[{"content":"Watch on YouTube\nWhat is it? #I paint miniatures. A lot. And I film it. You get to watch me do things like:\nPaint tiny plastic toys for tabletop games Figure out weird color combinations Complain about paint consistency Try techniques I\u0026rsquo;m not entirely sure will work Actually have them work (sometimes) It\u0026rsquo;s less \u0026ldquo;tutorial perfection\u0026rdquo; and more \u0026ldquo;here\u0026rsquo;s what I\u0026rsquo;m doing and why\u0026rdquo;.\nWhy I started this #I was already painting obsessively. Might as well document it. Turns out other people find this entertaining, which is wild.\nThe fun part #The comments. People trying techniques, sharing results, asking questions. The community that forms around the channel is genuinely cool.\nCurrent status #Ongoing hobby that somehow turned into something people subscribe to.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/board-with-paint/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Board with Paint"},{"content":"Play it here\nWhat is it? #Forget Wordle. This is a daily puzzle game where you chat with an AI that\u0026rsquo;s pretending to be\u0026hellip; something. Your job is to figure out both their identity and their \u0026ldquo;twist\u0026rdquo;—some weird thing about them.\nLike, today\u0026rsquo;s persona might be a bowling ball that thinks it\u0026rsquo;s a superhero on a mission to defeat supervillains (aka the pins). You ask questions, the AI responds in character, and you try to guess both pieces.\nWhy I built it #I wanted to mess around with Gemini\u0026rsquo;s LLM capabilities in a fun way. Most AI stuff feels either too utilitarian or too try-hard. But what if you just made a game where the AI character was funny and weird? Where the whole point is to have a conversation and see if you can figure them out?\nThe fun part #The personas are wonderfully absurd. Sometimes it\u0026rsquo;s a famous person with a twist, sometimes it\u0026rsquo;s an inanimate object with delusions, sometimes it\u0026rsquo;s something entirely made up. The AI plays along perfectly, which is part of the charm.\nThe technical side # Gemini LLM doing the heavy lifting for the conversation Daily puzzle generation (so there\u0026rsquo;s a reason to come back) Pretty straightforward React frontend Enough backend to track your streaks and let you share results Current status #In Beta - go check it out!\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/personas/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Personas"},{"content":"Play it here\nWhat is it? #Have you ever wondered what would happen if a brilliant scientist, a wisecracking cartoon rabbit, and a legendary action hero all tried to film a movie together? Now you can find out! The Scene is a single-player, rogue-like deck-builder where you assemble a cast of iconic characters from across the pop-culture universe. Your goal is to combine their unique talents and personalities to create a masterpiece of entertainment.\nGameplay # Why I built it #I had been percolating on the idea of a card game where you could mash up people and characters from throughout history, pop culture, and fiction for over 10 years. I finally decided to try to build something out of it.\nThe technical side # Full game engine handling deck-building, run generation, and progression Character talent system that creates weird synergies Free-to-play setup that doesn\u0026rsquo;t feel gross Current status #Currently in alpha. Testing and refining the core gameplay loop and character balance.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/the-scene/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"The Scene"},{"content":"A fully-realized recreation of a classic platformer, demonstrating deep understanding of game design and implementation.\nPlay it here\nDemo Video # What is it? #I rebuilt the original 1987 NES Castlevania from scratch using Godot. It\u0026rsquo;s a labor of love driven by childhood nostalgia—that game meant something to me, and I wanted to understand how it all fit together using modern technology.\nThe result is a faithful recreation that respects the original\u0026rsquo;s design while making thoughtful improvements. Better visuals, actual rotation for spinning weapons, camera shake effects—the stuff the original couldn\u0026rsquo;t do. Without access to the original source code, some mechanics are approximations based on careful observation, but the goal was always to honor the game rather than replace it.\nEarly Development Showcase # Why this project? #It\u0026rsquo;s about preserving gaming history by thoughtfully adapting a classic for modern technology. Understanding why a 37-year-old game still feels incredible to play. And proving that Godot is a serious platform for indie developers.\nWhat I\u0026rsquo;ve learned # How to structure a 2D platformer in an engine Animation state machines and transitions The importance of feel (you can\u0026rsquo;t just eyeball these numbers) That some design decisions feel arbitrary until you play the original for 6 hours Deep Dive #For detailed information about the project, design decisions, and implementation, see the full project documentation.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/castlevania-godot/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Castlevania on Godot"},{"content":" A web tool for managing combat in Divinity Original Sin: The Board Game\nWhat is it? #Managing combat in Divinity gets complicated fast. Multiple characters, status effects, initiative tracking—it\u0026rsquo;s a lot to keep track of on a physical board with just a notepad.\nThis tool centralizes all of it. Track turns, health, status effects, initiative order. Everything you need during a combat encounter without flipping through the rulebook or doing mental math.\nWhy I built it #Playing board games shouldn\u0026rsquo;t require a spreadsheet. But also, some things benefit from being digital. Combat tracking is one of them. This lets you focus on strategy instead of bookkeeping.\nThe technical side # React native frontend (responsive, works on tablets) LocalStorage for persistence Pretty straightforward data model Current status #Works great for our game group. Probably useful if you play Divinity.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/divine-helper/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Divine Helper"},{"content":"View on Printables\nWhat is it? #Free 3D models you can print for miniature painting and board games. Paint racks, board game organizers, storage solutions. Stuff that solves actual problems when you have a hobby.\nI design them, print them myself to make sure they don\u0026rsquo;t suck (too much), then publish them so other hobbyists can use them too.\nSamples #Dead Reckoning Console # Multiboard Paint Rack # Why I do this #If you\u0026rsquo;re painting or gaming seriously, you accumulate a lot of stuff. And it gets messy. Better to have it organized. Some things are hard to find or overpriced to buy, so designing and sharing makes sense.\nThe designs # Paint racks that actually hold paint bottles without tipping Board game organizers for specific games Generic containers for bits Current status #Lots of people have printed these. That\u0026rsquo;s pretty cool.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/3d-printing/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"3D Printing Models"},{"content":"Various games built for Ludum Dare competitions\nWhat is it? #Ludum Dare is a 48-hour game jam where you build a complete game from scratch with a theme constraint. I\u0026rsquo;ve entered several times.\nThe fun part is the constraint and the deadline. You don\u0026rsquo;t have time to overthink things, so you ship what works.\nThe games #Gaia Hero (Ludum Dare 44) #View on Ludum Dare\nHarmonize your planet\u0026rsquo;s ecosystem with this weird mixture between Guitar Hero and a nature simulation.\nThe 723rd Aeroborne Dragoons (Ludum Dare 46) #View on Ludum Dare\nYour airship is going down! Run around like a headless chicken trying to fix it. Supports multiplayer (might not work anymore, though).\nDemolition Viking Man (Ludum Dare 49) #View on Ludum Dare\nYou are a viking. The robots are after you. Obviously your only recourse is to lure the robots near buildings and blow them up!\nWhy I do this #Game jams force you to finish things. You don\u0026rsquo;t have 6 months to second-guess every decision. You make a decision, implement it, ship it. That constraint is weirdly liberating (and insanely stressful, why do I do this again?).\nCurrent status #I do these occasionally when I have the time and energy.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/game-jam/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Game Jam Entries"},{"content":"View on GitHub\nWhat is it? #A tiny JavaScript bookmarklet that clears your IKEA shopping cart instantly. Because clicking through IKEA\u0026rsquo;s interface to empty a cart is weirdly tedious.\nYou drag it into your bookmarks, then click it while on IKEA\u0026rsquo;s site. It removes everything from your cart. That\u0026rsquo;s it.\nHow to use #Drag this to your bookmarks bar:\n📦 Empty IKEA Cart\nThen navigate to IKEA and click the bookmark while on your cart page.\nSource code #(function () { let i = setInterval(() =\u0026gt; { let e = document.querySelector(\u0026#39;button[aria-label*=\u0026#34;Remove\u0026#34;]\u0026#39;); if (e) e.click(); else clearInterval(i); }, 600); })(); Why I built it #I was clearing my cart a lot after building a kitchen and got tired of the clicks. JavaScript bookmarklets are this weird, underrated browser feature, so I made one to solve a real annoyance.\nCurrent status #Works great, at least last time I checked.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/ikea-cart-emptier/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"IKEA Cart Emptier"},{"content":" What is it? #An interactive Christmas movie advent calendar. Select 25 Christmas movies from The Movie Database, and the app randomizes them and displays them as ornaments on a Christmas tree. Click each decoration throughout December to reveal your movie for that day.\nWhy I built it #A fun way to gamify holiday movie watching. Instead of just picking a movie each day, this creates an interactive experience that builds anticipation as you reveal each day\u0026rsquo;s film.\nThe concept #The app integrates with The Movie Database (TMDB) to let you curate your own list of 25 Christmas movies. Once selected, it randomizes them across a visual Christmas tree, turning your advent calendar into an interactive ornament hunt. Each day from December 1-25, you click an ornament to discover which movie you\u0026rsquo;ll be watching.\nTech #Built with TMDB API integration to provide a rich library of movies. The randomization and visual tree layout create an engaging advent calendar experience.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/christmas-advent/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Christmas Movie Advent Calendar"},{"content":" Play Mystery at the Feis\nWhat is it? #An interactive fiction adventure created with Twine, featuring an Irish Dance competition mystery. You navigate through choices and branching storylines to solve the puzzle.\nWhy I built it #I built this primarily for my kids—my daughters are Irish dancers—as a way to explore interactive fiction and Twine. I wanted to create something that celebrated their passion for Irish Dance while giving them an interactive story set in a world they know and love. It was also a fun way for me to experiment with branching narrative design.\nThe technical side #Built with Twine, an interactive fiction engine. The narrative branches dynamically based on player choices, creating multiple paths and endings through the story. It was my first project diving into interactive fiction and narrative design.\nWhat makes it unique #A personal project built specifically for my family, grounded in the real world of Irish Dance competitions. The story draws on authentic details from that culture, making it feel genuine to dancers and their families while introducing interactive fiction to an audience who might not typically encounter it.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/mystery-feis/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Mystery at the Feis"},{"content":"","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories"},{"content":"A collection of my creative and technical projects showcasing game development, interactive media, utilities, and visual arts.\n","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/projects/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Projects"},{"content":"","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags"},{"content":"I build things. Some are games, some are tools, some are just for fun.\nGreetings! #I\u0026rsquo;ve been making software for over 20 years; 16 of those at Google working on all sorts of things. But outside of that, I get obsessed with weird side projects—whether that\u0026rsquo;s building games, creating tools to solve stupid little problems, or figuring out how to use AI in creative ways.\nThis site is a collection of those projects. Some turned into actual games people play. Some are just experiments that taught me something. All of them were more fun to build than they probably should have been.\nThings I\u0026rsquo;ve Made #Check out my projects to see what I\u0026rsquo;ve been up to. The main ones:\nBoard with Paint – My YouTube channel where I paint miniatures. Turns out people enjoy watching me do this. Personas – A daily AI-powered puzzle game. Chat with a mystery character, guess who they are. The Scene – A deck-building game about creating entertainment with pop culture characters Castlevania on Godot – Recreating a classic game to understand why it\u0026rsquo;s so good Plus a bunch of other experiments – All the other side projects and experiments ","date":null,"permalink":"https://tonycasale.net/","section":"Tony Casale","summary":"","title":"Tony Casale"}]