T w e n t y S i d e d
From The Archives:
id Software Coding Style
When the source code for Doom 3 was released, we got a look at some of the style conventions used by the developers. Here I analyze this style and explain what it all means.
The Plot-Driven Door
You know how videogames sometimes do that thing where it's preposterously hard to go through a simple door? This one is really bad.
Joker's Last Laugh
Did you anticipate the big plot twist of Batman: Arkham City? Here's all the ways the game hid that secret from you while also rubbing your nose in it.
Quakecon 2011 Keynote Annotated
An interesting but technically dense talk about gaming technology. I translate it for the non-coders.
TitleWhat’s Inside Skinner’s Box?
What is a skinner box, how does it interact with neurotransmitters, and what does it have to do with shooting people in the face for rare loot?
I think there’s a little more to it than the vanity that Shamus mentioned. A big part of it is the visual language of movies and video games which will often start with something like a bird’s eye view of a city before zooming in on the battle raging in the streets, or the camera will scroll through the cavern showing the dripping stalactites and godrays coming from nobody knows where before arriving at the shape of the dragon. Another thing is that talking is slower than seeing. Yes, your main focus is going to be on the battle, but if you were looking at it you would immediately grasp and process a plethora of information such as “built vertically against the mountain” that take forever to describe in a way that may or may not give the players the correct mental image.
Of course there are situations and extremes where this goes beyond justified.
Also, you want to end the description on the things that invite the action.
It is possible to mention the crucial facts first, follow with descriptions (possibly shaped by the crucial fact), and then end with a call to action.
“You arrive at the battle of Minas Tirith at last. The once verdant fields have been trampled by the horde of orcs surrounding the city. Rocks flung by countless siege engines slam into the ancient white towers and the ornate walls, sowing destruction in even the upper districts built into the mountainside. Dark clouds and wings of fell beasts block out the sun. Ahead of you, the orc rear guard turns around and notices you…”
Not always possible, I suspect, but it definitely was here. Which is of course the joke.
You’ve changed the original text again. You’re well within your right to do so. But the least you could do is cite the fact that you’ve made changes. Just short line along the lines of “Changes have been made to the content of this panel to better aline with the modern meaning of certain words.” You can put it below Shamus’ original commentary below the strip. Some people will still have a problem with the changes, of course, but a large proportion of them won’t, as long as you acknowledge you’ve made changes. Otherwise, it looks like you’re trying to hide the fact that you’ve made changes. And nobody likes to feel like people are hiding things from them.
Eh, that’s already been stated in an earlier comic. No point in repeating it every time.
It’s been mentioned repeatedly, the changes were discussed from the beginning, and the original version of every comic is linked still in it’s original, available to anyone post. You can even read the comic as it was originally posted.
If you prefer the unaltered version perhaps don’t read this one. It seems to bother you and life is too short to be annoyed about something that is intended to bring you joy. Be well
Believe it should be “Osgiliath”, not “Oggiliath” (Shamus’s text is fuzzy, ambiguous, and hard to read, admittedly, but that was Tolkien’s original name for the place, so it’s probably what Shamus wrote)