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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/ |
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Frantic
Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1648 |
Yeah, nights are special. Code the night away... |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5095 |
"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. |
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Trap
Registered: Jul 2010
Posts: 223 |
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. |
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ZIG
Registered: Feb 2004
Posts: 37 |
How do you manage to find the time (and energy) after kids and work? |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11390 |
Meth |
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Danzig
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 440 |
Quote: Meth
generalized answer from groepaz here! whatever fits best for you to intoxicate urself: crystal meth or methanol... ;-) |
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Trap
Registered: Jul 2010
Posts: 223 |
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 |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11390 |
adding to Danzigs solution: LSD does NOT work. Trust me. |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5095 |
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. |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11390 |
9 is a good age to start with 6502 :) |
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