Aaron Hightower
10212 Red Bluff Lane
Ft Worth, TX 76177
[Send email using form at bottom]
(949)678-6534

Objective: 
Seeking Sr. Software Engineering position with special interest in video games
and entertainment software.

Skills:
C/C++
Windows, PC/DirectX, OpenGL,
Console and Embedded system development,
Linux, Perl, Awk, tcsh, bash,
File compression, cryptography, game toolchains,
build processes, cvs, svn, Perforce, gvim, emacs

Experience: 
Red 5 Studios, Irvine, California – April 2006 – February 2009
Responsibilities included vehicle physics programming, build scripts, Linux
server setup and network programming, threaded asynchronous input routines,
timing measurements and built-in tools for optimization of the rendering
pipeline.  Experience with pixel shader programming, and advanced graphics
programming.

UltraCade, San José, California – October 2004 – March 2006
Networking and user interface programming for NTRA Breeders’ Cup for coin-op. 
Lead Programmer for UltraPin pinball simulation and emulation.  Pinball selection
front-end application created from scratch in OpenGL.  Accelerometer programming
and working with PinMAME emulation software to implement video pinball with tilt
and nudging support of 12 original pinball games (including Attack from Mars,
FunHouse, and PinBot).

Naughty Dog / Sony, Santa Monica, California - July 2003 – October 2004
Vehicle physics programming and gameplay programming on Jak3 (third in the
series of Jak and Daxer games for the PS/2).  Programming traditional
platform-style gameplay.  Implemented hanglider mission with physics for
hanglider, turret target shooting mission, big city mission including aircraft
physics and enemy scripting, explosions and other graphical effects for thrusters
on spaceship.  Experience with compiled Lisp on PS/2 platform.  

Pacific Coast Power and Light / THQ, Santa Clara, California - October 2002 -
May 2003
Experience with Metroworks Codewarrior for PS/2, Perforce, Cygwin.   Implemented
all physics programming for this street motorcycle fighting, exploration, and
stunt game.  Used parts of existing code from MXSuperFly for PS/2 as a framework
for a new motorcycle physics model.  Physics implemented within a tiny budget
allowing for smooth 60Hz gameplay without sacrificing realistic feel or dynamic
visuals.

Tsunami Visual Technologies, Fremont California - December 2001 - October 2002
Experience with Microsoft Developer Studio 6 and large PC-based game projects. 
Ported MechWarrior IV for coin-op play.   Experience modifying a large codebase
(over 500,000 lines of code) for changes to MW4 for Tsunami’s proprietary coin-op
motion platform, encouraging the player to get better in order to play longer.  I
created a level-building system specifically for fast-action coin-op play that
allowed game designer to place AI and control AI parameters from an in-game
custom editor.   I modified DirectPlay network code in MechWarrior4 for coin-op
linking, and implemented custom networking code to supplement DirectPlay and
allow for typical countdown style arcade network linking.  While at Tsunami I
also assisted modification of Crimson Skies / PC for coin-op play.

Atari Games Coin-op / Midway Games West, Milpitas, CA - September 1997 -
December 2001 
Experience with local-area-network and wide area network linking.  Rewrote
networking routines to prevent link problems with original San Francisco Rush for
San Francisco Rush The Rock / Alcatraz Edition.  Wrote network functionality for
gameplay and linking for wide-area-linking on Rush Wavenet. Rush/Wavenet was
awesome and featured wide-area networked play between the Bay Area and the LA
area with 50 arcades.  Groundbreaking wide-area linked racing.  Became the lead
programmer for Rush 2049 and the Rush team.  Rush/2049 was Replay Magazine's #1
rated deluxe coin-op title based on earnings for 5 months straight following its
release. Made improvements to physics engine to allow more casual arcade gameplay
for Rush 2049.  Implemented play account system storing mileage and other player
bonus features for repeat play.  Received multiple patents for software in Rush
2049. Patents awarded for keypad in conjunction with arcade game and free-game
ghost car (beat the car, get a free game). Designed and implemented the Rush 2049
www high score system using SHA protected passwords for verification. I
implemented visibility testing algorithm to allow automatic creation of spatially
organized visibility lists to double the graphics performance in general allowing
for 60Hz gameplay.  Lead programmer for Rush 2049 Tournament Edition, and on
Custom Car Club (later renamed Nitro City) for PS/2.

Paradigm Simulation / Entertainment, Inc., Dallas, TX - August 1994 -- August
1997 
Designed and implemented many development tools and game content, including
Animation Editor (Quaternion based, C++, X/Motif, Edits and Imports 3D Studio and
Alias animations), file system (EA IFF'85), compression (lzw), and data
conversion tools (C++/perl) for UltraVision game library, Mecha-Hawk character AI
for PilotWings64, 3D particle effect, and many sound effects for PilotWings64.
Implemented integrated game development system utilizing C++, C, Perl5, and gnu
gdbm to allow instantaneous game data compiling and linking. Championed
development of rapid turnaround time game development methodology in use on all
games at Paradigm.   PilotWings64 was developed under direction of Shigeru
Miyamoto, with multiple Nintendo EAD employees on staff locally in Dallas to
oversee the product’s development.  Design was performed by Nintendo EAD in
Japan, and design documents were faxed from Japan.  Binary ROM images were
uploaded via ISDN modem to close the loop on the game development.


Visualization & Simulation Software design, Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX -
January 1992 - August 1994. 
Designed and implemented the visual component of the Arpa Reconfigurable
Simulator Initiative (ARSI). Gained experience with IRIX, Performer, GL, Flight
Format, Designer's Workbench, 3D Studio, model design, terrain generation, SGI
Audio Library, inter-process communication, Compiler Design, AWK, Perl, sed, sh,
tcsh. 

Computer Lab Operator, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. 
Experience with X, UNIX, GNU C Compiler, GNU C Debugger, TeX, TCP/IP, NFS, NIS
(YP), and network management. 

Rawks, published 1994 by Silicon Graphics, Mountain View, CA. 
Rawks is a four player game written in GL. It uses custom rendering
optimizations to allow 60Hz 1280x1024 real-time multi-player support on any class
SGI machine. Rawks uses the AWK programming language and a simple custom language
to allow extremely rapid development of new levels. I also created original
custom sound effects for this game. 

Advanced Wizard Construction Set, first publishing 1984 Progressive Peripherals
& Software, Denver, CO. 
AWCS is a level builder for a game for the Commodore-64 computer. AWCS was
picked up for a second publishing, Ultimate Wizard Construction Set, in 1986 by
Electronic Arts.

Titles:
Ultimate Wizard, 1986, Electronic Arts
PilotWings 64, 1996, Nintendo EAD
San Francisco Rush/Wavenet coin-op 1998, Atari Games
San Francisco Rush 2049 coin-op, 1999, Atari Games
San Francisco Rush TE coin-op, 2001, Atari Games (published as Special Edition
in 2004 by Betson)
Crimson Skies / TsuMo coin-op, 2002, Tsunami Visual Technologies
MechWarrior 4 / TsuMo coin-op, 2002, Tsunami Visual Technologies
WildStreets (sportbike stunt game unpublished), 2003, THQ
Jak and Daxter 3 (Jak3), 2004
NTRA Breeders’ Cup Tournament Edition coin-op, 2005, UltraCade
UltraPin video pinball, 2006, GlobalVR
Unpublished Title MMO from Red 5 Studios, unreleased as of 2009, Red 5 Studios

Education: Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Degree:    Bachelors of Computer Science with Electrical Engineering minor
(December 1992)

Courses:
   Networks, Graphics, Operating Systems, Compiler Design, Architecture,
   Advanced Architecture, Algorithms, C, AI, Circuits, Microprocessor
   System Design, Computer Interfacing.

GPA: Overall: 3.7   Major: 3.9 Minor: 4.0 (A == 4.00)
References: available upon request