Important Details

• Level: Senior
• Type: Contract / Freelance (with potential long-term collaboration)
• Location: North America, South America, or Europe 
• Engine: Unreal Engine 5.7
• Project: Co-op Horror Puzzle Adventure (PC)
• Mode: Fully Remote

This is a short-term project, and we fully support candidates who wish to combine it with an existing job. We value reliability, communication, and high-quality craftsmanship.

Overview

We are developing a psychologically driven horror game with systemic, emergent enemy behavior. Important note that this is multiplayer game

Enemies are not scripted encounters. They are layered AI entities built from independent behavior modules, explicit sensor systems, and environmental rules such as light, observation, footsteps, and player states.

We are looking for a Senior AI Engineer with deep specialization in enemy behavior architecture, not a general gameplay programmer.

Role & Responsibilities

You will design and implement a scalable enemy AI architecture that supports:

• 3 Enemy types
• 2 variants or modifier of each enemy type
• 4 Global level modifiers
• Explicit sensor channels: Vision, Sound, Steps
• A fully separate, query-based Light System

Key Responsibilities

• Design modular AI architecture with independent layers
• Translate psychological and abstract behavior concepts into gameplay logic
• Implement complex state-driven and rule-driven enemy behaviors
• Ensure deterministic behavior during cutscenes and scripted moments
• Build anti-exploit systems using delays, hysteresis, and cooldowns
• Collaborate closely with game design on behavior tuning and edge cases

Behavior Systems You Will Work On

• Observation-based behaviors (freeze, slow down, sudden charge)
• Light-driven logic (attraction, avoidance, anchoring to light zones)
• Footstep-only detection separate from noise or voice
• Possession mechanics where players become threats to teammates
• Non-standard traversal (wall-walking, ceiling movement, alternative navigation)

Core Technical Requirements (Must-Have)

You must have strong experience with:

• Enemy AI architecture supporting complex behavior combinations
• Finite State Machines and/or Behavior Trees with custom extensions
• AI perception systems with explicit sensor separation
• LOS and FOV systems with dynamic modifiers
• Debuggable and inspectable AI systems with clear states and transitions

Important Notes

• This role focuses on AI systems, not scripting individual encounters
• We do not use monolithic behavior trees or hard-coded per-level logic
• Light, perception, and behavior layers must remain independent

Additional BIG plus

• Can suggest system and optimize speed of production

Timezone note:

We are currently only considering candidates based in North America, South America, or Europe due to timezone overlap.