Dev Rampage - Adventures in coding and sleep depravation
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| Mister Tom Bones, he's always rattlin'! |
Day Zero
Old friends saying hello rarely say much, there is a knowledge of decades and the core of the person. A head nod of greeting and we are off. We plan our expedition loosely, knowing that every step forwards can break progress behind us. But first, we must find comfortable and quality accommodations. My initial scouting had found what was a promising option, but upon closer inspection, the fruits were unripe and the others distasteful. We find ourselves at a fine establishment for tacos through a brief detour.
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| It all seems so simple |
Day one
As we set upon our quest for fame, fortune, and functional code we find ourselves in a land once familiar to us but foreign as well. Our own footprints and those who have come and gone haunt us with old statements of ‘it will work for now’ and ‘we`ll just fix it later’. We mark where we must carve, and where we must build. A task that seems simple to those with a hammer and nails is quite a bit more daunting with only sticks and a rock. Still, we see the untouched horizon we will achieve…
The temperature is unsuitable for extended voyages beyond our confines, however, a nearby watering hole provides an enjoyable distraction and much-needed cooling and cleansing of our minds and bodies.
Day two
Progress is steady, sleep has not yet been invaded by lines of symbols and dreams of flawless execution. After much failures and discovering how devoid the landscape is of suitable habitation we finally relented and settled on a better seating arrangement, only to be delayed by its difficult design and construction. Still, the short-term setback will no doubt save us future pains.
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| So many side quests |
Work has taken shape, though rebuilding several foundations that we can no longer recognize does slow us down. Better to have one we know how to fix than one we must rely upon without knowledge.
Math was never something I feared, in childhood or currently, but had I known the level I would have to use it today I would have spent more time in theoretical mathematics and word problems. A formula for a formula's formula, all of which I have to then hammer into shapes that fit together creates a complex nest of gears it's easy to lose track of which one causes the spinning to go out of shape. Still, I can go piece by piece until I find the culprit, fix it, and continue to the next piece. It isn't the prettiest work, I feel I had a better grasp on it earlier. That phrase about rubber and roads, or making first contact with the enemy reminds me I`m not the first to have such problems.
Day three
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| Our tasks and cartridges grow |
Disaster. My dear colleague is beleaguered when trying to start the day. His machine, custom-built and brought for this adventure, has failed him. Repairs are taking time away and may require foraging to rebuild. For such a bright day a cloud hangs over our efforts. It seems the trip was a bit rough on his equipment.
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| Bonus points if you can identify what is being reseated! |
Success! While my colleague disassembled and reassembled I made English muffins, or just muffins for those from England. A small silver lining is the remains of many other tools collected by myself in the case of such an event. It’s only madness until the world goes mad.
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| So very tasty! |
Today we were able to make strides in building a simulator for testing our work. These foundations will be a core foundational test. We can only hope our prior works will hold up to this new addition.
My colleague has found that much of the prior work that connects us to the larger world will have to be rebuilt. Without the support for it, we had previously we have to go back to what we know, while not as elegant it will be a pipeline we can maintain and adapt going forwards. We both know this pipe will be pulled up later, it is inevitable that either we or someone who joins us later will find it insufficient, but for our tasks this week we must be able to use it.
Day four
This morning was plagued as yesterday with technical issues, our connection to the outside world was unreliable yesterday. Today it completely failed. While my colleague slept I attempted repairs to no avail. The device had been long-suffering, even before our adventure began I had plotted its replacement, and even gathered a new item as there are few true repairs that can be attempted. Thankfully I am no novice at these and was able to quickly replace it without disrupting the myriad of connections that rely on it.
By the time my colleague awoke, everything was working without issues.
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| AI is dumb, I have been disappointed |
Today was quite a lot of progress. Unburdened by technical issues, working on a set of projects we were able to complete quite a few items. I myself took time to look into our long-suffering problems from my earliest works on the project. Many of our newest additions required all the older pieces to be uniform and as I had created them at various skill levels and for differing designs it made it impossible to progress effectively. I could barely remember when or how these came to play, but the works looked so poorly now that I can hardly believe I did them. I have to remind myself that our original plans were going to be much smaller in scale, and under less scrutiny!
I came upon a new tool - an automated machine - that promised to help. The price was right and the reviews were excellent. As the prospect of rebuilding from scratch looked to be quite a daunting process and would waste valuable time we had I wanted to use it as soon as possible. However using this machine would push us to make a change we had been dreading, upgrading our whole toolset. The one we had been using was now almost three years old. After a short discussion, we decided to take the risk, there were so many tools that would make our progress faster that had been developed in the years between that we could no longer justify our current set, so I set off to upgrade my own as my companion stuck to the original set. No sense in both of us being lost should things go wrong, as they often do with such changes.
At the time of this writing, I am awaiting the results of this overhaul. The warnings of other projects scrapped from such large leaps, most only upgrade one step at a time and here I am attempting three, weigh heavy on my mind. Dire reports of similar attempts by others make me brace for an impact, a flood of issues it could cause.
Have you ever been so sure of problems, so absolute in your understanding of impending doom, that when it doesn’t arrive you cannot seem to trust yourself? That is the experience I am having. The overhaul went so smoothly that it is hard to believe. Not even a pop when I was expecting an explosion. Was it how simple our project is? Was it just luck that all our prior work, hobgoblin as it is, did not feel the impact? The shock is dissipating and all that is left is a new clean set of tools and all our work intact. I worry that we have simply not found the issue or that it was not as evident as I was expecting. Like an unexploded bomb, I wonder if it will do us harm in the future, but as of now, we are relieved.
Tonight I spend in my love's arms, content in both her embrace and the success of the day.
Day Five
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| Aren`t bugs fun? |
Today, after working a bit in the morning we were joined by my love for a day of outings. Though I had let her know I would be less present during this part of the project, I wished for her to know that it was not a choice I made over our time together.
The new machine called PB for short, has done wonders cleaning up on much of my old work. It has many many functions, but the simplest one is the one we need right now. It has helped clean and orient all the old work so that it can function without conflicts. Though there are still many manual changes I must make, as I had built so many bandages and braces to keep the old structures in line, removing them will take a little time. Not nearly as much as rebuilding, however. I am pleased with all these results as we work late into the night, energized by our unabridged progress.
Despite an initial struggle on what we would do that day we settled on a joint activity of miniaturized golfing. Indoors to avoid the killer heat and with an excellent selection of libations, tonics, and tinctures we enjoyed our time. My colleague was the clear victor, but my love had a stunningly skillful shot that put us all aback.
We enjoyed the break time, but my colleague and I were still working on problems in our minds. When discussions drifted back to our work it must have sounded like mad babbling. We all went to the new movie together, enjoying the nostalgia, puns, and performance of the pink clade actors. Though my colleague didn’t voice an opinion I heard him laugh more than once, he grew up with a sister after all so he was familiar with many of the references. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was not as blindingly neon as I was made to expect.
After saying goodbye to my love for the evening and returning to our work we found we were increasingly hampered by delays. However, we were able to push through and make many important changes using our simulator to test various functions. I was able to update all the items I have previously made, which allowed for better looking and behavior from them when called from the ether in which they reside.
Day Six
I began working to upgrade all the items I had just finished yesterday with upgrades to their movements. No longer would they be as lifeless and dull as simple placeholders.
Though this was a detailed process as few of the items could be treated in the same ways I was able to create an efficient and pleasing outcome for the day's work. My colleague made some additions to the most visible aspects and smooth the experiences for those who will come to see our work at some future time. I was plagued by delays when trying to operate on our project and was able to identify the culprit.
The addition of PB and the items it has touched, for every change we made PB had to inspect at length, stopping us for several minutes each time, the longer the more objects had been touched by PB. Late that night the decision was made, PB must die for us to make progress. The prospect again loomed against my mind having so many of our critical items affected by PB it would mean a possible rework of the entire set. It was my addition, it was only right that I destroy it.
The night we took a long drive out of town for a special celebration, my love joined us as I enjoyed a finely cut and seasoned tenderloin in a place renowned for it. They were less enthused with their results, but their desserts were phenomenal. I can attest to that as I managed to gain a sample of both! Afterward, we went to a favorite speakeasy but only spent a single drink there, my colleague being less of an experimental drinker than I. We returned to work again till late in the morning. Sleep schedules being destroyed is nothing new, but this has created quite the foray into the blurring lines between days.
Day Seven
This morning I awoke early with a single goal: Pull all the hooked tendrils out of all the parts I let PB touch. After losing sleep and preparing to lose a day to this process I sharpened my knives and gripped my hammers, only to find a convenient off switch! After inspecting the change PB made and finding only a few issues I put PB back in its box and buried it for now. It seems it may be a convenient tool later should I find more issues, but for now it can be stored safely away. My colleague was shocked at how easy it was, and so was I to be frank about it.
After clearing my schedule I found I had little to do. The work my colleague is able to do is beyond my ability to do anything other than bounce ideas off of and discuss information flows in vague terms. We are so close, I have saved a unique libation for this occasion and have been waiting to open it.
To not be so useless I began using another new tool in our box, one to greatly improve our aesthetics. Annoyingly while the tool is easy to use, the resources to make the tool do what I want require a phenomenal amount of work. It is only a spray gun, my day was consumed blending the pigments together and layering them with nozzles and pipes until it produced something like I was hoping for.
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| And this is a 'simple' shader |
After fiddling with it for far too long I found the settings that would work for me. I may share these publicly another time, as I have only been able to do this with the grace of others' work to start from. For now, they will have to wait until I can improve upon them. Additionally, the new tool was able to let me add even more details to the project quickly, instead of placing every piece manually I was able to cover a great deal of work with a simple swipe, again after too much setup time as I was learning as I went.
The night was time for tacos again. This time at our favorite location, our favorite bartender had returned to work. We were glad to see her. The night carried on for one of the longest card games any of us can recall. At one point we all decided to end the game instead of continuing forever, we put aside our plays for victory and instead focused on one person so as to come to a conclusion, reminding me that all our projects need to have an exit and a break. Otherwise, we will never finish.
Day Eight?
There is a saying in works like these, “..once you are 80% there, you`re halfway done.” As we transition from the testing simulations to our active space my colleague's expertise becomes far superior to my work. If there were ever a doubt as to the skill or work he has put into this project I will tell you unequivocally that his is far more important. I can make it pretty, he can make it work. I can dream up the lore, he makes the pipes fit together. I can paint a wall, that he built. Plenty of pretty projects lay in the pile of unworkable concepts and poor design. The best I feel I can do is work on a few side things and make sure he doesn’t get too stuck.
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| I can taste our goal! |
I keep spirits high, however, with the promise of the celebration drinks and a break for a motion picture and dinner. This time, less pink, more fedoras. My review: Loud. Just too loud. I estimate I could have cut 25% of the picture away, reducing its ridiculous run time, and still have quite the experience. We are close, so close, we will work and test through the night for our first true success.
My companion found that the structure was becoming redundant and it was preventing our new features from working. Cutting out swaths of our prior work feels good, some we are able to reuse, but the rest goes in a pile by the side. Someday we will clean it all up, but we need to know everything is stable and nothing we removed was critical to our new design. Never hurts to have a spare brace or bucket handy when things start going wrong in our next stage.
While my work isn`t as critical, it is the most easily noticeable. To that end, I spent a large portion of my time smoothing over the various pieces that people would see the most, hanging panels and painting them so others may not see our mess behind them.
Day Nine-ish
In the early hours, we reached our goal to declare phase II Alpha completed! We made hundreds of changes, so many version checks, took some videos and I poured the much-anticipated drinks! To my great amusement, my colleague could only get a single sip before nearly falling over in disgust. It took some time and effort to cleanse his mouth but we were so elated by our own milestone it mattered little. The sweet taste of completion drown out any sour taste from the drink, though for my part, I enjoyed it.
While we were elated by our success we are beginning to suffer from serious mental fatigue. Days of twelve to sixteen hours of learning, building, fixing, and planning for the next steps have warped our sense of reality. Even now as I write this the errors in my language are stacking up, far more than ever before. Time is an illusion as the days blur together and the clocks cease to have set meanings. Recovery seems to be out of reach as well with just sleep.
In an effort to clear our minds and further celebrate our success my colleague and I took a trip to our childish roots. We do love not only making but playing! Being desynchronized from the time as others perceive it has some advantages, we had no wait for our play, but it also only allowed a few others to play with us. I unleashed my inner competitor upon the race track, throwing caution to the wind despite a prior injury at the same location. With no one else but us on the course, we were able to push ourselves to the limit, leading to a course record for the week and quite a lot of fun!
Spying another childhood favorite we engaged in simulated combat, my colleague took an early lead striking with accuracy from afar. My close-range skills were hard to beat, however. In our second round, we gained teammates, though they were little sports to challenge us, mere obstacles to our continued battle. While I pulled ahead due to some gratuitous spread shots, the scores were clear that we were the superior gladiators to all others that day. We followed it with another race, and though this one was slowed by others on the course, the challenge was as enjoyable as the sheer speed of the first.
While our morale was improved greatly by the distraction, our mental fatigue still clogs our push for further development. Instead, we focused on refinement, cleaning some of our sloppier work up, shaving down all the sharp bits, and polishing up the ones we hope to show off.
Day Ten
Today we awake to our last day together for now. Looking back we have much to show for our work. We plant our flag upon this ground, marking how far we have come, and look forward to how far we will go. We squeeze in a few hours to take in our progress, take mementos and create media for those who are following our progress. I will rest my weary brain, and try to regain my sense of time for now.
Lastly, we look at what we want for our next goal. I have no doubt we could do it within a few months if we had such unlimited time, but we must return to our normal lives. Our loved ones and families do wish to see us, and we are short of supplies and sleep. Our first dev rampage is at its end. But we will look upon it fondly until we have to remember how we did it.
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If you ever wondered what it takes to make a game Dev Rampage: |  |
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