240 - Why I Make Games!

Developer diaries about creating Neverending Nightmares.
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RightClickSaveAs
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Re: 240 - Why I Make Games!

Post by RightClickSaveAs »

Samsung says that their program caches user data as well as application data, rather than just application data like SuperFetch does, and also RAPID is supposed to cache both read and write I/O: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/ ... per_EN.pdf

Anandtech had good things to say about it too: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7173/sams ... s-tested/5

Apparently there's a very slightly increased risk of data loss in the event of losing power to the system, but it's supposed to be very slight.
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evilkinggumby
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Re: 240 - Why I Make Games!

Post by evilkinggumby »

the power looss shouldn't be an issue. Matt MUST have his work pc on a battery backup for safety sake so if power fluters, surges or shuts off he isn't cooking his pc or hours worth of work. :)

At least.. I hope so. I've got one on my gaming rig for it and my router/modem and my Airrave cell signal. Last time we lost power I was able to still get on the net via my laptop and phone for a good 2 hours in. I still need to get one for my work pc now that I'm off my old laptop dangit.

24gb ram..damn.. that must have been pricey. so thats what, 3 sticks of 8gb or ..? i'd hope that would suffice, but I agree, if you use software notorious for memory leaks no matter the memory pool it's going to suffer over time. For me, after a few days Firefox seems to want to eat 2+gig of ram until I shut it off and make sure it's completely closed out of memory. yick.

So Matt, in line with the OP, at what point do you think you'd leave game making and pursue a different career? WHat do you think would be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak? Would it have to be something very personal to you and your team/family or could it be shifts in the industry that just spoil it for you?
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RightClickSaveAs
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Re: 240 - Why I Make Games!

Post by RightClickSaveAs »

Oh man I hope so too! I had a UPS for a while, and it was nice, but the battery went out on it and I didn't bother getting it replaced, I live in an area with pretty reliable power and it was kinda overkill since I don't do much important on my computer :) I just use a good surge suppressor now.

How often on average does everyone around here shut off/reboot their computers? I generally turn mine off at least once a day when I go to work, I know there's lots of info to suggest that leaving a computer running constantly is actually better for it because you don't put it through as much stress of going from cold to hot and vice versa, but I figure the 8+ hours a day add up in general MTBF and energy costs.
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matt
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Re: 240 - Why I Make Games!

Post by matt »

Yeah, I don't think I could live without a UPS! Sometimes our power is flaky, so it is a big life saver.

I run my computer 24/7. I don't know if it is the "best" thing to do, but I have it back up overnight and sometimes download this or that, so I am lame. I am also impatient in the morning, and sometimes my computer takes a while to boot for an inexplicable reason despite having an SSD.
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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evilkinggumby
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Re: 240 - Why I Make Games!

Post by evilkinggumby »

I run mine 24/7 too but that is sheer habit and convenience. If I know I won't use it for several days I will shut them down but typically they're always on(my work pc and my game rig). I know back-in-the-day it was better to keep the pc running as the wear and tear of firing it up cold was enough to shorten the lifespan of the overall system. I don't know if this still holds true or if it's just folk like me remembering those days.. hehehe.. I will say keeping it running 24/7 means a lot quicker dust collection in the case, and a lot of wear and tear on the fans over time.

Though as Matt mentioned, having it running for all times means backups and updates/system maintenance can be done late into the night. I'm not good enough to set up a system of having the pc sleep and wake to do those.. hehe..:)
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[I am Evilkinggumby on DeviantArt and Steam if you want to looks me up!]
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