Mark Grossnickle, Developer in Denver, CO, United States
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Mark Grossnickle

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Game Development Developer

Location
Denver, CO, United States
Toptal Member Since
November 16, 2015

Mark has ten years of experience in tech with the most recent five being as CEO and co-founder of a remote mobile gaming startup called Kihon. A majority of his time at Kihon was spent on the engineering side and ensuring that we delivered highly polished entertainment experiences.

Portfolio

Taqtile
Universal Windows Platform (UWP), C#, Unity3D
Kihon, Inc.
Objective-C, Git, Subversion (SVN), JSON, Xcode, C#, Cocos2d, Unity3D
Sony Online Entertainment
JSON, RESTful Development, REST APIs, Flash ActionScript, Flash

Experience

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Git, Visual Studio, Unity3D, PC, MacOS

The most amazing...

...app I've architected was a social drawing game that could save drawings in the size of a few KB and be shown crystal clear on a high-end retina display.

Work Experience

Mixed Reality Team Lead

2016 - PRESENT
Taqtile
  • My team developed AR/VR custom applications for Microsoft, PGA, Real Madrid, Cleveland Cavaliers, AT&T, Thyssenkrupp, and more.
  • Architected a way for our custom one-off apps to evolve into a licensed platform and service.
  • Developed and optimized 3D GIS visualizations so that complex datasets could be viewed smoothly on the Hololens.
  • While most of my time was spent coding, I also worked with clients, estimated project budgets and timelines, assigned team resources to tasks, and oversaw development to ensure we met our clients' objectives.
  • Traveled to conferences and corporations to demo our applications and pitch solutions.
Technologies: Universal Windows Platform (UWP), C#, Unity3D

CEO/Engineer

2011 - 2015
Kihon, Inc.
  • Developed the gameplay logic, implemented custom user interfaces, and integrated to our server via RESTful APIs.
  • Managed the 15-person studio’s Scrum pipeline, financial runway, business development deals, marketing plans, human resources, community outreach, and more.
  • Raised over $2 million in funding, led by Rick Thompson of Signia Ventures.
  • Launched Dojo Danger, a physics arcade game. Awarded Apple’s Top Feature.
  • Launched SketchPhrase, a social drawing game. Hit the Top 10 Free Chart.
  • Launched Baby Monkey (going backwards on a pig), an endless runner. Reached #1 Kids Game on iOS.
  • Launched Conquest, a hardcore PvP card strategy game for Steam, iOS, & WP8.
  • Completed contract work for Microsoft to port a popular iOS video editing app to WP8.
Technologies: Objective-C, Git, Subversion (SVN), JSON, Xcode, C#, Cocos2d, Unity3D

Client Engineer

2010 - 2011
Sony Online Entertainment
  • Published Wildlife Refuge, a Top Ten Facebook Game of 2010 rated by Adweek.
  • Part of a 15-person Agile team following a two-week Scrum.
  • Helped create a social city builder complete with time gates, social sharing, collectibles, exploration, and viral mechanics involving mating monkeys.
  • Built tools to help improve the development cycle and process.
  • Implemented a Rails tutorial to guide players through the onboarding process.
Technologies: JSON, RESTful Development, REST APIs, Flash ActionScript, Flash

Adjunct Lecturer

2010 - 2010
Butler University
  • Wrote custom curriculum to help students prepare for post-college transition.
  • Taught a semester long course for Sophomores to Seniors.
  • Required all students to build an online portfolio as their final project.
  • Required all students to build an online presence through LinkedIn, Twitter, and a blog.
  • Encouraged students to network with local and national professionals in their field for guidance and career opportunities.
Technologies: Networking, CSS, HTML, Teaching

Lead Flash Developer

2008 - 2010
The Basement Design + Motion
  • Led and coordinated a team of junior developers and multiple international freelancers.
  • Oversaw the technical aspects of all interactive projects by meeting with clients, recommending solutions, estimating production time, and ensuring deadlines were met.
  • Mentored team members on technical architecture, coding practices, and debugging skills.
  • Technical Lead on National Silver ADDY award-winning KFC advert game, Surf the Crowd.
  • Led all technical aspects of the studio that focused on producing 2D/3D interactive content for the web and TV. Clients included KFC, Verizon, and Transitions. [http://www.thebasement.tv].
Technologies: ActionScript 2, ActionScript 3, Flash

System Engineer - User Interface Team

2006 - 2008
Simulex, Inc.
  • Developed Flash data visualizations and simulations to fulfill multi-million dollar Department of Defense contracts used in live war zones such as Afghanistan.
  • Received the CEO’s Team Player Award for consistently going beyond expectations [2007].
  • Created highly customizable user interface components to be re-used in throughout all of our interfaces.
  • Created an automated solution to our map creation pipeline. Using this solution shortened our map production time from days to hours.
Technologies: Java, ActionScript 2, ActionScript 3, Flash

HoloMaps Platform

http://taqtile.com/holomaps/
An enterprise solution which allows customers to upload their own GIS data sets to our server and then view as 3D visualizations over a holographic map via the Hololens and Magic Leap.


We have completed custom builds for Microsoft, The PGA, Ernst & Young, AT&T, Thyseenkrupp, Cleveland Cavaliers, Real Madrid, and more.

Manifest Platform

https://taqtile.com/manifest
Manifest is a mixed-reality solution for hands-free authoring of step-by-step instructions, allowing users to perform inspections, maintenance, and other complex tasks.

An industry expert can use Manifest to create step-by-step instructions on how to fix a machine. Manifest allows the expert to overlay the steps directly on top of the machine in augmented reality. A non-expert could then use Manifest to fix the machine without knowing anything about the machine as the steps would be shown directly on top of the parts in question.

We have supported solutions for Shepherd's Air Force Base, Microsoft, Thyssenkrupp, the City of L.A., and more.

Video:
https://vimeo.com/280405132

Cleveland Cavaliers AR/VR Applications

We built two applications for the Cleveland Cavaliers to show off their Quicken Loans stadium renovations.

1. We built an AR application to show how the stadium would look within the city of Cleveland. This is shown in the link below.

2. We built a VR application to allow the client to walk through the new stadium prior to its development. I also recorded and edited a video fly through of the VR experience to allow their sales department to spread the experience without using headsets.

PGA AR Application

We were hired by the PGA to build a Hololens application to view historical shot data on top of their famous Sawgrass course. Please check the video link below for more information.

Real Madrid AR Application

One of our first applications for the Hololens was an AR experience for the Real Madrid futbol club. Its main feature was viewing highlights on video while seeing the players animate on the field.

Dojo Danger

Physics arcade game. Awarded Apple’s Top Feature. [Cocos2D/ObjC]

Dojo Danger is a top-down action strategy game reminiscent of old-school marbles infused with superpowers, deadly traps, and kinetic power-ups! Choose from over 30 characters to create your team of ninjas or zombies and destroy all those who stand in your way in this unique physics game for all ages.

Features:
• 100 hand-crafted levels spread across two single-player campaigns
• Five unique areas, with more to come
• Play as ninjas or zombies.
• Retina graphics
• Universal with iPhone 5 support
• Over 30 unique characters, each with their own attributes and special abilities
• Attack your friends' dojos.
• Global ranking system. Play ranked games to climb the leaderboard.
• Play pass-and-play locally in five distinct multiplayer maps.
• 20 unique boosters to power up your units such as sharpshooter, earthquake, and even "nuke the fridge"
• Earn coins in the game to unlock new units and purchase additional boosters.
• Earn daily rewards for challenging your friends and defeating their team.
• Upgrade your dojo.
• Facebook and Twitter integration
• Game Center integration and achievements

Conquest

http://store.steampowered.com/app/266450/
Hardcore PvP card strategy game for Steam, iOS, and WP8. [Unity3D/C#]

"I finagled my way into the beta, and was rewarded. It’s what I like: a CCG where played cards become units on a tactical board." – Tycho, Penny Arcade

Conquest of Champions is the perfect blend of collectible card games and deep turn-based tactical strategy that only the creators of PoxNora could deliver. Think Magic the Gathering meets Warhammer or chess.

Features
• Three game modes: single-player campaign, asynchronous PVP, or real-time PVP
• Customize unique decks with over 200 cards.
• Global ranking system: play ranked games to climb the leaderboard.
• Make cards more powerful by fusing them together.
• Craft exotic rare cards by completing sets of components earned through gameplay.
• Daily quests and achievements
• Regular tournaments scheduled seasonally
• Exchange strategies with your friends via the lobby chat.
• Cross-platform play: Mac/PC and coming soon for iOS and Android tablets and mobile devices

Baby Monkey

Endless runner. Reached #1 Kids Game on iOS in 2011. [Cocos2D/ObjC]

"A pretty reasonable price to pay for pure happiness." – Joystiq Review

"A ridiculously cute time waster with a stupidly catchy soundtrack, Baby Monkey knows what it's doing." – Touch Arcade Review

Features
• Original music by Parry Gripp
• Challenge your friends on the Game Center leaderboard.
• Earn achievements for collecting bananas and points or reaching new areas.
• Dynamically created areas ensure each game is unique.
• Tons of unique obstacles (including: sand castles, toxic waste, and even a T-rex)
• Invincibility power-up for breakneck fun
• Combos awarded for streaks add extra challenge to beating top scores
• Speed and difficulty increases with time to take this fast-paced survival game to a thrilling new level.
• In-game tutorial makes it easy and entertaining for all ages.
• Themed after Parry Gripp’s popular YouTube music video

SketchPhrase

https://www.facebook.com/SketchPhraseByKihonGames/
Social drawing game. Hit the Top 10 Free Chart. [Cocos2D/ObjC]

This is a mobile rendition of the classic pencil and paper drawing telephone game which is known to some as Chinese Whispers and others endearingly as Eat Poop You Cat. The game mashes the drawing interpretation elements of Pictionary with the miscommunication elements of Telephone.

Features
• Turn-based multiplayer
• Unlimited gameplay
• Save your favorites
• Vote on the top games
• Custom IAP for brushes and colors
• Facebook/Twitter/contacts
• Social integrations for friends, sharing, and OpenGraph

Languages

C#, XML, Objective-C, ActionScript 3, ActionScript 2, Java, Flash ActionScript, HTML, CSS, C++, Swift

Frameworks

Unity3D, Box2D, Cocos2d

Tools

HoloLens, Xcode, Subversion (SVN), Flash, Visual Studio, Jira, Git

Paradigms

Agile Software Development, RESTful Development, REST

Other

Augmented Reality (AR), Game Development, Software Development, Virtual Reality (VR), Magic Leap, Mixed Reality (MR), Networking

Libraries/APIs

REST APIs, Game Center, Facebook API

Platforms

Universal Windows Platform (UWP), MacOS, PC, Parse

Storage

JSON

Industry Expertise

Teaching

2000 - 2005

Bachelor of Science Degree in Media Arts (Minors: Computer Science and Business)

Butler University - Indianapolis Indiana

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