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Comment Re:Port it away from Java... (Score 1) 56

Are those feelings or do you have data to back that sentiment up? Yes the Java jre has a few ethical problems (I'm looking at you, planned yahoo toolbar), however, the language itself isn't bad. It has one of the most mature development communities out there. With the addition of Streams and Lambdas, I think it's finally hit a nice balance between complexity and features.

Comment Re:Complex (Score 2) 99

No, I'm the kind of guy who wants everyone to be great by thinking creatively on how to simplify complexity. Steve Jobs said it best, "That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

I want more people gaming without dumbing down gaming into what we see on mobile devices. This doesn't take away from l33t hard core brogamerz. Less creative people, on the other hand, seem to want a world of Pro Halo and Candy Crush Saga. They cannot wrap their mind around how to make something deep and simple. Simple doesn't mean cheap or easy; but elegant.

A great example would be Sonic the Hedgehog 3 vs. whatever junk passes for a Sonic game today. In Sonic 3, you have one button and directional pad to do a vast variety of tasks. I could duck, move, look up, jump, fly, glide, electric jump, flame dash, spin dash, bubble jump, change into Super Sonic, insta shield, etc... One button and a directional pad. It all made sense and require no tutorials. Not true today. Every single button on a controller has to be used because game developers are not creative enough to do otherwise.

If you're into Rube Goldberg machines, then more power to you. But if you want to win the market and please users, be more creative and figure out how to tame complexity.

Comment Re:Complex (Score 1) 99

Except it further dissuades me from buying their games. Why would I want to play a game online that I'm going to lose all the time? I don't have 60 hours a week to hone my brogaming skillz. Having these complex controllers puts "pro" players at an even greater advantage while not addressing the issues of complexity. This makes me not want to play.

Splatoon changes the equation by making a game accessible and pairs you with random people of different skill levels while taking away anti-features like "get shouted at with obscenities by 10 year olds" mode. It makes me want to play.

As engineers, let's look at Nintendo for inspiration in designing everything from end user products to software APIs. Let's stay away from the idea of being complex just to be l33t.

Comment Complex (Score 1) 99

I understand this controller isn't meant for casual players, but I think this is an example of choosing complexity over usability. If I'm trying to get more gamers to play Xbox One, I would invest in technologies that will allow normal players to enjoy a game as much as pro players rather than invest in technologies that widens the gap between pro players and normal players. There are far more normal gamers than "pro" gamers.

Take Splatoon for instance. It took a genre that is reserved for hardcore brogamers and made it accessible and fun for everyone - including brogamers. They didn't do it by making the game complex nor did they do it by making a dumbed down game. Nintendo achieved its goals by encapsulating the complexities of a shooter in a way that is intuitive for everyone. As engineers, that's what we should all be striving for.

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