Best of Gaming — January 2025
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Game Developers·1y
my dream *game*
An individual shares their progress on developing a sci-fi 4X game that emphasizes economy influenced by Factorio, multiplayer modes, diplomacy, and customizable combat units. The project started in 2022, inspired by the board game Eclipse, and is 80% complete. The developer plans to refine and test the game, adding sound effects, icons, and balancing gameplay.
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TechCentral·1y
Nvidia unveils its first desktop computer
Nvidia has unveiled new products at CES 2025, including its first desktop computer designed for programmers, new gaming chips, and AI tools for training robots and self-driving cars. The company introduced Cosmos foundation models that generate photorealistic video to help teach robots and cars at a lower cost. New gaming chips from the RTX 50 series aim to improve graphics with realistic shaders and human faces. Nvidia's stock reached a record high, making it the second-most valuable company after Apple.
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Hacker News·1y
Dead Games
When games fail and are discontinued, the assets like sounds, models, and animations often go unused. There are various reasons developers don't release these assets for free, such as time, storage, bandwidth, and permissions. Some assets might include textures or sounds from libraries that can't be redistributed. It's a shame these assets go to waste when they could be used in other projects.
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Awesome Go·1y
I made an online PS1 game and connected it to a PS4
An individual explains their project of connecting a PS1 to a PS4 using a Raspberry Pi. The process involves using the Raspberry Pi's serial and LAN ports to facilitate communication between the PS1 and the PS4. The project aims to develop and run games on the PS1, and later translate that data to be playable on a PS4, using a combination of pyq SDK, modchips, and web apps. Despite facing technical challenges, the project showcases the functionality of playing a game across different devices.
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Mental Outlaw·1y
Why Linux is Better Than Windows 11
Linux offers several advantages over Windows 11, such as cost savings, better performance, enhanced security, and greater customizability. Many PCs are not compatible with Windows 11 due to strict hardware requirements, but Linux can run on older hardware effectively. Linux's open-source nature leads to faster bug fixes and better privacy since it doesn't collect user data like Windows. Additionally, Linux's low system overhead provides better performance for gaming and other applications.
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Community Picks·1y
Is sending Factorio to your competitors' engineers a cost-effective means of sabotage?
The post evaluates the potential productivity loss in competitive engineering firms if Factorio, a highly addictive game, is gifted to their engineers. Using probabilistic estimation tools and compensation data, the author estimates the monetary loss and concludes that gifting Factorio may indeed be a costly form of sabotage.
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Unity·1y
Games made with Unity: December 2024 in review
December 2024 saw the release of several notable games developed using Unity. Highlights include the long-awaited release of 'Caves of Qud', the experimental 'Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy', and the retro-styled MMORPG 'Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen'. Various genres were represented from FPS and horror to simulation and RPG.
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A Pixel Parable
Mark, an aspiring illustrator, catches a career break at a sci-fi convention when he's invited to interview for a job at LucasFilm Games. Despite having no computer experience, he learns on the fly and creates pixel art for early video games. Mark develops new techniques while overcoming technical constraints, helping define the artistic direction of LucasFilm's games. Over time, he adapts to evolving technology, contributing significantly to the company's pioneering game art while balancing creativity with technical limitations.
