The Situation

Fleet Commander: Pacific is a naval strategy game designed by Philippe Thibaut—the legendary designer behind Europa Universalis and other grand strategy titles. It’s a digital board game bringing WWII naval combat to life.

I joined as a rescue. The previous developer had left mid-project, leaving behind a codebase with no documentation, broken references, and .gitignore problems that caused missing Unity .meta files. Before I could build anything new, I had to untangle what was already there.

My Role

As the primary programmer working directly with Philippe, I touched nearly every system in the game: gameplay mechanics, multiplayer, AI, designer tools, audio, and visual effects.

What I Built

Multiplayer System

Turn-based naval combat synchronized across players using Mirror:

Client replication model for reliable state sync
Steam integration for matchmaking and file transfer
Solved serialization challenges that initially broke save/load across network

AI Fleet Command

The AI needed to command entire fleets intelligently, handling:

Strategic decision-making for fleet positioning
Target prioritization and engagement logic
Ship-level maneuvering and fire control

Players reported the AI felt like a real opponent rather than a predictable script.

Designer Tools

Philippe needed fast iteration on game balance and content. I built tools that let him:

Adjust ship stats and scenarios without touching code
Test changes quickly during design sessions
Focus on design rather than waiting for programmer support

Everything Else

Small team meant wearing many hats:

Core gameplay mechanics and new systems
Audio implementation
Particle effects and visual polish
Continuous bug fixing and stabilization

The Challenge

Working with an inherited codebase meant I couldn’t always write the code I wanted. Some decisions were constrained by what already existed. The skill wasn’t just building new features—it was making pragmatic choices about what to fix, what to work around, and what to ship.