Scraping Part 1: Easy Mode

By Shamus Posted Thursday Apr 23, 2020

Filed under: Programming 90 comments

You might remember a couple of months ago I posted a bunch of charts of video game data. The obvious question that went unanswered in those postsTo the genuine annoyance of some. was, “Where did this data come from?” So let’s talk about that.

Actually, before we talk about that I should make it clear that this is a programming project. I should note that that this project pre-dates that crazy stuff I was doing with BSP loading a couple of weeks ago, but I’m posting them in the opposite order. For some reason.

Maybe reading yet another programming project sounds fun, but this isn’t a game-focused project with cool screenshots to show off my project. This is pretty dry and you’ve already seen the end result. I’d talk you out of reading more, but we both know you’re going to read this stupid thing no matter what I say. So Let’s just get this over with.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Scraping Part 1: Easy Mode”

 


 

Adventures in Raytracing

By Shamus Posted Tuesday Apr 21, 2020

Filed under: Programming 34 comments

In the previous entry I ended with an abrupt half-joke where I said I got raytracing working. The idea was that I spent days struggling to get simple old technology working properly, but then casually mastered cutting-edge tech in a single sentence. Sadly, it’s not totally true. I got access to raytracing, but I think it’s a stretch to say it’s “working”.

When I left off, I presented you with an image that looked more or less like this:

I've fiddled with the lighting / textures / render settings since the last entry, which is why this looks different than it did a few days ago. This is still the same room / viewing angle we've been looking at all along.
I've fiddled with the lighting / textures / render settings since the last entry, which is why this looks different than it did a few days ago. This is still the same room / viewing angle we've been looking at all along.

That’s what the program looks like when you leave it alone, but if you move the camera even slightly then it looks something like this: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Adventures in Raytracing”

 


 

Diecast #298: More of the Same

By Shamus Posted Monday Apr 20, 2020

Filed under: Diecast 84 comments

Even if you don’t listen to our podcast, if you listen to any podcast then I’ve got a question for you in the show notes below. I’m just curious how people consume these things.



Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast298


Link (YouTube)

Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #298: More of the Same”

 


 

Hypothetical ME4: Setting

By Bob Case Posted Saturday Apr 18, 2020

Filed under: Mass Effect 71 comments

After the player has spent 13 hours creating their character and 7 more settling on a name, it’s time for the actual game to start – which means that it’s time to (re)introduce them to the universe of Mass Effect.

The Citadel, one of the best tutorial/kiddie pool areas ever made.
The Citadel, one of the best tutorial/kiddie pool areas ever made.

For those new to the series (a significant group – the last numbered sequel came out eight years ago), this means easing them into the setting and helping them find their feet without overwhelming them with side quests and codex entries. For those who have played the previous entries, it means showing them what’s changed, and what the effects of those changes are.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Hypothetical ME4: Setting”

 


 

Revisiting a Dead Engine

By Shamus Posted Thursday Apr 16, 2020

Filed under: Programming 56 comments

This is a second entry, following the first one, which makes this a series now.  If you remember, my son Issac made a level for Garry’s mod that I thought was cool, and I foolishly assumed it would be easy to get it translated to a modern engine. Here’s the original level:

This is what it looks like in Garry's Mod.
This is what it looks like in Garry's Mod.

It was unreasonably difficult to extract all of those polygons and render them in another game engine. Let’s talk about why. Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Revisiting a Dead Engine”

 


 

No content today. Except for this.

By Shamus Posted Tuesday Apr 14, 2020

Filed under: Programming 43 comments

This no-content post is brought to you by sloth, incompetence, and malfeasance. I have lots of content in the pipeline, but I recently got sidetracked by a project that I figured ought to take “a few hours”, and has now devoured much, much more than a few hours.

It all started when my son Issac showed me a Garry’s Mod level he was working on…

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “No content today. Except for this.”

 


 

Diecast #297: Pandemic Mailbag!

By Shamus Posted Monday Apr 13, 2020

Filed under: Diecast 139 comments

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel like doing a podcast.



Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast297


Link (YouTube)

Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #297: Pandemic Mailbag!”