Lars Gohde

Game and Shader Programmer

Exchange Student at Kanagawa Univ. (March – Aug 2026)

Browse My

Recent Projects

FLOAT

Award-winning MR for prosthesis research

Meta Meta
FLOAT Awards

Project Scope

  • 6 Months
  • Team of 6 People

My Core Role

  • Main Programmer
  • Shader
  • Effects

Description

FLOAT is a Mixed Reality serious game that gamifies medical data collection. Using only hand gestures, players interact with a fractured world to help the little Pookis, while the system records muscle movement, contributing to the development of AI-trained prosthetics.

The Context of the Code

All obstacles in the game inherit from a core class, exposing parameters that the Game Designer can adjust in the editor. Each obstacle is designed to handle multiple Pookis.

The Context of the Code

To create different types of obstacles in the game we decided to use Water. It had various requirements that needed to be met, like a form of interaction with the player.

Blueprint Logic

The Context of the Code

We needed to place the Foliage as Instance Static Meshes and our Game Designer asked me if there is a way so he doesn't have to manipulate each mesh individually. So I build him a simple Editor Utility Widget.

Blueprint Logic

Achievements

MERCURY

World's first fast-paced hand-tracking brawler

Meta Meta

Project Scope

  • 2 Months
  • Team of 6 People

My Core Role

  • Player Mechanics

Description

MERCURY is the first controller-free VR mecha brawler. Players use physical movements to climb through a city and engage in fast-paced arena combat. The game relies entirely on hand tracking for both navigation and fighting.

Gorilla Locomotion System

Hand-Surface Interaction

Linetraces position the mecha hands directly on surfaces for consistent contact and clear player feedback

Grab Recognition

  • Pose-based detection with safeguards against unintended grabs/releases
  • Context-aware checks for floors vs. vertical surfaces

Surface Validation

Sphere traces identify grab components and validate intent through hand-direction vs. surface-normal alignment

Climbing & Movement Response

  • Player movement is derived from relative hand motion with weighted recent input for high responsiveness
  • Adaptive transitions handle gravity, capsule scaling, and movement offsets during grabs

Release Dynamics

  • Final launch velocity blends camera aim, movement intent, and surface type.
  • Short lockouts prevent accidental re-grabs and maintain fluid momentum.

Different Movement Approaches

As we were looking at multiple ideas on the movement system, I created prototypes for each of them in Unity.

Achievements

God of a Cult

Expandable comedic point-and-click

Itch.io Itch.io

Project Scope

My Core Role

  • Solo Project

Description

God of a Cult is a comedic point-and-click adventure. Players solve puzzles to help the protagonist become the next incarnation of the God of Time and find his missing sister. The game is fully voiced and includes translated text and a scalable save system.

God of a Cult - Interactions God of a Cult - Sensitive Cursor God of a Cult - Expendable God of a Cult - Dialogue Code Snippet God of a Cult - Overview Code Snippet

The Context of the Code

To create levels as fast as possible, I developed a system that relies entirely on Data Tables. The game is fully voiced and breaks the fourth wall through dialogues, real-time clocks, and revealing that the player in front of the screen is the God of Time.

Creation of a Tutorial Series

To help others, I recorded a 7+ hour series explaining how to build the required core systems in Unreal Engine 5. It can be viewed here.

Achievements

  • Exhibitor: HNU Werkschau
  • Showcase project for new semester
steam_logo Steam Release
steam_logo All my Games

Technical Methodology

Performance Guide

Profiling & CPU

  • Profiling: Bottleneck-analysis using stat unit, stat scenerendering, Unreal Insights
  • Threads: Distinguishing Game Thread, Render Thread, and GPU time
  • Ticks: Conditional ticking and reduced update rates
  • Logic: Simplified logic flow; high-frequency operations moved to C++
  • Pooling: Reuse of frequently spawned objects

GPU & Rendering

  • Draw Calls: Instancing (ISM/HISM) and Hierarchical LODs (HLOD)
  • Materials: Minimal slots, master-material workflow, reduced shader cost
  • Lighting: Controlled dynamic lights, shadow settings, attenuation
  • VFX: GPU simulations with fixed bounds and pooled effects
  • VR: Instanced Stereo, Multi-View, efficient forward rendering

Workflow & Memory

  • References: Use of soft references and async loading
  • Build Size: Removal of unused plugins; selective map inclusion
  • Planning: Early performance planning in game design
  • Maintenance: Continuous profiling and documenting global changes

Contact Me

gohde.lars@outlook.com

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