Abel Dantas, Developer in Viana do Castelo, Portugal
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Abel Dantas

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Software Engineer and Game Developer

Location
Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Toptal Member Since
July 27, 2022

A self-driven game developer and software engineer, Abel is moved by a deep passion for producing software and leading teams. He is intrigued by how software and project management practices will continue to change to leverage the benefits of distributed and remote teams.

SoftwareBitcoinC#Agile Software DevelopmentContinuous DeploymentUnity3DDevOpsJenkinsAmazon Web Services (AWS)BlockchainMixpanelGame DesignAnalyticsUnity3D Native Plugin InterfaceCryptographyAppsFlyerPerforce

Portfolio

FYX Gaming
Unity, C#, DevOps, Bitcoin, Cryptography, JavaScript, Node.js, Segment...
Cooperativa
Leadership
Soluna Labs
C#, iOS, Unity, Ads, Game Analytics, A/B Testing, Mobile, Software Design...

Experience

C# - 10 yearsContinuous Deployment - 10 yearsGlobal Project Management - 10 yearsUnity - 10 yearsGame Design - 7 yearsDevOps - 7 yearsLeadership - 5 yearsTechnical Leadership - 5 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

MacOS, Windows, JetBrains Rider, Unity, C#, Python 3, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, DevOps

The most amazing...

...project I've helped lead is a crypto game called CryptoFights, which generated more transactions in a day than the whole Ethereum blockchain.

Work Experience

Lead Game Programmer | Team Lead

2018 - PRESENT
FYX Gaming
  • Co-founded the company with the CEO and helped grow it to over 20 employees.
  • Coordinated engineers, artists, and direct products. Worked with seasoned professionals on an ambitious project that aims to revolutionize the gaming industry.
  • Learned about Blockchain, wrote low-level client-side wallet software, GDDs, and the white paper, and published NFTs.
  • Worked with industry experts such as BioWare's art director Rohan Knuckey.
Technologies: Unity, C#, DevOps, Bitcoin, Cryptography, JavaScript, Node.js, Segment, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Python 3, Blockchain, Game Design, CTO, Mobile, Leadership, Architecture, Full-stack, Software Design, SaaS, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Unity3D, Mobile Game Development

Founder and President

2012 - PRESENT
Cooperativa
  • Started Portugal's first tech cooperative, transforming a vision into an organization.
  • Established an effective incubator by cultivating a "mentors mentoring mentors" culture. This initiative has converted members and internships into businesses.
  • Led an innovative initiative using an AI app to teach programming to hundreds of kids.
  • Forged strategic partnerships with local public actors and universities and established the Cooperative as a local institution.
  • Secured a collaborative workspace for over 20 people.
  • Helped develop WorkshopCLI, a nonprofit project using AI for immersive programming education. It features interactive learning, AI-assisted challenges, and a dashboard for teachers.
Technologies: Leadership

Lead Unity 3D C# Programmer

2016 - 2017
Soluna Labs
  • Developed and published Hit n' Run, a mobile game that reached hundreds of thousands of users and was featured on the App Store.
  • Collaborated with a product owner from a leading company in the advertising space to leverage multiple ad networks and analytics and maximize returns.
  • Contributed to the game design. Established the main game loop and implemented procedurally generated objectives.
  • Analyzed features and funnels after launching them and conducted A/B testing.
Technologies: C#, iOS, Unity, Ads, Game Analytics, A/B Testing, Mobile, Software Design, Unity3D Native Plugin Interface, Unity3D, Mobile Game Development

Unity C# Programmer

2015 - 2016
Playful People
  • Worked with a former Google product owner on an Android music game.
  • Learned from seasoned programmers in a code quality-centric environment.
  • Delved into shader programming and music generation.
Technologies: C#, Unity, Unity Shaders, Mobile, Software Design, Unity3D, Mobile Game Development

Project Manager | Lead Unity 3D C# Developer

2014 - 2015
uTappz Mobile Development
  • Developed and published mobile games and led a multidisciplinary team.
  • Released more than a hundred games in a little over a year.
  • Built a build pipeline on Perforce to deploy it to iOS and Android.
  • Extended the codebase and trained non-technical team members to operate the pipeline and reskin games.
Technologies: C#, DevOps, Perforce, Unity, Mobile, Software Design, Unity3D, Mobile Game Development

Unity C# Developer

2012 - 2013
Freelance
  • Started my own business as an independent contractor.
  • Worked with several clients, with varied and increasing responsibilities and complexity of projects.
  • Worked on diverse products, from game prototypes to simulations.
Technologies: C#, Unity, Mobile, Web Development, Full-stack, Python, Software Design, Unity3D, MySQL, Mobile Game Development

Mobile and Desktop Player-versus-player Blockchain Role-playing Game

A Unity game with the Node.js, .NET, and Python back end. I conceived the game and led the team that implemented it. Also, I built a custom Unity build pipeline and wrote a white paper and low-level bitcoin client-side code. Finally, I managed engineers and artists and produced analytics.

Hit n' Run: Highway Demolition

https://appadvice.com/app/hit-n-run-highway-demolition/1286571903
Hit'n'Run is a mobile racing game with procedurally generated missions. The game is monetized with ads and in-app purchases (IAPs). I published this game to iOS, and it was featured on the App Store, reaching hundreds of thousands of users.

Mobile Hypercasual 3D Infinite Runners

I developed and published over 50 games in a little over a year. I was a sole developer managing a team of artists. I built a pipeline to quickly prototype and iterate similar games and push them to Google Play and the App Store. The games generated millions of downloads and were monetized via ads.

Repertoire

Repertoire brings you the joy of creating beautiful music with your own hands. It's a neat Android game that intuitively teaches musical theory with classical music. I worked on the main game loop with the project owner.
2011 - 2012

Engineer's Degree in Computer Science

University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil - Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland

2007 - 2012

Master's Degree in Software Engineering

Faculty of Engineering – University of Porto - Porto, Portugal

Libraries/APIs

Node.js, WebGL

Tools

Jenkins, JetBrains Rider, GitLab CI/CD, Grafana, Perforce

Frameworks

Unity, Unity3D

Paradigms

DevOps, Agile Software Development, Continuous Deployment, Concurrent Programming, Parallel Programming

Languages

C#, Python 3, JavaScript, Python

Platforms

Mixpanel, Blockchain, Mobile, Amazon Web Services (AWS), AppsFlyer, iOS, Web

Storage

MySQL

Other

Bitcoin, Segment, Amplitude, Global Project Management, Software, Technical Leadership, Architecture, Software Design, Mobile Game Development, Cryptography, Game Design, Analytics, Leadership, ClickUp, CTO, Full-stack, Unity3D Native Plugin Interface, Unity Shaders, Ads, Game Analytics, A/B Testing, Algorithms, Distributed Systems, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Algebra, Analysis, Concurrent Computing, Georeferencing, GPU Computing, Virtual Reality (VR), Web Development, SaaS

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