Recognize that background? It's Conway's Game of Life!
Rules for "life":
Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbours dies, as if caused by under-population.
Any live cell with two or three live neighbours lives on to the next generation.
Any live cell with more than three live neighbours dies, as if by overcrowding.
Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbours becomes a live cell, as if by reproduction.
./About
Hi there, I'm Chad! A pragmatic programmer passionate about my craft: Game Development.
I've worked as a full stack developer focused on scaling game services, a gameplay engineer designing and building new features, and an engine/tools programmer implementing and optimizing core systems. As you can see, I like to wear lots of hats!
I've done research in the field of Artificial Intelligence focusing on Case-Based Reasoning and Reinforcement Learning. That work has been published and presented at the 2010 International Conference for Case-Based Reasoning and continues to be built upon today.
2010 also marks the release of my first public indie game Guess Phrase on the Android Marketplace (horrible programmer art and all). Since then I have continued to make games both professionally and in my spare time. I hack to learn, practice, create, and simply make things work.
When I am not sitting in front of a keyboard I am mountain biking. In 2014 I started racing ending the season winning the overall California Enduro Series. Since then, I've continued to challenge myself both physically and mentally racing various gravity and endurance race formats.
I am happily employed as a Technical Director at Electronic Arts and not actively pursuing any new opportunities at this time, but please feel free to keep in touch!
./Contact Details
Chad Mowery
Portland, OR
chad.j.mowery 'at' gmail 'dot' com
./Work
Electronic Arts
Technical Director • November 2021 - Present
Games: Currently working on an unannounced title
Electronic Arts
Lead Server Architect • April 2020 - November 2021
Games: Unannounced title
- Typescript, Nodejs, GCP
Super Evil Megacorp
Staff Engineer • March 2015 - April 2020
Games: Catalyst Black, Vainglory
- Designed and implemented a DataModel abstraction layer effectively decoupling data from code, enforcing data validation, and improving new feature velocity (Python).
- Spearheaded the Android launch of Vainglory. Transformed an incomplete port of the game to a launch ready title solo (C++, Java).
- Designed and implemented a complete constraint-based layout library for a proprietary UI system. Drastically reduced code bloat, improved maintainability, and moved the studio to a declarative UI philosophy (C++).
- Built 10+ fullstack game features including guilds, gacha, and player quests in an effort to level up game retention and improve monetization (Python, C++, Redis).
- Implemented software font rendering tech using the STB C library. Provided dynamic runtime glyph maps allowing our tech to leverage myriad typeface while enabling new language support in engine (C++, OpenGL).
- Re-designed and implemented client IAP abstraction layer for iOS and Android in an effort to provide a cleaner more extensible purchase API and enable third party storefronts in China (C++, Objective C, Java).
- Designed and implemented dynamic texture atlas support with full pipeline for packing, compositing, and writing atlas data into texture headers with runtime consumption (C++, Python).
- Implemented match simulation and tournament management tools improving internal/external developer workflows (Python, Javascript, HTML).
- Built a complete in game VoIP Client for Mac, Android, and iOS using the PJSIP C library. Included game to VoIP interface and low level star/mesh topologies (C++).
Machine Zone
Sr. Software Engineer • March 2012 - March 2015
Games Shipped: Game of War: Fire Age, Mobile Strike, Race or Die 2, IMob2
- Mentored new employees and lead junior developer game feature pods ensuring successful first deliverables.
- Conducted technical engineering interviews playing a major role in team staffing decisions and company scaling.
- One of three engineers to take Game of War from prototyping, to pre-production, production, and finally ship on two mobile platforms.
- Significant code contributions and ownership of over 20 game features and core systems in Game of War providing a high quality project codebase for future feature development (C++, Lua, PHP, MySQL).
- Designed and implemented a templated Entity Component System fundamentally changing our engine and game systems by decoupling data and logic. The outcome was much more cohesive engine services and cleaner game logic (C++, Lua).
- Implemented and optimized core game engine texture atlasing/packing (runtime), sprite batching, and 2d animation systems (C++, Lua, OpenGL).
- Built a debug command line interface for in game debugging and on the fly modifications/hot loading massively speeding up design, engineering, and QA iterations (C++, Lua).
- Implemented Spriter (boned sprites) runtime with custom shader and particle emitter attachment support enabling artists to create complex animations and effects in-editor (C++, OpenGL).
Machine Zone
Software Engineer• March 2011 - March 2012
Games Shipped: Global War, Original Gangsters
- Built a scalable, multi-title, server authoritative casino system including 7 mini games with full tool suite as a massive first deliverable (Objective C, PHP, MySQL).
- Designed and implemented the company’s first multi-title tutorial system complete with plug-able metrics support and tooling allowing designers to engage more players (Objective C, PHP, MySQL).
- Rebuilt core project bootstrapping and structure to facilitate rapid prototyping and quickly generate new projects without the need of engineering support.
- Designed and implemented multi-title player gifting features with support tools (Objective C, PHP, MySQL).
- Optimized entire game test suite runtime by 75% significantly speeding up automated build processes and developer productivity.
Visual Health Information
Software Engineer• May 2010 - March 2011
- Lead developer on a 10 year old ASP .NET ecommerce website port. Performed all necessary feature updates and deprecated API corrections effectively bringing the site up to 2010 standards.
- Co-built an interactive math proficiency testing web application for the Colorado Board of Education that tests and tracks student mathematics abilities and problem solving skills--a highly customer-facing product that is used daily by thousands of teachers, students, and district officials
- Maintained a large code base of 3D rendering services supporting complete automation of flash video files from raw model data with validation using a fully integrated audit process.
- Built new features and updated critical checkout/purchasing systems for the company’s core ecommerce site which provides the majority of revenue while keeping downtime to an absolute bare-minimum.
ManTech International Corporation
Software Engineer• September 2009 - May 2010
- Responsible for the design, coding, testing, and integration of new system services for a distributed SOA-based tool used for the acquisition and verification of communications in a military operating system.
- Maintained and refactored key system services and components producing a more stable code base, higher rates of product efficiency, and happier customers/users.
- Operated in an agile environment collaborating with multiple development teams keeping a strong focus on key features resulting in the development of highly disciplined cross-team APIs.
- Performed regular design, code, and test review sessions with team members which supported high code standards producing an extend-able and maintainable code base.
NewTec LLC
Software Engineer Intern• June 2009 - September 2009
- Acted as a software developer on a team of nine developers for a first-release developer tool deliverable.
- Responsible for the design, code, testing, and deployment of two major services in a scalable Service Oriented Architecture middleware operating environment.
- Designed, implemented, and tested a customer-facing user interface for an enterprise environment developer tool.
- Created and maintained developer-facing APIs for several mission-critical tools and services which ultimately enabled the team to be more productive and avoid milestone crunches.
- Imparted an emphasis on quality UML standard design documentation and test-driven design methodologies keeping the team organized and synchronized resulting in a successful final product.
Fred Meyer Distribution Center
Systems and Network Administrator• June 2006 - July 2008
./Education
University of Washington
Bachelor of Science, Computing and Software Systems (Magna Cum Laude) • 2010
With a focus on building computational worlds and Artificial Intelligence.
GPA: (Major) 3.93 (Overall) 3.87
./Publications
Online Micro-Level Decision Making in Real-Time Strategy Games: A Case-Based Reasoning and Reinforcement Learning Approach.
Citation:
Mowery, Chad., Spencer, Nathan., Bichendaritz, Isabelle. "Online Micro-Level Decision Making in Real-Time Strategy Games:
A Case-Based Reasoning and Reinforcement Learning Approach." ICCBR Workshops, July 2010.
This project was nominated and presented at the 2010 International Conference for Case-Based Reasoning
(ICCBR) in Italy and presents a novel approach to online adaptability of AI in RTS games.
Abstract:
The specialization of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques within the
gaming industry is becoming a fast growing field of study for academia and industry
developers alike. Many of the AI techniques used in modern video
games are unique to a gaming problem domain as game developers often face
the challenge of implementing their game AI with limited resources (game
frames, memory, and processor cycles), more so than traditional AI projects and
studies. However, due to the technological advancement of modern video game
consoles and PCs, previous AI techniques used in industry are quickly becoming
outdated and uninteresting to players. In this paper we outline a complete
AI system that utilizes Case-based Reasoning and Reinforcement Learning
components to provide new levels of player immersion. By utilizing real-time
learning with Case-based Reasoning we can give a new outlook on games artificial
intelligence as challenging and adaptive opponents for players.
This work addresses the limits of effective learning during online game play and suggests that the amount of learning needs to be carefully moderated using case generalization techniques as the amount of learning that is performed during play is shown to be inversely proportional to the overall problem solving efficiency in imperfect information game domains.
./Projects
GuessPhrase
A casual game based on the original Catch Phrase. It mixes elements of charades, taboo and hot-potato all into one game where each team must get their teammates to guess a word or phrase correctly without using any part of the word in a sentence or saying the word outright.
F***ing Roguelike
It's a mini Roguelike about the word F*** and ananas! Meant to be a total spoof on a few friends 'artistic' game designs. Built using Rotjs.
**Warning explicit language. Please do not play if you are sensitive to such things.**
Starcraft AI
An artificial intelligence project featuring a custom Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) module used for micro-level decision making operations. The CBR module's task is a challenging one. That is, to successfully observe new problems in it's environment and place them into "schemas" which are then used to categorize a problem/solution "case." As our AI plays games against opponents, it's ability to reason about problems and their solutions should (and do) become more and more defined effectively creating a game AI that adapts and learns while playing games of Starcraft. It is important to point out that the CBR module is designed to operate in a non-perfect information environment meaning that our AI only knows as much about it's game environment (or problem domain) as it can "see." Events that happen in the AI's "fog of war" go on un-observed. This CBR module is coupled with a Reinforcement Learning component and allows for "live learning" during gameplay as well as "offline" learning after matches. It enables the dynamic adjustment (weighting) of cases and solutions and the exploration/generation of entirely new case solutions to occur which is quite rare in most game CBR implementations. Each module is written in C++. This project has been nominated and presented at the 2010 ICCBR conference in Italy.
Artificial Intelligence
Zombies!
A 3D PC/Xbox 360 arcade style zombie survival game prototype where the player must fight off hordes of zombies and other nasty creatures racking up a large kill count and score. There is no end game, so the player is continually challenged with larger numbers of increasingly difficult enemies. Zombies! features 4 unique weapons including shotguns and flame throwers to combat 4 distinct enemy types--old school slow zombies, new school fast zombies, explosive suicide zombies, and hard to hit spider zombies.
Zombies! uses a game engine built entirely from scratch and required a focus on multiplatform development, reusable game engine designs, 3D graphics, and AI programming. It's an addicting game prototype with a lot of potential and was developed in less than 3 months with a team of 4 for a class project. Written in C# leveraging the Microsoft XNA framework.
PC Version (NOTE: requires .NET and XNA 3.1 redistributable to be installed and a video card that can render mipmaps which may not be in powers of 2.)
Surf Tetris
My vision of a Tetris clone featuring more challenging than normal gameplay (each level gets progressively harder--much more than most clones and the original). It features a water/surfing theme of my design. Other than that, this is your standard game of Tetris. This project was such an important experience as it allowed me to design and code my first decently sized game from the ground up using practical test-driven design methodologies. It was also my first experience designing game-specific user interfaces. Written in Java.
Browser Games
Mitch Says .com
A playful website dedicated to the funny things my dear friend Mitch says. Displays random un-edited quotes from Mitch with fancy text animations.
Mitch, thanks for all the laughs and don't ever change!
Lots of Random Code/Hacks/Projects
A hackspace I use to share works-in-progress and experiment with random stuff! Nothing is guaranteed to work ;)
Hackspace
bin.dungeon_crawl (Hackmud)
A dungeon crawler rogue-like I made inside of Hackmud. It's fully featured with monsters, traps, items, loot(!), leaderboards, and sweet ascii art!
@bin lovely game :) really makes me want to make one of my own now :P
derivatives
@bin nice game :D reminds me of zork
piixell
GamesSeems nice ^^ Like the chest art
start
./Hackspace
I hack a lot when prototyping game ideas and sometimes I dump interesting things here. Feel free to explore and/or take anything you find :D hacks.chad-mowery.com
./The Doge is a lie! :(
./Get In Touch.
Questions, comments, or cool projects? Drop me a message, but please keep in mind I am not currently persuing any new opportunities at this time.