Tony Oakden: Charlie Dog Games
Name: Tony Oakden
Company: Charlie Dog Games
Profession: Programmer, Game Designer, Teacher, Producer
Favorite Classic Game: Exile
Quote: Exile first appeared on the BBC Micro in 1988 and later on the Amiga. It’s one of only a handful of games to score 10/10 in Edge magazine. Years ahead of it’s time it uses physics, emergent AI and procedurally generated environments to create a massive world in which an adventure takes place. I loved playing it back in the 80s and still enjoyed it a few years ago when I replayed it on an emulator. Just brilliant. I think the author is working on a mobile version.
Bio: Tony became interested in computer programming and games as a hobby in the early 1980’s but that soon became an obsession and a career. His experiences began with the first home computers and continued as hardware matured through 6 generations to the super consoles of today. He has worked on a huge range of projects from one man indie games up to very large AAA titles. His best know credits are for producer on the PC version of Bioshock and programmer on the Playstation version of Driver 1. Tony has developed games for many different platforms including: PC, Playstation 1, Xbox360 and Android. He continues to develop games for mobile devices and currently has three games available for download from the Android store published by his own company “Charlie Dog Games”. His Android games will soon be available on IOS.
He has developed serious games for applications such as marketing, resource management in the mining sector training and mental health nursing. His clients include: BHP Billiton and Fuso trucks.
From a technological stand point Tony stays abreast of modern trends and uses a variety of tools and middleware for his work. He is interested in all aspect of virtual world and game development but he is deeply interested in the procedural generation of large complex worlds and AI ecosystems. He hopes to release a game based on these ideas sometime in the future.
Tony also teaches programming to second year Advance Diploma and degree students at the AIE. Through teaching he hopes to pass his knowledge and enthusiasm onto the next generation of game developers so that they will get as much pleasure from the industry as he has.
Project: Tilt and Swipe
Project Info: Can you Tilt? Can you swipe? If yes then you can play this amazing new puzzle game! It combines physics, skill and puzzle solving. You’ll need manual dexterity, quick wits and puzzle solving skills to get through the 40 levels. The game, and the first three sets of levels, are free for the first twenty minutes, then if you like it you might want to buy it.
Controls are simplicity itself. Twist and turn the phone/tablet to roll the balls about in the box. Once you have two or more balls touching you can remove them by swiping over them with your finger. Remove three or more for a score bonus! But watch out, if you accidentally leave a lone ball behind then the level can’t be completed and it’s game over! It’s simple, novel and completely addictive. Anyone can do it.
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