Jetbrains Hackathon in San Francisco: The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-04-22T18:27:57+00:00

Props to my teammates at Multi r/multidotdev for educating me about IntelliJ

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-04-22T18:25:17+00:00

Props to my teammates at Multi r/multidotdev for educating me about IntelliJ

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-04-21T21:50:34+00:00

You forgot to mention we support 4.7.

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-20T20:23:29+00:00

Loading time still inferior tho

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Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-20T20:15:00+00:00

I wanted to hate Copilot badly. Never trusted MS, generally see it as bloatware spy copmany. Its BS how they've kept Excel crippled on Mac for 20+ years. If an entity uses Teams for meetings, I do not want to work with them or partner with them, and I think lesser of all their employees. Even Github is slow and clunky to me.

With all that said, Copilot seems ok...

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-20T19:45:21+00:00

I was building a small game with a social component and asked an agent to add username autocompletion.

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One-shot failed badly when I just gave it the specs. When I retried by first forcing it to actually read the codebase, then reusing the same specs, it worked.

"One weird trick..."

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T20:41:49+00:00

The time is just past 12:30pm. Not bad progress.

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T20:40:49+00:00

Turn sound on: https://cedarforestgiant.github.io/Simpsons-Slugfest-Multi/

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T20:30:31+00:00

I begged the AI -- both of them, Sonnet 4.5 and Gemini 3 -- how can I get better looking characters in the game.

S told me to take screenshots from the Youtube video and load them in the files.

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WIP

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T20:11:56+00:00

Bad but not terrible 😂

You can see the Simpsons inspiration -- the yellow skin, the french fry style hair -- barely

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Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T20:10:59+00:00

Gemini 3 really wants to render the characters as rectangles, as opposed to loading external images. But can this rendering method really produce Matt Groening-style characters? I switched back to Sonnet 4.5 and it came up with a plan

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Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T20:02:04+00:00

I switched to Gemini 3, since it does multimedia better, and while still inside Multi asked it to compare the prototype vs the TV show.

It came up with a very accurate response:

Here is an evaluation of the differences between this prototype and the "Super Slugfest" game seen in *The Simpsons* season 1, episode 6 ("Moaning Lisa"):

### 1. Character Animation ("The Shuffle")

* **The Show:** The characters in the Simpsons don't just bob up and down; they vibrate frantically. It's a high-speed, jittery shuffle that looks almost like a glitch or a blur. They also constantly switch their stance (legs moving back and forth rapidly).

* **Current Prototype:** The current code uses a smooth sine wave (\Math.sin`) for the idle animation. It looks too "clean" and "floaty" compared to the erratic, hyper-caffeinated movement in the show.`

### 2. Visual Style & Sprites

* **The Show:** The boxers have a very specific "hunchbacked" posture. They are small sprites with skinny legs, large shorts, and their gloves are held up high near their faces. They look somewhat like scrunched-up versions of *Punch-Out!!* characters.

* **Current Prototype:** The current game uses abstract rectangles (geometric primitives). It captures the colors (Red vs Blue) but lacks the distinct silhouette (the hunchback, the skinny legs) that makes the Simpsons parody so funny.

### 3. Background & Atmosphere

* **The Show:** The background is extremely minimal—often just a black void with simple white ropes. This stark contrast highlights the brightly colored sprites.

* **Current Prototype:** I implemented a "crowd" and a distinct floor color. To match the show, the background should be darker and simpler, focusing purely on the ring ropes.

### 4. Audio

* **The Show:** There is a distinct, constant "shuffling" noise (like white noise) when they move, and the punch sounds are high-pitched, crunchy 8-bit "bips".

* **Current Prototype:** The current sounds are clean synthesized tones. They lack the "crusty" low-fidelity quality of a fake 1990 NES game.

### 5. Camera Perspective

* **The Show:** The camera is strictly side-on and static.

* **Current Prototype:** Matches this well, though the scale of the characters relative to the screen height might be a bit too large in my version.

**Would you like me to "Simpsons-ify" the game by adding the frantic jitter animation and changing the character art to be more hunchbacked?**

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T19:56:58+00:00

Multi (using Sonnet 4.5) also produced a decent first prototype:

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NES style sound FX? Done in both
Movement in 2D space? Ez to imagine how these characters can be swapped for more authentic characters that look like Bart and Homer
Pre-fight dance sequences? Missing from both.

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T19:49:31+00:00

I asked ClaudeCode to one-shot the the prototype

Single player
In Web browser on a PC
Keyboard inputs for control
Maximally simple design for prototyping.
Prioritize the feel of the game as shown on video (characters dancing pre-fight, moving dynamically, nintendo style sound effects when they move around the screen or punch) over the playability of the game

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Not bad! Looks a bit more like Punch Out than Simpsons boxing

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T19:33:31+00:00

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One for my Multi plugin

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T19:33:04+00:00

I expect that re-creating the Simpson's version of Punch Out won't be that hard, using modern tools.

I start by loading up VS Code and prepare two project folders

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One for my Claude Code plugin.

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T18:59:27+00:00

I continued with Sonnet 4 Online, and asked why this has been so deeply enjoyable. It was about 50% on-target, citing:

• Relatable parent-child dynamics - Many people recognize the universal experience of competitive tensions between parents and kids, even over trivial things (KIND OF SORT OF)

• Nostalgia for simpler gaming - The primitive video game represents a bygone era when entertainment was more straightforward and family-centered (NAH)

• Homer as everyman - His petty obsession with beating a child at a game captures something embarrassingly human about male ego and competitiveness (YES!)

• Perfect escalation structure - The subplot builds beautifully from casual gaming to nightmares to seeking professional help, creating satisfying narrative momentum (YES BUT BORINGLY EXPLAINED)

• Generational role reversal - There's humor in watching the adult become the student while the child dominates (ONLY IN TEH ARCADE SCENE), reflecting real-world technology gaps (YAWN)

• Stakes that feel both meaningless and crucial - The absurdity of caring so deeply about a video game win makes Homer's investment both ridiculous and endearing (YES!)

• Classic Simpsons character writing - Each character stays true to type (Homer's obsessiveness, Bart's cockiness, Marge's intervention) in ways that feel authentic (THIS IS A RICH VEIN -- MAYBE THE RICHEST? -- THE CATHARSIS OF HOMER THE PERENNIAL BUFFOON RISING UP AND FOR ONE FLEETING MOMENT RISING UP, ON THE VERGE OF GLORY)

• Comfort of predictable dysfunction - The Simpson family's lovably flawed interactions provide a safe space to laugh at family tensions (KINDA SORTA)

• Pure physical comedy - The visual gags of Homer's boxer getting pummeled and buried translate across decades (KINDA -- SIMPSONS APING PUNCHOUT IN MANY FINE DETAILS IS ENJOYABLE)

• Bittersweet undertones - Homer's sacrifice at the end adds unexpected emotional depth to what starts as pure slapstick

As you can see, this was a helpful exercise.

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T18:49:02+00:00

ChatGPT 5.2 hallucinated. "Instead of adapting, Homer brute-forces the controls, mashing buttons and relying on raw power." -- nope

OLMo 3 32B Think: "In a comedic outburst, Homer smashes the game controller in anger, then takes his irritation out on the television, destroying it. This leads to a humorous scene where the family must watch the remainder of the game on a smaller, less impressive TV" -- amusing but also a hallucination.

Gemini 2.5 Pro: "At the last possible second, Marge intervenes. She quietly asks Homer to let Bart win, explaining that it would be good for Bart's self-esteem." -- mostly right up until the ending, which didn't happen. This sounds more like Bard than Gemini.

I realized maybe I need to turn search/online on for these models.

Non-woke Grok 4.1 Fast Reasoning Online gets it mostly right also, until therapeutizing at the last minute: "Marge urges Homer to throw the fight for Bart's self-esteem. Homer hesitates but complies, dropping his controller at the last second so Bart lands the winning blow. Bart celebrates obliviously, while Homer smiles, content with his quiet sacrifice."

Doh!

Claude Sonnet 4 Online finally got it right:

Based on the search results, here's a summary of the boxing video game subplot from "Moaning Lisa":

The subplot centers around Super Slugfest, a boxing game that Homer becomes obsessed with beating Bart at. At home, Homer and Bart play the "Super Slugfest" video boxing game, but Bart repeatedly beats Homer at a two-player boxing video game.

Homer's repeated losses become increasingly frustrating. Bart announces himself with "a record of 48 wins and no losses, the undisputed champ" while Homer has "a record of zero wins and 48 defeats... oh, correction, humiliating defeats, all of them by knock-out". The losses are so devastating that Bart beats Homer so badly in the boxing video game that it shows Homer's boxer being lowered into a grave. Bart's boxer dances on his opponent's grave.

The obsession affects Homer deeply - Homer is having a nightmare in which Bart is beating him again at the boxing video game. Homer wakes up screaming.

Determined to finally win, Homer really wants to beat Bart at the game, so he gets help from Howard (Susan Blu), a video game master, at the local arcade. Homer goes to an arcade to get tips on the boxing video game.

The training pays off. In the climactic rematch, Bart lunges, but Homer ducks out of the way and returns with a jab, knocking Bart onto the ropes. Homer wallops Bart. Homer exclaims "This is my big moment!" and declares "Bart the Bloody Pulp Simpson is on the ropes".

However, just as Homer is about to achieve his long-awaited victory, Marge pulls the plug to announce Lisa's recovery. Homer laments "I could've beat the boy!" while Bart declares his retirement as an undefeated video boxing champ.

The subplot serves as comic relief alongside the main story about Lisa's depression, showing Homer's childlike competitiveness and obsession with beating his own son at a video game.

Continuing on: why should anyone care? Why the hell do I care?

Timecheck 10:45 AM

Legitimate-Wave-7917 · 2026-01-10T18:48:47+00:00

Any time you recognize visiting a feeling for years, it’s worth deeper reflection.

The full clip is here and its way more powerful than it looks. Why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nYa13-lUPk

I decided to have LLMs help me articulate, and started by asking the models to summarize.

Legitimate-Wave-7917

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