Tony Caton

Current

Senior Gameplay/AI Game Programmer at Seeking Employment

Past

Lead Gameplay Programmer at RingZero Game Studio
Senior Game AI Programmer at Novalogic
Senior Game AI Programmer at Presto Studios

Game Programmer / Lead Programmer at Blue Planet Software
Game AI Programmer at Electronic Arts
Game AI Programmer at The 3DO Company
Software Engineer at Mindscape
Software Engineer, AI/Gameplay at Visual Concepts
Software Engineer at Epyx
Programmer/Analyst at Plourde Computer Services

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Education

Practical Work Experience (17+ yrs)
Las Plumas

Recommended

12 people have recommended Tony

Connections

105 connections

Industry

Computer Games

Websites

Tony Caton’s Summary

Energetic, team-oriented game programmer with 17 years of professional experience specializing in all forms of AI, game play, UI, cross-platform development, debugging (especially AI), and writing clean, manageable code. Published 15 titles and completed again as many research projects and unpublished projects.

Looking for an exciting, innovative game development team to join or lead so my passion and expertise really shine. My dream is to make that next, really big game, following in the footsteps of the Sims, Warcraft, Spore, Civilization, Diablo, and the like. Better yet, leading the world in a new direction all together.

PUBLISHED TITLES:

Dominus (PC 1994) Sole AI programmer
John Madden Football '94 (SNES) Tech support
Bill Walsh College Football (SNES) Tech support
ClayFighter (SNES) Tech support
Micky's Big Day (SNES) Tech support
Lester the Unlikely (SNES) Tech support
Metal Mariness (Windows 1996) Programmer
March Madness 98 (Windows & Playstation 1998) Sole AI programer
Barbie Team Gymnastics (Windows 2001) Programmer
Whacked! (XBox 2002) Senior AI programmer
Delta Force Black Hawk Down (Windows 2003) Senior AI programmer
Des Chiffres et des Lettres (Nintendo DS 2008) Lead programmer
Ready Steady Cook (Nintendo DS 2008) Joint lead programmer ***
la Prado del Cuocco (Nintendo DS 2009) Joint lead programmer ***
Countdown (Nintendo DS 2009) Lead programmer
*** Engine programming only--not involved in game design or content.

Tony Caton’s Specialties:

C++ (10+ years), C (10+ years), PC assembly (5 years), Java, BASIC, 6502 assembly, Windows XP, XBox, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Object oriented game design, Visual Studio, STL, MFC, Visual Studio, Code Warrior, DirectDraw, DirectPlay, DirectSound, NetBIOS, VTune, Game play tuning, Genetic programming, Neural networks, Fuzzy logic, Self-teaching/learning game AI, Multi-player programming, Script processing engines, User-interface design, Teamwork, Communication, Leadership.

Tony Caton’s Experience

Senior Gameplay/AI Game Programmer

Seeking Employment

(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

October 2009 — Present (3 months)

.
Lead Gameplay Programmer

RingZero Game Studio

(Computer Games industry)

April 2008 — October 2009 (1 year 7 months)

• Interviewed and hired seven engineers, including another lead, to jump start our studio from one programmer to a competent, team-oriented group. All engineers hired have been assets to the company--none have been disciplined, terminated or resigned.
• Collaborated with designers and the general manager to prepare detailed design documents and realistic schedules that covered all dependencies and ensured on-time completion.
• Led teams to complete four published Nintendo DS titles: Des Chiffres et des Lettres, Ready Steady Cook*, la Prova del Cuoco*, and Countdown. (* Co-lead on Ready Steady Cook, and la Prova del Cuoco where I designed and programmed the core engine, and my co-lead, Chotechuang Sriwanyong, implemented the game-specific code).
• Helped design, and then programmed an exciting prototype for a new game which has yet to find a publisher. On this title, I coded AI (including path finding, flocking, and distinctive behaviors) and the hardware graphics engine for a handheld game system (system and title withheld).
• Assisted other teams, including one working on the Wii when needed.
Senior Game AI Programmer

Novalogic

(Privately Held; Computer Games industry)

January 2002 — September 2002 (9 months)

• Shipped in 2003 – Designed and programmed AI for two First Person Shooters at NovaLogic. The first was an undead shooter name Necromancer and the other was Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. Both projects utilized A* for quick path-finding with path optimization and avoidance for disbursal of agents (providing more ‘mob-like’ movement). I also implemented an extensive in-game node editor to facilitate placing and testing node layouts while running the simulation for extended periods of time. They were written in C / C++ for Windows 2000/XP. Publisher: NovaLogic.
Senior Game AI Programmer

Presto Studios

(Computer Games industry)

March 2001 — November 2001 (9 months)

• Designed and programmed task-based AI for Whacked!, a comical, 3D, third-person shooter with wacky weapons and quirky personalities. I implemented the tasks, subtasks, task queuing, path-finding, jumping (getting up to speed using various techniques), task organization and prioritization based on personalities and difficulty, icy-ground physics and special effects, general AI debugging display, and general bug-fixing. Written in C++ for XBox. Publisher: Microsoft.
Game Programmer / Lead Programmer

Blue Planet Software

(Privately Held; Computer Games industry)

May 1998 — November 2000 (2 years 7 months)

• Contributed AI to GBA Hanasaki Gassen, a real time strategy game. There were many factors that the AI needed to evaluate, and simulated annealing was used to allow the AI to learn strategies by playing itself overnight, adjusting its internal weights until the best strategy was found. The AI could thus adjust to changing game rules, and even discover new strategies! Written in C++ for Game Boy Advance.
• Designed and programmed an event-driven, object-oriented, pre-compiled scripting language used in an updated version of Black Onyx, a figure skating demo and Barbie Team Gymnastics. Functions and events handlers could be overridden or enhanced (similar to virtual functions), passed parameters (which they could modify and return). The script could control everything in the game including movies, sounds, Caviars (animated voxel characters that z-buffer into movies or still backgrounds), sprites, animated sprites, database access, arrays, mouse collision with object, etc. The script compiler and processor were written in C++ using MFC.
Game AI Programmer

Electronic Arts

(Public Company; ERTS; Computer Games industry)

March 1997 — May 1998 (1 year 3 months)

• AI design and programming for the cross-platform, 3D college basket ball game March Madness '98. Tasks included complete zone defense simulation, offensive and defensive transitions, windows of opportunity, collision detection and consequences, game momentum evaluation and its effect on game play, genuine hand/ball collision detection, player movement with accurate foot registration, as well as many other areas of game play. Written in C for both the PlayStation and Windows 95-98 (Windows version delayed due to core engine problems).
Game AI Programmer

The 3DO Company

(Public Company; THDO; Computer Games industry)

August 1996 — March 1997 (8 months)

• Battle AI for the 3D space combat portion of Galactic Conquest, a space conquest game (similar to Masters of Orion) where players pre-program their ships for combat. Orders could be given, like, "Attack the cargo ship until you are down to 25% health, then retreat to the healthiest ship, and attack its target.” The battle AI was designed to learn from the human player by determining how his new strategy stacks up against its known tactics (from its database), then use it against him. Written in C++ using RenderWare for Windows 95.
Software Engineer

Mindscape

(Public Company; Computer Software industry)

October 1994 — June 1996 (1 year 9 months)

• Upgraded the real-time strategic missile war game Metal Marines. Tasks included NetBios support, random island creation, island customization interface (similar to Populous), AVI support and much more. Written in Microsoft Visual C++ using MFC for Windows 95. Publisher: Mindscape.
• Developed and programmed the isometric graphics engine for a server-based multi-user dungeon (MUD) game named Sprawl. Engine included opening and closing doors, automatic removal of upper stories (like X-COM), graffiti and other damage to walls, animated coast lines, rolling 3D mountains, automatic transition between different floor types, and more. Written in Microsoft Visual C++ using MFC for Windows 95.
Software Engineer, AI/Gameplay

Visual Concepts

(Privately Held; Computer Games industry)

January 1993 — October 1994 (1 year 10 months)

• Designed game systems and programmed artificial intelligence for Dominus (PC), a real-time strategy game. Dominus combined aspects of Populous and Dungeon Keeper to create an immersive world full of interesting creatures. Designed systems for combining trap components, mixing spell components, interrogating prisoners, delegating responsibilities, etc. and programmed all artificial intelligence including searching, coordinated battles, retreat, interrogation of prisoners, commander intelligence, casting spells, etc. Written in Borland C++ for the PC. Published by U.S. Gold.
• Designed and programmed a standalone cinematic engine, on my own time for fun! It was later used in Dominus (which shipped in 1994). The program included delta animation for backgrounds, sprites, music/sound effects support, mouse support, and a comprehensive scripting language. The cinematic engine was written in Borland C++ and 80386 Assembly for the PC.
• Provided technical support for many published Visual Concepts games including John Madden Football '94, Bill Walsh College Football, ClayFighter, Mickey's Big Day and Lester the Unlikely.
Software Engineer

Epyx

(Privately Held; Computer Games industry)

March 1990 — January 1993 (2 years 11 months)

• Designed and programmed BattleNet (named before Blizzard published their famous game), on my own time just for fun. BattleNet is a multi-player, real-time battle simulation that runs over any file-sharing network and allows up to 14 players to play simultaneously (which we did every Wednesday night for over six months). BattleNet is similar to Command & Conquer in game play. BattleNet's many features include: Randomly generated or pre-designed maps, grouping units, allies, repairing/refueling pieces, producing new units, transports, aircraft carriers, anti-aircraft guns, launching missiles from subs, giving units to your allies, bulldozing terrain, custom configuration of all unit strengths/speeds/capacities and much more. Written in Turbo-C and 8086 Assembly for MS-DOS. Developer: Myself.
• Designed and programmed a top-down real-time maze shooter HeroNet on my own time just for fun. HeroNet boasted randomly generated maze-like maps with rooms and power-ups that multiple players could explore and fight in. There were power-ups like arrows, cloaks to make you invisible, boots for speed bursts, and fireballs to burn large sections of the maze (perfect for those "dead-end" passages). The players could run around and explore using a cool line of sight algorithm that effected both exploration, and visibility of enemy monsters and players. It used NetBios for communication. Written in Turbo-C and 8086 Assembly for MS-DOS. Developer: Myself.
• PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Upgrade a poster, greeting card and banner printing application named Print Magic / Studio of Greetings. The upgrade included a redesigned user interface, high resolution printing, and much more. Program was written in Microsoft C and 8088 Assembly.
Programmer/Analyst

Plourde Computer Services

(Computer Software industry)

August 1987 — March 1990 (2 years 8 months)

• Designed and coded POS applications for 4680 system including reports, user entry, Hi-Cone, and much more.
• Designed and programmed several applications including HelpDesk (a problem solving database written in compiled dBase III+) and a standalone Point of Sale Application written in Turbo C. Developer: Plourde Computer Services.

Tony Caton’s Education

Practical Work Experience (17+ yrs)

Computer Science , AI, OOP, Game play , 1985 — 2009

COURSE OF STUDY: Studied game programming, focusing on AI and game play since high school where I once cut classes and hitch-hiked 15 miles to try out a new BASIC compiler on a game my friends and I had written. I broke into the games industry by programming POS applications for 2.5 years and then greeting card programs for another 2.5 at EPYX, a real-life game company. My love of games was unrelenting and I finally got my big break at Visual Concepts.

Activities and Societies:

Fantasy writing--I've written 1,400 pages of a 1,000 page fantasy novel (I know the math is a bit off, but now I'm working on pruning which seems easier than writing).
Las Plumas

Math , Calculus, Geometry, Spanish, Chemistry, Calculus, Biology , 1980 — 1984

Additional Information

Tony Caton’s Websites:

Tony Caton’s Interests:

Learning AI in all its forms. From genetic programming or simulated annealing (learning before hand) to statistical analysis and pattern recording/recognition (learning on the fly). Fantasy writing. I've written 1,400 games of a thousand-page novel (just need to weed a bit and clean up). It exercises a different part of the brain writing novels!