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The "Handbook for Mortals" thread was a gift that kept on giving, and I can't wait to see just how terrible this ends up being. 
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Mar 13, 2018 03:27
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 12:22 |
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You wouldn't simulate the whole universe in high fidelity, just the parts people are playing in. That saves some computing power. Also, the graphics are probably handled client-side. WoW's graphics are simplified so that older computers can play it, not because it's easier on the servers. To be clear, we're still looking at a system that requires absurd computing power, not to mention network bandwidth (billions of players!) and data storage (lifelike, life-sized models are not small!). How do you even handle a planet? That's likely terabytes of data, if not more. Also, all these assets have to be created somehow. Are they computer generated? Are the planets created by what is essentially the Minecraft world gen algorithm? Or did someone make an entire universe by hand? In this apocalyptic world, how is there infrastructure to keep any of this running? I'm still shaking my head at the interaction with the bully. It's juvenile, but not high school juvenile; it's a nerd fantasy of shutting down the bully. And then he just mutes the guy anyway!
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Mar 13, 2018 21:24
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Isn't it weird that Oasis is not really immersive then? You can use voice commands to move your character, he grabs his school books by tapping on them... It's not VR with haptic feedback -- which would be really interesting advances that wouldn't be out of place in a sci fi novel. It's more like Second Life.
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Mar 13, 2018 21:42
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So basically it comes down to Cline being an inconsistent writer who can't keep track of his own plot devices. Yeah, that's what bothered me so much!
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Mar 14, 2018 00:53
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I actually liked the dialogue when Wade and H were talking about Lady hawk or whatever. It felt natural, it actually had some back and forth to it. It read like typical nerd banter. I'm pretty sure it's an example of "write what you know" and Cline just copied a conversation he And look, he managed to mention Halliday's movie collection without going into excruciating detail about it! Usually he'd be listing everything that was in it. Edit: the above was about the previous update, I took too long to respond apparently. Of course Halliday was a "rockstar" programmer. Sounds like he was absolutely terrible to work with. Solumin fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Mar 14, 2018 |
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Mar 14, 2018 17:08
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 you can't say you have no idea what's ahead when you just spent paragraphs describing how you know exactly what's going on!!!Oh I missed a word. "as if I had no idea what's ahead." That.... doesn't really help?
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Mar 15, 2018 19:55
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I think the D&D thing comes from Cline's nerd persecution complex. D&D used to be *the* hallmark of geekdom, the absolutely nerdiest thing you could do. But, as you noted, that's all changed. Not only is being a nerd popular these days, but D&D has become practically mainstream. It's popular now. But Cline is so stuck in the 80s that for him it's still the holy grail of nerdiness.
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Mar 15, 2018 23:01
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It sounds like he had the DM manual, so he knew which one was the correct entrance
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Mar 16, 2018 00:07
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Here's a detail that jumped out at me: he says there's a deep, ominous hum and then Also Sprach Zarathrustra starts playing. He probably got this from watching the movie. Here's the thing: the deep, ominous hum is part of the music. That's how the piece starts. The movement everyone knows (Also Sprach Zarathustra is a suite, not a single piece) is called Sunrise, and the low note (a Bb, I think?) represents the darkness before dawn. That would be exactly the kind of detail an obsessive nerd (  ) would love to point out, but of course Cline doesn't care.
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Mar 17, 2018 04:55
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Didn't Wade say he was poor because he couldn't afford to skip school to go grind? Most kids would be stuck in school too, but their parents could give them an allowance for transportation fees or just give them a lift. Just like in the real world. I bet there would also be player-run taxi or ferry services.
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Mar 20, 2018 17:07
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I wonder if Rush is aware of RPO (they have to be) and their role in it. How do they feel about their music being an important part of a nerdgasm? Maybe it isn't a bad thing if it gets more people listening to Rush. Samizdata posted:I think he makes the point that places like Ludus are pretty much cookie cutter instances, so that makes the system requirements a bit lower. That makes the resources for creating the planet lower, not necessarily the processing power. And the real issue is this undeniably complex software is the centerpiece of a ruined, Mad Max world where cities are nuked on the daily. They shouldn't have the infrastructure to run it at all. And considering the world has been like this for decades, it's not unreasonable to think their computer tech is not much more advanced than ours.
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Mar 25, 2018 15:44
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The whole Glock thing is extremely cyberpunk, as is this whole part of the book. That's it, that's literally it, gun vending machines are practically a distopian cyberpunk cliche.
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Mar 27, 2018 06:10
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I can see it as IOI getting a little desperate and resorting to more extreme measures, so they escalated from trying to recruit Wade to killing Daito. They recorded the murder because bureaucracy.
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Mar 27, 2018 17:30
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 12:22 |
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chitoryu12 posted:The problem is they tried to murder Wade seconds after trying to recruit them. Murder was their plan from step one. Makes me wonder what would have happened if he had accepted the offer. In a better book, there would have been a hunter who had accepted. They would be an antagonist of sorts, because Wade's success would be a threat to their life. They know IOI would kill them if the company no longer had a use for them.
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Mar 27, 2018 17:45
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