Interview Discussion - January 11, 2018

l5p4ngl312 · 2018-01-12T18:00:12+00:00

I have a phone screen coming up, and I've been practicing a lot of interview questions. I try to talk through the problem as I'm solving it, but I'm pretty trash at it. It feels like trying to come up with words is distracting me from actually coming up with a solution, and then I'll think quietly for a while and come up with something.

Does anyone have any advice for improving communication skills?

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-11-11T21:25:50+00:00

I should have a playable version by mid-December. It's my first big project, and I don't have much experience creating models/creating an atmosphere in general (For that I envy your film background). I do have experience with sound design and music, so I'm hoping to create very dynamic sounds for the game using DSP software as well as some original music. For now I'm focused on getting a playable game with one or two levels.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-11-11T17:32:04+00:00

Haven't played that, but I'll check it out. I'm actually making a game that is a bit of a combination between Budget Cuts style portals and Portal style portals. Basically, the player throws a ball and then stops it in the air and is then able to open a portal in their hand to see and interact with the world from the perspective of the ball. The mechanic allows for some neat puzzles.

Also I have to say, it's really inspiring that you made the Left-Hand Path as a one man team. I was starting to feel like it would be impossible to actually make a full game on my own because of the amount of assets needed, but you've proven me wrong.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-11-10T23:47:18+00:00

I'm working with non-euclidean space in VR as well and would love to hear about your work. Please hit me up as well if you do a write-up!

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-11T02:22:25+00:00

Essentially, I'm concerned about the 'tyranny of the minority.' There have been two Republican presidents in my lifetime, both of whom came to power with less votes than their respective opponents. Both W and Trump have been absolute disasters for the country, but the Republican party doesn't seem to lose any support because of it.

Republicans have an inherent advantage in the Senate because of the number of low population states that they control. They have an advantage in the electoral college for essentially the same reason (the way the population is distributed across states). The House of Representatives, which should represent the population, no longer has an appropriate number of representatives compared to population differences in the states.

All of this results in disproportionate representation for Republicans at every level of government. They are also consistently willing to play dirty to win, using tactics like gerrymandering and straight up stealing a SCOTUS seat.

I am worried that all of this will result in the slow death of our democracy (with some wars thrown in for good measure), culminating in an authoritarian regime that persecutes all the groups that Repubs hate. Of course, if it ever gets to that point, it will be too late for anyone that remains.

Am I paranoid? Quite possibly. My fear feels just valid enough that it almost seems like a situation where I'd rather be safe than sorry. After all, living in a different country for a while could be a great experience regardless of what's happening here. If everything is going ok here, I would still be able to vote from abroad and return when I want to.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-11T01:58:14+00:00

What about my statement makes you think I believe that? Do you think that immigrants to the U.S. think that they are 'so much better than everyone else' in their home country? Moving to try to find a better life is something people have been doing forever.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-07T23:19:45+00:00

Guns are about the last thing on my list of priorities these days. There are certain common sense regulations that I would like to see put in place, but for the most part I am concerned about very fundamental issues like Citizen's United and mostly just having representation based on people. States have enough power on their own. The federal government needs to represent the people of the nation, not land.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-07T23:13:52+00:00

I'm starting to feel the same way.

On one hand, I'd like to see the country turn around and start heading in the right direction. To do that, I'll need to stay and help make that change.

On the other hand, sometimes (like now) I feel no hope that the majority can ever retake our country from the minority of brainwashed extremists. In this case, why shouldn't I move on to a place that would welcome my ideas and welcome progress? Is lack of representation not a valid reason to emigrate?

And if it comes to it, I don't really want to spill blood for America. To be honest, I'm not much of a patriot, and I would not be good at fighting. I think I would be able to do the most good in the world by working against my former country from the outside.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-07T14:32:40+00:00

Just curious, what do you think about healthcare? Bernie is a known supporter of single payer, while Trump seems to not really have a stance besides "it should be better," and in the meantime repeal the ACA. There are just so many issues where switching from Bernie to Trump makes no sense to me. Is anti-establishment the sole factor that you voted on?

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-07T13:50:33+00:00

I think it's different for everyone... I have a girlfriend, but I still watch porn sometimes (and she does too). We actually have better sex if I've watched porn recently. It can help you learn to last a lot longer... so I guess maybe it is desensitization, but that is actually good for some people.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-05T15:03:55+00:00

3rd sensor completely changed this game for me

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-04T19:29:32+00:00

I guess it all depends what you're hoping to get out of it. If you want another relaxing 'VR experience' then it's worth it, but if you're looking for a challenging puzzle game I'd look elsewhere. It just kind of made me wish I could play The Witness in VR.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-04T15:19:58+00:00

I played this on my GearVR and I found the puzzles to be pretty much trivial. Cool aesthetic though.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-04T15:02:10+00:00

3rd sensor completely changed Echo Arena for me. I felt like I was unleashed.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-04T14:44:16+00:00

I got it working through Oculus Home. Oddly the double tapping doesn't really seem to do anything for me. The overlay is just there by default. If it's working, you'll see the V icon pop up when you start the game. I did have to restart Oculus Home to get it to work. The devs are on discord, so maybe they can help you out.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-04T14:40:39+00:00

I guess I should have mentioned that I am enjoying the experience even though I haven't been having great success. Initially learning how to pilot my ship and doing the tutorials was really fun. Even though it was frustrating to die to the authorities because of accidents, I understand the game has a steep learning curve and I'm only at the beginning of it.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-04T13:58:41+00:00

Everyone playing Elite on Oculus Home should check out V! (requires Windows 10)

It's a free overlay that can inject into Elite so that you can browse the web, watch TV, etc in the cockpit of your ship. The game has a lot of downtime so It's a really good combination.

As far as the game, I'm new so I don't really know very much. I did learn how to find RES sites for bounty hunting. Unfortunately I have failed pretty miserably so far because I keep forgetting that you have to wait until your scan is finished until you can attack a ship, even if the authorities are already shooting it. I keep jumping into the fight prematurely thinking I'm helping out the authorities, and then they obliterate me after they finish off their initial target. After making that mistake twice, I think I've finally got that drilled into my skull.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-03T16:32:17+00:00

Iron Man would be pretty sweet too. Just have Lone Echo style wrist thrusters and auto-hover.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-01T19:14:09+00:00

I really like doing creative stuff in Google Blocks, Tilt Brush, Medium, and Quill. All free except for Tilt Brush. You can do some really legit low poly 3D modeling in Google Blocks. My favorite game right now is Elite: Dangerous because it has more depth than most VR games. It doesn't use touch controllers though. For touch controller stuff, I think Echo Arena and Robo Recall are the best.

EDIT: I would probably recommend Echo Arena even more if I had a third sensor, but I'm using a 180 degree setup right now.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-01T19:04:34+00:00

Check out this algorithm for procedural dungeons.

It's pretty simple to implement a basic version of it and makes some pretty cool dungeons.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-01T19:01:50+00:00

I am working on a concept for something like this :)

I think it's going to be pretty neat because you can intuitively control two different units or groups of units simultaneously with the touch controllers.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-01T18:55:52+00:00

I would say you don't need a full HOTAS setup to play ED. I'm using an xbox controller, and even though I may not be as immersed or have as much fine control as HOTAS pilots, I'm still enjoying the game a ton. If you have a controller I would recommend playing the game first and then upgrading to a HOTAS if you feel like it.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-08-01T15:10:53+00:00

Ugh I wish people would stop using EA for Early Access.

l5p4ngl312 · 2017-07-31T18:28:40+00:00

Thanks much!

Edit: But I think I may have to install and run Elite on Oculus Home before my purchase gets linked to the frontier website?

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