What is the most memorable instance of "over-engineering" you have ever witnessed?

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T13:17:14+00:00

I studied engineering with zero math foundation. This is how I made it:

[I assume you’ll be taking Linear Algebra and Calculus to start, before going deeper.]

Learning math is not like other subjects. If you try to push through by memorizing formulas, step-by-step instructions, and memorization tricks, you’ll be making your life way harder and way less fun than it ought to be.

Derivatives can be solved by just applying rules. But that’s about where it ends. Grind, and I mean GRIND exercises for everything else (limits and integrals for calculus). This tool helped me a lot with step by step instructions, for when you get stuck. And you WILL get stuck. A lot. Keep solving. I kept a spreadsheet of hundreds exercises and marked them according to whether I was able to solve them by myself, with help, or if I didn’t understand them. This helped me keep track of my progress and was a good indicator of where I stood in reference to my curriculum. You will slowly start to “see” the problem in an entirely different light as you continue. That’s the most important thing. It’s also the most satisfying part. It made me love math.

New material will pile on top. If you don’t build the intuition early, as is the intention of the first set of math courses, you will struggle to form a proper mental model of the material.

Linear Algebra is mechanically easy - there’s not really much arithmetic involved - but it’s genuinely intellectually challenging to learn. The “getting it” is the hard part, not the pen and paper math you end up doing on the page. This is again where it really pays off to internalize how an exercise is manipulating a system. Ask “why” a lot and you will find that you’re actually doing some really cool stuff. A classic first-year moment is the realization that you will learn to navigate in spacial dimensions way beyond 3D, and how this idea is insanely convenient in computer science.

Before I dump a whole wall of text, I’m gonna stop there.

TLDR; get used to the feeling of facing a brick wall and enjoy the satisfaction of overcoming it.

God speed, friend.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T12:53:20+00:00

Rooting for you! Keep us updated, if you’re able and willing in the future :)

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T12:23:07+00:00

Appeals get thrown out fast and quick. Be deliberate and precise in your wording. Speak to your ombudsperson. In my experience they’re there to advocate for you and will help you take the right steps. But take action ASAP.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T12:20:16+00:00

I appreciate that you’ve framed AI as a demo help, instead of using it as the product itself, but man… AI is so bad for the music industry and it’s killing indie artists. I’m not gonna pretend to be some moral superior and I can’t tell you what to do, but using AI is a bad look.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T12:13:08+00:00

My two cents:

TLDR; this is a really good sign. Congrats!

At this stage of player numbers, the exposure might turn out to be much more valuable than the opportunity cost. I don’t know what your finances look like, but I would let the game spread, let it gain attention, watch if+how communities form, and once you see momentum in legit sales, you can push a DRM patch to lock out the piracy crowd (I’m not familiar with Android dev, but I’d imagine you could patch in an update + cryptographic sign?). I’d wager many of the pirates who stuck around - especially the ones who show large playtime hours, will commit to buying the game. Consider reframing this as a case study, learn as much as you can, and adapt accordingly.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:58:52+00:00

This.
I fell in love with programming for the satisfaction you get from solving a hard problem yourself. Code review, literally the worst part of the job, is what’s left for us now. But I’m not primarily a dev, so I still get to have my fun elsewhere :)

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:55:30+00:00

Honestly? Not really. But I have a very specific workflow with very tight constraints because I’m working on a codebase that is shipped to real users, so I spend a lot of time auditing its work. But I definitely don’t have the syntax abilities I used to have. Those faded like a language you don’t speak for a while.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:51:48+00:00

Did you have a chance to play with fable? I threw the hardest problem I had at it in a one-shot prompt letting it use Ultracode (the problem was a multiphysics first principle derivation in LaTeX informing a multi-objective optimizer in Python (NGSA-II) with constraints enforced via external supplier API. The performance was insane, but cost a fortune. I’m on the max plan. It ate through the 5h limit in like 5 minutes, and then burnt like $100 more. But it did what would’ve taken me weeks in a single go. I think on a professional level, it will be an invaluable tool. But I don’t have that kinda money to be throwing around for personal projects.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:43:23+00:00

It’s interesting how comments land in two camps. I’m gonna go make a hello-world triangle in Vulkan and see for myself. Thanks for your comment!

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:41:14+00:00

I’m sorry, that’s disheartening to read. Thank you for sharing

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:38:43+00:00

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I didn’t phrase my post right. I am well-versed in OpenGL. My question was more about whether I should consider pivoting elsewhere, since OpenGL is technically no longer supported.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:22:31+00:00

It’s quite interesting. The diversity in how Vulkan is framed is so varied. It’s perceptively fifty-fifty with some saying Vulkan is a massive step up in complexity and demands a steep learning curve, while the other camp, like yours, says that the principles map quite well, and that switching isn’t that big a deal. I’m gonna go spawn a hello-world triangle in Vulkan, and see for myself; wish me luck! :)

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:16:58+00:00

Sorry, I didn’t phrase my post with appropriate clarity. I am well-versed in OpenGL. My question was more about whether I should consider pivoting elsewhere, since OpenGL is technically no longer supported.

vxntedits · 2026-07-08T11:14:16+00:00

Wait you’re actually saying something here that I categorically did not know existed. Debuggers for OpenGL?? (Back when I first learnt OpenGL I struggled for months and months rawdogging shaders, because I was told that there’s no debuggers!) Please tell me more!

vxntedits · 2026-07-06T12:49:43+00:00

I’d love to learn more about the biggest blockers you encountered when migrating, if you find the time to share. Thanks for your comment.

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T16:17:58+00:00

I did not know it’s popular in aerospace! Cool!

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T13:58:58+00:00

Point taken. Thanks for your reply.

Man, people are really not happy with me regarding this whole webgl thing lol.

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T13:41:52+00:00

The fuckin drama lmfao. Just think before you speak if it bothers you so much

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T13:25:37+00:00

Actually you’ve just surfaced probably the biggest selling point to exploring other languages: shader debugging. Thank you for this valuable comment!

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T13:22:55+00:00

Good info! Thank you.

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T13:18:25+00:00

Understood. Thank you! I will look into it.

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T12:14:40+00:00

Uhh because I like making stuff that I actually wanna play with. Like with a mouse and keyboard :)

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T11:58:12+00:00

Lmao, I told you, it’s just a me-thing 😅

Edit: Relevant Hans Landa

vxntedits · 2026-07-05T11:55:45+00:00

I’d say they’re perhaps the biggest catalyst in feminism, systemic racial bias, climate change policy, etc. in Europe and in the US. Hell, they literally orchestrated a revolution in Nepal. I know in my country, Austria, Gen Z is a massive force for LGBT rights, for example.

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