Robert Zubek
@rzubek.bsky.social
Making games for longer than seems advisable.
AI lead at Take-Two; earlier at SomaSim, Zynga, EA etc.
Doctor of AI, under the hippocratic oath bound to help all game AIs.
Author: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262043915/
Hello from Chicago!
AI lead at Take-Two; earlier at SomaSim, Zynga, EA etc.
Doctor of AI, under the hippocratic oath bound to help all game AIs.
Author: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262043915/
Hello from Chicago!
Just FYI @mitpress.bsky.social this is still happening, but now it's not intermittent anymore. Tested across multiple browsers. Could it be a Cloudflare misconfiguration?
May 21, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Just FYI @mitpress.bsky.social this is still happening, but now it's not intermittent anymore. Tested across multiple browsers. Could it be a Cloudflare misconfiguration?
Just wanted to share some awesome news - @mitpress.bsky.social published a Turkish edition of Elements of Game Design!
May 4, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Just wanted to share some awesome news - @mitpress.bsky.social published a Turkish edition of Elements of Game Design!
I was really hoping that the Battersea wonder building might include an enormous inflatable pig.
With great sadness I must report, dear reader, that it does not.
With great sadness I must report, dear reader, that it does not.
March 10, 2025 at 2:38 AM
I was really hoping that the Battersea wonder building might include an enormous inflatable pig.
With great sadness I must report, dear reader, that it does not.
With great sadness I must report, dear reader, that it does not.
By the way, I'm really digging the writing style of these crisis events. There's a real sense of foreboding, of unstoppable forces being put in motion - and then there's the way that the narrator's gaze suddenly turns to the reader in the last sentence. Amazing stuff. cc @catacalypto.bsky.social
February 13, 2025 at 6:03 AM
By the way, I'm really digging the writing style of these crisis events. There's a real sense of foreboding, of unstoppable forces being put in motion - and then there's the way that the narrator's gaze suddenly turns to the reader in the last sentence. Amazing stuff. cc @catacalypto.bsky.social
Somebody had a lot of fun with these :)
February 13, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Somebody had a lot of fun with these :)
Me, earlier: haha wouldn't it be funny if all these appliances picked up each other's voices and started having a group chat? I wonder how long it would take to prototype this...
Me, a few hours later: oh no, oh no no no no no
Me, a few hours later: oh no, oh no no no no no
January 5, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Me, earlier: haha wouldn't it be funny if all these appliances picked up each other's voices and started having a group chat? I wonder how long it would take to prototype this...
Me, a few hours later: oh no, oh no no no no no
Me, a few hours later: oh no, oh no no no no no
This is, of course, a bad summary from the NYT.
From the article: "our sensory systems gather data at ∼1 billion bits/s".
But it all gets distilled down, and our attention, deliberation, and behavior control mechanisms operate in a slower and more serial fashion:
From the article: "our sensory systems gather data at ∼1 billion bits/s".
But it all gets distilled down, and our attention, deliberation, and behavior control mechanisms operate in a slower and more serial fashion:
December 27, 2024 at 8:03 AM
This is, of course, a bad summary from the NYT.
From the article: "our sensory systems gather data at ∼1 billion bits/s".
But it all gets distilled down, and our attention, deliberation, and behavior control mechanisms operate in a slower and more serial fashion:
From the article: "our sensory systems gather data at ∼1 billion bits/s".
But it all gets distilled down, and our attention, deliberation, and behavior control mechanisms operate in a slower and more serial fashion:
What can I say? When I'm doing a long coding or writing session, Akhnaten is one heck of an excellent companion.
December 6, 2024 at 3:54 AM
What can I say? When I'm doing a long coding or writing session, Akhnaten is one heck of an excellent companion.
Heh, I forgot I had this.
A lot has changed since when that was written! :)
A lot has changed since when that was written! :)
November 2, 2024 at 12:30 AM
Heh, I forgot I had this.
A lot has changed since when that was written! :)
A lot has changed since when that was written! :)
"Certified elder" :D
September 17, 2024 at 1:13 AM
"Certified elder" :D
It's been an intense evening!
July 16, 2024 at 3:42 AM
It's been an intense evening!
Hi all - @mitpress.bsky.social just published a free extra chapter of my book, Elements of Game Design!
You can download it here:
mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/conten...
And to find out more about the book, here's a preview:
mitpress.ublish.com/book/element...
#gamedev #gamedesign #games
You can download it here:
mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/conten...
And to find out more about the book, here's a preview:
mitpress.ublish.com/book/element...
#gamedev #gamedesign #games
March 7, 2024 at 8:14 PM
Hi all - @mitpress.bsky.social just published a free extra chapter of my book, Elements of Game Design!
You can download it here:
mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/conten...
And to find out more about the book, here's a preview:
mitpress.ublish.com/book/element...
#gamedev #gamedesign #games
You can download it here:
mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/conten...
And to find out more about the book, here's a preview:
mitpress.ublish.com/book/element...
#gamedev #gamedesign #games
It took a bit of work, but now I have half of Europe.
And what are you looking at, "Holy Roman Empire"?
And what are you looking at, "Holy Roman Empire"?
January 22, 2024 at 5:36 AM
It took a bit of work, but now I have half of Europe.
And what are you looking at, "Holy Roman Empire"?
And what are you looking at, "Holy Roman Empire"?
Great photo of Lake Michigan, not yet frozen over, steaming into the arctic-cold winter air
(credit: Barry Butler Photography)
(credit: Barry Butler Photography)
January 15, 2024 at 1:44 AM
Great photo of Lake Michigan, not yet frozen over, steaming into the arctic-cold winter air
(credit: Barry Butler Photography)
(credit: Barry Butler Photography)
And that's why they call it Chiberia :)
(-4°F = -20°C)
(-4°F = -20°C)
January 14, 2024 at 8:22 PM
And that's why they call it Chiberia :)
(-4°F = -20°C)
(-4°F = -20°C)
Clearly what I *really* need is a city builder that's also an RPG. Or maybe an RPG that's also a city builder.
December 21, 2023 at 2:17 AM
Clearly what I *really* need is a city builder that's also an RPG. Or maybe an RPG that's also a city builder.
I should also add, one huge benefit is that, if you structure your classes just right, your config files can get pretty close to readable sentences.
Here's an example from City of Gangsters.
Note that there's no custom scripting language here. Just a SimFile config file.
Here's an example from City of Gangsters.
Note that there's no custom scripting language here. Just a SimFile config file.
October 22, 2023 at 12:58 AM
I should also add, one huge benefit is that, if you structure your classes just right, your config files can get pretty close to readable sentences.
Here's an example from City of Gangsters.
Note that there's no custom scripting language here. Just a SimFile config file.
Here's an example from City of Gangsters.
Note that there's no custom scripting language here. Just a SimFile config file.
We just released our C# library for loading and saving human-readable config files. We use this format in all of our games. Hope it's useful to someone!
github.com/rzubek/SimLang
#gamedev #programming #csharp
github.com/rzubek/SimLang
#gamedev #programming #csharp
October 21, 2023 at 11:24 PM
We just released our C# library for loading and saving human-readable config files. We use this format in all of our games. Hope it's useful to someone!
github.com/rzubek/SimLang
#gamedev #programming #csharp
github.com/rzubek/SimLang
#gamedev #programming #csharp
"especially effective as a low-cost strategy for gaining prestige in social systems in which prestige is rewarded by unknowledgeable or like-minded individuals, as such individuals may be less likely to detect and punish the use of bullsh*t"
/me looks around the tech world, sighs
/me looks around the tech world, sighs
October 17, 2023 at 6:46 AM
"especially effective as a low-cost strategy for gaining prestige in social systems in which prestige is rewarded by unknowledgeable or like-minded individuals, as such individuals may be less likely to detect and punish the use of bullsh*t"
/me looks around the tech world, sighs
/me looks around the tech world, sighs
Oh this paper is just amazing.
Feels very applicable to tech hype cycles, too.
Paper link: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Feels very applicable to tech hype cycles, too.
Paper link: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
October 17, 2023 at 6:36 AM
Oh this paper is just amazing.
Feels very applicable to tech hype cycles, too.
Paper link: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Feels very applicable to tech hype cycles, too.
Paper link: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Yeah those are way too broad - I wouldn't use generic verbs like that.
Here are ours from City of Gangsters for comparison:
Here are ours from City of Gangsters for comparison:
October 11, 2023 at 8:30 PM
Yeah those are way too broad - I wouldn't use generic verbs like that.
Here are ours from City of Gangsters for comparison:
Here are ours from City of Gangsters for comparison:
Just a little baroque church
October 11, 2023 at 8:19 PM
Just a little baroque church