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Rivac AI Labs
Game Development

Unreal Systems Engineer

Complex gameplay in Unreal (ability systems, status effects, cooldowns, resource costs that all interact correctly) is what the Gameplay Ability System exists for, but GAS has a genuinely steep learning curve and a bad implementation causes bugs that are painful to trace months later. We build gameplay systems on GAS with a clean C++/Blueprint split so programmers own the performance-critical logic and designers can still tune abilities without recompiling, and we account for Nanite's memory footprint so your systems don't quietly blow your memory budget on top-end scenes. Studios bring us in when ability interactions are buggy or hard to extend, when Blueprint-only implementations have become unmaintainable, or when a GAS integration was attempted and stalled. We hand back a system designers can actually configure and programmers can actually maintain.

This is a capability we deliver for you as a service, not a role we’re hiring for.

How We’d Approach This

A clear, staged plan, not a black box

These are the service-specific steps inside our six-step process.

  1. 1

    Review the current ability/systems implementation (or design doc) for the interactions most likely to cause bugs at scale.

  2. 2

    Build one ability or system end-to-end on GAS with the C++/Blueprint split defined, and test it against real edge cases.

  3. 3

    Review the split and the designer-facing tuning experience with both programmers and designers before extending it.

  4. 4

    Implement the remaining systems on the validated pattern, with memory profiling against Nanite-heavy scenes.

What You Get

Deliverables from this engagement

  • A working GAS-based ability/systems architecture
  • A defined C++/Blueprint ownership split with documentation
  • Memory profiling results for Nanite-heavy scenes
  • Designer-facing tuning tools for ability parameters

Six Ways We Could Architect This

Different engagement, different build, pick the shape that fits

There’s more than one way to deliver on this service. Browse a few of the ways we’d structure the work, depending on your speed, budget, and integration needs.

Read all 6 architectures as text

Lean Fast-Start Architecture

System Review

  • Current Ability Implementation Audit
  • Edge Case Risk List
  • Success Criteria Definition

GAS Prototype

  • Single Ability Built on GAS
  • CPP and Blueprint Split Defined
  • Early Iteration Pass
  • Stakeholder Check-in

Validation

  • Edge Case Testing
  • Programmer and Designer Review
  • Feedback Incorporation Pass

Output

  • Working Ability Architecture
  • Ownership Split Documentation
  • Handoff and Next Steps

Cloud-Native / Managed Services Architecture

Managed Build Platform

  • Cloud Build Service
  • Source Control System
  • Managed Profiling Service
  • Managed Backup and Recovery

Ability System Layer

  • Gameplay Ability System Core
  • Attribute Set Service
  • Gameplay Effect Pipeline

Collaboration

  • Engineering Review Board
  • Designer Tuning Workspace
  • Shared Knowledge Base

Delivery

  • Memory Profiling Dashboard
  • Ability Library Repository
  • Build Integration Pipeline
  • Uptime and Reliability Monitoring

Event-Driven & Automation-First Architecture

Triggers

  • Ability Activated Event
  • Gameplay Effect Applied Event
  • Memory Budget Exceeded Alert

Automation Layer

  • Ability Event Queue
  • Auto Cooldown Resolution Job
  • Memory Budget Watchdog

Routing

  • Engineering Task Queue
  • Designer Alert Channel
  • Routing Rule Configuration

Feedback Loop

  • Auto Flagged Interaction Bug
  • Ability Tuning Update
  • Re-validation Trigger
  • Continuous Improvement Log

Enterprise-Grade & Compliance-Ready Architecture

Systems Governance

  • Architecture Review Board
  • Platform Cert Requirements
  • Policy Definition Owner

Controlled Process

  • Cross Platform Regression Suite
  • Memory Budget Compliance Audit
  • Ability Interaction Test Matrix

Audit Layer

  • Ability System Decision Log
  • Ownership Split Change History
  • Access Controlled Codebase

Release Governance

  • Lead Engineer Sign-off
  • Platform Cert Approval
  • Immutable Systems Record
  • Post Release Verification

AI-Augmented, Human-in-the-Loop Architecture

Data Ingestion

  • Gameplay and Profiler Data Ingest
  • Ability Interaction Logs
  • Historical Data Backfill

AI Processing Layer

  • AI Interaction Bug Detector
  • Auto Tuning Suggestion Engine
  • Memory Optimization Model
  • Confidence Score Calibration

Human Review Gate

  • Systems Engineer Review
  • Lead Engineer Approval

Shipped Changes

  • Approved Ability Fix
  • Updated Tuning Values
  • Live Build Deployment
  • Post Approval Audit Log

Integration-Heavy / Ecosystem-Connected Architecture

Studio Ecosystem

  • Unreal Editor
  • Source Control System
  • CI and Build Pipeline
  • Client Support Ticketing System

Integration Layer

  • Gameplay Ability Bridge
  • Two Way Sync Service
  • Webhook Connector
  • Error Handling and Retry Logic

Systems Platform

  • GAS Architecture Hub
  • Central Data Model

Output Channels

  • Design Team Notification
  • QA Regression Trigger
  • Build Pipeline Trigger

More in Game Development

Ready to get started?

Tell us what you’re trying to get done and we’ll help you find the highest-leverage place to start, scoped small enough to prove itself before you commit to anything bigger.

Talk to us about Unreal Systems Engineer

Most engagements like this start as a $500–$2,500 pilot, see full pricing.

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