[CSDb] - User Forums - Coding Habits

You are not logged in - nap

CSDb User Forums

Forums > C64 Coding > Coding Habits

2021-10-24 04:56

ZIG

Registered: Feb 2004
Posts: 37

Coding Habits

Ok, so this is a super random question, but I would like to know how the 'high performance' demo coders approach coding nowadays - from a time management perspective.

What I am asking is, how do you balance work and democoding?

How much time would you spend coding in a week? Do you spend big chunks of time or just an hour here and there?

How effective would you be in a sitting? Like, how long does it take you to get into your code and what kind of results would you regularly get?

Finally, how much time would you spend 'experimenting' - say fooling around with an effect you are thinking doing one day of vs production of finished demos/intro etc in a given week/month etc?

Sorry to ask such weird questions, but I feel a bit stuck in making progress on coding right now with so many commitments and I just want to see if there are different ways, or maybe I am just sloooow. Good old ADHD at work. :(

Anyways, thx!
Zig/

... 29 posts hidden. Click here to view all posts....

2021-10-26 19:19

Magnar

Registered: Aug 2009
Posts: 60

Hi all,
I am no real coder :) But, I try sometimes. And I guess, I can relate to the topic even as a musician.

I am most productive on late evenings or after midnight until 4-5am. This time of the day there is absolutely no pressure from anyone else, and I can sit and focus on what ever I want to do; Code, compose or draw a picture. Undisturbed. These hours also are the most silence period of the day in terms of noise from outside as well. It is perfect time for when I get very creative.

Sometimes, when deadlines requires, I go all in; I can spend easily nights and days for a couple of weeks time in order to get the production ready. This often clashes with work hours, but I tend to flex-out and flex-in on that so that my work is not affected during that hectic period of time when the demo making is "more important" because I don't want us to miss a release. I often help out with "what needs to be done". If it is music or sfx, I do that. If it is a picture or a font, I do that. If it is a demopart, I code it etc. All in for reaching the deadline, as per that moment often the whole team been griding and are rather pushed to the limit in terms of get it ready. And I somehow have a lot of energy to get things finished at that stage.

However, between releases, I am often very unproductive. I seldom prepare anything for the next gig. I am the typical guy that works when work is needed. :) So, I spend very little time experimenting. However, I can spend very much time to improve my tools and frameworks. Improving batch files for building stuff or try out new tools etc etc.

In a sitting, like during a evening I am either very productive on graphic and music or things turns to shit and I just have to quit and watch Netflix etc instead.

My code is unfortunately always full of bugs and shit, so when I code stuff I usually spend 6 hours a day finding the bugs and some more time on reaching the result I want. It usually requires many sittings, not just that one evening. When I compose MP3 songs for stuff it also takes more time than an evening because it is so much automation and programming work with the virtual effects and instruments to make it sound proper. And some pictures I draw also takes more time. I can sit with Procreate and draw with a Ipad and pen, or I can sit infront of the PC and do Photoshop stuff or more native graphic editor stuff for hours. It is very relaxing. SID songs usually is pushed out during a evening or two max. SID stuff I often manage to do very fast because I tend to use "my normal go-to type of instruments" and I make instruments very quick and then can focus on melodies and song structure much faster than in a DAW where I can search for the perfect snare sound among millions of samples for...hours. :)

So, that's me in nutshell.

Cheers Magnar

2021-10-26 19:33

Frantic

Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1627

Yeah, nights are special. Code the night away...

2021-10-27 06:53

Oswald

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5022

"How much time would you spend coding in a week? Do you spend big chunks of time or just an hour here and there?"

I have active and inactive periods, when active I spend most of my free time on coding lets say daily about 3 hours atleast. If I dont have a bigger chunk of time I dont even start, I need to get into the flow and when I'm in it I hate to stop early I'm excited to see the results. Knowing I must finish at some defined time gets me out of the flow it puts up the pressure. I'm like Magnar, I need absolute peace and no pressure from anything.

"How effective would you be in a sitting? Like, how long does it take you to get into your code and what kind of results would you regularly get?"

if the idea is fleshed out I usually get an effect working in a few sittings. Depends on the complexity too ofc, for simple effects fex I already have coded it 2-3 sitting is enough. Complex things need many many sittings, fex an effect I'm yet learning how to code. Usually I sit down coding after planning out how the effect will work, speedcode kernel, memory usage, algorithm, etc. This planning phase doesnt need as much concentration than the coding itself, I do it at work in short free time periods, thinking while waiting for the tram, etc.

"Finally, how much time would you spend 'experimenting' - say fooling around with an effect you are thinking doing one day of vs production of finished demos/intro etc in a given week/month etc?"

A LOT. I try out dozens of palettes, movements, etc. But before that I always go for maximiting the code performance and to find ways to do things with the effect that wasnt the goal originally. Often happens, that an fx deemed not good enough gets a new life this way.

2021-10-27 10:06

Trap

Registered: Jul 2010
Posts: 222

When making Barry Boomer I was coding every evening after dinner for 6 weeks. I had a few days off, but generally it was 4-7 hours of coding for around 35 days in one strike.
Every day I'd sit down and decide on a feature to work on and almost every day I'd share the updates with Sarge and Jammer so they could follow progress.

As for the Bonzai demos and the big effects, sometimes a part can take months to complete. The tunnel in Bromance took about 4 months to complete. The Shaggy Stallions took almost a year back and forth. If I feel I get stuck with a problem, I put it aside for some time. I know that eventually I will come up with a solution or an alternative idea.

Generally speaking, I have periods with almost daily activity. I try not to leave complex code too long, otherwise it somehow turns into a foreign language and I have no idea what I was doing.

As for experimenting, I have a lot of unfinished code. I work intensely on it for a few evenings up to a point where I decide if it works or not. Then leave it until I have a vision of how exactly I want it to look, planning transitions and all. Then when we go into crunch time, which is around 1-2 month before release, I start finishing up all the bits and pieces.

2021-10-27 10:16

ZIG

Registered: Feb 2004
Posts: 37

How do you manage to find the time (and energy) after kids and work?

2021-10-27 10:20

chatGPZ

Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11126

Meth

2021-10-27 13:41

Danzig

Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 429

Quote: Meth

generalized answer from groepaz here! whatever fits best for you to intoxicate urself: crystal meth or methanol... ;-)

2021-10-27 15:11

Trap

Registered: Jul 2010
Posts: 222

Quote: How do you manage to find the time (and energy) after kids and work?

It comes in bursts, but adding to the story - I haven't done any code since Bromance and Barry Boomer was released. Complete burnout :D

2021-10-27 15:13

chatGPZ

Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11126

adding to Danzigs solution: LSD does NOT work. Trust me.

2021-10-27 16:38

Oswald

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5022

Quote: How do you manage to find the time (and energy) after kids and work?

I dont. my daughter is 9 and seems to be on her peak needing me, I have 2-3 hours for myself daily at the end of the days which I rather spend with brainless www and YT or a series than coding.

Previous - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 - Next

Refresh

Subscribe to this thread:

You need to be logged in to post in the forum.

Search the forum:
Search for in
All times are CET.

Search CSDb

Advanced

Users Online

krissz
Andy/AEG
psych
CA$H/TRiAD
Ymgve
megasoftargentina
jmin
Guests online: 137

Top Demos

1 Next Level  (9.8)
2 Mojo  (9.7)
3 Coma Light 13  (9.7)
4 Edge of Disgrace  (9.6)
5 Comaland 100%  (9.6)
6 No Bounds  (9.6)
7 Uncensored  (9.6)
8 Wonderland XIV  (9.6)
9 Memento Mori  (9.6)
10 Bromance  (9.5)

Top onefile Demos

1 It's More Fun to Com..  (9.7)
2 Party Elk 2  (9.7)
3 Cubic Dream  (9.6)
4 Copper Booze  (9.5)
5 TRSAC, Gabber & Pebe..  (9.5)
6 Rainbow Connection  (9.5)
7 Wafer Demo  (9.5)
8 Dawnfall V1.1  (9.5)
9 Quadrants  (9.5)
10 Daah, Those Acid Pil..  (9.5)

Top Groups

1 Nostalgia  (9.3)
2 Oxyron  (9.3)
3 Booze Design  (9.3)
4 Censor Design  (9.3)
5 Crest  (9.3)

Top Musicians

1 Vincenzo  (9.8)
2 Rob Hubbard  (9.7)
3 Stinsen  (9.7)
4 Jeroen Tel  (9.6)
5 Linus  (9.6)

Page generated in: 0.068 sec.