In 2021 I began volunteering as a Game Master (aka "Storyteller") for Starmourn, a text-based, multiplayer RPG (known as a MUD or Multi User Dungeon for you retro gamers out there) under the pseudonym 'Neritus'. Within a few months I was hired as a coder, and eventually became one of the game's co-producers in May 2021 before becoming its sole producer towards the end of 2022.

Background

The company behind Starmourn, Iron Realms Entertainment, began making games back in 1996 with their flagship title, Achaea.

Techstack

Iron Realms utilizes a rather unique techstack originating from the days where text-based adventure games were delivered over Telnet. Nowadays, however, the modern React client now utilizes WebSockets. It's still possible to connect to the game via Telnet, though!

On the backend, the game's server is handled in Iron Realms' proprietary language called Rapture (essentially a wrapper of C++) with both an in-memory and an SQL database.

My role

My work as the game's lead developer and producer was to keep the servers running 24/7, address customer service issues, develop new game systems, and create monthly promotional content for the purposes of microtransactions.

What I learned

In my time with Iron Realms, I learned a great deal about what it means to take responsibility for a live production environment and how to manage a code repository, working with a revolving team of volunteer coders.

What I'm proud of

I always enjoyed the flood of feedback from players, both positive and negative, when directing the course of the game. Their passion for the game was a strong motivator for me. I'm particularly proud of all the fresh game systems I introduced which are enjoyed by its players to this day.

While developing Starmourn, I released regular, detailed blog posts about changes coming to the game. Here's one for a system I was particularly proud of!

Background

After an undergraduate where I majored in History and English with a minor in Latin, I had a love for medieval manuscripts with a particular interest in TEI. In 2014, I moved to Iceland to pursue a Master's degree in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies.

I learned Icelandic and its predecessor, Old Norse, and began learning more and more about Statistics and Machine Learning.

In 2016 I began a PhD at the University of Iceland in Lingustics.

During this time, I continued to pursue statistical and ML-based solutions to classical problems.

I returned home to Canada due to the pandemic and, taking a leave of absence from my PhD, began seeking a career shift towards software engineering.

My work

I wrote my Master's Thesis applying regression models to dating criteria for medieval Icelandic manuscripts

I produced two peer-reviewed academic articles, both in the field of Stylometry (the first in Icelandic!): Samdi Bjarni biskup Málsháttakvæði? and A Stylometric Analysis of Ljósvetninga saga.

What I learned

In addition to developing a rather niche skillset in medieval manuscript studies, I came out with a well-rounded knowledge of Statistics and ML tempered by the rigorous peer review process.

I learned invaluable technical writing skills and presentation skills, having presented at countless conferences across Europe.

What I'm proud of

I'm very proud of my academic work, particularly all the effort it took to write a peer reviewed article in a foreign language on such a deeply technical subject as Stylometry.

I am no longer seeking an academic career, but it is still my intention to go back and finish my PhD later in life. It's a matter for the bucket list now.