Schmikolai
Past, Present, and Future of Nikolai Schmidt
Welcome,
I am a ... It's hard to define myself with a single title, as I have worked in various roles throughout my career. I started with game development, then the more I learned about structured software development, the more I wanted to build real-world solutions. I am very perceptive and adapt quickly to new challenges, technologies, and environments. Inevitably I also started to use AI and cloud technologies to enhance my solutions.
Nikolai Schmidt
Software Solution Enthusiast
"The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do."
Steve JobsWhat I love to do ...
Cloud
Building efficient solutions requires solid workflows and a reliable infrastructure or platform for deployment. Since this was not always in place, I took the initiative to build DevOps workflows and the underlying infrastructure myself—and I will continue to do so whenever necessary.
Daydream 2024
A GLSL shader editor similar to ShaderToy with additional features to parameterize values.
TypeScript
Next.js
Python
AI
AI is powerful, the future, and everyone is using it, sure. LLMs, generative, vision, and other models have been applied in many applications, sometimes just for the sake of using AI. To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I want to keep the hammer in my toolbox, and use it when I stumble upon a nail that truly requires hammering.
Master's Thesis: Automatic Speech Recognition 2025
In my master's thesis I created an evaluation framework to holistically evaluate streaming speech recognition systems.
Python
Games and Interactive Media
Game development was my first passion with computers and the reason I began my programming journey. Although my interests have shifted away from games themselves, I still love working with Unreal Engine to create interactive experiences and productions.
Silvatya - Seele der Wildnis 2021
Silvatya is a third-person action RPG produced at the Stuttgart Media University. Over the course of three semesters of development, 48 students from nine different degree programs worked on this project.
Weltenspringer 2025
“Weltenspringer” is a hybrid theater production developed at Stuttgart Media University in cooperation with the Stuttgart State Theaters. Combining traditional stage performance with cutting-edge virtual production, it uses real-time motion capture and LED projection to transform live actors into animated avatars within digital environments. The project explores how theater can evolve through technology, blending narrative, performance, and innovation to create immersive storytelling. It showcases advancements in real-time animation, VFX, and virtual world design.
Glimpsed 2021
Glimpsed is a puzzle adventure game in which you play a female goblin trying to escape from a witch's tower. The witch has stolen her eyesight. In a dream, a wizard gave her the ability to see through the eyes of other creatures. Now she wants to escape and regain her eyesight. The game features various puzzles to solve and enemies to defeat.
Space Chase VR 2021
An arcade like endless runner, where you are chased by robots through different landscapes.
Fulldome simulation 2025
A simulation of a full dome theatre in VR. Targeted to artists, who can preview their shows from the audience's perspective. Content can be streamed via NDI or as video files.
Slimed Together 2021
Made for the GMTK Game Jam 2021! Three Slimes have lost one another and you need to help them reunite back into the Slime King. Every Slime has a unique ability that will help you solve the puzzles standing in your way. But that's not all, the slimes have the power to fuse together and unlock new powers based on their fusion!
One Heartbeat 2019
A submission to the GMTK Game Jam 2019, where the restriction was "Only One". One Heartbeat implements that by allowing only one action per Heartbeat. You have to free hostages and kill all terrorists by continuously looking, moving, and shooting, each at a time.