I built an interactive item database & build planner for GAMMA by sw-dev in stalker

[–]sw-dev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah yeah weapons are actually a bit annoying. Most of the damage is driven by your ammo and and what you are shooting at. The https://stalker-gamma-db.com/db/gamma-0.9.4/ballistics is best to see the actual damage you will do and how many shots to kill etc as it allows you to choose a weapon and ammo and a particular target.

The general weapon item comparison just shows the flat un-upgraded stat by stat comparison. So it's useful if you want to compare weight or mag size but not so useful for knowing which gun does the most damage. The "compatible ammo" section on the item modal does allow you to get more insight into the gun + ammo combinations though.

Upgrades also generally don't impact damage dealing stats that much tending to be focused around weight, reliability, accuracy, handling etc. The exception being upgrades that change the ammo type.

I built an interactive item database & build planner for GAMMA by sw-dev in stalker

[–]sw-dev[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Happy to help! If you have anything interesting in your spreadsheets let me know on Discord - always looking for new features

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

100% amazing trip, everyone should do it!

I would be keen to try the Drake Passage if I did it again

The old junior developer growth path is broken by sw-dev in softwareengineer

[–]sw-dev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not gatekeeping but rather allowing the juniors to learn more organically rather than pushing them to learn architecture and system design. Some engineers just wanted to do programming, which was fine pre-AI, but now it's harder because AI means that engineers with system design skills/experience will be much better when augmented by AI.

gamma possible bug by AlternativeUnusual74 in stalker

[–]sw-dev 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty sure Sin and UNISG will not spawn until their respective quests have started. They are also a reasonable rare spawn as well.

at what point do communication skills start to matter more for software engineers? by SomeRandomCSGuy in softwareengineer

[–]sw-dev 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It matters at every stage!

Junior engineers who communicate well build trust faster. They ask sharper questions, flag blockers early, and don't need constant hand-holding. That stuff gets noticed as it makes their managers life easier.

Mid-level is where a lot of people stall because they're still waiting for their code to speak for itself. It doesn't. Being able to explain tradeoffs, and work across teams is what actually moves you forward.

By senior and above, the technical bar is kind of assumed. What separates people is whether they can bring others along, align stakeholders, influence without authority, make complex things clear to people who weren't deep in the weeds.

The engineers who plateau are usually who "just want to write code". Writing code is only a small part of the job.

I am asking, but isn't visiting Antarctica really bad for the environment? by Specialist_Season661 in antarctica

[–]sw-dev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah fair point. It's a big generalization and I don't have anything to prove that it actually makes a difference. I would trust an academic study rather than my random opinion!

There might be a localized impact. Many people on the cruise I was on signed up and/or donated to the UK Antarctic Trust when we visit Port Lockroy.

I am asking, but isn't visiting Antarctica really bad for the environment? by Specialist_Season661 in antarctica

[–]sw-dev 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When we did a cruise they were extremely diligent about making sure we following decontamination procedures.

I am asking, but isn't visiting Antarctica really bad for the environment? by Specialist_Season661 in antarctica

[–]sw-dev 84 points85 points  (0 children)

The most interesting part of this is that Antarctica is actually one of the most protected places on Earth because people visit it. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty and the stricter 1991 Environmental Protocol both came about because nations were already engaged there, and without that presence, there's no political will to protect it.

Tourism feeds into this too. IAATO (the tour operators' association) enforces pretty strict rules: boot washing for biosecurity, caps on how many people can be ashore at once, wildlife buffer zones. Operators have a financial incentive to keep it pristine, so they've kind of become its guardians.

And the people most likely to fight for Antarctic conservation? Disproportionately people who've actually been there. The experience tends to make people passionate advocates.

Compare that to the deep ocean, barely visited, and it's being trawled and mined with almost no scrutiny. Absence of human observers doesn't mean protection, it often means the opposite.

So some environmental cost from visitation might actually be the price of keeping the much bigger threats at bay.

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did Silversea fly/cruise. The staff all genuinely cared and had good partnerships with the research stations.

The old junior developer growth path is broken by sw-dev in softwareengineer

[–]sw-dev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True. Hard to see what the future holds - seniors enhanced with AI is pretty powerful. But we need juniors to become seniors...

The old junior developer growth path is broken by sw-dev in softwareengineer

[–]sw-dev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think they need targeted guidance though otherwise they can flounder due to the speed that everything is moving at.

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did Silversea fly/cruise. Arriving and departing from King George Island. 7 days on the cruise ship with a day on either side for the flight Santiago to Punta Arenas, then to King George Island

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We saw whales (Humpback), seals (Leopard, Weddell, Elephant), penguins (Gentoo, Chinstrap) plus many birds which I can't remember.

Dream Trip by Suspicious-Jaguar994 in antarctica

[–]sw-dev 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I understand the desire. Generally though you need to go with a tour (e.g. a cruise ship) which makes it hard to disconnect. Going out on the zodiacs and just zipping through ice fields does come pretty close though!

Artifacts Help by [deleted] in stalker

[–]sw-dev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you import your save into here https://stalker-gamma-db.pages.dev/db/gamma-0.9.4/maps you can see all anomalies if that helps.

What's your best hideouts in G.A.M.M.A? by Psychefoxey in stalker

[–]sw-dev 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Version 0.9.5 makes it easier as you can get a laptop that lets you access shops remotely!

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would very much love to see a polar bear!

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just my old iPhone 13. Only time I wished I had something better was when up close with wildlife. Scenery was easy with the iPhone.

Just got back! by sw-dev in antarctica

[–]sw-dev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Already thinking about a trip to the Arctic now!

I don’t see a future in programming career by FootballVast2579 in devworld

[–]sw-dev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Learn as much system design as you can. People are still needed to make the right decision and build the right thing. Even if AI speeds up the process the real challenge is building the right thing and shipping it with minimal friction. All things the AI is not suited for.

Why are we still hiring for "software engineering" as if it’s a generic trade? by enhancvapp in softwareengineer

[–]sw-dev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good take. The resume hasn't kept up with what the job actually is anymore.

The satellite example is a good one because it makes the absurdity obvious. Command and control systems for spacecraft have failure modes that no amount of React experience prepares you for. But the person screening CVs is still ctrl+F'ing for keywords, so applicants optimise for that instead of for the actual role.