Frame Advance Productions

About

Hi, I'm Charles Eubanks, an independent software developer located in Southern California. Frame Advance Productions is the sole proprietership where I hang my many hats.

Below, you can find out a bit about me and my professional background. Thanks for visiting!

                Current Project
                
                        Frontal Globe (Coming soon for iPad and iPhone)

                        Do you want to learn the countries of the world?  U.S. states? Canadian provinces and territories? Capital cities?  Never fear, Frontal Globe is here to geo-train your brain!  In no time, you'll be wowing your friends with your geographical prowess.  For more info, please visit the official Frontal Globe website.

Past Contract WorkAs an independent contractor, I've worked on a variety of projects for several clients.  Much of the work I've done is still under NDA, but here are a few I'm able to talk about.

                        Guitar Godz VR (2017, Oculus Rift and PS4VR)

                        A VR music game similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, developed for Flow State Media. I served as the Technical Director, and was the sole programmer on the project. Over the course of five months, I worked with a small team of artists to develop a fully-functional prototype that ran on Oculus Rift, PS4VR, and Vive GearVR. This project is currently seeking investors, and was recently featured on VentureBeat.
                    
                        Urban Fighter (2013, iPad and iPhone)

                        A humorous fighting game for iOS, developed for Lazy Rabbit Games, LLC.  I served as the Technical Director, and was the primary code architect. You can download it now on the iTunes Store.

Past Studio WorkPrior to becoming an independent developer, I had the pleasure of working on several high-profile titles at Rockstar Games and Angel Studios.  Here is a sampling of the projects I contributed to during that time.

                        Red Dead Redemption (2010, Xbox 360 and PS3)

                        Rockstar's critically lauded sequel to Red Dead Revolver. I served as a Senior Animation Programmer, and was the technical lead for the physically animated stunt man behaviors (in collaboration with the immensely talented folks at NaturalMotion), as well as the horse control/animation system. I also did my best to reduce artist suffering by improving several studio pipeline tools.
                    
                        Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (2006, Xbox 360)

                        This started off as a tiny, experimental project, but soon evolved into a launch title for Xbox 360. I developed the swing control/animation system, based loosely on this SIGGRAPH paper by Kovar/Gleicher. I also snuck away from a company party one night and, on a whim, wrote the slow-motion replay system, which eventually ended up being featured heavily in the game's trailer.
                    
                        Spy Hunter 2 (2003, PS2 and Xbox)

                        When Midway Games decided to reboot the popular arcade franchise for the PS2, they hired Angel Studios for the job. I was tapped for the position of Lead Programmer, and also developed the ghost replay system and several pipeline/production tools. (Fun fact: one such tool was dubbed the "underwear cam," because it allowed designers to select objects "under where" the camera was. Ahaha.) It was about halfway through this project that Rockstar acquired Angel Studios.
                    
                        Smuggler’s Run 2 (2001, PS2)

                        This was a war/terrorism themed follow-up to Smuggler's Run, and I was once again the Lead Programmer. Tragically, during production of this title is when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. As proud as I am of what my team was able to achieve, this is when I first experienced the cognitive dissonance between "edgy" entertainment and real-world tragedy, and I began questioning what sort of games I want to make.
                    
                        Smuggler’s Run (2000, PS2)

                        The folks at Rockstar Games were apparently so impressed with Midtown Madness (probably because of my voice work as "screaming pedestrian"), they contracted Angel Studios to develop two new driving games: Midnight Club and Smuggler's Run. I was the Lead Programmer, and wrote most of the gameplay logic. (Special shout-out to the art team for christening the tallest peak "Eubanks Mountain.")
                    
                        Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest (1999, Nintendo64)

                        I was offered the position of Lead Programmer for this sequel, and did my best to improve the development process and minimize crunch. I'm proud to say, this is the first title our studio managed to complete on time and on budget.
                    
                        Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr. (1998, Nintendo64)

                        My first gig as a game programmer! I joined this project about 1/4 of the way into production, to write the stats/schedule system. I also created my first Easter egg: two hidden teams, whose rosters were filled with Nintendo and Angel Studios employees. (I'm #27, playing left field.)

FAQ

Are you available for freelance work? Possibly! Due to the unpredictable nature of freelance work, my availability tends to fluctuate. Try contacting me via the links below.
What do you charge? This is also hard to pin down, because I try to work within the budget of my clients. But one common thread is that I charge by the hour, not by the project.
Where's your blog? Sadly, my blog became stale and crusty, and had to be thrown out. If there's enough interest, I may resume blogging at some point in the future.
Where's your illustration work? For a time, I was focusing my attention on children's book illustration. Although I'm no longer pursuing this as a career, you can find some of my past work here.