walruscat posted:

This is awesome. What game is it from?

walruscat posted:

This is awesome. What game is it from?

The Titanic posted:

Thank you for the answers gentlemen.

I am actually familiar with serialization and sending data across networks. It's just the combination of serialized and variable that they were making sound important that I was hoping to have more clarity on.

Clearly there is nothing. It's basically another "mesh tech" for whatever silly stuff they are failing to develop.

The best way to not fail at a thing is to invent it.

There's no standard for "serialized variable" so nobody can come in and tell them they did it wrong. They just need to keep on inventing new ways to do things that have been done for the past 20 years and they can't fail.

It's not a bicycle as you see it, it's a metallic strict held aloft by circular propellants. We call it a CircuProp. And no, just because it doesn't do as good as a regular bicycle you plebs use doesn't mean it doesn't function exactly as we want it to.

Star Citizen: Reinventing the CircuProp

Sabreseven posted:

I've just got back from a ride on my Hydrofissionelectric OctoquadCircuProp XXtremesport vtrs 4i, did I miss anything happening?

TheLastRoboKy posted:

I get the impression some of these weird stalkers think that because Lowtax did that whole terrible joke article and got away with it they can say unfounded things and get away with it. There's a big difference between a joke article on a comedy website that blatantly states it is an attempt to get threatened with litigation, and people making claims on a subreddit that is claiming to be archiving and displaying information on said person they're making claims about.

Of course I'm not a lawyer and don't have one as a friend who can do freebies for me if I ever get sued for making poo poo up on the internet so take my observation with a grain of salt but I don't think you can pull a "Haha I was only making the funny jokes about him being a destitute and a criminal" there. I get they're trying to upset him cause making flagrantly false claims about him is actually a fantastic way to get his attention but man there are smarter ways to go about havin' a giggle.

AP posted:

Tippis posted:

It is, but as usual, it's because they're completely mangling the meaning like they've done with “refactor” or “bug” or “pipeline”.

A serialized variable is a variable that has been converted from a bunch of bits in memory — which may or may not have a really weird representation depending on how they're managed — into a structured series of data points that can be stored, transmitted, and then read back without losing that data.

You know that flag in Day of the Tentacle that tells you you have picked up the chewing gum? Serialised variable. You know that health value that you have in Battlefield, where the server says “0 HP, you're dead now”? Serialised variable. You know that word document you worked on? A stonking huge serialised variable. You know this post, and yours, and every other bit on this page read back from the underlying database? Serialised variables.


Going by the history of their use of the term, what CIG has made it mean is a compression — or perhaps more accurately a compacting of data. A while back, there was this whole talk about requiring megs of data to set up a single object, where the implication was that they were taking the bloated XML-based data structures CryEngine uses and shoving those across the network (incidentally, XML is a method for serialisation, but one that emphasises human-readability and ease of editing over efficiency). So they started talking about “serialised variables” as a means to solve that particular problem and reduce the network IO needed to set up and update a scene. Essentially, that just means taking the exact same data, and not sending it as XML but as something more compact and less redundant in its dependencies between different objects.

cool new Polack jokes posted:

Star Citizen: Hangin' Left

cool new Polack jokes posted:

All the other people named Derek Smart should start a class action suit for defamation

quote:

Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46 (1988), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit public figures from recovering damages for the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED), if the emotional distress was caused by a caricature, parody, or satire of the public figure that a reasonable person would not have interpreted as factual.[1]

In an 8–0 decision, the Court ruled in favor of Hustler magazine, holding that a parody ad published in the magazine depicting televangelist and political commentator Jerry Falwell as an incestuous drunk, was protected speech since Falwell was a public figure and the parody could not have been reasonably considered believable. Therefore, the Court held that the emotional distress inflicted on Falwell by the ad was not a sufficient reason to deny the First Amendment protection to speech that is critical of public officials and public figures.

Amarcarts posted:

That photo of Chris with the coffee is a foreshadowing of 10 years down the line when it's only a skeleton crew keeping the alpha 4.2.1 build servers up for subscribers. Every day Chris drives in to work in his Chevy Trailblazer, makes his way through the deserted cafeteria full of overturned tables and chairs like an empty shopping mall from a zombie movie, fixes himself an expresso from the $20k machine which is still running just fine because it was built to last. He strolls through the deserted halls sipping his Starbucks, nodding at the two (or three depending on the day) employees he passes. Finally he sits down at his desk and picks up the phone to make the first of 49 personal calls to all the remaining backers who are keeping the dream going indefinitely. Chris thanks them for their continuing support and lets them know about some of the ideas for new ship concepts he and the team have been bouncing around. Up on the wall is a monitor with the current funding numbers: 189 million dollars and 2.8 million backers. The numbers are fake. Chris knows. So do the backers really but it doesn't change anything. So much time has gone by people just don't remember when things were different.

Mirificus posted:

Top 7 Ways to Ignore Player Feedback by Tanya Short

As a game dev, you'll be showing your game to people ASAP to get feedback. But everyone knows (especially game designers) that it's hard and frustrating to get feedback that isn't useful. Which, let's be honest, is most or maybe even all of it.

So here's some handy tips on how to ignore those pesky playtesters that aren't worth your time... especially when their feedback isn't the kind you want to hear!

1. Remind yourself that they don't get it.
   
   
2. Clarify to the playtester what they didn't understand.
   
   
3. Show them how to play it correctly.
   
   Brucie Bonus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWq8ynUq7wM
   
   
4. Are they younger/less experienced than you?
   
   
5. Are they older/irrelevant?
   
   
6. Don't let them play your game.
   
   
7. Don't make games at all!

Mirificus posted:

Jobbo_Fett posted:

Samizdata posted:

Yeah, no. I was asking Ben for answers about the WC:A project. When he mumbled non-answers. ala Chris, I suggested talking to Mrs. Ben.

NOT random employees there. (I refuse to acknowledge them as "workers".)

So, yeah, don't be a Redditor, eh?

quote:

NOT random employees there. (I refuse to acknowledge them as "workers".)

quote:

When he mumbled non-answers. ala Chris, I suggested talking to Mrs. Ben.

Samizdata posted:

Both Chris and I both hope we never run into each other in person. He'll be on his back bleeding and whining, but unable to flail the hands I stomped into meat bags and I, well, I will be in jail. And I am not a violent man.

Cons:
Jail time
No forums
That large man licks his lips slowly every time he looks at me
Prison food

Pros:
I would be the man that slaughtered Star Citizen

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Xaerael posted:

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that noticed that.

Tippis posted:

It is, but as usual, it's because they're completely mangling the meaning like they've done with “refactor” or “bug” or “pipeline”.

A serialized variable is a variable that has been converted from a bunch of bits in memory — which may or may not have a really weird representation depending on how they're managed — into a structured series of data points that can be stored, transmitted, and then read back without losing that data.

You know that flag in Day of the Tentacle that tells you you have picked up the chewing gum? Serialised variable. You know that health value that you have in Battlefield, where the server says “0 HP, you're dead now”? Serialised variable. You know that word document you worked on? A stonking huge serialised variable. You know this post, and yours, and every other bit on this page read back from the underlying database? Serialised variables.


Going by the history of their use of the term, what CIG has made it mean is a compression — or perhaps more accurately a compacting of data. A while back, there was this whole talk about requiring megs of data to set up a single object, where the implication was that they were taking the bloated XML-based data structures CryEngine uses and shoving those across the network (incidentally, XML is a method for serialisation, but one that emphasises human-readability and ease of editing over efficiency). So they started talking about “serialised variables” as a means to solve that particular problem and reduce the network IO needed to set up and update a scene. Essentially, that just means taking the exact same data, and not sending it as XML but as something more compact and less redundant in its dependencies between different objects.

Mirificus posted:

Top 7 Ways to Ignore Player Feedback by Tanya Short

As a game dev, you'll be showing your game to people ASAP to get feedback. But everyone knows (especially game designers) that it's hard and frustrating to get feedback that isn't useful. Which, let's be honest, is most or maybe even all of it.

So here's some handy tips on how to ignore those pesky playtesters that aren't worth your time... especially when their feedback isn't the kind you want to hear!

1. Remind yourself that they don't get it. This one is pretty much a catch-all. The other points in the list are just back-up plans. If a playtester doesn't understand your game, it's probably because they are not as smart as you. Even if it is a valid point, it might also be fixed in the future, so don't bother listening.
   
   
2. Clarify to the playtester what they didn't understand. Okay, so they're dumb enough to come up with completely bizarre misinterpretations of what's obvious to any game designer, but if you just tell them what you were trying to do, and explain what you're thinking, that might help their feedback get closer to the "you're awesome" zone.
   
   
3. Show them how to play it correctly. If they STILL don't get it, just take the controls and demonstrate the right way to play. This is the only way to ensure that the game plays exactly how you want it to, and besides, it will be educational for the tester that watches. When they get the controller back, maybe they'll start to get it.
   
   
4. Are they younger/less experienced than you? Another great sign that feedback is useless is when someone is just a kid. They didn't play your favorite obscure RPG on the original PlayStation? Useless. If they haven't 100% completed Dark Souls, or watch too much Youtube, their brain is probably mush anyway. No need for their feedback.
   
   
5. Are they older/irrelevant? Look, let's just come out and say it. As a game developer, you're in tune with the target demographic, right? Anyone not exactly the same age as you just won't have the right vibe. Older people do things like reference Atari games, or complain about Youtube culture, and thereby show that they are completely out of touch with the modern reality. Their opinion on your game can be safely ignored.
   
   
6. Don't let them play your game. The best way to avoid unwanted, useless feedback is not to let anyone play your game! As soon as those grubby mitts touch the controllers/keypad/headset, your grand vision will be reduced to a bunch of bleeps and bloops, and these mortals will have the audacity to critique your beautiful creation! So when you make your game, stow it away in a hidden folder. I like to name my secret-games folder "TAXES" so that even my partner leaves it alone.
   
   
7. Don't make games at all! The thing about secrets is that they tend to get out. So unless you burn your harddrive after making the game, eventually someone might play it and ruin everything. So the only sure way to not get useless, annoying feedback is to not make any games. Problem solved. At least you still have your journal of ideas, perfect and untouched in your dreams.

This is why Moon Hunters will never exist because greasy gamer hands would ruin it. Definitely not entering a closed backer beta in two weeks. Nope.

Seriously though, it's very easy to get defensive about your game when it's raw and rough. You see the potential, and it hurts when others don't. I get it. I've been there. But part of being a professional creative is making work that speaks to others, which others can understand, without your translation or interference. It's crucial to let your insecurities drift away and stay centered in your goals for your work, so that you can take feedback and consider it without fear or assumptions.

This isn't to say you should take all player suggestions and complaints at face value -- don't be absurd! You're a designer, not a government committee. But it's nearly as dangerous to dismiss misunderstandings too quickly, and doubly sad because you then miss out on an otherwise difficult-to-find insight.. and on top of that, wasted your time "testing".

Have more handy tips for "processing" player feedback?

Jobbo_Fett posted:

MilesK posted:

Remember when they serialized their xml over a year ago?

https://reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/477qvm/in_22_the_component_xmls_have_been_serialized/

Tippis posted:

What?! Are you saying that CIG is using obscurantist terminology to describe the most obvious and mundane things — even things that they've already done?!

The backers will never know.

The Titanic posted:

Im looking now and I'm not quite sure I see it. It kind of looks like it's like that because he's sort of got his weight on one leg. Because in the future military they aren't very strict about stuff like posture. Instead of "At ease!" It's "Eh whatever!"

IncredibleIgloo posted:

I am unsure about the other branches, but in the Navy when you are at ease you are allowed to shift your weight, as you can be in that position for a long time. Most commonly manning the rails entering or leaving port. I have spent more hours than I would like to remember doing that.

The Titanic posted:

I'm hard at work on number 7 myself. Gettin all these pipelines in order to ensure I don't make the best drat game ever is tough work. I'll probably need a new international company and several shell organizations behind me too.

Come on CIG, it's you and me now! Who's going to not make a finished game first??? Somebody let CR know the game of cat and mouse is on.

XK posted:

The whales want to hire non-shipowning plebs to staff their ships like that.

Sounds like a lot of fun. In real life you get pride and honor in protecting your country, a living wage, food, housing, employable work experience, education benefits, medical, etc. I guess you should do it for the crumbs a Hull-E owner throws at you in a virtual world.

EmesiS posted:

Define Twitter Rambo