Hello, world. I am Edward Barton.
I am a Software Engineer living in the United Kingdom with a love for tech, and all things programming.
About Me
I am an early-career Software Engineer based in the United Kingdom with over a year of professional experience working on backend Commerce solutions. Originally coming from a largely self-taught background before graduating with first-class honors in Computer Science from the University of Staffordshire, my interest in Technology and Programming started with Game Development before expanding into the Tech industry as a whole. My interest in the field covers many areas and disciplines, but currently, I work in backend over at Codeweavers.
My love for technology comes from both the ingenuity and human factor that contributes to its existence, as well as the potential it has to help empower others to achieve great things. I strongly believe in the idea of having a Growth Mindset and am beyond driven to perform at the highest level I can as a Developer so that I can encourage others into doing the same. I may be early-career, but I still treasure any opportunity I can to pass on knowledge to others when the chance presents itself.
Work
When it comes to the projects I end up working on, finishing them often come with so many stories to tell about how it was made, both for better and worse. It could be about some new concept that I’ve decided to explore, what struggles had to be overcome in order to get the job done, or just about why I decided to tape a Raspberry Pi to a wall. I genuinely love what I do and the things that I have worked on, and am always excited to talk about them to anyone who is willing to listen and provide their own input especially.
Ahri
Web-scraping Discord bot written in Python that automatically checks for and posts new League of Legends patch notes.
Darius Editor
Grid-based level editor for Destruction Darius 3D written in C# which allows users to create, play or share their own levels.
"Fresnel"
Proof-of-concept web dashboard for producing mood lighting effects on LIFX smart bulbs using dominant media colours. Created using JavaScript, C++ and WebAssembly for my dissertation project at Staffordshire University.
BaseTrainer
Number base system focused question generator and revision tool written in Python to help study for a Digital Technologies exam.Writings
On rare occasions, I also write about anything that I think might be interesting to share, whether it be a particular technical aspect of a project I am proud of, or some kind of topic I've been reflecting on within programming and tech as a whole. If it has the potential to start a discussion between me and my peers, I like to try and see if there is a way I can write about it.
Using Web Scraping to Create a Patch Notes Bot in Python
An exploration of my Ahri bot project which covers the implementation of core program logic, as well as the steps taken in deployment to allow it to function continually off an unsupervised device.
"Proper Languages": Who Does This Help?
A critique of the concept of "proper" technologies in programming spaces and their potential role in perpetuating gatekeeping towards newcomers.
Code it to Learn it: Using Programming as a Study Tool
A reflection on my time spent working on BaseTrainer and the usefulness of programming as a means to help understand new concepts being learned or studied.
Digitizing Sprites and Textures Through Code for DOOMify
A technical article which explores DOOMify and describes the logic behind the color quantization algorithm that it relies on.Game Work
Like a lot of others, I actually ended up getting my start in programming because I wanted to learn how to make my own games when I was a kid. I originally cut my teeth playing around with the odd game-making tool here and there when I was younger, but once I was introduced to Object-Oriented Programming in college, it opened up a much wider range of possibilities to me, and it all became downhill from there. While I have since chosen to move on from the Games Industry in a professional capacity over into Tech, there is nothing still stopping me from creating something here and there if I ever feel like it, and like the rest of my other projects, I feel that each game made still has lasting value in the challenges I had to overcome to make them.
Starship
3D endless runner style game created using C++, OpenGL and OpenGLUT for a first-year assignment at Staffordshire University.
RGzomB
2D retro-style arcade game created using Unity and C# that features basic enemy behaviour states and dynamic scaling of pixel-perfect graphics on the fly.
(not) Mario Bros.
Mario Bros. clone created for a first-year assignment at Staffordshire University using C++ and SDL that features local multiplayer and highscores between game sessions.
Destruction Darius 3D
3D remake of 3kliksphilip's Destruction Darius created in Unreal Engine 4 using blueprints, complete with custom level functionality.
Pacman
Pacman clone created for a first-year assignment at Staffordshire University using their bespoke S2D library and C++.