Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Area
I'm a software engineer who builds complete products from concept to ship. Over the past 12+ years, I've worked across game development, mobile apps, and enterprise software - but what drives me is creating systems that work and products people actually use. What I'm building: - Published Cities, an iOS app for writers and game designers, to the App Store - dadbod-auth, an open-source Neovim plugin for the developer tools ecosystem - Strategy RPG in Unity with procedural generation, custom pathfinding, and AI systems - Cadence, a task management app for recurring tasks - Various technical experiments in game systems, automation, and developer productivity What I bring: I'm someone who can identify a problem, architect a solution, and ship it. I've contributed to $50M+ in cost reduction through automation, built complex systems in Unity (proc gen, pathfinding, AI), led engineering teams, and continuously teach myself new stacks. I thrive when given clear direction and creative autonomy to solve problems my way. Technical toolkit: Unity (C#), Swift, SwiftUI, .NET Core, SQL, Python, Lua | Procedural Generation, AI Systems, Pathfinding, iOS Development | System architecture, automation, data visualization, game systems design What I'm looking for: I'm seeking opportunities where I can build engaging experiences - whether that's games, developer tools, or products that solve real problems. I do my best work in remote-first environments that value shipping quality work, trust their engineers to make good decisions, and provide the clarity and autonomy needed to do great work. If you're building something interesting and need someone who can figure things out and ship them, let's connect. 📍 Based in Massachusetts | Open to remote opportunities nationwide 🌐 smplfi.com | 💻 github.com/nicholasjcollins
- Provide application development and database administration for environmental compliance software across multiple state agencies - Maintain and enhance C# .NET applications managing permits, incident reporting, and site monitoring
Building games, apps, and developer tools independently: Game Development: - Developing strategy RPG in Unity featuring 3D tile-based procedural generation, custom A* pathfinding system, and tactical AI for turn-based combat - Designed complex interconnected gameplay systems including resource management, progression mechanics, and environmental generation Product Development: - Built and published Cities, an iOS/iPadOS application for creative professionals (App Store) - Developing Cadence, a task management app for recurring tasks with SwiftUI interface - Created dadbod-auth, an open-source Neovim plugin for secure database authentication (GitHub) Technical Focus: Self-directed learning across Unity, Swift, SwiftUI, procedural generation algorithms, AI systems, and modern development workflows
- Built scalable JSON-driven forms application using .NET Core, enabling dynamic data collection with configurable workflows and database-driven form generation - Redesigned company dashboards in Power BI with predictive modeling, improving data clarity and interactive visualization - Led migration to version-controlled development practices and established data warehouse standards across Microsoft stack - Conducted large-scale data analysis projects including platform utilization metrics and system migration planning
- Managed team of 3 specialists while coordinating project management across internal and external teams - Designed and implemented structural improvements to data systems, increasing efficiency and data maintainability - Synthesized and analyzed complex datasets for funders and internal stakeholders - Oversaw all system design, development, analytics, and reporting for the organization
- Led team of 4 engineers responsible for ETL development, data engineering, and process automation - Developed workflows integrating decades of archival data into production environment - Managed Agile development process including sprint planning, task complexity assessment, and risk management - Coordinated between development staff and subject matter experts to translate business needs into technical requirements