Archive for October, 2013

Collision System Architect & Physics Programmer

This position has been filled. Thank you to everyone who applied.

If this still sounds like an ideal job for you, please reach out. We are always looking for more help from the right candidates.

We’re looking for a enthusiastic physics programmer interested in developing a system for handling planetary collisions (and collisions at other scales of objects) for the upcoming sequel to Universe Sandbox. This is a contract position, but has the potential to become more permanent.

You’ll be working with the creator of Universe Sandbox, our astronomer, the core game architect, the developer of our gravity integrator and smooth particle hydrodynamics tech, and aiding our graphics programmer. We are creating a robust, real time model for collisions of objects at all scales – asteroids, planets, moons, and stars (and smaller human sized objects) that works at wide range of time steps (including super slow motion). The collision system will need to work with variable numbers of spawned bodies and particles with smooth transitions between all states.

We want to create a system that will handle the Moon colliding with the Earth, the Earth colliding with Jupiter, Jupiter colliding with another gas giant, and something that works when a user decides to spawn a black hole inside of a moon.

You will oversee the integration of existing collision physics analytical and numerical solutions into one system that smoothly transitions between the handling of various cases, making sure that edge cases are accounted for.

Our continuing goal is to make the easiest and most captivating way to learn about the universe through real-time interaction, creation, and destruction… while keeping the simulation representative and true to our best understanding of reality.

Join a talented team and let’s make something amazing that’s never been created before.

In short: collisions must be amazing.

Requirements

  • Physics programming experience
  • Love watching slow motion videos of collisions and explosions
  • Interest in helping change the way the world perceives our universe and fragile planet

Ideally

  • Strong C# and Unity experience
  • Experience with rigid body physics systems like: PhysX, Jitter, or Bullet
  • Ability to meet in person at least once a week in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, WA

Company Overview

Giant Army is the company behind Universe Sandbox, a space simulator that’s sold hundreds of thousands of copies on Steam. We’re based in Seattle, Washington, USA, but the team has members in Montana, Germany, and Denmark.

Product Overview

Universe Sandbox is our core product that lets the user explore and learn about our amazing universe while creating and destroying on a scale they’ve never before imagined. It’s more than a game; it’s a way of experiencing and learning about reality in a way that’s never been done before. The new version will be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Interested?

This position has been filled. Thank you to everyone who applied.

If this still sounds like an ideal job for you, please reach out. We are always looking for more help from the right candidates.

If you’re interested please email us at:
jobs at universesandbox.com

In the email please include a:

  • Relevant email subject
  • Answer to these two questions:
    – What is the most appealing part of this opportunity?
    – What aspect of physics simulations do you find most interesting?
  • Link to where you originally heard about this job posting
  • Link to or copy of your resume

Current State of Collisions and Development

We’ve been developing the sequel to Universe Sandbox in C# and Unity for 2 years. We have a great Open CL based gravity integrator and an analytical system in place for simple collisions that works fairly well. We have ideas for how to move forward with this, but there’s too much else for everyone to do for this critical feature to get the attention it needs. We’re open to new ideas and rebuilding the existing system to get the best end result.

Hiring a Personal Assistant

This position has been filled. Thank you to everyone who applied.

If this still sounds like an ideal job for you, please reach out. We are always looking for more help from the right candidates.

We’re a successful software company that created the astronomy game / educational simulation Universe Sandbox. We’re looking to hire a business/personal assistant to help with the many things involved in running a business outside of the development of the software itself. This position has the potential to grow in hours and responsibility over the next few months and years.

We’re looking for someone with the following qualifications to work both remotely and onsite in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, WA several hours a week to start. We want someone who enjoys this kind of work, not someone looking to get into the actual development of video games.

Requirements

  • Strong written communication skills (and verbal too)
  • Highly organized
  • Self-driven fast learner
  • Trustworthy & reliable
  • Technology & software savvy
  • Reasonable understanding of social networks and marketing
  • Ability to meet in person at least once a week in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, WA (and perhaps more frequently at first for training).
  • Interest in astronomy and/or video games and/or education
  • Knowledge of the internets and tubes
  • Interest in helping change the way the world perceives our universe and fragile planet

Responsibilities

  • Responding to email, forum posts, and basic support
  • Handling media inquiries
  • Summarizing user feedback
  • Helping maintain the FAQ
  • Proofreading and document creation/editing (press releases, blog posts, web site content)
  • Posting to social media
  • Scheduling meetings, organizing travel
  • Updating tasks, organizing documents
  • Managing email
  • Helping with random events as they occur

This is a both an onsite & remote, part time, hourly contract position.

Company Overview

Giant Army is the company behind Universe Sandbox, a space simulator that’s sold hundreds of thousands of copies on Steam. We’re based in Seattle, Washington, USA, but the team has members in Germany and Denmark.

Product Overview

Universe Sandbox is our core product that lets the user explore and learn about our amazing universe while creating and destroying on a scale they’ve never before imagined. It’s more than a game, it’s a way of experiencing and learning about reality in a way that’s never been done before. The new version will be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Interested?

This position has been filled. Thank you to everyone who applied.

If this still sounds like an ideal job for you, please reach out. We are always looking for more help from the right candidates.

If you’re interested please email us at:
jobs at universesandbox.com

In the email please include a:

  • Relevant email subject
  • Short answer to these two questions:
    – Why are you interested in working for Giant Army?
    – What is the most appealing part of this opportunity?
  • Link to where you heard about this job posting
  • Copy or link to your resume

Procedural Planets

Just a quick screenshot that shows off what Georg has been focusing on for the last couple weeks and a new feature he just got implemented earlier today: Lava!

Universe-Sandbox-Procedural

One of the many goals for the sequel to Universe Sandbox is that almost everything can be procedurally generated… galaxies, solar systems, and planets. This screenshot represents the current state of the procedural planet feature (and includes a few Earths for scale).

And a nod to the hard work of the rest of the team: Chris, Eric, Thomas, and Naomi. They’re all doing really great work.

Learn more about the sequel:
https://universesandbox.com/blog/2013/02/new-universe-sandbox/