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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

14.3 million units sold


On
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, I worked on three different zombies levels: Classified, Alpha Omega, and Tag der TotenI mainly supported the designers on the levels and programmed a variety of AI Behaviors, including the Nova Crawlers and Avogadro boss fight. I'm pretty happy with how Alpha Omega turned out, it had a good variety of content and it was really exciting to see streamers racing live online on Twitch to be the first to complete the Easter Egg quest. I especially liked seeing their surprise when the Avogadro boss emerged at the end of the quest! It was interesting watching players figure out the stages of the boss fight and how to get the weakened boss back in his containment unit. One of the Mannikin AI behaviors was inspired by the Doctor Who Weeping Angels.




Destiny 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

7 million units sold
Destiny 2 - The Colony Exotic Grenade Launcher
Who cares if The Colony is effective? This thing is just plain fun to use.

9.25/10 Game Informer

9/10 IGN
12 Player Chaos Reach


I worked on Destiny 2 and its expansions, Forsaken, and Curse of Osiris. I worked in a variety of areas before settling on the game play "sandbox" team. Initially, I helped out with the Pyramidion strike and trained some of the programmers at High Moon Studios on the AI tools, script, and content.

On the sandbox team, I programmed a number of exotic weapons and armor including the Colony spider mine launcher, Prometheus Lens, and One Eyed Mask. I also programmed and helped design the Chaos Reach super ability. I am very proud of my contributions to Destiny 2, in a way it feels like my career path came full circle since
I was a huge fan of Bungie and the Marathon series growing up.

I created a generalized surface traversal algorithm for the Colony spider mines that worked fairly well scampering along the walls and ceilings of the varied Destiny environments where collision geometry could get quite noisy. The exotics I worked on were popular enough that Bungie made some physical merch in the form of collectible pins of the Colony and One Eyed Mask.

Scott McMaster @smcprops made some spectacular scale models of 
Prometheus Lens and Colony!





Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Top Selling Video Game of 2015
26.72 million units sold


I helped optimize some of the AI performances for last gen ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. It was fun working with the flying AI and navigation volumes.


Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
(Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)


** Top Selling Video Game of 2014 **
21.78 million units sold
4/4 USA Today
9/10 Polygon
9/10 Game Informer
8/10 Game Spot


On Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare I worked on a variety of AI behaviors and unique game play sequences including the Santorini Greece level and sniper drone sequence.

“Advanced Warfare’s best level probably takes place in a seaside Greek town in what constitutes a semi-special operation blending recon, drones, moments of stealthishness and some bigger action. The setting is memorable, the level is well-paced, and there’s a twist in there. I don’t believe that Call of Duty has to be derivative: I’ve seen it be great. That level was great.”
 
- Forbes
 
“...tours offer a smattering of memorable missions, including a fast-paced intra-city manhunt through Santorini…”
 
-Gamespot

“There are some real standouts, including a brilliant stealth mission and an extended drone sequence that gives the AC-130 mission from the original Modern Warfare a run for its money.”
 
-Polygon

“Some of my favorite moments involved an extended sequence commanding a drone to back up my team’s insertion, running from a new-age take on the traditional bell tower sniper…”
 
-Game Informer

“Instead of an AC-130 gunship shelling from afar, your eye in the sky is a drone with a rifle that you use to pick off guards to keep the ground team safe. I wish the drone mission had been longer because it was a good change of pace.”
 
-Ars Technica
 
“I could have spent all day flying an attack drone around — using its camera and weapon to pick off bad guys.”

-Washington Times

“...the sheer weight, size and prominence of drones give the game a feel unlike any other. Piloting yours on a mission to cover team mates is the new AC-130 from the first Modern Warfare.”
 
-Breaking News


Deadpool (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

1.6 million units sold


For Deadpool, I implemented a variety of AI behaviors using hierarchical task networks (HTN).  An attack coordinator managed individual AI behaviors within the group.   I also integrated a global character avoidance algorithm (ORCA) into Unreal Engine.  The AI combat circle used a system of spring based nodes around the player to determine where enemies would try to position themselves and attack the player.  This system spread the characters out evenly, while avoiding navigation mesh edges, allowing large groups of AI to attack the player simultaneously, even in cramped spaces.  I also helped design and implement Deadpool's gunkata attacks.

“Moments of brilliance are tied to his “gun-fu.” Combos seamlessly blend the slicing and dicing of swords with forceful shotgun blasts.”

- Game Informer
 
“Knocking an enemy into the air with a sword and then blasting him into pieces with a shotgun is fulfilling, and learning the different combos helps keep the encounters enjoyable for a majority of the game.”

– GamesRadar
 
“When it comes to combat, Deadpool's mix of sword-play and "gunkata," is a definite highlight that has much more depth to it than at first glance.”

– Escapist
 
“Mixing up melee moves with Deadpool's 'gunkata' is also a neat touch, adding some gunplay spice to your combos.”

 – Xbox Achievements


Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

2012 AiGameDev.com Award "Technical Innovation in Game AI"
850k units sold
9 / 10 Game Informer
4.5 / 5 G4TV
8.5 / 10 IGN
Metacritic User's Favorite Activision-Blizzard Game 2012
November 2011 cover story of Game Informer magazine


I worked on a variety of gameplay sequences and AI characters for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron including:  Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Rumble, Laserbeak, Bruticus, Metroplex, Grimlock, Insecticons, and Leapers.  The game's AI is driven by Hierarchical Task Networks (HTN), which allowed for rapid prototyping and development of character behaviors using modular pieces.  I also created some of the awesome Havok ragdoll deaths, like the shotgun gib death, and contributed to coop escalation mode.

I programmed and helped design the critically acclaimed final level.  We incorporated focus test observations and feedback to deliver a polished and satisfying conclusion in a short amount of time.

"The fast-paced story culminates in a spectacular final battle: one shall stand, and one shall fall."

- New York Times

"The thirteen level campaign feels like it’s building to a massive confrontation the whole time, and that’s exactly what happens in the stunning final level."

- G4TV

 "...in the final levels, something miraculous happens: Fall of Cybertron weaves these disparate threads together into an exciting sequence that puts you in control of one bot after another so quickly that all you can do is ride this overcharged roller coaster and relish in its hyperactivity and visual excess."

- Gamespot

"...the actual payoff comes in the final chapter. It's an incredibly dynamic piece of action that has you quickly bolting from one character to the next as the Decepticons attempt to stop the Autobots from escaping their dying homeworld. One moment you're Soundwave, leading a boarding party and ejecting tapes all over the unsuspecting Autobots. Then it quickly shifts focus to another character, and another, and another, each of which is playing a different role in this larger conflict. It creates a series of manic moments that feel incredibly cool and take advantage of the ensemble cast in some really great ways."

- Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb


Flash Surfing Game Prototype

A little experiment with Action Script 3, Flash Develop, and Flixel.


Transformers: War For Cybertron (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

1.09 million units sold
IGN Review 9 out of 10

Kotaku 10 favorite gaming moments of 2010
Metacritic User's Favorite Activision-Blizzard Game 2010
GameFocus Best Licensed Game of 2010

I enjoyed programming game play and AI on Transformers: War for Cybertron.  I created a variety of different behaviors for many of the characters encountered in the game using Goal Oriented Action Planning (GOAP).  I worked on the Omega Supreme and Trypticon boss fights, the tank mini-boss, and prototypes for the grunt soldiers, cloakers, and jets.  I also worked with level designers to get all 10 campaign levels setup f
or cooperative play online.
 
"Transformers: War for Cybertron is actually very good. Fantastic, even. High Moon has taken a fun, fast, third person shooter foundation, crafted a well thought out transformation mechanic on top of it, and designed combat situations around that. The end result is a shooter that has an identity all its own, and leverages its license to make something very cool for fans and newcomers alike."

-IGN


The Bourne Conspiracy (Xbox 360, PS3)

830k units sold

I worked on Robert Ludlum's:  The Bourne Conspiracy as a game play programmer.  It was exciting to learn about the Unreal Engine and develop a game for the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles.  I really like the martial arts combat and animations from the game, which featured fight choreography by Jeff Imada.


Harmotion

** 2007 Intel Best Threaded Game Demo First Place **
Harmotion Trailer

In the spring and summer of 2007, I worked as a programming intern at Bottomless Pit Games on the indie online shoot 'em up Harmotion. I implemented a couple networking components like the score tracking that communicated between the game (C++) and the SQL database server.  I also had fun creating an AI bot to fight against that used finite state machines.


Agamemnon's Curse

download Agamemnon's Curse v1.0 (69 mb, Windows XP, DirectX 9)

 
Agamemnon's Curse is my senior game project from DigiPen. It is a 3D action adventure where the player must navigate the hero Alabama Jones through a series of physics based puzzles and deadly booby traps to retrieve the golden mask of Agamemnon.

My Jobs:
- Game play implementation and game logic
- Player controls and movement integration into physics engine
- In game level editor and tools
- Level and booby trap design
- General coder and bug squasher


Toyota Yaris Pro Skier (for Motorola RAZR, Sony Ericsson)

download .exe build (1 mb, emulator included)
   
Toyota Yaris Pro Skier is a mobile game Jason Viterna and I made for the Toyota Yaris Mobile Games Competition 2006.  The game is similar to the windows game Ski Free and features a trick system inspired by Tony Hawk Pro Skater.  It was our very first time programming J2ME, and we got 4th place in the competition.

My Jobs:
- Game play implementation, menus, UI, input design, image class


Fast Racer 2

download FR2.zip (20mb, Windows XP, DirectX 9)
Fast Racer 2 movie
FR2 physics test

Features:
- Action packed 3D racer
- Round based point scoring system encourages risky driving
- Independent wheel physics, lots of non-axis aligned bounding box collisions
- 3 special weapons
- Network on LAN for 6-player simultaneous racing

My Jobs:
- Created complete network component using Windows Sockets API
- Created semi-reliable UDP peer-to-peer architecture with broadcast matchmaking
- 2D sprite component
- Explosions
- Contributed to art and level design


Chronicles of Narnia (Nintendo Gameboy Advance)

   
Images from Amaze Entertainment

I am proud to say that I was a game tester for the top selling GBA release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  It was a small development team, and the programmers were very open to suggestions from the testers that we felt would improve the game.  It felt good to really have some input on the game's final release.


Crazy Max 

"This game idea is worth a million dollars!!"
  - Claude Comair, founder DigiPen and co-founder Nintendo Software Technology

download Crazy Max.zip (5 mb, Windows XP, DirectX 9)



Post-apocalyptic car combat with midget cannons!
- Use your grappling hook's 3 special abilities to outwit your opponents
  1.  Drag and throw mutants bikers to their doom
  2.  Swing out over treacherous cliffs
  3.  Link to your opponents car and force him into a wall
- Six deadly weapons
- Network on LAN for up to six players

My Jobs:
- Core game play design, implementation, and balance
- Simulated driving physics in an overhead 2-D plane, traction along various surface types
- Integrated 3 special grappling rope abilities into driving mechanics

- Multiple enemy AI behaviors using finite state machines
- Menus and HUD


Gameboy Games

DigiBoy I & II are two gameboy games I made, you can play them with the gba emulator VisualBoyAdvance if you don't have a development kit handy.

DigiBoy (for Nintendo GameBoy Color)

download Digiboy.zip

- Old-school gameboy color platformer
- Programmed entirely in assembly
- Features a menacing eyeball monster
- Steal the banana and escape to win

My Jobs:
- Entire implementation


DigiBoy Advance  (for Nintendo GameBoy Advance)  

**play now! in browser (requires java) **
download DigiBoy Advance.zip

- Overhead hack n’ slash for gameboy advance
- Programmed in just 2 days in C++ using Visual HAM IDE
- Features object rotations, battery save, palette fading, BG animation, vector based physics and collision detection

My Jobs:
- Entire implementation


Gutter Surfer  

download Gutter Surfer.zip (Windows XP)
- 2-week project, an apocalyptic surfing game created using DigiPen's ProjectFUN SDK
- Fast paced "Battle-Toads" style game play
- Scripted cinematic ending
- High score save

My Jobs:
- Entire implementation


Battle Saga

download Battle Saga.zip

- Ascii RPG featuring 3 characters: Blor the Barbarian, Sid the Wizard, and Monica the Thief
- Features a multitude of monsters, boss battles, weapons, and spells

My Jobs:
- Created miniature world and all animations, combat system, enemy AI, game logic, and stat balancing


Prison Basketball

download Prison Basketball.zip (Windows XP)

- My first game at DigiPen created using the ProjectFUN SDK
- Features 2 devious levels

My Jobs:
- Entire implementation


Early Games

I first started making video games for fun as a hobbyist, and one of my early shareware games, Frog-Gore, was published in the US and Japan when I was just 14 years old.  I had multiple video games included in shareware compilation books around 1994-95.

Frog-Gore

see high resolution book scan from "Net Mac Games 2"



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