February 11, 2011
[size="2"][font="Courier New"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"][size="3"]I'm currently working on the architecture for how the game will do path finding. Up until a couple of days ago, I had a plan that would work reasonably well, but then I stumbled upon a link to a thesis paper that really made me …
February 10, 2011
I last wrote in this journal in 2006 and my life as a programmer has definitely taken some interesting turns. Since I started at EA, I've now worked on a lot of Sims games:
- Sims 2 Console (Engineer, worked on Create-a-Sim)
- Sims 2 Pets for Consoles (Engine Lead, mainly worked on optimization)
- S…
- Sims 2 Console (Engineer, worked on Create-a-Sim)
- Sims 2 Pets for Consoles (Engine Lead, mainly worked on optimization)
- S…
August 01, 2006
Well, given the choices in my previous entry, I finally made a decision to go with option 2. I told my boss. Then the lead for the project in choice #1 convinced me to change my mind and so I decided to go for the smaller, current-gen project. I told my boss again. He now has whiplash.
I'm now a…
I'm now a…
July 19, 2006
Given the following choices, what would YOU do?
1) Become a Technical Director on a small project for current-gen console technology. This would be an interesting game in itself with a very small team of people that you know and enjoy working with. The only real downside is that there's not a lot of…
1) Become a Technical Director on a small project for current-gen console technology. This would be an interesting game in itself with a very small team of people that you know and enjoy working with. The only real downside is that there's not a lot of…
February 16, 2006
Well, looks like I'm going to GDC this year after all. I didn't think I'd have money, but that seems to have changed. I won't have a Gigapass this year, but a Classic Pass is still just fine for me.
So much has changed since my last GDC - I feel like that was a different life.
I'm definitely lookin…
So much has changed since my last GDC - I feel like that was a different life.
I'm definitely lookin…
February 01, 2006
I hate layoffs. Just in general. Even when you "survive", it's suddenly not such a fun place to work any more.
I've been through far too many of them it seems - comes from working in the computer industry for so long I suppose. I understand why they happen. I even (sort of) understand the ratio…
I've been through far too many of them it seems - comes from working in the computer industry for so long I suppose. I understand why they happen. I even (sort of) understand the ratio…
October 19, 2005
I was re-reading old journal entries tonight and I noticed a couple things:
1) I don't update much any more.
2) My life has changed a LOT in the last couple of years.
I don't update much any more not because I don't have anything to talk about. I have more geekery in my head than ever before it seems…
1) I don't update much any more.
2) My life has changed a LOT in the last couple of years.
I don't update much any more not because I don't have anything to talk about. I have more geekery in my head than ever before it seems…
September 16, 2005
Yes, I'm still alive.
Really.
The last few months have been some of the most intense (and enjoyable!) of my life. I've dived into a new (to me) codebase. I've finished my first shipping game product. I've made a good impression. I've made some new friends. I've lived completely on my own for the firs…
Really.
The last few months have been some of the most intense (and enjoyable!) of my life. I've dived into a new (to me) codebase. I've finished my first shipping game product. I've made a good impression. I've made some new friends. I've lived completely on my own for the firs…
July 22, 2005
July 16, 2005
So, EA invited some press folks recently to show off some games. The game I'm working on, Sims 2 Console, has been getting really good reviews (with good reason, honestly - it's going to be a very good game, imo!). Now that some screenshots and reviews are public I can point to some public URLs.
S…
S…
July 12, 2005
Assert fells tree in
forest of code. But no one
Around. Heisenbug?
Eyelids heavy and
no more Dew. How can I work?
Need more power-ups!
forest of code. But no one
Around. Heisenbug?
Eyelids heavy and
no more Dew. How can I work?
Need more power-ups!
July 08, 2005
I've worked with Perl for over 10 years now, off and on. At various times, I've made a living at it. In fact, if I had to rank my skills in various languages, it would probably go somethine like this:
Guru: C++, Perl
Expert: Java, SQL, HTML, javascript
Good: DOS, C-Shell, Bourne-Shell…
Guru: C++, Perl
Expert: Java, SQL, HTML, javascript
Good: DOS, C-Shell, Bourne-Shell…
June 27, 2005
Wow, I can't believe how busy I am lately! We're getting ready for an internal deadline and the whole team is working furiously, including me. It's really exciting being part of a team like this - like a well-oiled machine running at top performance. I haven't been a part of something like this …
June 16, 2005
Well, it's been a while since I did a real entry. I've been...busy.
Work is going reasonably well still. There were a few days last week when I was despairing that I would be able to do what was needed to finish the project - I didn't think the problems were solvable or at least implementable in t…
Work is going reasonably well still. There were a few days last week when I was despairing that I would be able to do what was needed to finish the project - I didn't think the problems were solvable or at least implementable in t…
May 31, 2005
It's good to have positive feedback from the industry. The game I'm working on (Sims 2 Console) has gotten a nomination at E3 this year for best Simulation game from the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2005. This is great news and means that I'm working on a project with pretty high visibility.
Th…
Th…
May 30, 2005
Today is the beginning of my third week at EA and I figure this is a good time to post a status update. I'm having the time of my life here. I still find it hard to believe they're paying me to do something this fun!
My first week was mostly spent digging deep into the code base. It's large and comp…
My first week was mostly spent digging deep into the code base. It's large and comp…
May 20, 2005
Revenge of the Sith rocked. It wasn't quite up to Empire Strikes Back (my favorite), but I have to say I think this is my second favorite of the series.
George, you're redeemed.
May The Force Be With You. Always.
George, you're redeemed.
May The Force Be With You. Always.
May 20, 2005
It's here! It's here! The Laptop o' Doom is here!
This thing...rocks.
And for some reason Alienware screwed up it seems - they gave me an EXTRA 3.4 Ghz P4 processor (so the machine is a dual-processor laptop). The hard drives are SCSI, too, instead of the SATA ones I ordered (currently configured …
This thing...rocks.
And for some reason Alienware screwed up it seems - they gave me an EXTRA 3.4 Ghz P4 processor (so the machine is a dual-processor laptop). The hard drives are SCSI, too, instead of the SATA ones I ordered (currently configured …
May 18, 2005
I can already tell how much I'm going to enjoy this job. My first three days have been a whirlwind of activity - getting the codebase set up on my machine, digging through the source trying to grok what it's doing, learning my way around the campus, getting to know my co-workers, and working on my…
May 17, 2005
It's been a hectic week! I've been essentially computer-less since late last week. Most of the time, it hasn't been too bad since I've also been taking a road trip with my son and enjoying the time with him. In fact, I have to say that I really enjoyed my trip and wouldn't have traded the time …
May 04, 2005
Since my current company owns my current laptop, I have to give it back when I leave. Fortunately, I have lots of vacation accrued that I never really used and that will get paid to me when I leave. So, with that, I can afford to buy a laptop of my own.
Since I'm also hoping to learn more Shader Mod…
Since I'm also hoping to learn more Shader Mod…
May 03, 2005
Well, I'm getting down to the details of moving. Today I'm starting to pack up my office at RealArcade. I've gotten information about where I'll be staying in San Fransisco, I've done lots of brain dumps on people before I leave, and I'm basically just doing the details now. It's a strange feel…
April 26, 2005
All the dominos have fallen into place, and it's official. I'll be starting my new job in mid-May. My last day at my current job will be Monday, May 9th. I'm extremely excited about the new job and the life change it involves. There's some drawbacks, of course, but overall, it's the opportunit…
April 20, 2005
(Nothing 100% definite yet on the interview front, but things are looking very good so far. Will update when I know for sure)
So I've decided to pick Height Field Terrain and Level of Detail for my project in class. I originally started the class with a desire to learn a lot more about terrain ren…
So I've decided to pick Height Field Terrain and Level of Detail for my project in class. I originally started the class with a desire to learn a lot more about terrain ren…
April 15, 2005
I finally heard back from the company I interviewed with on Monday. Apparently things went very well. I'll know more details this afternoon hopefully, but all indications are that my hard work over the past several years is finally going to pay off and I'm moving into the gaming industry.
Wow.
I ca…
Wow.
I ca…
April 13, 2005
Well, things are mostly working again with my server. DNS, email, httpd, ftp, firewall, mysql, and cgi all seem to be working normally again.
What a nightmare this was, though. Like I didn't have enough on my plate to deal with, I have to reconstruct my server. A HUGE thankyou to my friend Gabe t…
What a nightmare this was, though. Like I didn't have enough on my plate to deal with, I have to reconstruct my server. A HUGE thankyou to my friend Gabe t…
April 12, 2005
Just when I need my email the most, my server gets royally horked. My friend who also uses my server asked if he could upgrade PHP there, and I said sure.
Of course, because I'm running Redhat 7.1 (really, really old), he ran into problems. He ended up "upgrading" glibc without really understandin…
Of course, because I'm running Redhat 7.1 (really, really old), he ran into problems. He ended up "upgrading" glibc without really understandin…
April 12, 2005
What an exhausting day yesterday was. 10 interviews in one day is tiring. Nonetheless, I think I did well. I won't know for a few days probably, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
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