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Caleb Helbling

@helbl.ing
223 followers 144 following 96 posts

Senior Member of the Technical Staff at Draper Laboratory, Programming Language Theory & Gamedev are my jam President @extensional.software and developer of brickstrike.com

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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 19/09/2026
My new intern game dev showing off his skills in #unity #gamedev
A black cat sitting on an office chair in front of a computer running the Unity editor
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 12/08/2026
Brickstrike v0.6.7-alpha (my multiplayer voxel FPS) has been released to the Steam playtest! This release is primarily bug fixes with a few new features. www.brickstrike.com #gamedev #gaming #games #fps
brickstrike.com
Brickstrike
Brickstrike is an online multiplayer voxel first-person shooter game. Shape the battlefield, outsmart your rivals, and fight for victory in a variety of action-packed competitive game modes.
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 09/07/2026
I've finally made some more progress on hashing directed graphs, particularly local node hashing. In this formulation the hash of a node is based on the (potentially infinite) tree formed by visiting neighbor nodes.
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 16/06/2026
Tomorrow evening I'll be giving a lightning talk at Boston Unity Developers meetup group on threading in Unity using Awaitable and my unity-cooperative scheduling library. See more info about the event here: meetu.ps/e/Q3dry/L4cM...
meetu.ps
BUD - Boston Unity Developers, Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 6:30 PM | Meetup
Do you use Unity? Do you have a project you want feedback on? A challenge you're struggling with? Well, the community is here to help! Come hang out at BUD, our monthly mee
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 17/04/2026
I just released a small #unity cooperative thread scheduling library, targeted for applications with web and desktop targets. You can easily write long-running C# tasks with minimal change to your code, even though the web doesn't support multithreading github.com/calebh/unity... #gamedev
github.com
GitHub - calebh/unity-cooperative: A cooperative async scheduler for Unity web and desktop
A cooperative async scheduler for Unity web and desktop - calebh/unity-cooperative
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Boston Game Dev @bostongamedev.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Do you have a game release to post-mortem, a cool technique, or an interesting development anecdote to share? We finally have a form for folks interested in speaking at BGD events! Fill this guy out and we'll try to find an appropriate venue for you: forms.gle/6hrc4L85ckyD...
forms.gle
BGD Talk Submission Form
Do you have a game to post-mortem, a cool technique, or an interesting development anecdote to share? Boston Game Dev is always looking for speakers at meetups like Boston Indies, Boston Post Mortem,...
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Extensional Software @extensional.software · 24/03/2026
On Wednesday evening we'll be showing off Brickstrike at the @bostonindies.bsky.social pre-PAX demo night! Should be a fun time meetu.ps/e/PTC6M/L4cM...
meetu.ps
Boston Indies: Pre-PAX Demo Night, Wed, Mar 25, 2026, 6:00 PM | Meetup
Come show off the game you're working on, or just come kick it and see what folks in the community are up to! Hang out and support your fellow game makers with some feedbac
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Boston Indies @bostonindies.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
In town for PAX East? Join us on Wednesday 3/25 over at MIT for a Pre-PAX Demo Night! Setup and demo what you're working on, or just come out to play and hangout - either way works. 🎮FREE EVENT 🦞Totally free www.meetup.com/bostongamedev/events/313642720/
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Extensional Software @extensional.software · 10/02/2026
Brickstrike is part of the PvP fest happening on Steam right now! Check us out and wishlist here: store.steampowered.com/app/3758260/...
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 01/02/2026
#gamedev protip: as a multiplayer game developer, I often have to copy game builds between my main PC and my secondary PC on the same LAN. I used to use Windows Nearby Sharing to transfer the files, but lately I've been using LANDrop. It makes it super easy to copy files over the LAN! landrop.app
landrop.app
LANDrop - Drop any files to any devices on your LAN
Drop any files to any devices on your LAN.
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 26/01/2026
The result of mucking around with different ways of rendering voxels with GPU instances in Unity over the weekend: over 1200 FPS at 1920 x 1080 resolution on my 3080 Ti Mobile (see lower left corner)
Voxel map rendering at 1200+ FPS
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 08/01/2026
Started Steamworks integration today! It was cool to see the game marked as "Running" in the Steam client for the first time
Brickstrike - Running as seen in the Steam client
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 08/01/2026
There will be a Brickstrike playtest this Sunday! Join the Extensional Discord server for full details: discord.gg/2HsSdv4AFS
discord.gg
Join the Extensional Software Discord Server!
Check out the Extensional Software community on Discord - hang out with 71 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 13/12/2025
Cool #gamedev thing for resolution testing! I installed a virtual display adapter and used Virtual Desktop on my Meta Quest to test what Brickstrike looks on an ultra-wide monitor. As you can see my main menu has some issues at a 3440 x 1440 resolution 😱
Screenshot from a VR headset showing Brickstrike at an ultra-wide resolution
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Connor 🤸🏽‍♂️🌋 Gamedev @quantumconnor.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
GDC x Boston Game Dev 2026 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS OPEN 📣🍁 For the first time, Boston Game Dev is sponsoring GDC tickets + a curated selection of New England games to showcase at GDC. Apply using the link below ⬇️: P.S. If you have questions, send me a message! #gamedev #indie #boston
2026 scholarship + expo
March 9-13, 2026, San Fransisco 
Applications open until Jan 1
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 08/12/2025
Today at Boston FIG! Got to demo Brickstrike at a big event for the first time!
Booth setup for Brickstrike
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 29/11/2025
Getting items ready for the Brickstrike booth at Boston FIG. Be there on December 7th! www.bostonfig.com/fest2025-hom...
Items for the Brickstrike booth, including two LED acrylic cube chairs, a sign and several boxes
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Boston Indies @bostonindies.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Thanks for joining us for the last Demo Night of 2025 @ Aeronaut Brewing! What an absolutely incredible turn out 💀🪄
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Draculavid Pumpkinson - Game Trailer Editor @oddioedits.com · 12/11/2025
Big news for Ace of Spades fans. New trailer from me just dropped on IGN. BrickStrike from @extensional.software youtu.be/nFlx7wok-VU?...
youtu.be
Brickstrike - Official Announcement Trailer
YouTube video by IGN
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 12/11/2025
The Steam page & trailer for Brickstrike is now live! It's a little surreal to see my first solo project on the storefront store.steampowered.com/app/3758260/... #game #games #indiedev #steam #gamedev
store.steampowered.com
Brickstrike on Steam
Brickstrike is an online multiplayer first-person shooter set in a fully destructible and buildable voxel battlefield. Team up to dominate in a variety of competitive game modes. Featuring a variety o...
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Boston Indies @bostonindies.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
The FINAL DEMO NIGHT of 2025(!!!) will be NOVEMBER 24 back at Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville! Come show that game you've been makin' one last time this year, and enjoy a crisp beer or some of that really good chicken karaage from that place all the way in the back www.meetup.com/bostongamede...
meetup.com
Boston Indies: Demo Night!, Mon, Nov 24, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup
Come show off the game you're working on, or just come kick it and see what folks in the community are up to! Hang out and support your fellow game makers with some feedbac
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 17/10/2025
A sneak peek at the new main menu UI for Brickstrike! The logo is now animated as well. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #games #gaming #videogames
Brickstrike main menu, showing the new UI
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 17/10/2025
A sneak peek at the new main menu UI for Brickstrike! The logo is now animated as well. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #games #gaming #videogames
Brickstrike main menu, showing the new UI
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 06/10/2025
Just finished my digital showcase submission to Boston FIG @bostonfig.bsky.social ! Hopefully Brickstrike will be accepted and I'll see you there on December 7
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 06/10/2025
Just finished my digital showcase submission to Boston FIG @bostonfig.bsky.social ! Hopefully Brickstrike will be accepted and I'll see you there on December 7
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 23/09/2025
I just finished working on the new Brickstrike website! www.brickstrike.com The Steam page will be launching soon as well - as soon as I get the translations in and finalize the capsule art. So good things are happening 🎉
brickstrike.com
Brickstrike
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 23/09/2025
I just finished working on the new Brickstrike website! www.brickstrike.com The Steam page will be launching soon as well - as soon as I get the translations in and finalize the capsule art. So good things are happening 🎉
brickstrike.com
Brickstrike
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BostonFIG @bostonfig.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Join us at the Boston Festival of Indie Games in December for a day of family-friendly fun! We'll have dozens of tabletop games, card games, video games, and everything in between. Tickets are just $30 during our early bird phase. Get yours now! www.bostonfig.com/fest-homepage/
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 08/08/2025
On Wednesday, August 13 I will be demoing Brickstrike at Boston Indies, held at the MIT Open Space from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Hope to see you there!
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 06/08/2025
They said it couldn't be done. (Made on a fiber laser)
Rock that says "paper"Opposite side of the rock that says "scissors"
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 05/08/2025
Today I was going through old stuff I made in Game Maker in middle school to show my niece and nephew. Here's a short video of Pore (great name!) that I made because Spore wasn't out yet. My nephew now says that he wants to be a game developer when he grows up. They just got a Switch for Christmas 😆
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 31/07/2025
New blog post today on progress in directed graph hashing: helbl.ing/From-Directe...
helbl.ing
From Directed Graph Hashing to Directed Graph Languages
Over the years I’ve been gradually chipping away at the problem of graph hashing. For those who are unfamiliar with graph hashing, here is the basic problem: how do you extend hashing algorithms so th...
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 31/07/2025
My take on VR adoption: you know how boomers are stereotypically bad with computers? That's going to be the current generation with VR headsets. Once all the gorilla tag generation grows up, they'll create a larger demand for VR tech #vr #games #gaming
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Bryant Francis @bryantfrancis.me · 29/07/2025
This is an insane thing to write about game development. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/a...

Most experts acknowledge that a takeover by artificial intelligence is coming for the video game industry within the next five years, and executives have already started preparing to restructure their companies in anticipation.
After all, it was one of the first sectors to deploy A.I. programming in the 1980s, with the four ghosts who chase Pac-Man each responding differently to the player's real-time movements.
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 15/06/2025
First look at the medkit model with lid opening animation in Brickstrike! This will be an offhand item capable of healing yourself or a nearby team member. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #game #gaming
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 15/06/2025
First look at the medkit model with lid opening animation in Brickstrike! This will be an offhand item capable of healing yourself or a nearby team member. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #game #gaming
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 10/06/2025
I finally found the name for an interesting optical effect that I've seen used in some advertisements online: chromostereopsis. Maybe someone can come up with a gamedev use case? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromos... #gamedev #gaming
Geometric pattern demonstrating chromostereopsis
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 10/06/2025
I finally found the name for an interesting optical effect that I've seen used in some advertisements online: chromostereopsis. Maybe someone can come up with a gamedev use case? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromos... #gamedev #gaming
Geometric pattern demonstrating chromostereopsis
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Mark Mayers @desolus.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Desolus is now playable on Steam for the very first time as part of the #CerebralPuzzleShowcase! Go download the demo!!
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 27/05/2025
Today I started using the new Unity UI toolkit, and imo it's now a superior experience to the old game object based UI. The new toolkit is XML/CSS based, and it has a really slick visual editor. Unity has successfully entered the jQuery era! #unity #gamedev
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 27/05/2025
Coding protip: if you aren't sure how a specific class or function should be used and can't find any guides, forum posts or blogs online, search GitHub for the name and filter by the appropriate language. This usually gives at least a few open source usage examples. #programming #coding
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Mark Mayers @desolus.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
After nearly a decade of development, I am very excited to finally announce Desolus! Explore a city of Gothic architecture torn between past and future in Desolus, a first person puzzle game. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxfV...
youtube.com
DESOLUS Announcement Trailer
YouTube video by Mark Mayers
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 18/05/2025
A first look at grenades in Brickstrike! #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiegames
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 17/05/2025
In 2023 I wrote a blog post about a protocol for signing and validating human written text. Today I saw yet another online thread about people wringing their hands about the inability to detect AI written text. This is a huge problem in education at the moment! helbl.ing/Written-Proo... #edtech #ai
helbl.ing
Written Proof of Work
Large language models are already disrupting many areas of written work such as education, news stories and book publishing. The implications for education are obvious - students can cheat on essay wr...
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 16/05/2025
It seems that the "magical game networking stack" that I blogged about a year ago now actually exists. The whole idea is to make networked multiplayer games as easy to make as split screen multiplayer games! Accomplished with tight integration with a custom DSL easel.games helbl.ing/The-Magical-...
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 13/05/2025
Just started watching Foundation and it's obvious they didn't consult a professional mathematician for their bit on psychohistory. One of the main characters is supposed to be a prodigy mathematician too... If only I could finish my proofs by doing some random manipulations on floating holograms.
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Caleb Helbling @helbl.ing · 01/05/2025
This weekend I'll be showing off Brickstrike as part of Somerville Open Studios! Then next week another demo night - Boston Indies Pre-PAX Demo Night at the MIT Open Space. I won't be going to PAX, but I will be going to some afterparties on Thursday and Friday. #gamedev #indiedev #indiegamedev
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Boston Game Dev @bostongamedev.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
We’re one week away from Boston Gamedev Week, so we thought we’d make a thread to talk about everything we’ll have going on! Okay here we go 🧵 #gamedev #indiedev #indiegamedev
It says BGW in big white letters with blue and yellow borders.
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