Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang • Hacker News Board

Re: Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang

#121

Post by mbrodersen » Thu, Oct 21, 2021, 10:29 PM UTC

michal-z wrote: post #116

mbrodersen wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% agree. I don’t know why you were downvoted. I assume that some people hate it when you dare to talk reality. I have run my own successful game biz for 5+ years and have written more than one commercial game engine that was used to release commercial games on consoles and PC. And I 100% agree with you. Unity (for example) will make you at least 10 times more productive than writing a 3D engine from scratch.

It depends on many factors. You are describing your experience and then extrapolate for everyone. My game will be pretty small, not fully 3D. I don't need 90% of Unity features and Unity bugs :) Before making my decision to go with Zig I've built small game in UE5 ( https://michalziulek.itch.io/upacman ). I've also used UE5 and Unity at AMD. I simply don't like those engines. Different people have different approache…

It’s great that you have some experience with commercial game engines. Let me caution you though that successful games are 99% choosing the right gameplay and 1% choosing the tech. In other words, I recommend getting a gameplay prototype working first without thinking tech at all and then picking the right tech for your chosen gameplay. The big mistake that developers always make is to think that the 3D engine is your game. That is false. Take a look at the top selling indie steam games. None of them use unusual/advanced tech.

Re: Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang

#122

Post by michal-z » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 7:43 AM UTC

mbrodersen wrote: post #121

michal-z wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on many factors. You are describing your experience and then extrapolate for everyone. My game will be pretty small, not fully 3D. I don't need 90% of Unity features and Unity bugs :) Before making my decision to go with Zig I've built small game in UE5 ( https://michalziulek.itch.io/upacman ). I've also used UE5 and Unity at AMD. I simply don't like those engines. Different people have different approache…

It’s great that you have some experience with commercial game engines. Let me caution you though that successful games are 99% choosing the right gameplay and 1% choosing the tech. In other words, I recommend getting a gameplay prototype working first without thinking tech at all and then picking the right tech for your chosen gameplay. The big mistake that developers always make is to think that the 3D engine is you…

I'm perfectly aware. I don't want to build advanced tech, it's not my goal. I want to build simple tech that lets me build my gameplay easier than it is in UE5. In my opinion gameplay programming in UE5/Unity isn't nice at all. Way too abstracted and too generic for my usecase.

In my case, simplicity is the key for productivity.

Re: Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang

#123

Post by meheleventyone » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 11:22 AM UTC

mbrodersen wrote: post #120

meheleventyone wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure if you shift the goal posts by adding more detail to the context then the situation is different. There's a reason the first two words of my reply were "it depends". Please don't make assumptions about my experience based on that though. It's pretty impolite before I'm even able to respond to the new criteria and makes you look like you're not actually responding in good faith.

It is quite obvious to me from your comments that you have zero experience writing commercial 3D games. However if I am wrong then you are welcome to elaborate.

How about you make your arguments stand for themselves? I have no idea of your experience either but I don't go around insinuating you are useless rather than responding to your points. Instead I clearly lay out why you're wrong and I note you're clearly not actually able to respond to those points. Instead doubling down on baseless accusations.

I'll also direct you towards the HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community.

Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive.

When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. "That is idiotic; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3."

Re: Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang

#124

Post by mbrodersen » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 9:34 PM UTC

meheleventyone wrote: post #123

mbrodersen wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is quite obvious to me from your comments that you have zero experience writing commercial 3D games. However if I am wrong then you are welcome to elaborate.

How about you make your arguments stand for themselves? I have no idea of your experience either but I don't go around insinuating you are useless rather than responding to your points. Instead I clearly lay out why you're wrong and I note you're clearly not actually able to respond to those points. Instead doubling down on baseless accusations. I'll also direct you towards the HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator…

When exactly did I insult you? As far as I know I didn’t. Pointing out that you don’t have the experience to know what you are talking about is not an insult. It’s just a fact. You can choose to make all the mistakes yourself, or be smart and skip years of wasted time by listening to people who have already been there done that. Your choice.

Re: Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang

#125

Post by meheleventyone » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 8:51 PM UTC

mbrodersen wrote: post #124

meheleventyone wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How about you make your arguments stand for themselves? I have no idea of your experience either but I don't go around insinuating you are useless rather than responding to your points. Instead I clearly lay out why you're wrong and I note you're clearly not actually able to respond to those points. Instead doubling down on baseless accusations. I'll also direct you towards the HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator…

When exactly did I insult you? As far as I know I didn’t. Pointing out that you don’t have the experience to know what you are talking about is not an insult. It’s just a fact. You can choose to make all the mistakes yourself, or be smart and skip years of wasted time by listening to people who have already been there done that. Your choice.

Amazing! Good luck for the future.

Re: Zig gamedev project – left my job to build games in Zig lang

#126

Post by mbrodersen » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 10:35 PM UTC

meheleventyone wrote: post #125

mbrodersen wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When exactly did I insult you? As far as I know I didn’t. Pointing out that you don’t have the experience to know what you are talking about is not an insult. It’s just a fact. You can choose to make all the mistakes yourself, or be smart and skip years of wasted time by listening to people who have already been there done that. Your choice.

Amazing! Good luck for the future.

Thanks! You too :)