Tarik | Game Developer

About

Hi, I'm Tarik - I'm a senior gameplay programmer from Montreal, currently working on For Honor at Ubisoft Montreal.

With 8+ years in the game/tech industry, I specialize in C++/C# and core gameplay systems like combat, 3Cs, and AI. For the past 4.5 years on For Honor, I’ve built new heroes, overhauled AI, developed skin customization, and contributed to event modes.
I’ve also presented my machine learning bot system at GDC 2025 and appeared on the For Honor Warrior’s Den livestream.

I enjoy video games, soccer, travelling, and working out.

Bachelor of Computer Science, Computer Games - Concordia University, Montreal.

Professional Portfolio

Presented the VIRTUOSA hero’s new evade mechanic tech I developed on For Honor’s Warrior's Den Livestream.

Gave a talk at GDC 2025 (Streamlining Bot Development in 'For Honor' with ML Automation), presenting the finalized version of the machine learning bot system I developed. These new ML bots learn the game on their own and play, replacing our scripted bots which saves weeks of game designer work.

Developed the VIRTUOSA Hero, her fight mechanics, 3Cs, and bots. Most notably her evade mechanic.

Developed machine learning bots in For Honor. Bots that learn on their own, and play on their own.

Developed the AFEERA Hero, her fight mechanics, 3Cs, and bots.

Aided in developing the OCELOTL hero and his GHOST feat.

Developed the MEDJAY Hero, his fight mechanics, 3Cs, and bots. Most notably his 2 WEAPON MODES.

Developed the HERO SKINS customization system; the first skins in For Honor.

As a generalist programmer at Ubisoft Montreal, the team and I ported Assassins Creed Origins to Google's Stadia platform.

Personal Portfolio

An asymmetrical 1v1 online multiplayer game, created in a team of four using C# and Unity. This was the final project for my Advanced Game Development course. It required us to use all of the AI and game design concepts we accumulated over our years of study, and brought our creative concepts to light. Players assume the role of the defender or infiltrator, both of which control 5 units. With their anti-invisibility flashlights, and placeable gadgets, the defender must detect and eliminate the invisible infiltrator, while the infiltrator's goal is to gain access to the defender's base. I implemented the multiplayer functionality, network and player synchronization, RTS camera, unit selection, character models and animations.

Developed a 2D vertical platformer video game using C# and Unity. In order to save his wife, the main character Blobby must reach the end of each level by defeating enemies with power-ups, and collecting keys to open blocked paths. Along with creating the desert level, I designed the main character and his animations, one of the power-ups, enemy AI and contributed to the overall design, platforming mechanics, and programming structure.

Created an explorable procedural generated underwater environment using C++ and OpenGL in a group of four. The world's terrain height map uses the Perlin noise algorithm, and is filled with generated coral, seaweed, rocks, and fish, all of which have varying sizes and designs. The player is free to discover the world of Aquinea in a first-person view, equipped with a head lamp and harpoon. Implemented the seaweed as splines using the Bezier function, collaborated on the coral and seaweed animations, and partook in the overall programming and rendering design process.

Recreated the 1994 Neo Geo game Puzzle Bobble in Unity and C#.

CNTRL is Unity game I created with 3 of my friends/colleagues for the 2020 GMTK game jam. The theme of this game jam was “Control”. The goal is to type as many short phrases that appear on the screen as possible while dealing with an out-of-control keyboard. Every time you type and submit a phrase correctly, your time increases, and you avoid the game over screen for a little while longer. However, keys break as after use, so you'll need to fish new ones out of river and some keys have abnormal properties!

Link to game: https://les-polys.itch.io/cntrl

Created an AI game of tag in Unity where the AI uses steering behaviours to catch another enemy AI. Once the running bot is caught, another random one is chosen to unfreeze it. Once unfrozen, the game of tag continues, but if the chasaer gets 3 successful tags without another bot unfreezing them, the chaser wins and the game restarts.

Created a Unity AI pathfnding game where one CPU uses pathfinding to evade, while two other CPUs use pathfinding to flank and catch the fleeing one.
Uses Dijkstra, A*, and A* Cluster pathfinding algorithms I wrote which the user can toggle between. The user also toggle between a flank level of normal, strong, or none.

Created an AI in Java to solve a set of puzzles for the game Candy Crisis using A* and state space search algorithms. Won end of year course competition for solving 30 puzzles in under 10 seconds. Implemented Fibonacci Heap in order to improve algorithmic performance and collaborated on the general AI design. .