ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980
And I have stated otherwise where, exactly? Provide quote/link, please.
How about this one?
But GG is NOT a modern programmer, period. When he does do it he still still stuck in the hard coded, fixed array base, procedural world of 640K DOS. He wouldn't know an object from and elbow or C++ from Ada from Modula2 from Fortran, and forget any notion concerning modern techniques like the Standard Template Library, containers, counted "referenced" pointers, inheritance, polymorhpism, encapsulation, relational data modeling, data mining, etc.... He simply has never kept up. He might have been respectible at one time, his Apple IIc code was actually pretty clever at the time, but what was clever and cutting edge in 1989 has no relevance today.
Or maybe this one?
The hardest thing I do in my career is trying to keep up. Out of 40 hr work week, simply keeping up takes 25% of it. I don't think Mr Grigsby has ever bothered to keep up with that part of his skill set at all. And it shows, rather blatanty, in this latest title...
Well this one is nice too:
Which is his biggest problem. I have a LOT of GG's old source code from his games. Let's just say this, he'd never get a job offer here as a programmer....
And that has exactly WHAT to do with the Price of Rice in China? In otherwords that has WHAT to do with the quality of Matrix game titles in general? I have done nothing but praise the quality of the stuff I have bought here, and that GG has produced. Just because I find a LOT of fault with his developent methods does not in ANY detract from enjoyment of the end result. I buy almost NOTHING that does not have GG in the credits list.
Sounds like you guys have a jolly good ole time where you work. Must be nice to have a big shop. Guess what, most of us don't. 2by3 live in different cities for chrissakes. This game was programmed out of people's house's all the while changing diapers, yelling at the kids, yelling at the dog, answering the phone, cleaning house, etc. Matrix and 2by3 are not some huge corporate monsters with large budgets and fancy offices. These guys aren't getting rich on this. You realize they will probably sell around 10K-20K copies of this when its all said and done right? Let's put it this way, they ain't all driving Ferraris, eating caviar out of both hands, and washing it down with Dom Perignom. More like driving beaters, eating Chicken of the Sea, and washing it down with Mountain Dew.
Ahh. the old poor-mouth approach. Once again, criticism of design decisions made early on have exactly WHAT to do with personal life-style choice, or choice of work environment again? This entire rant is completely pointless and has nothing to do with anything as far as I can tell? What drinking Mtn Dew have to do with making questionable design decisions? I reserve the right to question anything about a game, including it's underlieing design, and when answered, reserve the right to comment and suggest. People do it to me all the time, and I don't take it personally. Nor should you, or anyone else.
I re registered in Sep '01 and have been around here since the start. If your handle is a clue, I'm 20 years older than you and have played PC wargames since my C64. First language I ever learned was COBOL. We used punch cards.
I'm 47 years old. Played my first games on a Kaypro kit I built myself. Played my forst GG title on an Apple IIC in 1984. I've been a professional programmer and software developer for DOD and the Private sector now for about 20 years. Been a project manager/design engineer now for over 10. I'm one of the original programmers/designers of the wxWidgets cross-platform toolkit and helped, as a contractor, write some of the original MFC codebase from Microsoft. I've actually written turn base wargame excercises for the Pentagon. Been there, done that, for a LOOONNNGGGG time.
As a side light, did anyone realize that one of the seed ideas for Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising was GG's North Atlantic '86 game? Thought some might find that tidbit, interesting....
If you don't get defensive over your app's then I find it hard to believe you're a coder. Additionally has stated before, they don't post a lot, never have. You'll see Joel and Keith from time to time, but Gary never. Let the man have his privacy, hell let them all have it.
And I'm impinging on their privacy just how, again? This is a PUBLIC forum, in case you have forgotten. Am I hacking into their private email or computers to post clandestine messages to them on their computers? They don't read here very much because they are mostly too busy getting their work done, I presume.
Oh, and telling someone they can't get a job because they have archaic skills or outdated practices is rude friend, its not constructive. And who are you to define what skills they need? As its been stated before, these guys have a wargaming resume, you do not. Nothing succeeds like success. They have produced games that countless fans enjoy from around the world. You on the other hand have produced some questionable caliber threads on THIER boards and claims of super secret work in the DOD. That and 10 dollars will buy you a coffee at Starbucks.
I "told" GG that? Since when? Does he read the forum? Does he post to the forum? Did I respond to a post he made? I have conversed with him, though, many, many years ago in the past. I DO know how he programs, though. And I DO know the job market today. Not a lot of possiblities for a person with his skills these days. No, I'm not a game programmer because, as a rule, they don't make much money and my lifestyle requires, unfortunately for me, a LOT of that, especially now. But I see a lot possiblities in this genre that aren't pursued because of the economic realities of those in the business. It's kind of hard to "self-actualize" when you struggling to just eat.... I can appreciate that.
Someone, somewhere along the line, will indeed embrace new techniques of wargaming development. It's not so much that what we've seen lacks quality, its more of what could be IF better underlieing techniques were employed and what MIGHT be possible, WHEN it happens.
But back to the main thread.....removing hard coded A/C upgrades from the game is a DESIGN level issue from what we are told, and not likely to be "fixed" any time soon. The rest is more of a WHY it MAY be that way. And posted because some wargamers have grown tired of game producers simply feeding people "we can't becasue God made it that way". Some of us want to know "what way did God make it?" so we can plead our case for why "God should reconsider the next time around".
