ChaosEngine

And why would anyone want to pre-order a game anyway?  At worst it only sells out for two weeks from the release date. Maximum. Sigh...you kids today...

What is this "sell out" of which you speak? Are you referring to some arcane method of distributing software as encoded dots on plastic? Dude, last century called.... they want their outdated distribution model back.

I kid, I kid! But seriously, I do kinda laugh at the concept of buying software on physical media any more. I haven't bought a single game from a shop in nearly 7 years. And I live in NZ, internet is not that flash here!

OP, this is a bit old now, but it's still worth a read.

The Absolute Minimum Every Software Developer Absolutely, Positively Must Know About Unicode and Character Sets (No Excuses!)

What programming language are you using? Do you have unicode support enabled?

What are you using to render the text? platform, api, etc?

I always laugh at this topic. The very concept of an "idea guy" as artist is ridiculous.

 

Have you ever heard a painter/writer/photographer/director/sculptor say "I have a really great idea for a painting/story/photo/movie/sculpture" and then expect someone else to do all the work for them? 

 

No, you have value when you produce something. 

 

where did you get that from? did anyone here claim that?

Yep. "But i still hold my view that possessing a skill set does not make an artist, it is necessary, but not essential."

Besides, it's pretty much the central tenet of this argument. The "idea guy" has a grand vision and it's left to the artists, programmers, etc to get on with the boring and menial task of turning the Best Game Idea Ever ™ into a reality.

Hell, in this topic, the programmers and artists don't even rate as hired help, they're "the manufacturer of the paint"

I always laugh at this topic. The very concept of an "idea guy" as artist is ridiculous.

Have you ever heard a painter/writer/photographer/director/sculptor say "I have a really great idea for a painting/story/photo/movie/sculpture" and then expect someone else to do all the work for them? 

No, you have value when you produce something.