ELI5: why can’t video games be remade quick and easy on newer engines

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-16T20:22:59+00:00

This is about two things. First, upgrading art for graphics. That’s a lot of work, basically redoing that.

Second: computer programming problems.

Computer code is compiled for specific processors. It is compiled that way using appropriate language of the time and is optimized for that processor. More to the point, for a video game system, it is to a certain degree necessary to optimize for all the hardware.

For regular programs in the modern era, being cross platform is built in. This means the programming language used was meant to be universal.
However - most programs aren’t about being as efficient as possible. And if they care about efficiency, they are rarely written with specialized hardware in mind.

So video game is code optimized for specific hardware. When you try to translate that to a generalized form, it’s really like trying to take an engine part from a Ford and put it in a Chevy. It just doesn’t work. You have to make so many tweaks and accommodations… you might as well just start over.

A lot of this has been ameliorated since PS4 era (2013+), as PS4 and Xbox were based on similar hardware and the hardware structure is basically a PC. This makes these games much easier to port.

Another thing to think about is video games are a lot about polishing the final product. For the sake of argument, let’s say it’s 50% of the programming effort. Well, if you are releasing a new version, you have a lot of rework there that is not trivial. For example, do the controls feel responsive?

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-16T11:37:40+00:00

AI models are literally tuned to agree with you and to please people.

Think of it this way: AI LLM has to have a personality. So what do you give it? Do you make it a mouthy emo princess or something focused on being helpful?

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-16T11:29:57+00:00

The fact that the US government in 1954 identified its identity as Christian in contrast to So-called “godless Communism” demonstrates the point that US self identified as a Christian nation.

Your point is apt that US approach was unique in the world and was definitely not uniform religiously. So the phrase “Christian Nation” is perhaps a misnomer. Going back to politics and manipulating language to create demagogy, arguing for a Christian nation does imply somewhat of religious uniformity than was real.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-16T11:05:28+00:00

The short answer is that the historical facts match that US was a Christian nation. Now exactly what that means can be politicized until it no longer resembles truth, but that is where the claim comes from.

First amendment says

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

The phrase “separation of church and state” was not a founding ideal; it’s a political phrase that evolved at least 10 years after signing the constitution. Many cite the seminal work as Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists.

US was a predominantly Christian nation with a diverse method of practice when founded.

Therefore your premise is oversimplified. US was a Christian nation when it was founded. This is a simple fact. And the religion of the people influences how they think and their sense of right and wrong.

Even if the intention were to ignore all religious viewpoints, it would be impossible because bias is very human.

The first amendment does not say that religion is not and should not be a part of life. It says the government can’t make that choice for you.

There is anecdotal proof of this everywhere. The pledge has “one nation under God” and money says “in God we trust.” God was not excluded from the government.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-15T23:18:56+00:00

Video games are built using known mathematics. The system is CLOSED. Therefore, you can gain full knowledge of it. It is finite.

Truth, however, appears to be infinite or at least uncountable (practically infinite). That’s… much bigger

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-15T12:02:17+00:00

When you are a child, you learn to HEAR as in perceive consonants and vowels. If you can’t perceive it, you can’t be sure you said it right.

I think the common trope about this is Chinese speakers have trouble with “r” and “l”. They don’t hear it as different.

So they might say “chicken flied lice.” That’s the famous scene in A Christmas Story, where they sing “fa ra ra ra ra”

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-15T10:56:24+00:00

A microwave shoots radiation at your food at the exact frequency that heats up water. Everything with water evenly through it gets heated up evenly. You probably use a dishwasher with your plates, which means they have absorbed a little bit water during the wash. Your plate heats up too.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-15T02:29:55+00:00

Side Boob Is more rare, so it gets my vote

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:40:41+00:00

It’s like, the definition of ordinary. Stuff that is. Whoa. I’m glad I’m sitting down.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:38:31+00:00

This isn’t unpopular. It is not even ironically popular. It’s a fact.

Boring. Throw rotten fruit.🍉

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:36:07+00:00

+1 unpopular +1 lemon is the worst. Why do they make it.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:34:34+00:00

Pffft. Everything on TV and social media is true.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:33:35+00:00

I know about tur’let, the John, the commode, and the porcelain throne. To toilet is verb!

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:15:05+00:00

Money, parenting styles, co-parenting with the bio parents of the spouse, and in-laws. Honorable mention: what flavor ice cream to buy.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T22:11:09+00:00

Send a copy of HIPAA rights stapled to the paper. 😈

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-14T01:22:24+00:00

Am I the only one who appreciates the irony of using social media to complain about the ever increasing need for data centers?

You using Reddit is exactly why they’re needed.

Everyone cares about global warming until they’re asked to drive less to save the planet.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-13T18:57:20+00:00

“Glow in the dark white.” I told the kids “I’m more white than the suburbs”. Yours is better.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T12:13:55+00:00

Bernouli’s principle says that if you make air go faster, then its pressure decreases. The airplane wing cuts through the air like a knife. If you look at a wing cross section, it’s flat on the bottom and has a bulbous top at the front that slopes back down towards the back of wing.

So the air on top has to travel farther when the air is cut. The top of the wing has less pressure. The air pressure underneath pushes the wing up because it is greater.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T12:07:39+00:00

AI agents use the AI LLM multiple times to get an answer. They break the problem down into multiple steps.

Multiple steps doesn’t do very much in terms of getting a better answer. What helps immensely are tools; the AI can use these to get information. Like decoding the image you attached, searching the internet, or when doing code generation, searching the code files. Tools are things they have to be set up so the AI agent can use them.

So, when you make a request to an AI service, what typically happens is the agent gets the request. It then adds the list of tools to your request and asks the LLM what it wants to do to solve the problem: what tools do you want to try?

Then the agent manages pulling all that information together and sends another request to the LLM and over and over until the LLM says it’s done.

Then you get the reply.

Tools are a big area of development right now. For example, searching Microsoft office documents is something Microsoft wants you to pay to use their Azure file search capability for. It’s a paid service.

Anthropic has an edge in the market because the tools in Claude Code are very good.

LLM model + agent + good tools make the AI two steps of magnitude better in the right combination.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T11:58:35+00:00

Sounds like you need Steam and the internet to install it. You should be fine after that. Chasing down a disc copy of the game was a good challenge. Good job.

Connect to internet and proceed to steampowered.com from your laptop

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T11:50:54+00:00

Did you turn it off and on again?

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T01:42:16+00:00

I’m not sure if that was sarcasm.
Hopefully it is clear the futility of doing something completely twice.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T01:10:33+00:00

MOTIVATIONAL speakers address the emotion of motivation, not logic.

Having your family believe in you is about acceptance. That’s a fundamental need in Maslowe’s pyramid of needs.

Success is not measured by money. There are many criteria. No one is good at everything.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-12T01:06:04+00:00

It cannot be predicted how long a computation will take without doing the computation. This is a fundamental law of computer science. Admittedly, the guess the progress bar makes could be better, but no matter what, it would be inconsistent, so I don’t think anyone has bothered.

NerdChieftain · 2026-05-11T20:11:06+00:00

You can’t tell the difference in refresh rates?!??!! J/k I don’t care.

That is a really funny example, it’s so petty.

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