
- School 2D Framework
- Solo
About
This project was part of a gameplay programming assignment and marked my first time working with behavior trees, which led to some fun and creative workarounds.
The goal was to ensure that a player, not controlled by button inputs, could survive in a world full of zombies. While it’s not much to look at visually, it’s still a project I enjoy looking back on because of how much I learned from the experience.
About me
Hello, I am Nigel Huens, a game development student focused on gameplay- and engine programming. I am currently in my final year of the Digital Arts & Entertainment at Howest University of Applied Sciences, where I am building the skills to create games.
Before joining this program, I studied print media for two years and multimedia for another two. These experiences strengthened my creative abilities, introduced me to HTML and CSS, and taught me how to manage and meet project deadlines.
During my Bachelor’s in Game Development, I completed courses in C++ programming, gameplay programming, graphics programming, tool development. I have worked on both individual and group projects , which provided me with a solid foundation in programming and game design. My final semesters have been focused on improving my skills in team-based environments.
as I prepare for the next step in my career, I am excited to gain hands-on experience through my first internship and future projects. If you would like to discuss opportunities or learn more about my work, please feel free to reach out through my contact section.
Skills
Programming Languages
Game Engines
APIs
Tools
Source Control
IDE
Spoken Languages
You can contact me using any of the links below!
Copyright © 2025
Nigel Huens Portfolio Website.
All rights reserved.