Notes on "How to program independent games"

by Corey Snyder

I recently watched the talk that Jonathan Blow (creator of braid) gave at UC Berkley on "How to program independent games". I found it very interesting and I thought it was worth sharing. Below are some of the notes I took as I watched it so I could go back and reference things without re-watching the video.

  • Impulse to optimize are often premature
    • Makes the code harder to use
    • Maybe become irrelevant on newer hardware or systems
    • Takes too much time up front when it doesn't matter yet. You need to be brutally effective and efficient. Don't waste time!
    • Most code is not performance-sensitive
  • Data Structures
    • Binary Tree, Hash Table, Skip List
    • Data Structures are about optimization
    • Using the right data structure is usually bad. Because it is premature optimization.
    • He uses an array of records for almost everything. Because it really doesn't matter.
    • Things you might optimize
      • Seconds per programming execution (speed)
      • bytes per program execution (size/space)
      • Instead optimize - Years of life per program implementation (life) :)
  • Complicated algorithms are not good
  • A generalized system is usually worse than a specific hard-coded one.
    •  Hard to rip out of the code later b/c its hard to know when its not used anymore
    • Requires more documentation and harder to wrap your head around which slows you down
  • Adding new systems is bad! This should be a last resort
  • Deleting code is always better than adding code.
  • Don't over-complicate your code with functions versus just doing inline computations. It adds a node of complication to your code and doesn't add a lot of value.
  • What is a good programmer?
    • Gets things done quickly
    • Gets things done robustly
    • Makes things simple
    • Finishes what he writes (for real)
    • Broad knowledge of advanced ideas and techniques (but only uses them when genuinely helpful)
  • "knowing" vs. deeply, intuitively understanding
    • Its not enough to know these things are true, but you need to practice them as you work. Integrate them as part of your daily practice.