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NAME

Ashley Stanley-Webb

ROLE

Games Programmer

EMAIL

ashley@stanleywebb.com

COVER LETTER GAME

Play my game for Rare

01

Hey there! My name is:

Ashley Stanley-Webb

(she/her)

I'm a 21-year-old games programmer currently studying Computer Games Technology as a second-year student at the University of Portsmouth. I've been very passionate about coding and gaming since I was very young. My independent learning journey has led me to proficiency in C#, Unity, and Blender, complemented by my university studies in Unreal Engine, C++, and Houdini.

“Ashley is an incredible, talented programmer and dedicated student I wholeheartedly recommend Ashley ... her academic achievements, unwavering passion for game development, and her strong work ethic make her an ideal candidate.”

-Adam Jerett
Lecturer, Computer Games Technology, University of Portsmouth

Skills

Unity Engine
- 30 Months Experience
- 4 Projects Completed
C#
- 36 Months Experience
- 5 Projects Completed
Unreal Engine (5)
- 18 Months Experience
- 2 Projects Completed
C++
- 6 Months Experience
- 1 Project Completed
MonoGame
- 6 Months Experience
- 1 Project Completed
Houdini
- 6 Months Experience
- 1 Project Completed
Notable Miscellaneous Skills:
  • Code Prototyping / Iteration
  • Asset Integration + Implementation
  • Forward-Thinking Code Infrastructure
  • Modelling in 3DSmax
  • Rigging + Animating in Blender

Past

I've been designing games for as long as I can remember, and I've been coding them into actuality since I was 14. Now that I'm 20, I mostly use Unity and Unreal and I have significant experience in 3D Artistry and Game Design.

Future

I've loved being an independent developer, but I currently see my future as an employee as part of a much larger company - and to diversify my portfolio and improve my experience, I see an internship as my next step.
Play my Cover Letter Game!

As for now...

I'm studying Games Technology at the University of Portsmouth, going proudly into my second year with outstanding grades.

Inspirations

  • 1. Outer Wilds
  • 2. Red Dead Redemption 2
  • 3. Monster Hunter: World
  • 4. Satisfactory
  • 5. Ark: Survival Evolved

About Me

I'll be upfront – although I've been programming for games in some serious regard for over 5 years, I have extremely little experience making a portfolio – I don't really know how to impress you!

However, I do know that programming is all about problem-solving: the mark of a good coder is the ability to find solutions efficiently and quickly.

As such, I would like to highlight 4 particular projects I've worked on, and explain the intricacies of their systems to showcase the levels of complexity that I'm comfortable with, as well as provide meaningful critique on my performance to show that even failures can lead to stronger code – which is also an essential skill for any developer to have.

Historically, I'm most familiar with Unity, but I'm studying Unreal Engine almost exclusively – so my familiarity with it can only grow from here. I also have experience with Python and Monogame, so I'm used to transferring my skills across multiple coding interfaces and engines.

My Projects

SolarSprite

SolarSprite features procedural and fully-destructible terrain generation, realistic orbital physics, and intuitive factory construction. As my first unguided foray into game development, it revealed itself to be too ambitious to finish – I planned to add enemies, as well as a natural start and end to the building system – but I ran out of time before pursuing University. It's still extremely impressive, and I can't wait to show it off to you.

Unity / C#

Play in your Browser! Source

TakeOut

TakeOut was a larger group project where the player is tasked with defending their café from a horde of enemies and cleaning it up before the café opens for business. I worked as the lead coder and the inventor of the “dirtying” system used for tallying the player's progress – TakeOut's entire Raison d'être! Working in a team of 10 caused many issues, but my contributions earned me a monumental 100% mark.

Unity / C#

Play in your Browser! Source

Ragdoll Rumble

Ragdoll Rumble is a fighting game featuring “silly” physics – I like to think it wears its inspiration from Gang Beasts on its sleeve. I worked as lead coder and lead game designer and was responsible for player movement with respect to the implementation of Ragdoll Physics, as well as stamina degradation and the gameplay-loop.

Unity / C#

Play in your Browser! Source

Tavern Game

As the Lead Games Programmer, I collaborate on an ambitious, extracurricular game project emphasising teamwork within my group of 5 developers, artists and producers (we call ourselves LittleLake), whilst working with a group of volunteer playtesters. We are pursuing this project through to professional distribution.

Unity / C#

Play in your Browser! Source

Experience

  • 2002 - 2014 Ashley was a pre-secondary school kid, spending her days designing additional levels for her favourite games, either on paper or in level creators, when she wasn't stressing over trifling quizzes.
    2002
  • 2014 - 2019 She moved on to secondary school, where she chose STEM subjects whenever granted the opportunity - leaving immediately after GCSEs with a 7 in Computer Science and Mathematics (among others).
    2014
  • 2019 - 2021 Pursuing A-Levels, she chose Computing, Maths and Physics - attaining an A, a B, and a C, respectively. She also took on an EPQ, picking a dissertation, getting her an additional qualification - with a grade of C.
    2019
  • 2021 - 2022 Brimming with inspiration after being in education for so many years, Ashley worked as a solo developer on her passion project SolarSprite - teaching herself Unity and Blender. She had the professional support of MTStudios to finance the hiatus from higher education.
    2021
  • 2022 - 2023 Ashley attended the University of Portsmouth, studying Games Technology, as she will continue to do until she graduates - taking a placement year if an opportunity for an internship arises.
    2022
  • 2023 - 2024 Never one to take a moment to rest, when Ashley was faced with spending a whole summer twiddling her thumbs, she also started working on an extra-curricular project with her peers for additional experience.
    2023

Why Rare?

The goal I aspire to achieve in life is to make games that inspire people and touch their hearts – and from my perspective, this is essentially Rare's mandate - "We create the kind of games the world doesn't have", but that's not all.

In recent years, we've seen companies across the globe turn to cheap, or even exploitative, monetisation practices and a general decline in the treatment of both consumers and employees – and faced with the prospect of becoming a programmer in this industry, I turned my eye to games I found the most heart in – both in its community and from its developers: and one of the most outstanding options was Rare! From nostalgia fostered for games long before my time to the love kindled in more recent titles like Sea of Thieves, Rare strictly sticks to its mission statement, which is profoundly respectable today.

Although I'm aware that talking about my experience as a consumer has almost no relation to my qualifications as an employee, I must speak of my connection to Sea of Thieves - I adore the game and have played for around 500 hours since day one, sailing around in a little sloop with my dad, searching for the illustrious Shores of Gold. Exploring each corner of the world, we were blown away and have many a tall tale to tell of our legendary adventures on the high seas! The game is incredibly inspiring.

I've also heard that the University of Portsmouth has a close relationship with Rare, with frequent visits and internship offers for their highly sought-after students. I even know an intern-turned-employee who joined you immediately after graduation!

Finally, Rare is very highly respected within the industry, and I could scarcely think of a more prestigious company to work for - and an internship with you would be a beyond-valuable experience, sure to kickstart my career in any endeavours I wish to pursue after my time with Rare is inevitably up, and an even more valuable, not to mention highly validating, learning experience.

Contact Me

If you like, you can get in touch with me using any of the methods below, or quickly ping me an email using the form. I'm excited to hear from you!

EMAIL: ashley@stanleywebb.com
PHONE: (+44) 7562 755 142
LINKEDIN: ashley-stanley-webb
DISCORD: sook.iii
ITCH.IO: sookiii

COVER LETTER GAME: Play my game for Rare
DOWNLOAD: My References
AND ALSO: My Curriculum Vitae