The first part of my reply probably sounded snippier than I intended - sorry.
In summary - yes, leading edge game dev is hard, so Gabe can moan about it being made harder, but on the other hand, if it was easy, anyone could do it, so maybe not so much with the complaints.
My reading between the lines based on my experience in the games industry means I heard Gabe's complaints as "Wow, I really hope the dev tools don't suck."
The entire game industry apparently can't figure out how to make sound and video run in separate threads
You've got some sort of evidence to back up this assumed truism, have you?
Before you answer, consider that for example, on a PS2, the sound is handled by a different CPU anyway, so you can't avoid having multi-process code for sound/syncing.
Games do have some difficult problems to solve, to maximise performance, so while you don't mean to belittle the game dev community, you probably are anyway. They usually involve trade-offs - e.g. you want to animate a character's vertices, but due to your parallel architecture, that data is currently being used to render the character. So you have to double buffer the data...but that uses up pretty significant resources...so you might have to come up with some complex interlocking mechanism. Oh, and you're also trying to run the AI at the same time in this parallel world, which probably needs to know the current position/orientation of the character, not what it was for the previous frame, etc. Physics too, maybe. Have fun with that.
That's not to say Gabe's complaints are all that valid though. Technology changes, and you move on, as you say.
It's just a pain when you have a large code base that is hard to port (through no particular fault of your own). Direct3D issues are pretty small compared to re-architecting your system to run on 7 cpus instead of one.
I still remember when a few guys came back from a Sony conference, and said that Sony's advice for performance optimisation was to not use C++, because the EE was piss-poor at running it, due to the tiny I/D caches. Apparently on most PS2 games, the EE was idle/stalling for about 50% of the time due to C++ usage patterns.
Of course, most engineers' reaction to that was, why did they build a console that would run C++ code poorly, when they knew the majority of devs would use C++?
I think Gabe is fearing a similar situation with the PS3. Having experienced Sony's idea of what constituted 'development tools' for the PS2, I'd probably be worried too, if I was in his shoes.
I'm sure that's a great comfort when someone's cut your finger off to get past a biometric system.
I mean, you'd be sitting there trying to staunch the flow of blood as they run off with your finger, chuckling to yourself, and muttering "Those fools. They don't even know it won't work. What a bunch of idiots. I'm way smarter than them."
it costs nothing to receive a 'phone call or text.
Good news everyone! You can receive 'reverse charge' texts in the UK now! Yet another reason not to give any company your mobile number.
See this news story for an example - although I have to admit, I had real trouble digging up any sympathy for anyone who ordered the Crazy Frog ringtone (see the comment from 'Gemma, Lancashire' below the story, and then the comment immediately following it:->). That's just a form of evolution in action, I'm afraid.
there's no way for icons that u cant get rid of, it's called shift+delete.
Are you still refering to Linux there, or Windows?
If you mean Windows, then the software for my Dad's HP camera (or is it for his scanner?) installs an icon on the desktop that [a] is 100% useless - it's some Share-To-Web virtual folder crap he'll never use, and [b] I can't delete, even as Administrator.
Pictures can then be viewed with Nikon's powerful yet fun-to-use and easy PictureProject software.
...actually means:
The camera comes with some POS software that installs a load of annoying icons all over the place that you can't get rid of, has the look and feel of an explosion in a Winamp skin factory, and will crash and burn more often than Windows Movie Maker. Oh, and if you don't install this piece of crap, you can't use the camera.
I can see it now...
"Check out my cool wifi camera!" "Cool, let's download some pictures onto my PC!" "Ok, first you have to install this piece of shit called PictureProject on your system." "Dude! Totally fuck off! Give me your SD card, and I'll put it in my $8 card reader that makes the card look like a standard drive, so you can use any software you like." "Good point. Well made." "Plus, we won't have to type in any WEP keys." "Excellent! I don't have the PictureProject CD with me anyway."
I never understood why people left ICQ for MSN Messenger
Off the top of my head:
Centralised storage of contacts (ever had to reinstall ICQ? You used to lose all your contacts).
Messages from unknown people are blocked by default.
Conversation histories (as opposed to a dialog for each message).
Ability to talk to more than 1 person at a time in the same UI (ICQ chat was separate, and just a bit too weird and geeky, I think).
Sure, ICQ may have fixed the above, in some cases quite quickly, but MSN just seemed cleaner and simpler.
The last time I installed a version of ICQ, it installed 87 (eighty-seven) DLLs on my PC, played a typewriter sound effect whenever I pressed a key while typing a message, and set up an active web server without asking. By contrast, MSN IM seemed a breath of fresh air.
It was great - some of the insanity effects were awesome. I entered one room after having played the game for a fair while, to see a graphic appear on the screen saying something like "Well done - you have finished Eternal Darkness! Look out for Eternal Darkness 2 - in the shops soon!"
A few seconds later, they put you back at the start of the next room, but for those few seconds, they totally had me fooled, and not a little upset. Bastards:-)
Meh. Benny Hill was pretty lame, as I recall. I remember his 'humourous' songs, where you'd guess the next line before he'd sung it.
Whereas Kenny Everett was funny and innovative - and he made playing around with all the shiny new video tech at the time look great fun:) Even his vaguely Benny Hill women in skimpy clothing stuff was funny, perhaps more so because he was gay, so you knew he was just taking the piss.
To be fair, there is one Benny Hill sketch that I loved, which was a spoof of an old film with lots of jump cuts and weird camera work.
But Kenny was the guvnor back then.
"That sketch (that sketch), That sketch (that sketch), That sketch was not too bad.":-)
Not to mention, the cooperation that brought us:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. Who, Blake 7, Benny Hill
Bzzzt!
Oh, I'm sorry, and you were doing so well, too. Benny Hill was pretty poor. Next you'll be singing the praises of 'Are You Being Served?'
Faulty Towers, Monty Python
If you ever, ever mention Benny Hill in the same breath as Fawlty (note spelling) Towers and Monty Python again, we may have to come over there throw your Starbucks coffee in the harbour.
Or something about you that's mean.:-)
Re:Proof that first to market doesn't equal succes
on
Rio Brand Closes Doors
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· Score: 1
It makes me think of the Playstation. Sony released its system after Sega's Dreamcast, and found themselves with a great success.
Then you should think harder there, sparky. Sony released the Playstation in 1994, and Sega released the Dreamcast in 1998.
I presume you're referring to the PS2, but that doesn't really apply so much because the products (games consoles per se) were already firmly established (PS1, N64, Saturn, to say nothing of earlier generations). Also, Sony engaged in a massive spoiler campaign against the Dreamcast*. Then again, expect to see more of that re: the Xbox 360 and PS3.
* It could be argued that Sega also did the same - but against their own product:-)
However, as I said, I knew what I was getting before I bought it. I got it knowing that in 6 years it would be a paperweight.
You're lucky then. My battery started to fail after 15 months, so I had to replace it at my own expense.
The new one I got is still going (about a year old now), but it doesn't hold its charge for more than a few days. However, I didn't get that battery from Apple, so I can hardly blame them (although it's the same battery as the original).
I'll agree that Apple should have said something about battery life from the beginning. But I'll also say that anyone hearing "rechargable battery" should understand the implicit "limited lifespan" when they see there is no battery door.
I can moan about the battery dying after 15 months though. Is that really to be expected? I don't think I'm alone with that experience either.
At least it only cost me £25 for a new battery. And in all other respects the product is great, so I'm still pretty happy with it.
Hey, ever notice everytime they need a clear path to drive through there is one?
Ah yes, the old "That's really unlikely" critique. Always worth paying attention to.
Ever think that sometimes unlikely things do happen?
And moaning about unlikely events in a film in which the Earth is invaded by Martians is stretching it a bit.:-)
Reminds me of the time I had been reading through the goofs on imdb, then a few days later watched Back to the Future with some friends, and mentioned how apparently Marty couldn't get that sort of sound with that sort of electric guitar.
And without missing a beat, a friend said "But you're ok with the whole time travel thing?"
Sometimes a movie is just a movie, and you need to get over it.
All you have to do to circumvent GMail's verification is not hang up the internet when you request an account, then play a dial tone to the web site, and it sends you the code straight to your web browser!
Slashdot Mirror
Gosh. Using cel-shading makes it look like a cartoon?
If only Nintendo knew that beforehand. I bet they feel pretty stupid now. Luckily there were some hardcore gamers on hand to point these things out.
The first part of my reply probably sounded snippier than I intended - sorry.
In summary - yes, leading edge game dev is hard, so Gabe can moan about it being made harder, but on the other hand, if it was easy, anyone could do it, so maybe not so much with the complaints.
My reading between the lines based on my experience in the games industry means I heard Gabe's complaints as "Wow, I really hope the dev tools don't suck."
You've got some sort of evidence to back up this assumed truism, have you?
Before you answer, consider that for example, on a PS2, the sound is handled by a different CPU anyway, so you can't avoid having multi-process code for sound/syncing.
Games do have some difficult problems to solve, to maximise performance, so while you don't mean to belittle the game dev community, you probably are anyway. They usually involve trade-offs - e.g. you want to animate a character's vertices, but due to your parallel architecture, that data is currently being used to render the character. So you have to double buffer the data...but that uses up pretty significant resources...so you might have to come up with some complex interlocking mechanism. Oh, and you're also trying to run the AI at the same time in this parallel world, which probably needs to know the current position/orientation of the character, not what it was for the previous frame, etc. Physics too, maybe. Have fun with that.
That's not to say Gabe's complaints are all that valid though. Technology changes, and you move on, as you say.
It's just a pain when you have a large code base that is hard to port (through no particular fault of your own). Direct3D issues are pretty small compared to re-architecting your system to run on 7 cpus instead of one.
I still remember when a few guys came back from a Sony conference, and said that Sony's advice for performance optimisation was to not use C++, because the EE was piss-poor at running it, due to the tiny I/D caches. Apparently on most PS2 games, the EE was idle/stalling for about 50% of the time due to C++ usage patterns.
Of course, most engineers' reaction to that was, why did they build a console that would run C++ code poorly, when they knew the majority of devs would use C++?
I think Gabe is fearing a similar situation with the PS3. Having experienced Sony's idea of what constituted 'development tools' for the PS2, I'd probably be worried too, if I was in his shoes.
I'm sure that's a great comfort when someone's cut your finger off to get past a biometric system.
I mean, you'd be sitting there trying to staunch the flow of blood as they run off with your finger, chuckling to yourself, and muttering "Those fools. They don't even know it won't work. What a bunch of idiots. I'm way smarter than them."
Good news everyone! You can receive 'reverse charge' texts in the UK now! Yet another reason not to give any company your mobile number.
See this news story for an example - although I have to admit, I had real trouble digging up any sympathy for anyone who ordered the Crazy Frog ringtone (see the comment from 'Gemma, Lancashire' below the story, and then the comment immediately following it :->). That's just a form of evolution in action, I'm afraid.
Shift-Delete just means delete it instead of moving it to the trash.
As for the command line - it's an Explorer Shell namespace icon, so good luck finding it from the command line :-)
Are you still refering to Linux there, or Windows?
If you mean Windows, then the software for my Dad's HP camera (or is it for his scanner?) installs an icon on the desktop that [a] is 100% useless - it's some Share-To-Web virtual folder crap he'll never use, and [b] I can't delete, even as Administrator.
This...
...actually means:
I can see it now...
Honestly, I could write a book.
Wow...wait a second, let me follow that through...hey, that must mean that you are creative! Awesome!
Oh no, I see what you did there...never mind.
(By the way, people with low IQs won't find this post insightful or funny, and will just bitch about it or mod it down.)
Off the top of my head:
Sure, ICQ may have fixed the above, in some cases quite quickly, but MSN just seemed cleaner and simpler.
The last time I installed a version of ICQ, it installed 87 (eighty-seven) DLLs on my PC, played a typewriter sound effect whenever I pressed a key while typing a message, and set up an active web server without asking. By contrast, MSN IM seemed a breath of fresh air.
Personally, I'd favour 'Xtreme 360', but obviously it's up to the conscience of the individual parishioner.
They should have called it 'Gold', and then called the Gold service 'Platinum'.
:-)
See, I could be in marketing
A few seconds later, they put you back at the start of the next room, but for those few seconds, they totally had me fooled, and not a little upset. Bastards :-)
"Dude, you missed the goal! Loser"
"No, no, I meant to do that!"
"Whatever, dude."
Yeah, everyone knows it's called the Webatron these days.
Why yes, because I trust J. Random BroadbandUser much more than I trust Google, that's for damn sure!
Meh. Benny Hill was pretty lame, as I recall. I remember his 'humourous' songs, where you'd guess the next line before he'd sung it.
:) Even his vaguely Benny Hill women in skimpy clothing stuff was funny, perhaps more so because he was gay, so you knew he was just taking the piss.
:-)
Whereas Kenny Everett was funny and innovative - and he made playing around with all the shiny new video tech at the time look great fun
To be fair, there is one Benny Hill sketch that I loved, which was a spoof of an old film with lots of jump cuts and weird camera work.
But Kenny was the guvnor back then.
"That sketch (that sketch),
That sketch (that sketch),
That sketch was not too bad."
Maybe I was just too young for the Hillster.
It started on the BBC, then moved to ITV some years later.
Bzzzt!
Oh, I'm sorry, and you were doing so well, too. Benny Hill was pretty poor. Next you'll be singing the praises of 'Are You Being Served?'
If you ever, ever mention Benny Hill in the same breath as Fawlty (note spelling) Towers and Monty Python again, we may have to come over there throw your Starbucks coffee in the harbour.
Or something about you that's mean. :-)
Then you should think harder there, sparky. Sony released the Playstation in 1994, and Sega released the Dreamcast in 1998.
I presume you're referring to the PS2, but that doesn't really apply so much because the products (games consoles per se) were already firmly established (PS1, N64, Saturn, to say nothing of earlier generations). Also, Sony engaged in a massive spoiler campaign against the Dreamcast*. Then again, expect to see more of that re: the Xbox 360 and PS3.
* It could be argued that Sega also did the same - but against their own product :-)
You're lucky then. My battery started to fail after 15 months, so I had to replace it at my own expense.
The new one I got is still going (about a year old now), but it doesn't hold its charge for more than a few days. However, I didn't get that battery from Apple, so I can hardly blame them (although it's the same battery as the original).
I can moan about the battery dying after 15 months though. Is that really to be expected? I don't think I'm alone with that experience either.
At least it only cost me £25 for a new battery. And in all other respects the product is great, so I'm still pretty happy with it.
Maybe they're VBR? Just a guess.
Ah yes, the old "That's really unlikely" critique. Always worth paying attention to.
Ever think that sometimes unlikely things do happen?
And moaning about unlikely events in a film in which the Earth is invaded by Martians is stretching it a bit. :-)
Reminds me of the time I had been reading through the goofs on imdb, then a few days later watched Back to the Future with some friends, and mentioned how apparently Marty couldn't get that sort of sound with that sort of electric guitar.
And without missing a beat, a friend said "But you're ok with the whole time travel thing?"
Sometimes a movie is just a movie, and you need to get over it.
Or out of Brazil.
All you have to do to circumvent GMail's verification is not hang up the internet when you request an account, then play a dial tone to the web site, and it sends you the code straight to your web browser!