ricarbo's recent activity

  1. Comment on I made an an easy to browse index of Developer blogs from Gamedeveloper / Gamasutra in ~games

    ricarbo
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    Gamedeveloper.com (previously gamasutra) has had this excellent section called "developer blogs" since 2007, and over the years it's been a great source of game-dev knowledge from indie devs to...

    Gamedeveloper.com (previously gamasutra) has had this excellent section called "developer blogs" since 2007, and over the years it's been a great source of game-dev knowledge from indie devs to AAA devs and covering every possible subject.
    However, after their rebrand, finding these posts has become a bit of a challenge. Many of the original links are broken, and navigating the site isn’t as smooth as it used to be.

    That's why I put together this page, a searchable archive of every dev blog post since the beginning. It's a quick way to explore and rediscover content that might otherwise be lost or hard to find. I may expand it in the future to include other categories on Gamedeveloper.com or even additional sites, creating a broader "game dev knowledge" repository—but that's for later!

    Here are a few of my favorite posts i've read over the years:

    "The Door Problem" of Game Design This is a proper game design classic! It uses the example of implementing a door to show how involved game design can be and how a larger team might be involved with the various aspects of a game element.
    Platformer controls: how to avoid limpness and rigidity feelings Tips on making platformer movement feel tight and satisfying.
    Common Mistakes in Game Animation Sort of fitting with the previous one, I feel like these complement each other really well.
    The Zero Budget Indie Marketing Guide An older article but I think it really touches on some key "truths" which are just as valid today.

    if you come across any cool articles or hidden gems, feel free to share them!

    1 vote

  3. Comment on Lefties of Tildes: what are some items where the left handed version is most necessary? in ~life

    ricarbo
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    Late on this post but wanted to share my experience as well. I am a leftie and for me the biggest issue has been not being aware of the fact that things are different for me because I'm left...

    Late on this post but wanted to share my experience as well.

    I am a leftie and for me the biggest issue has been not being aware of the fact that things are different for me because I'm left handed.

    Maybe I just was a bit dumb, but it took me until I was 15-16 to understand that right handed scissors weren't made for me. I just thought I sucked at using scissors. The right handed ergonomic scissors are a nightmare and I ended up learning to use scissors in a weird uncomfortable motion with my left hand where I squeeze the blades together. Left handed scissors are a magical experience. I wish someone had told me about this when I was a kid.
    Also writing. I struggled a lot with keeping up the pace with my classmates, but I also had a slightly unconventional grip. And I struggled with smearing a lot. Only in middle school some other lefties shared their tricks to make writing easier (angling the paper, holding my hand above the text, etc) and life got a lot easier.
    Basically, looking back at it I just wish people would have shared these things with me earlier or at least pointed out to me that there are things where I need to figure out alternative solutions. Feeling like I just suck at basic tasks did affect my self esteem.

    But, being left handed also has a lot of benefits. Music instruments are an interesting example, I play the right handed versions of instruments but with a left handed approach (for example, playing drums open handed on a right handed kit, or playing bass with more agility on my left hand).

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Where is everyone hosting their email these days? in ~tech

    ricarbo
    Link Parent
    I've also been using Zoho for my business for a long while now and been pretty happy overall, though I also don't use many of the fancy products they offer. Probably my most used thing outside of...

    I've also been using Zoho for my business for a long while now and been pretty happy overall, though I also don't use many of the fancy products they offer. Probably my most used thing outside of mail is the invoice tool, which is pretty straight forward and handy.

    The only quip I've had is that a few years ago they stripped a couple of features which used to be free, but it's nothing too upsetting.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Anyone here playing / participating GMTK Game Jam? in ~games

    ricarbo
    Link Parent
    Hehe, that's definitely intentional. Initially the idea was to make the balancing even harder and have that be the main focus, but we ended going for a slower pace. We're definitely planning to do...

    Hehe, that's definitely intentional. Initially the idea was to make the balancing even harder and have that be the main focus, but we ended going for a slower pace.

    We're definitely planning to do a full release, but it still needs some figuring out. We'll likely announce something sooner or later though.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Anyone here playing / participating GMTK Game Jam? in ~games

    ricarbo
    Link
    Yeeees, I try to do at least one big jam a year with my friend and we had a lot of fun this jam. We ended up making Planted: https://boltsoft.itch.io/planted Basically, after a couple of hours of...

    Yeeees, I try to do at least one big jam a year with my friend and we had a lot of fun this jam.

    We ended up making Planted:
    https://boltsoft.itch.io/planted

    Basically, after a couple of hours of brainstorming we joked at the idea of "what if it's Stardew valley but you're the plant" and the idea grew from that.

    Really happy with what we ended up with. Has been really cool to see players actually digging in and enjoying the game.

    I was responsible for the visuals, SFX and music, with game design being a joint responsibility and my friend mostly handling the coding and bigger problem solving.

    As for games I've played, some of my favorites:

    Farming like a boss
    Just a really well put together game overall, solid mechanics and presentation. Essentially you're a final boss in a dungeon attempting to grow veggies for a salad to warm the hero's heart. Cool concept, well excecuted.
    https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2023/rate/2160910

    The tutorial
    This game was maybe not the most original of ideas, there were a bunch of "you're the developer" type games but this one really managed to make the gameplay concise and interesting and the presentation really well put together, though the levels were a bit too easy.
    https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2023/rate/2152921

    Left behind
    Gameplay might not be anything to write home about but the atmosphere was really good. A horror game where you chase down a monster until at some point the monster might turn on you and you end up being chased.
    https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2023/rate/2154033

    3 votes

  7. Comment on What are some noteworthy games that aren't available through traditional/common means? in ~games

    ricarbo
    Link Parent
    Yoooo, liero and tactics arena were staples of the school computer classes back in the day. So many battles were had with schoolmates.

    Yoooo, liero and tactics arena were staples of the school computer classes back in the day. So many battles were had with schoolmates.

  8. Comment on What are your thoughts on social nudity? in ~talk

    ricarbo
    Link Parent
    Having moved to Germany i really appreciate the normalcy of nudist culture here. It's common enough that most beaches have a nudist section. While in comparison in Estonia, where i come from,...

    Having moved to Germany i really appreciate the normalcy of nudist culture here. It's common enough that most beaches have a nudist section. While in comparison in Estonia, where i come from, public nudism is quite taboo and the handful of nudist beaches which exist in the countries are kinda seen as the domain of deviants and weirdos.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~music

    ricarbo
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    Yesss, I'm definitely going when he shows up again. Really excited to see the duo dynamic as well.

    Yesss, I'm definitely going when he shows up again. Really excited to see the duo dynamic as well.

    2 votes

  10. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~music

    ricarbo
    Link
    As a counterpoint to all the grand epic shows mentioned already, what blew me away was jpegmafia's concert. no pyrotechnics, no elaborate light shows, no huge band. Just a guy and his laptop,...

    As a counterpoint to all the grand epic shows mentioned already, what blew me away was jpegmafia's concert. no pyrotechnics, no elaborate light shows, no huge band. Just a guy and his laptop, giving the strongest energy of any live show I've seen in a long while. He just pulls if from 0-100 in the first 10 seconds and then keeps it there until the end of the show.

    Amazing performer!

    13 votes

  11. Comment on AMA with u/spez going on right now - "Addressing the community about changes to our API" in ~tech

    ricarbo
    Link Parent
    Are there overall stats for these available somewhere? Would be interesting to see the ratios.

    Are there overall stats for these available somewhere? Would be interesting to see the ratios.