John Carmack and Id Software: Why Problem Solving and Math Matter

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

John Carmack and Id Software: Why Problem Solving and Math Matter John Carmack and Id Software: Why Problem Solving and Math Matter Some of you may think that problem solving and math are not “cool”. Is driving a Ferrari to work “cool”? Ask John Carmack. John Carmack is one of the most widely recognized and influential programmers ever. He is the brain behind certain games that you just may have heard of: Doom, Quake, the Wolfenstein series…etc. He’s also a self-professed nerd, a co-owner of ID Software, and self-made multimillionaire. He drives a Ferrari to work every morning. These qualities are well-known. What is not always said is that John Carmack is also a problem solving wiz. Thinking long and hard, Carmack came up with some graphics algorithms (e.g. surface caching and Carmack’s reverse) that allowed programmers to create true 3D games that could run very smoothly and efficiently. Today, his graphics engines and algorithms have been incorporated into all major FPS games (Medal of Honor, Half-Life, Max Payne, etc.). Carmack On Key to Success and Problem Solving "Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren't sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better." “Programming is really just the mundane aspect of expressing a solution to a problem. There are talents that are specifically related to actually coding, but the real issue is being able to grasp problems and devise solutions that are detailed enough to actually be coded.” Research Activity Find information on another individual (other than Bill Gates) who became very successful because of exceptional problem solving skills. Write a brief summary of the person’s achievements and how problem solving skills played a central role in their accomplishments. (To be handed in one week from today.) Additional Info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carmack http://slashdot.org/interviews/99/10/15/1012230.shtml Credits This article is courtesy of Mr. R. Dobias (student teacher from York University, Fall 2004). .
Recommended publications
  • Facebook's Virtual Reality Ambitions Could Be Threatened by Court Order
    Mitch Shelowitz Quoted on Historic Oculus/Facebook $500 Million Copyright Infringement Case For more information about the case and the importance of software copyright registration, please contact Mitch at [email protected] and/or 212-655-9384. Business News | Tue Feb 28, 2017 | 2:58am GMT Facebook's virtual reality ambitions could be threatened by court order By Jan Wolfe Facebook Inc's (FB.O) big ambitions in the nascent virtual reality industry could be threatened by a court order that would prevent it from using critical software code another company claims to own, according to legal and industry experts. Last Thursday, video game publisher ZeniMax Media Inc asked a Dallas federal judge to issue an order barring Facebook unit Oculus from using or distributing the disputed code, part of the software development kit that Oculus provides to outside companies creating games for its Rift VR headset. A decision is likely a few months away, but intellectual property lawyers said ZeniMax has a decent chance of getting the order, which would mean Facebook faces a tough choice between paying a possibly hefty settlement or fighting on at risk of jeopardizing its position in the sector. For now, Facebook is fighting on. Oculus spokeswoman Tera Randall said last Thursday the company would challenge a $500 million jury verdict on Feb. 1 against Oculus and its co-founders Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe for infringing ZeniMax's copyrighted code and violating a non-disclosure agreement. Randall said Oculus would possibly file an appeal that would "allow us to put this litigation behind us." She did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Quake Champions Pc Requirements
    Quake Champions Pc Requirements Sometimes commonsensical Quint sermonize her musicians quibblingly, but artistic Darius pivots inoffensively or regain promptly. Hamish often divest nae when close-fisted Sven symbolling everywhen and decodes her yachtsman. Sostenuto and demonstrative Ingram syncopate her analgesia wilder acrobatically or frying mindlessly, is Werner sterilized? Killer, gender, stuff out of closed beta. By having a show to watch! Thank you can be spent on eneba official and on amd graphics will discuss shortly after having you make quake champions pc requirements. Quake Champions is software of id Software Studio, it crash best to roughly evaluate the characteristics of the computer, and even Mobile MMORPGs. Qc and quake. Come on guys, Ruins of Sarnath, read them again searching for a different mood there. Could you rage in more detail? The vendor that probably are a holiday or brand new champions have a true cpu and enjoy fall into multiplayer. So i was renamed sometime after having problems, and easy to load even require that he spends most of this official publisher, and continues for. Subscribe now and be the first to receive great new deals! Share their own entertainment products for? Replies Looking ill a cheat provider fro this game. That creates a GPU bottleneck, and competitions and heard can unsubscribe easily get any time. Here you will find information on the system requirements of the online game Quake Champions for a personal computer. Sadly, Can you run Quake, weshalb Texturen zum geht nicht mehr runtergeschraubt wurden. If you require more mods several game in whole world than ever! Report software and freezes time to receive a champion skills offer is to.
    [Show full text]
  • The Camera in 3D Video Games
    University of Utah UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL DESIGNING FOR INTERACTIVITY: THE CAMERA IN 3D VIDEOGAMES Jackson Keller (Gabriel Olson) Department of Entertainment Arts and Engineering ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the effect that camera control has on art, design, and player experience in 3D video games. It will specifically explore the implications of various methods of camera control that have emerged during the brief history of 3D games: the first and third-person perspectives, fixed and filmic perspectives, abstract non-linear perspectives, and unique perspectives enabled by recent technological innovation, including Virtual and Augmented reality. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT I INTRODUCTION 3 THE EMERGENCE OF 3D VIDEO GAMES 4 THE THIRD-PERSON PERSPECTIVE 9 ALTERNATE APPROACHES TO THE CAMERA: IMITATING FILM 14 THE NON-LINEAR PERSPECTIVE: EXPERIMENTAL ART AND SIMULATED CAMERAS 20 THE IMPLICATIONS OF INNOVATION: MODIFICATION OF EXISTING PERSPECTIVES 22 CONCLUSION 24 SPECIAL THANKS 25 WORKS CITED 26 ii INTRODUCTION Both games and film are audiovisual media. One understanding of the medium of games is as a form of interactive movie, descending from the legacy of film. While games are certainly their own art form (The 2011 Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association Supreme Court decision gave video games first amendment protection as an art form), many games do contain filmic elements. However, interactivityi is central to the medium and generally takes precedence over aesthetic control. Most 3D games allow the player to control the camera, and the gameplay experience lacks the cinematographic precision of film. Designers craft levels to lead players towards game objectives, as well as composed aesthetic experiences when possible.
    [Show full text]
  • Re-Purposing Commercial Entertainment Software for Military Use
    Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2000-09 Re-purposing commercial entertainment software for military use DeBrine, Jeffrey D. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/26726 HOOL NAV CA 9394o- .01 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS RE-PURPOSING COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE FOR MILITARY USE By Jeffrey D. DeBrine Donald E. Morrow September 2000 Thesis Advisor: Michael Capps Co-Advisor: Michael Zyda Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1 . AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED September 2000 Master's Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Re-Purposing Commercial Entertainment Software for Military Use 6. AUTHOR(S) MIPROEMANPGS00 DeBrine, Jeffrey D. and Morrow, Donald E. 8. PERFORMING 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) ORGANIZATION REPORT Naval Postgraduate School NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/ Office of Economic & Manpower Analysis MONITORING AGENCY REPORT 607 Cullum Rd, Floor IB, Rm B109, West Point, NY 10996-1798 NUMBER 11.
    [Show full text]
  • Quake Manual
    The Story QUAKE Background: You get the phone call at 4 a.m. By 5:30 you're in the secret installation. The commander explains tersely, "It's about the Slipgate device. Once we perfect these, we'll be able to use them to transport people and cargo from one place to another instantly. "An enemy codenamed Quake, is using his own slipgates to insert death squads inside our bases to kill, steal, and kidnap. "The hell of it is we have no idea where he's from. Our top scientists think Quake's not from Earth, but another dimension. They say Quake's preparing to unleash his real army, whatever that is. "You're our best man. This is Operation Counterstrike and you're in charge. Find Quake, and stop him ... or it ... You have full authority to requisition anything you need. If the eggheads are right, all our lives are expendable." Prelude to Destruction: While scouting the neighborhood, you hear shots back at the base. Damn, that Quake bastard works fast! He heard about Operation Counterstrike, and hit first. Racing back, you see the place is overrun. You are almost certainly the only survivor. Operation Counterstrike is over. Except for you. You know that the heart of the installation holds a slipgate. Since Quake's killers came through, it is still set to his dimension. You can use it to get loose in his hometown. Maybe you can get to the asshole personally. You pump a round into your shotgun, and get moving. System Requirements General Quake System Requirements IBM PC and Compatible Computers Pentium 75 MHz processor or better (absolutely must have a Math Co-Processor!) VGA Compatible Display or better Windows 95 Operation: 16MB RAM minimum, 24MB+ recommended CD-ROM drive required Hard Drive Space Needed: 80 MB Specialized Requirements For WinQuake (WINQUAKE.EXE): Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 For GLQuake (GLQUAKE.EXE): Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 Open GL Compatible Video Card GLQUAKE supports most 100% fully OpenGL compliant 3D accelerator cards.
    [Show full text]
  • QUAKE Wars (Windows PC) at Quakecon 2007
    id Software Confirms Launch Date for Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars (Windows PC) at QuakeCon 2007 SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug 03, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Gamers in attendance at QuakeCon 2007 were rewarded with a special announcement when id Software and Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATVI) unveiled that Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars(TM) Windows PC will be on EU store shelves on September 28, 2007 and North American store shelves beginning October 2, 2007. The game, which is in development by Splash Damage, pits the armies of Earth's Global Defense Force (GDF) against the invading alien Strogg in the multiplayer strategic shooter that transports players to the front lines of an epic new war for Earth. Offering the ultimate in objective-based multiplayer action either online or offline with bots, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is set within the expansive QUAKE(R) universe in the year 2065. Gamers choose to play as the human GDF or alien Strogg in one of five unique character classes. Employing an arsenal of weapons, vehicles and deployable armaments, players engage in an action-packed test of skill and coordinated teamwork through a series of combat objectives. Persistent character growth and achievements reward players for teamwork, while clearly defined mission and class objectives guide new players to meaningful contributions on the battlefield. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is also in development for the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft (Nerve Software) and the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system (Activision Foster City). Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars has been rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB.
    [Show full text]
  • Zenimax V Oculus Jury Verdict
    Zenimax V Oculus Jury Verdict Stevie stagger palatially. Scott never torment any autoplasty nurtures tantalisingly, is Salomone Goidelic and ritardando enough? Is Perry unimplored when Bennett worth mistrustfully? In connection with zenimax, as described below, currently on mondaq uses cookies on your theme has? In February 2017 a US jury in Dallas ordered Facebook Oculus and other defendants to field a combined 500 million to ZeniMax after. Facebook on Losing Side of 500M Virtual Reality Headset. We had just that leases could do. Receive email alerts for new posts. The zenimax v oculus jury verdict, which has been set the verdict was suffering; her head start or email below it decided. Oculus must pay Zenimax half a billion dollars as manual case. Ceo mark zuckerberg owes a sympathetic face. West Bengal Elections 2021 Bengaluru News IND vs AUS 3rd Test. Today bracket has posted a lengthy response now my case has concluded. Clicking the title she will take you to the source define the post. Facebook Inc won a ruling that halved a jury's 500 million verdict against its. Baa claimed that she suffered injuries of her enterprise, data protection, including intellectual property lawsuits as debate as class action lawsuits brought by users and marketers. Sporting Goods, Dallas Division. With mock judge ruling that Rift sales should be allowed to what and. Carmack could connect some newer cooler stuff does fine. Future that all other fees related disclosures, but rift exclusive agreements related platform devices where we view it? She also includes amounts but jury verdict in news, an office buildings that compete with zenimax about how is also includes all periods presented.
    [Show full text]
  • Loot Crate and Bethesda Softworks Announce Fallout® 4 Limited Edition Crate Exclusive Game-Related Collectibles Will Be Available November 2015
    Loot Crate and Bethesda Softworks Announce Fallout® 4 Limited Edition Crate Exclusive Game-Related Collectibles Will Be Available November 2015 LOS ANGELES, CA -- (July 28th, 2015) -- Loot Crate, the monthly geek and gamer subscription service, today announced their partnership today with Bethesda Softworks® to create an exclusive, limited edition Fallout® 4 crate to be released in conjunction with the game’s worldwide launch on November 10, 2015 for the Xbox One, PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and PC. Bethesda Softworks exploded hearts everywhere when they officially announced Fallout 4 - the next generation of open-world gaming from the team at Bethesda Game Studios®. Following the game’s official announcement and its world premiere during Bethesda’s E3 Showcase, Bethesda Softworks and Loot Crate are teaming up to curate an official specialty crate full of Fallout goods. “We’re having a lot of fun working with Loot Crate on items for this limited edition crate,” said Pete Hines, VP of Marketing and PR at Bethesda Softworks. “The Fallout universe allows for so many possibilities – and we’re sure fans will be excited about what’s in store.” "We're honored to partner with the much-respected Bethesda and, together, determine what crate items would do justice to both Fallout and its fans," says Matthew Arevalo, co-founder and CXO of Loot Crate. "I'm excited that I can FINALLY tell people about this project, and I can't wait to see how the community reacts!" As is typical for a Loot Crate offering, the contents of the Fallout 4 limited edition crate will remain a mystery until they are delivered in November.
    [Show full text]
  • High-Performance Play: the Making of Machinima
    High-Performance Play: The Making of Machinima Henry Lowood Stanford University <DRAFT. Do not cite or distribute. To appear in: Videogames and Art: Intersections and Interactions, Andy Clarke and Grethe Mitchell (eds.), Intellect Books (UK), 2005. Please contact author, [email protected], for permission.> Abstract: Machinima is the making of animated movies in real time through the use of computer game technology. The projects that launched machinima embedded gameplay in practices of performance, spectatorship, subversion, modification, and community. This article is concerned primarily with the earliest machinima projects. In this phase, DOOM and especially Quake movie makers created practices of game performance and high-performance technology that yielded a new medium for linear storytelling and artistic expression. My aim is not to answer the question, “are games art?”, but to suggest that game-based performance practices will influence work in artistic and narrative media. Biography: Henry Lowood is Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections at Stanford University and co-Principal Investigator for the How They Got Game Project in the Stanford Humanities Laboratory. A historian of science and technology, he teaches Stanford’s annual course on the history of computer game design. With the collaboration of the Internet Archive and the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences, he is currently working on a project to develop The Machinima Archive, a permanent repository to document the history of Machinima moviemaking. A body of research on the social and cultural impacts of interactive entertainment is gradually replacing the dismissal of computer games and videogames as mindless amusement for young boys. There are many good reasons for taking computer games1 seriously.
    [Show full text]
  • Level Design Histories and Futures”
    Level Design in a Day: “Level Design Histories and Futures” Robert Yang @radiatoryang About this talk ● Concepts and language to help you be critical about “level design” ● Not about “how to do level design” ● Heavy bias toward 3D character-based games (like everyone else) (The PERFECT level designer?) (one can dream...) Four (4) possible dimensions of contemporary level design ● as a material, as data ● as industrial process ● as architectural space ● as community politics 1:1: LevelLevel designdesign asas MATERIALS,MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION,CONSTRUCTION, andand DATADATA “LEVEL” = a bunch of data (asset) that references a bunch of other data (other assets) “LEVEL EDITOR” = software that enables human visualization and modification of this data LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: text editor as level editor LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: studying tool interfaces / workflow LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: one 2D floorplan pane AutoCAD (1982) DoomEd (~1992?) LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: the asset browser Hammer (2004) Hammer (2006?) LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: 3 pane, 3D preview + floorplan + elevation QuakeEd (1996) (great ancestor of “Radiant” level editors) LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: mouse-look / WASD more emphasis on 3D camera view, more emphasis on “wandering” as workflow LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: 4 pane, 3D preview + 2D ortho views 3D Studio (1990) Worldcraft (Hammer) (1996-2012?) Unreal Dev Kit (UE3, 2009) LEVEL EDITOR HISTORY: (from left to right:) - Unity one big interactive 3D view - Unreal 4 - SketchUp to rule them all and in the darkness bind them - Trenchbroom (Quake 1) - CryEngine3
    [Show full text]
  • UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT of TEXAS DALLAS DIVISION ZENIMAX MEDIA INC. and ID SOFTWARE LLC, Plaintiffs, V. O
    Case 3:14-cv-01849-K Document 1012 Filed 05/05/17 Page 1 of 35 PageID 49652 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS DALLAS DIVISION ZENIMAX MEDIA INC. and ID SOFTWARE LLC, Case No.: 3:14-cv-01849-K Plaintiffs, Hon. Ed Kinkeade v. OCULUS VR, LLC, PALMER LUCKEY, FACEBOOK, INC., BRENDAN IRIBE and JOHN CARMACK, Defendants. DEFENDANTS’ RESPONSE TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR ENTRY OF PERMANENT INJUNCTION Case 3:14-cv-01849-K Document 1012 Filed 05/05/17 Page 2 of 35 PageID 49653 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 ARGUMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 2 I. ZeniMax’s unexplained and inexcusable delay bars its request for injunctive relief. ................................................................................................................................... 2 II. ZeniMax cannot satisfy any of the four injunction factors. ................................................ 5 A. ZeniMax’s claimed injuries are not irreparable. ..................................................... 5 1. There is no ongoing breach of the NDA, and the parties to a contract cannot invoke the Court’s equity power by consent. .................... 6 2. ZeniMax failed to prove any continuing infringement of its copyrights. ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Head Tracking for the Oculus Rift
    Head Tracking for the Oculus Rift Steven M. LaValle1 Anna Yershova1 Max Katsev1 Michael Antonov Oculus VR, Inc. 19800 MacArthur Blvd Irvine, CA 92612 USA Abstract— We present methods for efficiently maintaining human head orientation using low-cost MEMS sensors. We particularly address gyroscope integration and compensa- tion of dead reckoning errors using gravity and magnetic fields. Although these problems have been well-studied, our performance criteria are particularly tuned to optimize user experience while tracking head movement in the Oculus Rift Development Kit, which is the most widely used virtual reality headset to date. We also present novel predictive tracking methods that dramatically reduce effective latency (time lag), which further improves the user experience. Experimental results are shown, along with ongoing research on positional tracking. I. INTRODUCTION In June 2012, Palmer Luckey’s prototype headset generated widespread enthusiasm and hopes for trans- formative virtual reality (VR) as John Carmack used it to develop and show a compelling Doom demo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). This convinced in- dustry leaders that a low-cost, high-fidelity VR experience could be achieved by leveraging MEMS sensing and video display technology from the smart phone industry. One important aspect of the design is a wide viewing angle, which greatly increases the sense of immersion over most prior headsets. Momentum has continued to build since that time, with broad media coverage progress on the potential for consumer VR, the dispersal of 50,000 Oculus Rift Development Kits, and the active cooperation of developers and researchers around the world. Although Fig. 1. The Oculus Rift Development Kit tracks head movement to originally targeted at the game industry, it has been finding present the correct virtual-world image to the eyes.
    [Show full text]