Sean O'Dowd

Designer and Developer
Based in Melbourne, Australia.

An Interior Design Dream

Developer & UX Designer

Where?

Design Screenshot! Design Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Just a few of us in a small studio within Melbourne!

What is it?

A mindful design game, about humans and their space.

How was it made?

Built in Unity3D with the best practices championed by an excellent technical lead, Addressable Assets for tight memory management, ReWired for input management, Objective-C for deep OS services integration and device features (such as Apple's Haptic Engine), Figma for prototyping the User Experience, as well as bunch of elbow grease to simultaneously launch on console, mobile and desktop platforms.

So incredibly relaxing

The Graveyard

Developer & Designer

Where?

Graveyard Screenshot! Graveyard Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Not quite! It's just me toiling away in Unity, however, development is supported by an incredible community on Twitch lead by Cody Hargreaves, who commissions members to contribute art and data.

What is it?

A deathly experience of the Excessive Profanity broadcast.
Executioners are on the hunt to amass a headcount of trolls by nominating them for execution. All executed are forever immortalised with their last words in this virtual graveyard.

How was it made?

Built in Unity3D, I used TwitchLib for documented Twitch API's, WebSockets for everything else. HDRP and Cinemachine for rendering and sequencing. Google Apps API for no-fuss data and configuration management.

Over 900 executions thus far

I Think You Should Stop Typing

Developer & Designer

Where?

I Think You Should Stop Typing: Screenshot! I Think You Should Stop Typing: Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Completely solo! Illustration, design, programming and sound design - all me.

What is it?

An educational typing, comedy game. Coming soon to a PC and tablet near you.

How was it made?

Built in Unity3D, I used the Universal Render Pipeline to maximise platform compatibility, Inverse Kinematics for procedural animations, leveraged OS Input drivers for reading deep keyboard events, Inkle for storytelling and game-flow, Procreate for illustration, SteamWorks for platform integration, and VADAR Sentiment Analysis in tandem with my lexical parser for understanding a player content

Soon to be released

A UFO Game

AR and Gameplay Developer

Where?

UFO Screenshot! UFO Screenshot!

How?

Team?

A small team of people with ambitions beyond belief, and a story you're going to want to sit down for.

What is it?

This project was my darkest experience of the Game Industry. Even so, we built an augmented reality photography experience, set in locations across the world, playable on console, mobile and desktop.

How was it made?

Unity3D as the engine, ARKit for wild UFO hunting, ReWired for input management, a custom rendering pipeline for incredible visual fidelity and Xcode for profiling.

A monumental challenge

Calamari Kid

Developer & Designer

Where?

Calamari Kid Screenshot! Calamari Kid Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Just an incredible artist and I.
This was the first game I self published!

What is it?

A novel arcade treasure hunting mobile game. Traverse the ocean with original music, hundreds of levels, power-ups and enemies.
Free to download on the App Store

How was it made?

Built atop of Unity3D, I used Flatbuffers for resilient data serialisation, Native Objective-C for utilisation of device specific features, UGUI for User Interface scripting, TexturePacker for efficient sprite sheets and memory management, Post Processing v2 for visual fidelity, Google Sheets API for real-time localisation patching and configuration management. I heavily extended the Unity Editor so we were able to quickly iterate levels and build out a width breadth of content.

App Store's Game of the Day

Accounting+

VR Developer

Where?

Accounting+ Screenshot! Accounting+ Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Berlin based, Crows Crows Crows in collaboration with Justin Roiland. Featuring guests such as Rich Fulcher, Cassie Steele, Reggie Watts, Dan Harmon and many more!

What is it?

A virtual reality horror nightmare comedy game.
Available on Oculus, Playstation VR and SteamVR.

How was it made?

Utilising Unity3D, OVR and NewtonVR for gameplay interactions; UGUI for UI development, FaceFX for lip syncing to improvisational dialogue, a complicated web of UnityEvents for level logic, and a whole heap of oat cappuccinos.

Webby 2019 Award Winner

EAT: THE REVOLUTION

Developer & Designer

Where?

Eat Screenshot! Eat Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Berlin based, Crows Crows Crows.

What is it?

Post apocalyptic eating simulator, virtually feeding over 1 million people on both iOS and Android.

How was it made?

Built in 3 days using Unity3D, Post Processing v2 for visual fidelity, Brownian Algorithms for animations, Scriptable Objects for gameplay data

Featured in Food & Wine

WITHIN VR

iOS Developer

Where?

Within Screenshot! Within Screenshot!

How?

Team?

L.A based WITHIN & Twisted Oak Studios

What is it?

An augmented reality video player for VR films; showcasing content from Sundance Films, The New York Times, and documentaries from the U.N. Available on every platform imaginable.

How was it made?

A heavy mix of native and Unity3D development made for an impressive experience on a wide range of iPhones. Google Cardboard was utilised for the headset, WebSockets for data synchronisation, UGUI for UI development, and the Accelerometer & Gyroscope synced the viewfinder to a Ultra HD 360 Video Feed

Best of Google Cardboard

Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger and The Terribly Cursed Emerald:
A Whirlwind Heist

Lead Developer

Where?

Dr. Langeskov Screenshot! Dr. Langeskov+ Screenshot!

How?

Team?

Berlin based Crows Crows Crows in collaboration with writer Jack De Quidt, composer Grant Kirkhope, and voice actor Simon Amstell.

What is it?

An exciting heist game! Or a really funny, clever game?
Check it out, it's free on both PC and macOS.

How was it made?

With Unity3D and an architecture built on UnityEvents for dispatching level events, Probuilder for level design, Mechanim for animating props, DOTween and UGUI for UI development, UFPS for the Camera Controller, SteamWorks for platform integration

Reviewed: Very Positively

That's all!?

Nope! I've been in Software Development for almost 10 years

I've designed websites for hospitals, financial planners, hobby groups, you name it. Beyond web, I'm designing and programming native Windows and macOS applications, managing servers, writing micro-services for game networking, interactive discord bots for managing household finances, and even creative tools to give people new online identities.

I am always learning

Not only do I keep up to date with technology, I take on hobbies which are tangential to my craft and learn more about the world around me.

So where next

Maybe you'll be a part of the journey? I'm always open to new opportunities and would love to chat!

From those who have hired me

William Pugh

Founder & Creative Director of Crows Crows Crows

Sean O'Dowd has enriched my life and my business tremendously. He is not a rockstar engineer, but he enabled me to create some of my best work. His optimism and great spirit, layered on-top of a bedrock of excellent technical knowledge leaves him as one of the best employees I've ever had. Please do not hire him as I want to get him back!

Cody Hargraves

Founder & Host of Excessive Profanity

Working with anyone in an online environment can be challenging, as many have discovered first hand in the recent wake of COVID19, but Sean makes it effortless by somehow being both available at a moment's notice for matters that require fast, immediate attention, and simultaneously and poignantly aware of the need to maintain a structured and disciplined schedule to ensure that the core workload of a project can be completed to the highest standard of quality with a fresh mind and positive outlook.

Ken Wong

Founder & Creative Director of Mountains

It was a real pleasure working with you, Sean! Your curiosity and knowledge were a constant inspiration to me. Thank you so much for everything you did for Mountains.

Skills

Select an area of interest

  • Deep understanding of .NET Optimisation and Unity3D Technology (IL2CPP, SRP, ECS)
  • Creating GLSL shaders and Compute Shaders, as well as using node based editors.
  • AI Programming for use in gameplay pathfinding and behaviour
  • Aggregating Feedback and Research to create informed decisions
  • Using Machine Learning and Google Collaborate for content development and large datasets
  • Emphasising User Experience through micro-interactions and animation
  • A passion for best practices and maintainable architecture
  • A focus on empathetic communication and design
  • Aggregating Feedback and Research to create informed designs
  • Design solutions educated by a deep understanding of technical production

Want me to join your team?

hellospam@odowd.co

Alternatively

Freelance Services

I can come onto a project without a defined term or budget.

Subject to availability, I charge $150 AUD per hour for...