somewaffles's recent activity

  1. Comment on Teaching coding to an eight year old with Scratch? in ~tech

    somewaffles
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    I can't comment on Scratch much, it does seem like a great tool to learn coding concepts. What I will say though, is that you should help make sure they have actual projects to work on. I was very...

    I can't comment on Scratch much, it does seem like a great tool to learn coding concepts.

    What I will say though, is that you should help make sure they have actual projects to work on. I was very simliar at that age, and would get programming books from the library all the time. I remember it being fun for a little while, but the books never had "fun" projects to work on, and I would get lost and ultimately lose interest.

    This was a long time ago in the early/mid 2000's and there are now obviously tons of resources / tutorials out there. At this point, the issue would be inversed, where the number of resources/tutorials is so large, it's extremely overwhelming. I'd definitely help sift through and find some projects where there is a final product they can visualize.

    2 votes
  2. Comment on Game recommendations, specifically (round 2) in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    Spiritfarer may fit your criteria. It can get a little emotional at certain points, but def a cozy experience.

    Spiritfarer may fit your criteria. It can get a little emotional at certain points, but def a cozy experience.

    3 votes
  3. Comment on What is the "bible" of your hobby or activity? in ~hobbies

    somewaffles
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    I'm just a hobbyist in recording/mixing music, but reading Bobby Owsinskis' "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" was when things really started to click with me, after a year of a lot of uncertainty...

    I'm just a hobbyist in recording/mixing music, but reading Bobby Owsinskis' "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" was when things really started to click with me, after a year of a lot of uncertainty with my mixes. I read through it during the lockdowns and while my mixes are still inconsistent, I was finally able to hear and understand EQ/compression changes, which were two huge things that I couldn't wrap my head around. I see that book recommended the most frequently, and from what I understand hasn't changed that drastically from edition to edition.

    8 votes
  4. Comment on Game Development Career Advice in ~comp

    somewaffles
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    Yeah I figured as much, I was just suprised to see Vira say they got a role at a studio with their experience, but per their comment below, sounds like they just happened to find a role that was a...

    Yeah I figured as much, I was just suprised to see Vira say they got a role at a studio with their experience, but per their comment below, sounds like they just happened to find a role that was a perfect for their skillset already.

    My interest is more geared towards gameplay/systems, which is outside my current professional skillset, so I'm building up a portfolio of smaller games that show off my actual game-deving, because yeah, I wouldn't want to apply for a role without showing I have actually developed games haha thank you for the info!!

    1 vote
  5. Comment on Game Development Career Advice in ~comp

    somewaffles
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    I'm in a very simliar position as you, although I'm more at the point of "wow that would be neat if i could make it happen" rather than seriously considering it, because I'm worried about a major...

    One of my specific questions is about the types of games I should focus on creating. Specifically, I've heard differing opinions on whether it's more advantageous to develop a series of small games with advertisements for mobile platforms or to invest in larger, premium games for platforms like Steam. Can anyone share their insights or experiences regarding this dilemma? Is there a clear advantage to one approach over the other?

    I'm in a very simliar position as you, although I'm more at the point of "wow that would be neat if i could make it happen" rather than seriously considering it, because I'm worried about a major paycut. That being said, from what I've seen, a lot of people put together a 3-5 minute video portfolio of small games they have made that show off unique mechanics / systems they've built.

    I don't think it has as much to do with the "type" of games you make as much as it is just releasing products that showcase your abilities as a developer, in the space you want to get into. "Game Development" is sort of a nebulous term, and I think you need to decide exactly what aspect of development you want to focus on. Game designer != game programmer, etc.

    The main advice I see is "Just make games", which has become my personal goal. You can't really be a game developer if you don't make games haha

    3 votes
  6. Comment on Game Development Career Advice in ~comp

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    What part of development are you working on specifically, if you don't mind me asking? I know there are different roles you could take on like gameplay/physics/systems/UI/etc programming. I'm a...

    Even now when the big companies are shedding people in layoffs (to my disgust), engineering is still in demand.

    What part of development are you working on specifically, if you don't mind me asking? I know there are different roles you could take on like gameplay/physics/systems/UI/etc programming. I'm a senior full stack dev working in the webdev space, and do games as a hobby. My assumption was my "normal" software development experience doesn't really do much for me in the game space.

    4 votes
  7. Comment on Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in North American theatres in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    I loved FF7 when I was a kid, beat it multiple times, and still had no idea what was going on in the movie. I just remember watching multiple times on my sisters portable DVD player and thinking...

    I loved FF7 when I was a kid, beat it multiple times, and still had no idea what was going on in the movie. I just remember watching multiple times on my sisters portable DVD player and thinking it was cool to see the characters / world in full 3D.

    5 votes
  8. Comment on ‘Succession’ wins Outstanding Drama Series, 'The Bear' wins Outstanding Comedy Series, 'Beef' wins Outstanding Limited Series at the Emmy's in ~tv

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    I think Succession is a lot about generational trauma and how each of the main characters deal with it. The show is definitely a lot of spoiled rich kids being shitty to eachother, but you get...

    I think Succession is a lot about generational trauma and how each of the main characters deal with it. The show is definitely a lot of spoiled rich kids being shitty to eachother, but you get glimpses into how they were raised and how they became who they are in the present time of the show. It can be viewed as a little character study and can be really funny at times if you let yourself get immersed in the excessivness of their lives. It took me about 3 rewatches of the first couple episodes before it clicked, but I'm also a masocist when it comes to entertainment, so who knows it might just not be for you.

    8 votes
  9. Advice on when to call a service for repairs?

    Hey all, Bought a house 2 years ago, and have had a handful of issues where I had to call someone out to take a look. Whether its plumbing/HVAC/whatever, sometimes they are clearly things I...

    Hey all,

    Bought a house 2 years ago, and have had a handful of issues where I had to call someone out to take a look. Whether its plumbing/HVAC/whatever, sometimes they are clearly things I couldn't do myself, but other times, it feels like something I could probably do if I put aside the time.

    Most recently, our sump failed resulting in some flooding and we had to get it replaced, which ended up costing $700 USD. I know pumps only cost around $300 and generally understand what work needs to go into replacing it, but was worried I may miss something crucial, especially when replacing the piping and screw the whole thing up. On the flip side, I've had a lot issues with our furnace, so the last time an issue came up, I spent an hour on Youtube and just figured it out myself.

    Sometimes it just feels silly spending a bunch of money on labor, when its something you could spend an afternoon doing yourself. It just feels hard to gauge when its worth investing the time to figure it out myself or not. I also never know what to do in the situation when the person who took the time to come out gives me a price, it feels like your essentially trapped at that point.

    Anyone with more home ownership experience have any advice?

    13 votes
  10. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    It's too bad first-person games get you feeling dizzy, I was going to recommend the Outer Wilds if you enjoyed Subnautica. No building mechanics, but the sense of discovery I got from both games...

    It's too bad first-person games get you feeling dizzy, I was going to recommend the Outer Wilds if you enjoyed Subnautica. No building mechanics, but the sense of discovery I got from both games are experiences I haven't had in many other games. Unfortunately, it involves flying a space ship and can be extremely dizzying even for someone who doesn't get motion sickness normally.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on How to find new music in ~music

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    I haven't used Pandora in a couple years, but previously that was my main streaming service. I use Spotify now mostly, which can be okay but inconsistent with its recommendations. It builds out...

    I haven't used Pandora in a couple years, but previously that was my main streaming service. I use Spotify now mostly, which can be okay but inconsistent with its recommendations. It builds out weekly radios/playlists based on your personal taste, but I can go weeks without it really giving me anything I like or haven't heard before, even if I'm consistently seeking out new stuff. They have artist radios/playlists similiar to Pandora. These can also be pretty good, but don't seem to change much, so once you've browsed an artists radio a few times, you're familiar with most of what spotify is going to recommend.

    The past few years Spotify has also built out an end-of-year "tastebreaker" playlist, which has actually always been insanely good, filled with stuff I've never heard and loved, but they only do it once a year for some reason. I have a feeling they have a lot of good data on your music listening habits, but don't surface them as much as they could.

    I can also say as an artist, when I've worked to distribute my music, Pandora was by far the most picky, compared to all the other major streaming services. I don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing for listeners, but they seem to curate their music a little more strictly.

    I'd say Pandora is pretty great compared to Spotify at least, I don't have much experience with Apple Music, etc. I didn't have a good reason to stop using Pandora other than I don't listen to music at work as much now that I WFH, unfortunately.

    2 votes
  12. Comment on The games industry must not stay silent on Palestine in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    This is the take I wish everyone was able to share, it shows how insane online discourse can be. It's people trying to use their "good vs. evil" lens on an issue that they know so little about,...

    This is the take I wish everyone was able to share, it shows how insane online discourse can be. It's people trying to use their "good vs. evil" lens on an issue that they know so little about, while simultaneously expecting everyone to have an equally strong opinion. Extremely traumatic events are happening and we don't need to take to announce who we think deserves to have more of their people slaughtered. It kinda shows how disconnected most people are from what real war / trauma is (myself included I am a sheltered US citizen and have no concept of what those people must be experiencing.)

    9 votes
  13. Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    100% on fun products being motivating to develop for. I will never go back to any fin-tech companies, if I can help it (more specifically mortgage lending companies, which I spent my first two...

    100% on fun products being motivating to develop for. I will never go back to any fin-tech companies, if I can help it (more specifically mortgage lending companies, which I spent my first two years as a developer at, it was awful.)

    3 votes
  14. Comment on Grand Theft Auto V turns ten years old in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    GTA5 online when it first launched was so much fun, but the loading screens absolute killed it for me, and it doesn't seem like they ever tried to make an effort to fix it. You'd sit in lobbies...

    GTA5 online when it first launched was so much fun, but the loading screens absolute killed it for me, and it doesn't seem like they ever tried to make an effort to fix it. You'd sit in lobbies waiting for people join for 5-10 minutes, then 2-3 minutes of loading, then people would leave in the middle of loading and you'd be back at the lobby or plopped right back at your home base. When you actually got into a game finally, some of the game modes were great but it wasn't worth waiting 15+ minutes for each time. That combined with the microtransations and hacking killed it for me. I don't really understand the appeal or how they've made a fortune through GTA online.

    5 votes
  15. Comment on Unity reveals plans to charge per game install, drawing criticism from development community in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link
    Is anyone familiar with Unity as well as Godot/Unreal/other simliar engines? I'm trying to figure out which engine to move to, and want to find the one that will facilitate the easiest transition....

    Is anyone familiar with Unity as well as Godot/Unreal/other simliar engines? I'm trying to figure out which engine to move to, and want to find the one that will facilitate the easiest transition. I've started doing research but want to get opinions here, if anyones willing to share their experiences. My main concerns / soft requirements are:

    • Preferably looking to work with C#, just because I'm super familiar with how the language works on a professional level, but I'm not opposed to working with other languages. I just read Godot supports C# and Unreals C++ isn't far off.
    • I generally work with 2D, but would like the option for both 2D and 3D.
    • I'm worried about not having access to built in components I'm familiar with like Cinemachine, TextMesh, Animator and all the things Unity has out of the box. I know other engines will have similiar things, but am trying to minimize the amount of time I'm spending learning new tools or building things from scratch.
    • If possible, an engine that allows building projects out as something simliar to WebGL. I've only "released" game jam games as WebGL apps, and like the idea of throwing demos out for people to play in their browser for some of my bigger projects.

    I want to delve into Unreal, but it seems like it would be like learning Unity from scratch all over again and I see conflicting things on its 2D support. I was leaning towards Godot because it seemed more friendly, but I'm worried it might be too friendly, to the point its not powerful enough.

    7 votes
  16. Comment on To those who play(ed) Ring Fit Adventure -- did it have an effect on your body and health? in ~games

    somewaffles
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    My SO got it for Christmas a few years ago so we tried it out. I personally didn't love it, but if you can keep to a schedule I'm sure its worth doing. It most likely had more to do with me than...

    My SO got it for Christmas a few years ago so we tried it out. I personally didn't love it, but if you can keep to a schedule I'm sure its worth doing. It most likely had more to do with me than the game. I usually run ~10 miles a week, but otherwise hate exercise.

    I was suprised to find that some of the excersices were a little strenuous, but some others are BS, like the yoga poses. Not that yoga is BS at all, but the game has you moving between different work outs quickly, and throwing in tree pose for 15 seconds, isn't giving you any of the benifits of an actual yoga session. I remember doing ~20 minute sessions in the game, which it told me burned 200 calories, but I don't know if I beleive the numbers it gives you.

    I also remember the little helper character that tells you what to do, being REAL annoying at the start of the game. He doesn't stfu, but there might be a setting to stop the talking, I never checked.

    IMO I'd rather just go for a quick run, but if you don't want to do that or go to a gym, its better than nothing.

    7 votes
  17. Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    I feel like its perfectly reasonable to excuse a developer who makes games where the positives out-weight the negatives, that doesnt seem controversial to me at all? I feel that way about any...

    I feel like its perfectly reasonable to excuse a developer who makes games where the positives out-weight the negatives, that doesnt seem controversial to me at all? I feel that way about any developer who can give me 100+ hours of fun for $70, regardless of bugs. If its playable and enjoyable I dont understand the hostility or why it matters. A fun game is a fun game.

    13 votes
  18. Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    Yeah I guess I don’t know, Im really enjoying it! I haven’t had issues with either of those things.

    Yeah I guess I don’t know, Im really enjoying it! I haven’t had issues with either of those things.

    7 votes
  19. Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    I think that situation would end with a lot of dissapointed consumers, most likely. If a developer wants to make another space game, they almost definitely are not going to have/spend the money to...

    I think that situation would end with a lot of dissapointed consumers, most likely. If a developer wants to make another space game, they almost definitely are not going to have/spend the money to build up a new engine from scratch for 10+ years, so that they can include every feature Star Citizen has. So either they compromise on what they will implement, or just don't make that game.

    I'm hoping there aren't tons of these hypothetical consumers out there who think like this, because it is so far out of touch with how the game development cycle actually works.

    1 vote
  20. Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games

    somewaffles
    Link Parent
    Yeah, it is a modern Bethesda game for sure, and I don't know what anyone else expected. It will be worth the wait!

    Yeah, it is a modern Bethesda game for sure, and I don't know what anyone else expected. It will be worth the wait!

    4 votes