AMD RenderMonkey has always been my favorite shader prototyping tool. I've done tons of rendering experiments with it. Only weeks ago RenderMoney offered me a great helping hand when I did my research work on the topic of cel-shading. Unfortunately, AMD decided to discontinue the development of RenderMonkey in 2009, leaving us with a legacy version - v1.82, which is pretty stable, but only supports DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 3.0. A Q&A here addresses that the main reason for this is RM's lack of ability to program CPU. Nvidia's counterpart to RM, FX Composer, though not officially announced, seems to be sharing the same fate of abandonment, as the latest version was released back in 2009, with only DX10 support.
Therefore some people demand a successor to these tools, with the latest technologies integrated (namely DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4). I am now seriously considering "go ahead and do it". In my vision, this new tool should:
1) Support the latest generation of graphics API: DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.0. These standards have been out for years and are being put into practical use in real-world games and applications. There is simply no reason not to support them.
2) Add new shader stages (geometry shader, tessellation shaders). Not so long ago, when we say "shaders", we mean the pair of vertex shader and pixel (fragment) shader. But the world has changed now. DX 10 and OpenGL 3 introduced the concept of geometry shader, and we had tessellation shaders in DX11 and OpenGL 4. The new tool has got to embrace them if it wants to stay relevant.
3) Be able to expose its inner data structures and routines to user-created extensions. Both RenderMonkey and FX Composer suffered from the inability to write CPU code because not all effects can be done exclusively on GPU. If we can employ some mechanics to give users full control over its rendering pipeline by writing their own C++ plug-ins, like what you can do to 3ds Max with Max SDK, it will be a whole different world.
4) Have a friendly and powerful UI. IMHO RenderMoney has over-simplified UI and FX Composer has an overcomplicated one. A mixture of the two might be just right.
5) Build a platform for the users to share and showcase their works. This idea is inspired by the Shader Library shipped with FX Composer and the model of Unity's Asset Store. Package all your source materials of an effect (code, plug-ins, models, textures or even papers and docs), and share your brilliant work with the rest of the world. Wow, that'd be real cool...
May 22, 2012
Conviction is still a stealth action adventure
With Splinter Cell: Conviction, Ubisoft made a major tweak to the flavor of the franchise. Sam Fisher is no longer a Third Echelon filed agent, he has gone rogue and become more deadly. With no restriction on lethal force and no requirement to remain undetected, SC5 allows you to take out a good deal of intense action.
I once worried about this change. I watched some of the gameplay preview videos before its release and felt like Splinter Cell is being turned into a TPS. An entire line up of weaponry from Desert Eagle to M3 shotgun? Sam has never gained access to so many heavy and noisy weapons. They might as well add a RPG!
Oh, and they have a new cover system, which basically works the same way as an ordinary cover-based TPS. A cover provides 100% protection during a gun fight. You lean out the cover to shoot your enemies while they are reloading. You move from cover to cover to approach targets and gain tactical advantages.
However, while these ingredients sound very similar to a third-person shooter, the actual gameplay of Conviction is way different from Uncharted or Gears of War. After your first attempt to confront your foes with direct shootout, you'll find out that stealth action is still the rule of thumb in the world of Splinter Cell.
Ubisoft has done a lot to ensure that direct gun fight is a punishing way to eliminate the enemies. Firstly, Sam Fisher is as weak as before in terms of taking damage. In "Realistic" difficulty, 4 or 5 light weapon shots are sufficient to put you into the "near-death" state. Hit by a shotgun or a frag grenade explosion? Well, that's an instant kill. Secondly, enemies are extremely accurate. More often than not, when engaging multiple targets (that's 90% of the cases), you get shot every time you lean out from a cover. Also, AI is often quite aggressive. They will try outflanking you during combat. This is the most significant reason why direct gun fight is punishing in Conviction. You can hardly survive attacks from multiple directions.
By comparison, leveraging Mark & Execute or doing head shots without exposing yourself is far more comfortable. Being stealthy is still the correct action that the game designers encourage you to take. You may not be able to "ghost through" every level in SC5, but Sam Fisher is still more a shadowy ninja than a fearless berserker.
Mar 30, 2012
Why Does Every Game Programmer Want to be a Rendering Programmer
The vast majority of the programmers I've worked with, and myself also, all have a strong interest in 3D programming. If their job title happens to be a Rendering Engineer, they often addict to their work; if not, they will seek for every opportunity to become one.
Not until recently did I raise a question to myself: why it is this case? Why does every game programmer want to be a rendering programmer?
These are my thoughts:
1. First and foremost, 3D programming is pretty bloody damn cool! Everyone has a love for gorgeous graphics, right? That's why they want to be one of the talented minds who make these eye candies.
2. They are tech geeks, and 3D technologies are often the most advanced technologies of a certain console generation.
3. We are proud to be game programmers, and the mastery of rendering technologies is one of the key differentiators between the skill set of a gamedev and the skill set of a traditional software engineer.
4. There are an abundance of learning resources in this field. Books, SIGGRAPH papers, GDC keynotes, you name it. 3D programming can be hard, but with so many research out there, you hardly get lost in tackling tough challenges.
Not until recently did I raise a question to myself: why it is this case? Why does every game programmer want to be a rendering programmer?
These are my thoughts:
1. First and foremost, 3D programming is pretty bloody damn cool! Everyone has a love for gorgeous graphics, right? That's why they want to be one of the talented minds who make these eye candies.
2. They are tech geeks, and 3D technologies are often the most advanced technologies of a certain console generation.
3. We are proud to be game programmers, and the mastery of rendering technologies is one of the key differentiators between the skill set of a gamedev and the skill set of a traditional software engineer.
4. There are an abundance of learning resources in this field. Books, SIGGRAPH papers, GDC keynotes, you name it. 3D programming can be hard, but with so many research out there, you hardly get lost in tackling tough challenges.
Feb 28, 2012
How About Being English Only?
As blogspot.com is blocked from the majority of us PRC people, I decided to turn Memory Unit 1111H into an English-only blog. Though my English proficiency is far from being bilingual, I'm working hard to improve.
I liked the name Memory Unit 1111H, so I'm gonna keep it in this transition. I am a programmer. I was born on November 11th. That's why I came up with this name. Nice and simple. Regardless of the fact that we don't use 16-bit CPUs any more.
I will be posting here irregularly. The main topic is of course video game development, but not limited to the technical aspects. I've been in this industry for more than 3 years now. It's time for me to share some thoughts on this unique media we devoted ourselves to.
I liked the name Memory Unit 1111H, so I'm gonna keep it in this transition. I am a programmer. I was born on November 11th. That's why I came up with this name. Nice and simple. Regardless of the fact that we don't use 16-bit CPUs any more.
I will be posting here irregularly. The main topic is of course video game development, but not limited to the technical aspects. I've been in this industry for more than 3 years now. It's time for me to share some thoughts on this unique media we devoted ourselves to.
Dec 13, 2011
Time and Forgiveness - My Favorite Quotes from Braid
Tim is off on a search to rescue the Princess. She has been snatched by a horrible and evil monster.
蒂姆踏上了搜救公主的旅程。她被一个凶神恶煞的怪物掳走了。
This happened because Tim made a mistake.
这都是蒂姆一手造成的。他犯了一个错误。
Not just one. He made many mistakes during the time they spent together, all those years ago. Memories of their relationship have become muddled, replaced wholesale, but one remains clear: the Princess turning sharply away, her braid lashing at him with contempt.
哦，何止这一个错误。多年以前，当他们还在一起的时候，蒂姆犯了很多错。在他脑海中，两人之间的点滴回忆或已模糊不清，或已被新的经历所冲淡。但是有一幕他却记忆犹新：在公主转身决然而去的那一刻，她的发辫鞭打在他的脸上，仿佛带着一丝轻蔑。
He knows she tried to be forgiving, but who can just shrug away a guilty lie, a stab in the back? Such a mistake will change a relationship irreversibly, even if we have learned from the mistake and would never repeat it. The Princess's eyes grew narrower. She became more distant.
他知道她曾经试着原谅他。但是面对恶意欺骗和和背后中伤，有谁能轻易释怀？这样的错误会不可逆转的改变一段感情，即便我们从中吸取了教训，决不再重蹈覆辙。公主越来越看不起他。他们的关系变得更加疏远了。
Our World, with its rules of causality, has trained us to be miserly with forgiveness. By forgiving too readily, we can be badly hurt. But if we've learned from a mistake and become better for it, shouldn't we be rewarded for the learning, rather than punished for the mistake?
我们大都相信有果必有因，任何过错都不会是无意为之。轻易原谅别人可能让我们受更多的伤。于是，我们就变得吝于宽恕。但如果我们在犯错后深刻反省，并因此成为一个更好的人，我们还需要为这过错接受惩罚么？难道不应反而因这种升华得到肯定吗？
What if our world worked differently? Suppose we could tell her: "I didn't mean what I just said," and she would say: "It's okay, I understand," and she would not turn away, and life would really proceed as though we had never said that thing? We could remove the damage but still be wiser for the experience.
假如我们的世界以另外一种规则运转呢？比方我们可以对她说：“我真的不是那个意思。”然后她会回答：“我知道，没关系。”之后她也不会转身离去，一切照旧，就好像刚才完全没说那些话一样？吃一堑可以长一智，但若能一并遗忘其间的伤害，岂不是更完满？
Tim and Princess lounge in the castle garden, laughing together, giving names to the colorful birds. Their mistakes are hidden from each other, tucked away between the folds of time, safe.
蒂姆和公主徜徉在城堡的花园里，一起笑着为美丽的鸟儿取名字。他们所犯下的错误，安静的埋藏于时间的罅隙中，不被彼此所留意。
P.S. 中文翻译系本人原创
蒂姆踏上了搜救公主的旅程。她被一个凶神恶煞的怪物掳走了。
This happened because Tim made a mistake.
这都是蒂姆一手造成的。他犯了一个错误。
Not just one. He made many mistakes during the time they spent together, all those years ago. Memories of their relationship have become muddled, replaced wholesale, but one remains clear: the Princess turning sharply away, her braid lashing at him with contempt.
哦，何止这一个错误。多年以前，当他们还在一起的时候，蒂姆犯了很多错。在他脑海中，两人之间的点滴回忆或已模糊不清，或已被新的经历所冲淡。但是有一幕他却记忆犹新：在公主转身决然而去的那一刻，她的发辫鞭打在他的脸上，仿佛带着一丝轻蔑。
He knows she tried to be forgiving, but who can just shrug away a guilty lie, a stab in the back? Such a mistake will change a relationship irreversibly, even if we have learned from the mistake and would never repeat it. The Princess's eyes grew narrower. She became more distant.
他知道她曾经试着原谅他。但是面对恶意欺骗和和背后中伤，有谁能轻易释怀？这样的错误会不可逆转的改变一段感情，即便我们从中吸取了教训，决不再重蹈覆辙。公主越来越看不起他。他们的关系变得更加疏远了。
Our World, with its rules of causality, has trained us to be miserly with forgiveness. By forgiving too readily, we can be badly hurt. But if we've learned from a mistake and become better for it, shouldn't we be rewarded for the learning, rather than punished for the mistake?
我们大都相信有果必有因，任何过错都不会是无意为之。轻易原谅别人可能让我们受更多的伤。于是，我们就变得吝于宽恕。但如果我们在犯错后深刻反省，并因此成为一个更好的人，我们还需要为这过错接受惩罚么？难道不应反而因这种升华得到肯定吗？
What if our world worked differently? Suppose we could tell her: "I didn't mean what I just said," and she would say: "It's okay, I understand," and she would not turn away, and life would really proceed as though we had never said that thing? We could remove the damage but still be wiser for the experience.
假如我们的世界以另外一种规则运转呢？比方我们可以对她说：“我真的不是那个意思。”然后她会回答：“我知道，没关系。”之后她也不会转身离去，一切照旧，就好像刚才完全没说那些话一样？吃一堑可以长一智，但若能一并遗忘其间的伤害，岂不是更完满？
Tim and Princess lounge in the castle garden, laughing together, giving names to the colorful birds. Their mistakes are hidden from each other, tucked away between the folds of time, safe.
蒂姆和公主徜徉在城堡的花园里，一起笑着为美丽的鸟儿取名字。他们所犯下的错误，安静的埋藏于时间的罅隙中，不被彼此所留意。
P.S. 中文翻译系本人原创
Jul 6, 2011
选择（原标题：三年）
到了明天，我来上海工作就满三周年了。
并不是刻意的要搞总结，但平常就很emotional的我到了这个时候儿就尤为感性，脑子里各种杂念一多就想起来到这内存单元来填几个字节。
三年前，虽然没对任何人提起过，我曾非常naive的憧憬：就凭我这个干劲儿，别的不提，工作三年至少能开车带女朋友兜兜风了吧。三年后：没车，没女朋友。
三年前，我就和好多人提起过，说我以后一定要让自己的名字出现在世界著名工作室出品的游戏的credits里，哪怕只是作为一个tester。三年后：再坚持两个月，我的大名（而且是中文的）就能出现在Xbox 360 / PS3 / Wii / PC 四个SKU中的制作人员名单里，title是Engine Programmer。
You know what? 这三年我悟出了一个道理：Life is all about choices. 无论你已年逾花甲还是风华正茂，你之所以是现在的你，是因为你自己选择成为这样的人。于是乎选择便无所谓好坏对错，自己的决定，别人怎么评价都撼动不了你的主观倾向。
其实我想说的是，现在没车没女友也没什么可叹息的，因为我选择了收入不高的工作和全心投入的工作方式；达成了预期目标，小小的兴奋一下就行了，因为这是我之前若干选择的必然结果。
It’s time to make another choice. 再过三年，我要成为变成什么样的人？进化成游戏行业里的veteran，进入顶尖的studio并施加自己的影响力？还是抓紧时间多多享受一下这二十多岁美好年华的后半程？亦或也许有两全的选择？hmm，还真是伤脑筋啊。无论怎么选择，永远都别后悔，嗯。
还有一点要谨记，选择这个事儿是纯主观的，所以不要妄图左右他人的选择。“我选择成为她的选择”是不可取的，算是我这套理论体系中的一个悖论吧。旁征博引一下来佐证我的观点——S.H.E的歌词儿：“人无法决定会为谁动心，但至少可以决定放不放弃。”
写到最后发现好像跑题了，那就把标题改了吧，嗯。
Apr 7, 2011
Researching Molehill
I, as a Flash lover who's been using it for nearly ten years, and (sort of) a 3D programmer who's crazily interested in computer graphic techno, am overwhelmed by Adobe's releasing the hardwared accelerated Molehill 3D API for Flash.
I took a day off of work the next day Molehill was made publicly available for a hands on, and I've been spending some spare time playing around it these days.
This is what I've achieved so far:
Actually I invested a lot of time constructing a basic framework for my future Molehill based application, with a focus on the concepts of "material" and "renderable".
I'll write another blog to detail this framework after I am comletely done with the "Hello Molehill" sample.
I took a day off of work the next day Molehill was made publicly available for a hands on, and I've been spending some spare time playing around it these days.
This is what I've achieved so far:
Actually I invested a lot of time constructing a basic framework for my future Molehill based application, with a focus on the concepts of "material" and "renderable".
I'll write another blog to detail this framework after I am comletely done with the "Hello Molehill" sample.
Jan 20, 2011
忽然想写点儿东西了
好长时间没正儿八经的写博客了，懒了。也可能是因为“宏博”没有几年前那么流行了吧，玩blog不再是时尚了。也可能是因为其实我写了根本就没几个人看吧。
但是，此时此刻，什么都不想干，唯独想在这儿码点儿字儿。
敬爱的胡总书记今天抵达华盛顿开始对美国进行国事访问了。真不知道除了老生常谈的外交辞令外他们还能聊点儿什么，访问来访问去的能给两国的人民带来什么实质的改变么……什么时候美国大众除了熊猫和武术能再了解点中国其他的特质？什么时候中国可以真正变的开放、包容，给有志者一片land of opportunity可以尽情的追逐他们的CHINESE dream？
最近在潮流和朋友的影响下开始看《三体》，开篇不久看到这么一句话，好像是叶哲泰说的：“在中国，任何超脱飞扬的思想都会砰然坠地的，现实的引力太沉重了。” 我一下就共鸣了。Because I've seen people abandoning their dreams. 我的一个同事，不远万里从边疆地区来到上海寻求发展，最近却提出了辞职。最主要的原因是他相处了十几年的女朋友和他分手了，理由简单而冰冷——他买不起房子。我能够想象他由此受到的打击，换作我自己，也许同样会选择逃回comfort zone找寻庇护。
前不久还有老同学问我说你现在还有所谓“理想”的东西吗？我不假思索的回答当然有。这不是碍于面子才说的违心话。我仍然执着于最初我想要得到的东西。That's why I am here. 这就是为什么即便在北京有关心我也需要我关心的亲人，有可以拿到至少双倍薪水的工作机会，有我朝思暮想的月光下窗帘上的影子，I am still here.
但是假若再过两年半我被问及同样的问题，我还能回应的这么理直气壮么？真不知道。混迹于一个在国内不被大众认可甚至可以说在国内根本不存在的行业，绝不是件容易事。这需要极大的定力甚至是那么一丁点儿的阿Q精神。在美梦成真或者回头是岸之前，我还能淡定多长时间？真不知道。这几天自己忽然变得特别，特别……嗯，敏稚那个词儿用的恰当——多愁善感，还没完没了的在听王力宏的《落叶归根》……这是不是已经是不蛋定的表现了？不知道。
终于熬到12点了可以睡觉了。码字的目的达到了。至少我还是比大部分人都淡定一些的，嗯。
但是，此时此刻，什么都不想干，唯独想在这儿码点儿字儿。
敬爱的胡总书记今天抵达华盛顿开始对美国进行国事访问了。真不知道除了老生常谈的外交辞令外他们还能聊点儿什么，访问来访问去的能给两国的人民带来什么实质的改变么……什么时候美国大众除了熊猫和武术能再了解点中国其他的特质？什么时候中国可以真正变的开放、包容，给有志者一片land of opportunity可以尽情的追逐他们的CHINESE dream？
最近在潮流和朋友的影响下开始看《三体》，开篇不久看到这么一句话，好像是叶哲泰说的：“在中国，任何超脱飞扬的思想都会砰然坠地的，现实的引力太沉重了。” 我一下就共鸣了。Because I've seen people abandoning their dreams. 我的一个同事，不远万里从边疆地区来到上海寻求发展，最近却提出了辞职。最主要的原因是他相处了十几年的女朋友和他分手了，理由简单而冰冷——他买不起房子。我能够想象他由此受到的打击，换作我自己，也许同样会选择逃回comfort zone找寻庇护。
前不久还有老同学问我说你现在还有所谓“理想”的东西吗？我不假思索的回答当然有。这不是碍于面子才说的违心话。我仍然执着于最初我想要得到的东西。That's why I am here. 这就是为什么即便在北京有关心我也需要我关心的亲人，有可以拿到至少双倍薪水的工作机会，有我朝思暮想的月光下窗帘上的影子，I am still here.
但是假若再过两年半我被问及同样的问题，我还能回应的这么理直气壮么？真不知道。混迹于一个在国内不被大众认可甚至可以说在国内根本不存在的行业，绝不是件容易事。这需要极大的定力甚至是那么一丁点儿的阿Q精神。在美梦成真或者回头是岸之前，我还能淡定多长时间？真不知道。这几天自己忽然变得特别，特别……嗯，敏稚那个词儿用的恰当——多愁善感，还没完没了的在听王力宏的《落叶归根》……这是不是已经是不蛋定的表现了？不知道。
终于熬到12点了可以睡觉了。码字的目的达到了。至少我还是比大部分人都淡定一些的，嗯。
Jan 16, 2011
Nov 10, 2010
20 - 25
2005.3.19
今天我们到居庸关长城搞了“学雷锋”的实践活动，相当成功。我们的横幅上收集到了上百人的签名，其中不仅包括中国人的签名，更有许多游览长城的外国游客的笔记，这让我们有十足的成就感！
Remark: 2
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2006.9.12
想必每一个经过高考的洗礼拿到心仪大学录取通知书的学生都曾对象牙塔中的生活充满憧憬，也都在心里默默许下一些要在大学里实现的愿望，我也不例外。现在能回想起来当初定了两个目标——让自己性格变开朗、学习成绩名列前茅。当时的想法是，大学的环境比起高中来要宽松得多，必然有机会认识很多的人，从而让自己更外向；而计算机是我最大的爱好，兴趣乃最棒的老师，以此作为专业，成绩肯定没得说。
Remark: 大方向是正确的
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
2007.3.13
我的第一个DirectX程序出炉了！虽然它只是一个简单的"Hello World"式的示例，但这是我在学习3D图形技术上迈出的第一步。那句老话不是这么说的么，“千里之行，始于足下”，我觉得它特别适合形容我现在的情况。称自学DX为“千里之行”绝不过分，如今第一步已经迈出，也就不容得我再回头，唯有不畏艰难、勇往直前才是出路。同时希望身边的好朋友们——出国的震岳，考研的董航、贤达等等，还有找工作的李旭、铭子、老牛和四千，你们当中还没迈步的就抓紧，已经开始征程的就坚持到底，成功属于我们所有人！
Remark: We got started.
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2008.7.1
再见了心爱的梦中女孩，
我将要去远方寻找未来。
Remark: 有点杯具。话说回来，Every time you say yes to a goal or objective, you say no to many more. Every prize has its price. The prize is the yes, the price is the no.
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2009.1.3
正对技术中心日益沉闷的气氛无可奈何，忽然天赐良机，因为我开始维护一个艺术家用的工具，得以搬到美术中心去办公。这正是我所期待的，所以得到通知后二话不说，立码拆机器移师。
美术中心的环境才像是一个地道的游戏公司，Little Big Planet、Warhammer Online的海报贴的到处都是，艺术家们一到中午的闲暇时间就拿出藏在包里的NDSL和PSP摆弄起来，还经常能看到两个人挤在一个局促的隔间里打KOF……这里没有安检门、有的是台球桌；这里没有寂静压抑的空气、有的是吵吵闹闹和欢声笑语。这才是我应该来的地方！
我在这边仍然做软件工程师，但显然我有更多的机会与艺术家交流，有更多的机会观摩他们的工作，也有更多的机会培养自己的艺术细胞。我脑袋里感性和理性的天平终于开始趋向平衡了……
我感叹自己人品真是好，事业上的一切都在按照我预想的轨道运行。
Remark: 在巨人的最美好的时光
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2010.1.16
I can't believe I've made it! 上海育碧的HR电话告知我被录用时，我情不自禁的对自己嘟囔出这句话。多年以来梦寐以求的世界级游戏工作室，我就这么进去了？！
Remark: One more step to the prize.
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Future
Make sure you get the prize with acceptable price.
TODO: remark
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