Trials & Tribulations; Article Research

[DanMarshall]

Hi guys--

I've been reading these forums for some time now, but have only just thought of something to write about...!

I'm creating a series of articles about Indie Life, and was wondering if anyone has any embarrassing/ funny/ interesting stories about fitting in game programming with real life.

I once got caught in a very very dull meeting not paying attention, instead sketching a great big new gun design for my game, complete with stats for refire rate, hit damage etc. Try explaining that one.

Anyone got anything they'd like to share?

Cheers,

Dan

[ManuelFLara]

Does trying to explain 'how games are done' (being asked) counts? That usually is an embarrasing situation, as _any_ correct answer will make you look weird :)

[ggambett]

When getting too involved with certain features, I start having weird thoughts. They last fractions of a second but are really weird. Such as looking at the sky and thinking "nice clouds, I wonder if these are volumetric or billboards". Same with shadows at noon : "edges are well defined, must be stencil shadows".

A very recent one, I was having my hair cut yesterday, and looked at the ceiling, which had some shallow holes (sorry, I don't know what it's called in english) and a very close light, and I automatically thought "bump mapped".

Yeah, I'm sick :)

[DanMarshall]

Hah. I think we've all been there. Useful, though: on several occasions I've been struck by an impressive bit of real-world lighting and thought to myself "That looks nice. I'm nicking that..."

[Coyote]

I know at one point I got so involved with a couple of adventure games that in real life I found myself thinking out of habit that I should save my game first before trying something.

One of the coolest experiences in my career as a full-time game developer was when I was working on our first two games, and I got pulled into a late design meeting to work out the details of the four "Canyon" bosses for the Playstation game "Warhawk (http://psx.mobygames.com/game/sheet/gameId,7690/)" We ordered dinner, I think, and the meeting went for about three hours.

I remember thinking at one point, "Holy crap. Here I am, in a nice office conference room, with a bunch of professionals in an earnest discussion about laser bolts and missile launchers and eye-rays." Ah, the honeymoon phase of working for a game company... :)

[Raptisoft]

I once got caught in a very very dull meeting not paying attention, instead sketching a great big new gun design for my game, complete with stats for refire rate, hit damage etc. Try explaining that one.


Hahaha, I had the exact same thing happen to me. Except my sketch was a wacky looking dinosaur for Eggsucker, with his tongue hanging out, and throwing eggs.

After the meeting: "John, can you step into my office for a moment?"

[ggambett]

And another recent one : after playing too much Enemy Territory, I go through real life wanting to use the binoculars whenever I look at something distant.

[BantamCityGames]

I often try to imagine what algorithm God uses to generate things, like tree placement, people's personality "subroutines", weather, etc. Putting a programmer's spin on theology I guess.

[papillon]

I tend to respond to *any* wacky thing anyone says (or photograph they post) with "And I would make a game of this by...." which tends to annoy people trying to talk to me.

Partially it's just desperation, though. I also greet physical objects with "Can I sell this on ebay?"

[PoV]

I tend to in public, if I can avoid it, not say I make games. I tend to go with "I'm a software developer", as really, who wants to know what a software developer does. :D. Can you tell I'm anti-social? :D I used to, and if some guy visits our office and asks I tell them (yeah, try to explain the arcade machines, gaming tables, toys), but it's a lot of work. :)

[Surrealix]

After extended peroids of typing or drawing on the computer, I'll go to write a short note , or do some sketching on paper, and find myself wondering how to "Ctl+Z" when I make a mistake.

[Sharpfish]

I too, often get caught up comparing real-life to graphics technology. I am forever commenting on shadows, specular reflections, refractions etc to my fiancee'.. started off as a joke "wow, look at that lightmapping" in a supermarket, but sadly it stuck and now I seriously do see real world lighting in gaming terms for a split second.

Also had quite a few "surreal" game related experiences working where I do at the moment (Codemasters UK) but I'd best not mention them due to NDAs... :D

And another thing, DREAMS.. I dream about games in development, I used to dream about the levels I designed, and sometimes the dreams have helped me overcome a problem. I have even seen the design of things in my dreams that I had been struggling over in real life. Bonus!! ;)

[DanMarshall]

I remember reading a C++ primer, and the guy mentioned something about programmers in lifts frequently getting off a stop early as they were accounting for offset...!

[Anthony Flack]

Does trying to explain 'how games are done' (being asked) counts?


It's not just me then. I guess everyone here gets asked this a lot. "You make games? Wow. How do you do that?"

Happens every time. What are you supposed to say? "Er, I type them in"? What kind of response are they expecting? I've never figured it out.