About Me · Hypernatrema

I'm Gabriel Sparks. Online I go by Hypernatrema, and most of what I build ships under that name.

I build gameplay systems, mods, and tools. Most of my work is in Unreal Engine 5 and the ARK: Survival Ascended DevKit, where I've published more than 100 mods. Some are my own projects; many were commissioned by server communities, content creators, and companies in the ARK community. I also build Twitch extensions, desktop tools, and web applications, including this site.

What I work on

Gameplay systems. Configurable, data-driven systems: loot and progression, creatures and buffs, structures, inventories, game modes, and events.
Server tools. Mods that solve problems server owners actually have, like saving and restoring structures, protecting offline tribes, and keeping creature populations healthy.
Tools and integrations. Save and data tooling, configuration generators, and CurseForge and Twitch integrations.

Where I come from

My background is in healthcare. I've worked as a CNA on a cardiology floor, as a phlebotomist, in emergency patient transport, and as an EMT, and I still work in the field. In October 2023 I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma, and during treatment I taught myself Unreal Engine. My story covers that in more detail.

Healthcare still shapes how I work. I document what I build, I communicate clearly when something breaks, and I stay calm when a problem shows up in production.

Community

I run a Discord community of more than 4,000 members. It's the support channel for my mods and where I post updates. I also make Unreal Engine Blueprint tutorials called Hyper's Node Nuggets.

What I'm looking for

I'm interested in game development, technical design, gameplay systems, and tools work, whether that's a role on a team or a commission. If either sounds like a fit, get in touch.