
Dev Diary: John Carmack on RAGE for iOS - cosbynator
http://bethblog.com/index.php/2010/10/29/john-carmack-discusses-rage-on-iphoneipadipod-touch/
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pkaler
_I had been harboring some suspicions that our big codebases might benefit
from the application of some more of the various “modern” C++ design patterns,
despite seeing other large game codebases suffer under them. I have since
recanted that suspicion._

Quoted for truth.

I learned C++ during the Meyers/Sutter era. Then Andrei Alexandrescu came
along and I had Boost libraries sprinkled all over my code. My beard is
growing grey and these days my C++ looks more and more like straight up C.

~~~
colkassad
I found this part of his article to be interesting. I'm working through a CS
degree and learning C++ for the first time after cutting my teeth on Python
and C#. What exactly does he mean by "(restrained) C++"? He mentions a
contract studio using the STL and boost. We are using the STL in our data
structures class...does John Carmack eschew the STL and roll his own data
structures?

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cosbynator
In his own words: <http://twitter.com/#!/ID_AA_Carmack/status/21119808432>

I consider myself a decent programmer but I have more trouble reading template
heavy C++ than I do haskell code. To me, restrained C++ means keeping the
unreadable bits outside the code base and isolated in their own library, like
Boost :)

~~~
dhess
One problem with C++ templates is that they're infectious. You're right that
the Boost source code is quite unreadable compared to vanilla C++, but even
_using_ Boost types and algorithms in your own code often makes it
impenetrable, too.

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there
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is this a joke?

~~~
wmf
You can thank ESRB for that.

~~~
badmonkey0001
Speaking of ESRB ratings, how is this going to get on the iOs devices? Aren't
the app store rules against the following:

"This is the perfect setup for a quintessential first person shooter game play
experience — you pick your targets, aim your shots, time your reloads, dodge
the bad guys, and try and make it through to the end of the level with a
better score than last time. Beyond basic survival, there are pickups, head
shots, and hit streak multipliers to add more options to the gameplay, and
there is a broad range of skill levels available from keep-hitting-fire-and-
you-should-make-it to almost-impossible." -JC

(off to go look...)

Sure enough, part 15 _should_ prevent this app from ever getting to the public
(see
[http://photos.appleinsider.com/App%20Store%20Review%20Guidel...](http://photos.appleinsider.com/App%20Store%20Review%20Guidelines%20-%20App%20Store%20Resource%20Centerai.pdf)
). I doubt Apple has the eggs to tell Carmack no. Time to see if Jobs' moral
views outweigh his greed. (edit: BTW, I think his greed will win)

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palish
Oh come _on_... Here are the specific guidelines you are referring to:

 _Apps portraying realistic images of people or animals being killed or
maimed, shot, stabbed, tortured or injured will be rejected

Apps that depict violence or abuse of children will be rejected

"Enemies" within the context of a game cannot solely target a specific race,
culture, a real government or corporation, or any other real entity

Apps involving realistic depictions of weapons in such a way as to encourage
illegal or reckless use of such weapons will be rejected

Apps that include games of Russian roulette will be rejected_

How would those guidelines apply to someone's awesome first person shooter?

 _Maybe_ the "reckless use of weapons" part. But that's not the spirit of the
law --- the spirit was likely to prevent people from e.g. making an app that
gives a step-by-step photographic guide to creating a pipe bomb, or something
of that sort.

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erikpukinskis
_I’m sure I could do it in four months or so (but I am probably wrong)_

Perfectly encapsulates the essential pain of estimating.

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zmonkeyz
John Carmack has always been my mancrush since the Quake days.

~~~
WesleyJohnson
I consider myself sharp, but not smart. So I'm often humbled when I read stuff
on Hacker News, but I am always completely dumbfounded when I read any of the
technical pieces by John Carmack. I read 90% of that article and I
comprehended about 20% of it.

I toil with silly web development side projects for months on end that evolve
into nothing and he's coding complete games, single-handedly (though
admittedly using some existing codebases and content) in a couple of months.

That guy is wicked smart.

~~~
NickPollard
I'm a game developer (though only ~3 years experience) and I only understood
50% of it. Gives me something to aspire to that someone can be that good at
it.

~~~
petercooper
I'm not even a game developer or a C++ developer but he gives me the same
motivation. It blows my mind there's a guy who clearly has a significant level
of wealth (healthy 8 digits, at least) yet gets down into the guts of coding
an iPhone game for months at a time. That's world champion passion right
there.

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initself
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