User information for CrowFeather

Real Name
CrowFeather
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Signed On
September 16, 2003
Total Posts
31 (Suspect)
User ID
18425
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31 Comments. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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43.
 
Re: Jesus
Aug 6, 2004, 03:40
43.
Re: Jesus Aug 6, 2004, 03:40
Aug 6, 2004, 03:40
 
Furious sez:

Firstly, a 12 MB patch is HUGE regardless of if its a engine or game code fix, so there were some big problems somewhere.

I take it you're not a coder?

Bugfixes are small. Optimizations are bigger. (In patch form, anyway.)

Taking a quick glance at the changelist, I see several things that seem to me like they'd involve changing a fair amount of code (at least, they would if their code-structure is anything like how I'm envisioning it). These are:

- Made Vehicle.tick() functionality native (for performance).

- Improved low net bandwith (modem) client net performance

- MoveActor() performance optimization (avoid going through attachment list if possible)

Secondly, I'm bored and just wanted to fuck around with the UT2K4 fanbois

I wonder, does the need to engage in that sort of activity make you more or less pathetic than they are?

I'll have to think about that one for a while.

43.
 
Re: Sweet!
Jun 16, 2004, 10:55
43.
Re: Sweet! Jun 16, 2004, 10:55
Jun 16, 2004, 10:55
 
And why does everyone who plays CTF only play on Face Classic??

Because the rest of the CTF maps aren't that good.

Oh, several are not bad (Bridge of Fate comes to mind), but, by and large, they cannot compare to the maps in classic...

No lavagiant (WTF????)
No hydro16
Orbital2 in NOT Orbital, and suffers by the comparison.
January isn't worthy to swab November's decks (Neither was December).
No Dreary

Instead we have:

Chrome has tight corridors, rocket launchers and flak cannons galore, and no health or armor. Perfect newbie spam map.
Citadel is the same, but worse (4 health packs on the whole map?)
Colossus was designed as a bombing run map, and it shows.
Maul is unspeakable. Tell me not of Maul. Worst. Map. Ever.
Lostfaith describes how I am starting to feel about Epic's mappers.
MoonDragon is beautiful, but dumb.

and so on. There are just none of the wonderful map designs that led to exciting, tactical gameplay like the ones in classic.

Which is a shame, but because in every other respect, 2k4 is "classic, only better".

98.
 
Re: Reason for the delay
Jun 8, 2004, 08:14
98.
Re: Reason for the delay Jun 8, 2004, 08:14
Jun 8, 2004, 08:14
 
The project is called Prey Forever and will have more lines of source code then the Voyager space probe!!!

Thats not saying much, I think Voyager only had around 2500 lines of code.

Not exactly.

My father was one of the lead programmers on both Voyager spacecraft. They reprogrammed those things constantly, so they didn't have a fixed number of lines of code.

However, you may rest assured that it was many, many more than 2500.

59.
 
No subject
May 13, 2004, 23:48
59.
No subject May 13, 2004, 23:48
May 13, 2004, 23:48
 
Interesting article. I can't quite make out what this Hollenshead character is attempting to say (mostly duie to his apparent inability to form a complete sentence), but he seems to be talking about some sort of game that Id is thinking about releasing.

This would be interesting to see. Id has certainly been successful at its current business model; their game engines are quite popular and some people have even been known to play the rather sketchy tech demos for them as if they were actual games.

But to really produce an actual game of their own? Wow. I never thought I'd see the day. Won't they have to hire some level designers for that? Some coders who can do AI? An artist or three?

Wonder what they'll come up with...


101.
 
Re: No subject
May 6, 2004, 09:12
Re: No subject May 6, 2004, 09:12
May 6, 2004, 09:12
 
Just a start, post your own "HL2-replacement-activities"

1. Get a job and move out of your parents' basement.
2. Go to college and move out of your parents' basement.
3. Join the military and move out of your parents' basement.
4. Write long posts flaming me for saying that you live in your parents' basement.

33.
 
Oh, look...
May 2, 2004, 07:01
33.
Oh, look... May 2, 2004, 07:01
May 2, 2004, 07:01
 
Oh, look...

The folks who purchased and ruin^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hbrought us HALO have released a 550 megabyte patch.

That's nice.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled game of UT2004.


4.
 
Does it seem like...
Apr 24, 2004, 03:29
4.
Does it seem like... Apr 24, 2004, 03:29
Apr 24, 2004, 03:29
 
...ever since Steam, nobody seems to talk about or care about, counterstrike any more?

Yeah?

Thought so.

10.
 
And in other news...
Nov 12, 2003, 19:19
10.
And in other news... Nov 12, 2003, 19:19
Nov 12, 2003, 19:19
 
Gamespy, Inc. has just joined the Moron Majority.

"It's not a bug, it's uh...uh...give us a second...wait...it's how our product works! Yeah, that's it!"

I can't wait for Microsoft to follow suit on this one...

"You know that vulnerablity in Outlook that lets anyone execute arbitrary attachments on your machine? Yeah, that's not a bug, that's just how our product works."

Attention clueless pointy-headed Gamespy wanker:

A *bug* is anything that causes your software to perform in an unintended fashion.

And anyone who discovered one in your code is perfectly free to broadcast it to the world, regardless of his motivations.

45.
 
I don't care...
Oct 2, 2003, 03:41
45.
I don't care... Oct 2, 2003, 03:41
Oct 2, 2003, 03:41
 
when HL2 ships. Ship it when it's done. Building a program that works is a lot more work than most people who are here complaining about release dates can possibly imagine.

However:

1. Don't make promises you can't keep. Regardless of the industry you're in, this is bad customer service.

2. Don't include features people hate. Customers really get steamed about that kind of thing.

77.
 
Re: Is it just me....
Oct 2, 2003, 03:24
77.
Re: Is it just me.... Oct 2, 2003, 03:24
Oct 2, 2003, 03:24
 
Yep. Looks like there may be something to this talk about the GeFX not being up to snuff.

Of course, his .plan file tells a different story. In great detail.

Frankly, I'm an AI coder, not a graphics coder, so it's outside my area of expertise, and I'm far too busy to study the details.

It's starting to look like the standards are in flux. The best thing to do may be to wait for the next generation of cards, and just skip this one altogether.

76.
 
Re: Is it just me....
Oct 2, 2003, 03:13
76.
Re: Is it just me.... Oct 2, 2003, 03:13
Oct 2, 2003, 03:13
 
http://english.bonusweb.cz/interviews/carmackgfx.html
Is this the "*real" final authority you are refering too?

Yep. Looks like there may be something to this talk about the GeFX not being up to snuff.

Still don't think there's any reason for Gabe to talk like that, though, because he looks kinda ridiculous with the pompoms and the skirt and all

48.
 
Is it just me....
Sep 30, 2003, 22:21
48.
Is it just me.... Sep 30, 2003, 22:21
Sep 30, 2003, 22:21
 
or does that quote sound like Gabe is playing the role of a "compensated spokesperson"?

It just sounds more like the language of a prepared statement rather than an honest opinion. And if it were an honest and *informed* opinion, I suspect we have heard something from the *real* final authority on game graphics and rendering...

20.
 
No, no, you've got it all wrong
Sep 30, 2003, 22:10
20.
No, no, you've got it all wrong Sep 30, 2003, 22:10
Sep 30, 2003, 22:10
 
Derek Smart is NOT an idiot.

He's sheer genius.

The reason you all think he's stupid is because you have mistaken his function...

He's not a programmer; he's a comedian!

His performance art/comedy, cleverly disguised as the "game releases" that it parodies, are screamingly funny. I only wish he would do more stand-up material.

49.
 
Re: *THIS* is why HL2 was delayed
Sep 26, 2003, 09:43
49.
Re: *THIS* is why HL2 was delayed Sep 26, 2003, 09:43
Sep 26, 2003, 09:43
 
JUST FUCKIN' HIRE SOME CCIE PEOPLE AND SOME USEFUL PROGRAMMERS & FUCKING FIX IT!!!

Wrong answer. The Mongolian Hordes Technique is a Bad Thing, m'kay?

Hiring additional coders in the late stages of a project slows completion.

The solution is to delay Steam, not HL2. Steam is all cruft and chrome, anyway.


This comment was edited on Sep 26, 09:44.
207.
 
Re: Film vs. Games
Sep 26, 2003, 08:10
Re: Film vs. Games Sep 26, 2003, 08:10
Sep 26, 2003, 08:10
 
Obviously, none of you have ever worked on software.

I have. But then, I agree with most of what you said.

The important point is that when you're writing new software, it's not analogous to making a movie. It's more like inventing the VCR. You must create something entirely new. There is no established proecedure, and everything must work.

The design process is much more difficult than any other type of creative endevour because it is totally unforgiving. In other arenas, if you make a mistake, you simply have something not quite as good as it otherwise would have been. But when designing mechanisms, most mistakes will result in your whole design not working at all. These mistakes must be fixed, and there is no way, literally no way at all, to predict how long this will take, especially early on in the process. Not only that, but unlike a film or other such project, the Mongolian Hordes Technique simply doesn't work. (Read "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering", if you'd like to know more.)

All the same, long before their delay announcement, Valve should have known if stuff worked or not. The later the stage of the project, the easier it is to give estimates.

181.
 
Re: Steam?
Sep 25, 2003, 02:37
Re: Steam? Sep 25, 2003, 02:37
Sep 25, 2003, 02:37
 
You are so wrong on so many levels. There are those of us who remember back in 1999 Valve was talking about a network of gaming isps called Powerplay. When they were discussing it a lot of what they were pushing sounded suspiciously like what Steam eventually became. Also, remember the first Steam beta? it was like 3 years ago. And remember that second Steam beta? That lasted for like 18 months. Yeah, completely a last minute idea.

Indeed? I was unaware of that. Implementation still feels rushed, somehow, though.

Trust me when I say that I've seen this once or twice before. Perhaps my nose is wrong, or perhaps it's just the implentation that's rushed. We'll have to see.

The second account you're wrong on is that, guess what? VALVE LIES TO PEOPLE BECAUSE IT HELPS THEIR MARKETING!

No kidding. You neglected to quote the bit where I pointed out this possiblity.

You're talking and thinking about HL2 more than you are Doom3, right?

No kidding. Doesn't matter what I talk about, only what I buy. A month ago, I had a preorder in for HL2. Today, it's cancelled.

How's that for the genius of the Valve marketing machine?

Seriously, come on. Apply Hanlon's Razor, won't you?

HL2 doesn't need marketing shenanigans which will *only* be taken note of by those who were already going to buy HL2. Kinda silly, if you think about it.

166.
 
Re: HL2
Sep 24, 2003, 19:49
Re: HL2 Sep 24, 2003, 19:49
Sep 24, 2003, 19:49
 
I'm sure it's a content delay. It takes a long time to build textures, monsters, maps, and the like with graphic engines like this.

I think if it were a content delay, they would have known long before this.

Of course, it's possible that they did, and just didn't tell anyone.

What made Half-Life? A good game. What made it a classic? Counter-Strike.

I disagree. I think that Half-Life was a classic in its own right. BUT...it was a classic for reasons of content design, not technology. It was built on someone else's engine, and nothing about the tech was particularly inovative, or even close to the cutting edge.

Half-Life was great because of its immersive story, and well-designed evironments and characters.

Valve has only 1 complete game under their belt. They're not genius.

It does indeed sound like they are starting to believe their own hype. And we all know what happens when game designeers go too far down that road. Do I need to say the name?

Yes, they kept quiet about it for a long time, unlike the name I won't mention, which was smart. But they should have kept quiet until they knew they could hit their release date. It was a smart marketing strategy and they should have stuck with it.

Look at what's happened to public opinion.

A month ago, everyone's reaction was "Holy ...*&*(^. Must...get...game...".

Now the doubts are starting to creep in. First the whole Steam fiasco, now the delays (most likely on account of same)...

I think they are trying to do too much, too fast; a common indication of hubris.

My advice to them, were I in a position to give such, would be as follows:

"Concentrate on getting HL2 out the door. Delay Steam, and just release HL2 with WON IDs. Then you can focus all your effort on fixing Steam, making it reliable and 'bullet-proof'. Then release it as an optional service. If it's good, people will quickly adapt it.
Yes, this does prevent you from doing certain things you wanted to dowith Steam, but a dog who chases two rabbits at once will catch neither."


161.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 24, 2003, 19:03
Re: No subject Sep 24, 2003, 19:03
Sep 24, 2003, 19:03
 
Pre-ordering is a joke if you're doing it by mail, because it usually arrives a day after everyone else gets it. Yes, I've heard of some stories where people get it a day early, but they're rare.
Just goto EB on the release date at lunch, and they'll have lots of copies.
I don't see any reason to pre-order games.

Because pre-ordering saves me the trouble of going to the store. And the trouble of keeping tabs to know when the game is actually out. (Yes, I know, I'm saying this from the standpoint of having time to post comments on Blue's. But I'm normally a lot busier.)

I don't particularly care about getting the game a day later. I enjoy games, but they're not *that* important.

80.
 
Steam?
Sep 24, 2003, 07:18
80.
Steam? Sep 24, 2003, 07:18
Sep 24, 2003, 07:18
 
My guess is that HL2 is more or less ready to go, and that what is holding things up is all this Steam nonsense. If there were still significant fixing to do on HL2, enough so that they could not make their release date, they would have known long before now.

The whole Steam project smells of nothing so much as a last-minute idea that grew, as software projects often grow, out of hand. It's called "creeping featurism", and it most frequently happens when someone who doesn't listen to his software engineers is calling the shots.

42.
 
Re: The purpose of Steam?
Sep 18, 2003, 17:42
42.
Re: The purpose of Steam? Sep 18, 2003, 17:42
Sep 18, 2003, 17:42
 
Steam doesn't improve user experience 'yet'. The idea of Steam is not new. Content delivery technology similar to this is all over the net with ASPs and java apps, etc. And this is a technology that must happen.

Say what? ASPs other attempts to move the computing world towards thin clients have failed miserably every single time they have been tried, while distributed and peer-oriented technologies have racked up success after resounding success.

Speaking as an engineer, I do not understand how anybody can seriously advocate inserting more components between the locus of control and the locus of response.

This is a technology that must NOT happen.

But in a few months when the issues are ironed out and everyone's playing HL games without hardly a thought of Steam (except for the inevitable urge for enhancements)...

Repeat after Douglas Adams:

"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair."


31 Comments. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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