Quick Rant: Ugly "Journalism"

EDIT: This was written while the Phil Fish and "Annoyed Gamer" debacle was going down on Twitter. I was mostly upset by the comments about how developers should be grateful to journalists for covering their games and less upset about Phil getting bashed (because he retaliated in some not-so-good ways).

Let me begin by saying that no matter how successful a developer is, it's NOT okay to attack them; even if it's just "on the Internet".

To be honest, I'm not even sure what to say about how, today, Phil Fish and Jonathan Blow were disrespected by the latest Invisible Wall video at gametrailers.com (source). They were essentially insulted and slandered for several minutes because they were tired of being called upon to comment on every little rumor solely due to their success as indie developers. Some people get tired and upset when they're bombarded by questions and asked to comment on every little thing. Of COURSE they'd eventually speak up about it. They're not journalists who always want to talk about the next big story. They're barely celebrities. They don't get PAID to comment on things. They get paid to make things--to make games that people like. So WHAT if they don't want to comment on everything that has to do with the industry. Especially rumors that are commented on, over and over and over again like the new generation of consoles.

But then, that's not even the issue or what I'm upset about. Who the fuck cares about that. I'm upset that after this happened and after Phil Fish got upset about someone BLATANTLY attacking him on the internet (who wouldn't be upset and take to twitter to vent?). I'm upset that the internet took this as an opportunity to just go crazy and start personally attacking him and--to a lesser extent--Blow on the internet. I mean what?! These people make great games. They dedicate so much time to making games that people will like and that can stand as pieces of art and then they get slandered and insulted for being successful?! Even if you don't like them as people, they're successful developers. And yet, as the "annoyed gamer" in the Invisible Wall video put it, Phil Fish and "Blowfish" should be grateful to journalists for promoting their games.

Let's think about that. The developer of a good game should be GRATEFUL when a journalist, whose JOB is to find games they like and promote/talk about them, promotes their game. Journalists (usually) don't choose to write about games out of the goodness of their heart. They choose good games so consumers get the greatest product or that drive the greatest number of hits. Phil and Jonathan aren't EVIL people, they're just outspoken developers; and even if you think they're assholes, you definitely shouldn't be insulting them publicly.

I'm personally insulted that this is the kind of place the industry has become. A place where successful developers can't be outspoken about their success and where journalists think that they are entitled to comments and time from developers just because they choose to promote their games. No game is ENTITLED to promotion by journalists and they're not "lucky" when they get promoted. Promotion happens to good games or to games that people like. Just like a journalist can refuse to promote a game, a developer should be able to refuse to give a journalist a story, or a comment without getting shit for it.

My heart goes out to Phil Fish for being insulted like this and if I ever make it into the limelight with my team, we're definitely going to make a change.

And that's my rant. My Surface is dying and I have to make some lunch.

Expect Greatness,
Ryan Huggins

Student Developer: Microsoft Surface Pro - Log 2

Windows 8 metro/desktop multi-tasking can be good and bad.

It's been three days since I started using the Microsoft Surface Pro (in conjunction with Game Maker: Studio) as a tool for developing games. At the same time, it's been roughly two days since I've begun using Game Maker: Studio as an engine for game development (the first day was spent setting up my Surface for development). This mix of new experiences doesn't quite make for the perfect experiment, but it has given me insight into how a student (read: inexperienced) developer may fare using the Surface Pro as a portable solution to any number of problems.

The Surface Pro has many advantages over traditional laptops and tablets such as being portable (vs laptops) and blazing fast (vs tablets), but at the same time, it also has a long list of software and hardware bugs common to first generation hardware that don't exactly make it the perfect tool for everyone. Having known about these issues prior to purchasing it, these past few days with the Pro, have been a mixed bag of feelings as I adjust to the new work environment.

What Went RIGHT

Speed:

The Surface Pro is more than fast enough to handle the development of traditional 2D games in pretty much any situation. Outside of Game Maker: Studio, I've not had any problems in particular with any tool I've had to use to get things done. Photoshop, Paint Tool SAI, Visual Studios 2012, Steam, Chrome--pretty much everything runs smoothly. Game Maker: Studio seems to be slightly glitchy, though I'll chalk that one up to Windows 8; and it doesn't impede my progress much at all.

Art:

Making 2D art is CHILD'S PLAY on this thing. Open up Photoshop, break out the Wacom digitizer pen, and you're set to make game art at blazing speeds. Considering I'm not one of ACPC Production's artists, I don't actually make the art for Boatventure 2013, but since I originally bought the Surface for use as a drawing tablet, I've done extensive research and testing in this category. With the new WinTab drivers finally out (get them here), this thing is great for your artistic needs.

Programming:

Programmers with larger hands might want to get a nice Bluetooth keyboard (Logitech k810 or better) for long hours of programming, otherwise the type cover (not the touch) is actually pretty good for programming once you get used to the strange placing of some keys and disable the function lock (press Fn and caps lock together). Overall, without investing in an external keyboard, I've been able to reach my normal typing speeds without any perceivable discomfort at all.

What Went WRONG

DPI Scaling:

The DPI scaling is awful. This is a Windows issue primarily, but I almost wish they went for a lower resolution because of it. At 125% scaling (which I recommend to avoid the bitmap stretching), using non-Metro apps is pretty much impossible (sans mouse) without closing something by mistake. Text is super crisp though; and with a Bluetooth keyboard, I could TOTALLY see myself using the Surface in portrait mode for some portable epic programming marathons.

Track pad:

Pretty much, the standard track pad on the type cover is awful for development purposes. Coupled with the small size of things on the screen due to the DPI scaling, it's pretty much unusable. Absolutely necessary to purchase a wireless (Bluetooth) mouse if you want to get anything done in a reasonable time outside of minor tasks.

Battery Life:

This is an issue everyone knows about, but the battery life on the Surface Pro is not good at all. You could, if you wanted, plug it in when you're working, but isn't the point to do work away from home and the convenience of unlimited electricity? A Haswell upgrade or a battery pack keyboard could make this a non-issue, but I find myself stopping work to let the Pro charge, which could be a deal breaker for a ton of people. I personally use this time to workout, calm down and figure out how to fix programming bugs, but being forced to leave and come back (with fresh eyes, might I add), is not necessarily a good "feature".

Misc.

Other things to talk about might be 10.1" either not being enough room to work for some people, or the perfect size for others; or to perhaps gush more about how great the pen is, but I'll talk more about those things in coming logs.

Next time, though, I plan to talk a bit more about the actual project and how the Surface is influencing it's development.

Expect Greatness~

Ryan Huggins.

Student Developer: Microsoft Surface Pro - Log 1

The Microsoft Surface Pro on my dad's table.

Roughly one month ago, I decided to sell my laptop. This is an important part of my technology cycle and usually, I purchase a new one within a few days or so. Disappointingly, this time I was a little lower on money than I would have liked and was forced to default to strict desktop development for a few days. Coincidentally, it was at around that time that my friends and I decided that it would be a great time for me to visit them roughly 200 miles away in New Jersey; and so, without a laptop for the first time in years, I was forced to remove myself from the development equation and just chill out for once.

It was an amazing time and a needed break from all the stresses of life (I ended up going to a lot of parties...), but, sadly, all things come to an end and I was in dire need of a new portable computer to develop on during my travels. After a lot of research and inquiry from Internet dwellers, I decided to look into the Microsoft Surface Pro as it was an interesting device that did a lot of things well, but not perfectly. Despite this issue, I believed that the device was one that would fit the needs of a game designer in a lot of important ways.

The Microsoft Surface Pro

The Surface Pro is small, so it'd be portable for those designers who like to travel a lot. The pressure sensitive pen would allow art-focused designers to draw with it on the go, creating prototype and even complete art in much the same way they would with a regular tablet; while the type cover (not the touch one) would offer a pretty solid experience for the programmer-designers. In addition to this, it could (seemingly) run pretty much all of the development tools that you could throw at it (with a few obvious exceptions such as heavy 3D modeling or video editing tools that you'd be best working with on a desktop). With all of this in mind, I purchased the Surface Pro 128 GB version for roughly 1400 dollars ($999 (the device) + 130 (type cover) + $150 (complete warranty) + tax).

Now, with my, relatively new (I've had it for a week or so) Surface Pro in hand and two weeks away from home at my dad's house, I'm going to test the device as a portable tool for game developers while I begin development on Boatventure 2013. I hope to update frequently during the week, but I will primarily be tweeting about my experience so follow me! @TheRyanHuggins.

Expect Greatness~
Ryan Huggins.