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I'm Jibb Smart, a game developer with a special expertise in controls design and implementation. I'm best known for:
Fortnite's first-of-its-kind "Human-like Aim Assist"
Gold-standard gyro controls (detailed on GyroWiki, proven in Fortnite)
Other features I'm pleased to have pushed forward in gaming are 2D steering (featured in the fantastic AeroGPX) and the "Quick Weapon" control scheme that makes weapon selection take up less controller real estate while making it faster and more deliberate than traditional analog radial wheels.
My input standards, most of which were proven in my own open source work (JoyShockMapper and JoyShockLibrary, GyroWiki, and GamepadMotionHelpers) are now featured in popular input remappping tools reWASD, DS4Windows, and even Steam's build-in input remapper that the Steam Deck relies upon to make games of all genres play well on a handheld.
I've advised on controls for Deathloop, House of the Dead: Remake, and Severed Steel. My work has influenced Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, God of War, No Man's Sky, The Finals, Boomerang X, and more. I'm currently working on Fortnite as a Senior Gameplay Programmer.
The best place to get in touch with me, for now, is Twitter @JibbSmart where my DMs are open, or find me on LinkedIn.
For more resources on improving game controls, check out 7 Building Blocks for Better Controls, or my posts on cohost.
2023+: Gameplay at Epic Games
2023+: Gameplay at Epic Games
In April 2023 I moved from contracting to full time employment as a Senior Gameplay Programmer on Fortnite. I'd already done a lot of contracting work on Fortnite, and I'm stoked to be officially part of the team as I continue to work on one of the biggest games in the world!
2020-2023: Consulting Input Specialist
2020-2023: Consulting Input Specialist
Since 2020 I've been consulting in various capacities to improve the controls in games of all scales, from small indies to huge AAA (such as Fortnite). I specialise in controls design and implementation, but have also been working in gameplay programming generally. While I'm not taking on consulting work for now, pretty much all of my work on industry-leading gyro controls can be found on GyroWiki. Other controls-related topics that are under-explored in games are explored on my cohost page (for short, focused articles) and on GameDeveloper.com (here's 7 Building Blocks for Better Controls).
2018+: Gyro Gaming, Flick Stick, Gyro Wiki
2018+: Gyro Gaming, Flick Stick, Gyro Wiki
A modern console controller -- or at least, the standard controllers of the Sony PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch -- are capable of so much more than most players or developers realise.
I've created open source tools JoyShockLibrary and JoyShockMapper to help explore the potential offered by the gyroscopes in these controllers.
On GyroWiki, developers can find tutorials on how to use these features much better than we even encounter in games that do embrace the gyro. Learn to use the gyro as a mouse, and then blow past the perceived limitations of aiming with a controller with flick stick. It's also home to other innovations like player space gyro, "tightening" for lag-free aim stabilisation, and other standards that have come to be expected in the best gyro-aiming games.
See gyro aiming and flick stick in action with a DualShock 4 -- the PlayStation 4's standard controller -- playing against PC players. Controls like these significantly reduce between mouse and controller players without aim assist.
When controls like these have been embraced by players and developers alike, we're going to look back at the PS4/Xbox One generation of consoles and be astonished that games treated PS4 controllers like they're just Xbox One controllers.
See more of this in action at the Gyro Gaming YouTube channel.
2013's KarBOOM was my first published game and is still available. Up to 12-player local-multiplayer action. Play for points, survival, or goals in any combination of teams.
I've come a long way as an input specialist since making KarBOOM. While it does support any standard PC controller, you'll likely want to customise the controls to suit your button layout.
Once that's out the way, I'm proud of the core mechanics of the game -- bumper cars with a high risk/reward boosting system that, depending on your skill, can just as easily spell doom for you or your opponent.
An improved version of KarBOOM was never quite finished before I got caught up in other work, but you can see some behind-the-scenes of some of the rendering tech I was working on here. These days, a lot of that tech is outdated (in particular, my very simple temporal anti-aliasing solution), but if I've put in the effort to keep a record of such things I like to leave it online.
For even older projects, check out the Archive.
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