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Sandy Petersen 🪔

@SandyofCthulhu • 91,396 subscribers

Game Designer and Father of Lovecraftian gaming. CEO of Petersen Games. Also Doom, Age of Empires, etc. Subscribe for cool stuff 3x weekly! Sorry, no DMs.

Shorts

The house doesn't always win. Four anecdotes in which "I was there" when game companies got fleeced. Thrice by individuals, once by their own publisher. First, id Software and our non-network code. John Carmack told me that while our game worked great on a network, they had hired a guy to do the code over dial-up internet. He lived out-of-state (IIRC, California). I was told that he was a brilliant programmer, and that his current boss knew he was coding for id as a side gig. AND that when he finished his current project, he'd leave his company and come work for id Software. 1/8

The house doesn't always win. Four anecdotes in which "I was there" when game companies got fleeced. Thrice by individuals, once by their own publisher. First, id Software and our non-network code. John Carmack told me that while our game worked great on a network, they had hired a guy to do the code over dial-up internet. He lived out-of-state (IIRC, California). I was told that he was a brilliant programmer, and that his current boss knew he was coding for id as a side gig. AND that when he finished his current project, he'd leave his company and come work for id Software. 1/8

342,669 görüntüleme

It's important to know that the Thing which is sometimes called a "camel spider" is better called a solpugid or solifugid. It's not a spider at all. It has no venom glands, and kills prey by crunching them up with their massive jaws (the most powerful for their size of any animal). A really big one can nip you, and probably draw blood if you let it hang on long enough. But no venom of any sort. They just look super scary. I kept one as a pet for a while but it was a pretty terrible pet because all it wanted to do was escape the terrarium 24/7. Spiders, scorpions, and mantises are way more chill.

It's important to know that the Thing which is sometimes called a "camel spider" is better called a solpugid or solifugid. It's not a spider at all. It has no venom glands, and kills prey by crunching them up with their massive jaws (the most powerful for their size of any animal). A really big one can nip you, and probably draw blood if you let it hang on long enough. But no venom of any sort. They just look super scary. I kept one as a pet for a while but it was a pretty terrible pet because all it wanted to do was escape the terrarium 24/7. Spiders, scorpions, and mantises are way more chill.

357,162 görüntüleme

Do you like the "I resign" excuses from the AI in Age of Empires 2? You know, those ridiculous statements like, "All my starting villagers were male." Or "My player color was bad." Those things. I wrote those. Here's how & why. 1/4

Do you like the "I resign" excuses from the AI in Age of Empires 2? You know, those ridiculous statements like, "All my starting villagers were male." Or "My player color was bad." Those things. I wrote those. Here's how & why. 1/4

84,030 görüntüleme

Cheat units in games! The truth revealed! There are two main sources of cheats, historically. The first is programmer-driven, and appears when the devs need to quickly solve a level or get to some pertinent event quickly. The coders insert cheats to allow this. Doom’s infamous IDSPISPOPD let you clip through walls to get across a level fast. IDCLEV25 warps you to Episode 2, Level 5. These were all to speed the playtesting tasks for John Romero and me. 1/7

Cheat units in games! The truth revealed! There are two main sources of cheats, historically. The first is programmer-driven, and appears when the devs need to quickly solve a level or get to some pertinent event quickly. The coders insert cheats to allow this. Doom’s infamous IDSPISPOPD let you clip through walls to get across a level fast. IDCLEV25 warps you to Episode 2, Level 5. These were all to speed the playtesting tasks for John Romero and me. 1/7

39,306 görüntüleme

Cthulhu is NOT an aquatic entity. August Derleth infamously tried to categorize Cthulhu this way. And of course, Cthulhu does have feelers on his head. But he is not from the sea. He is imprisoned under the sea, and it's a prison partly because of the sea. In his million-year war against the Elder Things, both sides were amphibious. Cthulhu seized the land, and forced the Elder Things to retreat to the water against their will. The land was clearly the more desirable possession. (video by AI Playground) 1/2

Cthulhu is NOT an aquatic entity. August Derleth infamously tried to categorize Cthulhu this way. And of course, Cthulhu does have feelers on his head. But he is not from the sea. He is imprisoned under the sea, and it's a prison partly because of the sea. In his million-year war against the Elder Things, both sides were amphibious. Cthulhu seized the land, and forced the Elder Things to retreat to the water against their will. The land was clearly the more desirable possession. (video by AI Playground) 1/2

30,508 görüntüleme

How Horror shaped video games. PLUS how different types of games perform horror. As I've said before, in 1988, at my first digital game job, I pitched a first-person game in which you'd shoot zombie sprites. A first person shooter, before anyone knew what that was. It was rejected. Five years later I was at id Software and lo and behold they were already far along on what amounted to the EXACT SAME IDEA I'd had. But of course much more advanced. I was super-excited to be on that project, let me tell you. 1/8

How Horror shaped video games. PLUS how different types of games perform horror. As I've said before, in 1988, at my first digital game job, I pitched a first-person game in which you'd shoot zombie sprites. A first person shooter, before anyone knew what that was. It was rejected. Five years later I was at id Software and lo and behold they were already far along on what amounted to the EXACT SAME IDEA I'd had. But of course much more advanced. I was super-excited to be on that project, let me tell you. 1/8

20,405 görüntüleme

This was served today with bratwurst. Yellow Ketchup! I have too much Chicago ancestry to be allowed to have ketchup with any kind of hot dog. I wasn’t sure if bratwurst counted - didn’t dare, lest my forefathers rise up to denounce me. Anyway the host said the yellow ketchup was made from yellow tomatoes. I guess it’s probably better because they can’t just use any old tomato.

This was served today with bratwurst. Yellow Ketchup! I have too much Chicago ancestry to be allowed to have ketchup with any kind of hot dog. I wasn’t sure if bratwurst counted - didn’t dare, lest my forefathers rise up to denounce me. Anyway the host said the yellow ketchup was made from yellow tomatoes. I guess it’s probably better because they can’t just use any old tomato.

11,169 görüntüleme

Wendigos are more scary in every way than werewolves. Fight me.

Wendigos are more scary in every way than werewolves. Fight me.

24,381 görüntüleme

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I used to think that Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings was perfect. But WizardofCeles proved me dead wrong.

I used to think that Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings was perfect. But WizardofCeles proved me dead wrong.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

68,747 görüntüleme • 3 gün önce

How Quake ruined id Software. There has been a lot of praise of Quake of late, with its 30th anniversary, and it's deserved. Quake is an amazing feat of art, programming, and design. I worked on it, and everything came together almost perfectly from all of us. We ended up with a free-wheeling, frenetic action game with enough of a visible world to grip the imagination. All the team did a brilliant job, fulfilling tasks just right. But at a grim cost. We worked long and hard, and I think it broke us spiritually. 1/3

How Quake ruined id Software. There has been a lot of praise of Quake of late, with its 30th anniversary, and it's deserved. Quake is an amazing feat of art, programming, and design. I worked on it, and everything came together almost perfectly from all of us. We ended up with a free-wheeling, frenetic action game with enough of a visible world to grip the imagination. All the team did a brilliant job, fulfilling tasks just right. But at a grim cost. We worked long and hard, and I think it broke us spiritually. 1/3

Sandy Petersen 🪔

1,236,562 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

For those doubting, Thai commercials are the best in the world. Possibly the entire solar system.

For those doubting, Thai commercials are the best in the world. Possibly the entire solar system.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

1,984,231 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce

I took my 12yo grandson to see Godzilla Minus One in the theater. He was of course excited, but I was a little concerned because would it be too scary. The WHOLE MOVIE he was sitting forward in his seat, his hands gripping the armrests, staring unblinking, jaw agape. He was picking up on stuff I didn't get. But you need to know my grandson has an eidetic (photographic) memory. So I'm watching it, and there's a report that Godzilla is seen near Giza. Big deal I think, but my grandson gasps and says "Oh no!" Because HE had remembered that the girl got a job in Giza. But I had not. When it ended, I asked my grandson if it was too scary. He said, breathlessly, "No!" Then I asked him what was the best part, and he said, "Every part was the best part." I reluctantly had to say that despite my great love for the original 1954 movie, Godzilla Minus One beats it. Two other facts: 1) The IJN Takao was a real ship which survived the war. It even survived Leyte Gulf! 2) Godzilla Minus One cost less than $15 million. We could have made 25 of them for the cost of Avatar: The Way of Water. Or 15 for the cost of Wakanda Forever. Godzilla Minus One punked the American movie system so hard.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

408,429 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce

Poltava - the Swedish king Charles XII, filled with hubris, took on Peter the Great of Russia. At Poltava Charles was crushed. If the Swedes had better managed the campaign leading up to Poltava, they might have ended up controlling the Baltic, and what are now known as the Baltic states. While no one's ever going to claim Charles XII was a good guy, Sweden has been a generally benign force in world history, while Russia has been a force of repression and darkness of the time. A feebler Russia may have have been a good thing. 2/5

Poltava - the Swedish king Charles XII, filled with hubris, took on Peter the Great of Russia. At Poltava Charles was crushed. If the Swedes had better managed the campaign leading up to Poltava, they might have ended up controlling the Baltic, and what are now known as the Baltic states. While no one's ever going to claim Charles XII was a good guy, Sweden has been a generally benign force in world history, while Russia has been a force of repression and darkness of the time. A feebler Russia may have have been a good thing. 2/5

Sandy Petersen 🪔

185,294 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

Me playing Doom.

Me playing Doom.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

99,975 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

Under the Labor Theory of value, the game Concord should have been a great success, because of all the effort that went into making it. Looking at their characters, it's mind-boggling that they thought you'd play to be these awful cringe "heroes". I know Concord is old news now, but it is incredible. I was invariably on much smaller teams, but we apparently put a lot more effort into making our games look good to players. 1/2

Under the Labor Theory of value, the game Concord should have been a great success, because of all the effort that went into making it. Looking at their characters, it's mind-boggling that they thought you'd play to be these awful cringe "heroes". I know Concord is old news now, but it is incredible. I was invariably on much smaller teams, but we apparently put a lot more effort into making our games look good to players. 1/2

Sandy Petersen 🪔

206,577 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce

Ah yes. The "standard" British pronunciation.

Ah yes. The "standard" British pronunciation.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

274,700 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce

Just dropped another $1000 on Doom. Gymbmn9wwMKe4NnmVceyyfpncp9arbwPfSdBsyY9pump

Just dropped another $1000 on Doom. Gymbmn9wwMKe4NnmVceyyfpncp9arbwPfSdBsyY9pump

Sandy Petersen 🪔

75,148 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

In 1983, I applied for a game design job at Coleco. They were kind of distracted because they were working on the Adam computer and the release of the Cabbage Patch dolls. Anyway, they left me alone in the corporate lounge for three full hours. BUT in that lounge was a Dragon's Lair stand-up arcade machine. So I got to spend ALL THREE HOURS playing Dragon's Lair, and I can report that (1) I've beaten it fair and square and (2) I've seen every single way that Dirk the Daring can die. Anyway, it takes about 3 hours of play to perfect yourself if you're at my level of skill. What's an arcade game you remember fondly?

In 1983, I applied for a game design job at Coleco. They were kind of distracted because they were working on the Adam computer and the release of the Cabbage Patch dolls. Anyway, they left me alone in the corporate lounge for three full hours. BUT in that lounge was a Dragon's Lair stand-up arcade machine. So I got to spend ALL THREE HOURS playing Dragon's Lair, and I can report that (1) I've beaten it fair and square and (2) I've seen every single way that Dirk the Daring can die. Anyway, it takes about 3 hours of play to perfect yourself if you're at my level of skill. What's an arcade game you remember fondly?

Sandy Petersen 🪔

56,131 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

How MicroSoft murdered Ensemble. In a side note, Elon Musk himself dropped in on my Quake thread from a night ago. Sir - with respect, what are you doing commenting on my puny thread? Go take humanity to Mars! Anyway, Microsoft's purchase of Ensemble (as described yesterday) was great for us. Our worthless Ensemble stock became valuable MicroSoft stock. I paid off my house. And MicroSoft's ownership didn't change much because they were already our publisher and we already had spent time working with their idiot marketers. MicroSoft had learned lessons. When they bought FASA, they moved the company to Redmond, broken it up in different teams (different buildings even) and then FASA basically never did much again. When they bought Bungie, they moved them to Redmond, but kept them all in the same building working together. It took Bungie 6 months before they were able to produce. So when they bought us, they just left us in situe, in Dallas, figuring we'd become an awesome cash cow. Which we did. 1/6

How MicroSoft murdered Ensemble. In a side note, Elon Musk himself dropped in on my Quake thread from a night ago. Sir - with respect, what are you doing commenting on my puny thread? Go take humanity to Mars! Anyway, Microsoft's purchase of Ensemble (as described yesterday) was great for us. Our worthless Ensemble stock became valuable MicroSoft stock. I paid off my house. And MicroSoft's ownership didn't change much because they were already our publisher and we already had spent time working with their idiot marketers. MicroSoft had learned lessons. When they bought FASA, they moved the company to Redmond, broken it up in different teams (different buildings even) and then FASA basically never did much again. When they bought Bungie, they moved them to Redmond, but kept them all in the same building working together. It took Bungie 6 months before they were able to produce. So when they bought us, they just left us in situe, in Dallas, figuring we'd become an awesome cash cow. Which we did. 1/6

Sandy Petersen 🪔

112,340 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

So if my theorem is correct, and Quake gutted id Software, was it worth it? Well I'd say yes absolutely. Games are more important than game companies, and Quake is an iconic titan of the gaming world. Plus it's not like the people who left vanished off the face of the Earth. John Romero's still making games. I'm still making games, Mike Abrash as well, and so forth. We're all contributing to the hobby. Heck, I'm GLAD I was gone, because I got to work on the Age of Empire series which was amazeballs. But man alive it seems like the company could have had its act together better and kept that dream team. 3/3

So if my theorem is correct, and Quake gutted id Software, was it worth it? Well I'd say yes absolutely. Games are more important than game companies, and Quake is an iconic titan of the gaming world. Plus it's not like the people who left vanished off the face of the Earth. John Romero's still making games. I'm still making games, Mike Abrash as well, and so forth. We're all contributing to the hobby. Heck, I'm GLAD I was gone, because I got to work on the Age of Empire series which was amazeballs. But man alive it seems like the company could have had its act together better and kept that dream team. 3/3

Sandy Petersen 🪔

105,592 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

I'm thoroughly part of the community. We can build this together. I just bought on fomo. $DOOM Gymbmn9wwMKe4NnmVceyyfpncp9arbwPfSdBsyY9pump

I'm thoroughly part of the community. We can build this together. I just bought on fomo. $DOOM Gymbmn9wwMKe4NnmVceyyfpncp9arbwPfSdBsyY9pump

Sandy Petersen 🪔

59,879 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

I had to do much of the balance for Age of Empires 2 & 3, which were insanely complex. Most of the stuff was "under the hood" so you may not notice, but we were juggling hundreds of interlocking systems, any of which could break the game with a slight miscalculation. Sometimes balancing Age of Empires felt like working with incomprehensible cosmic horrors. 1/7

I had to do much of the balance for Age of Empires 2 & 3, which were insanely complex. Most of the stuff was "under the hood" so you may not notice, but we were juggling hundreds of interlocking systems, any of which could break the game with a slight miscalculation. Sometimes balancing Age of Empires felt like working with incomprehensible cosmic horrors. 1/7

Sandy Petersen 🪔

61,038 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

Hey guys play here with me and earn SOL: Shout out to Ansem 🐂🀄️ for following me. Now we’re mutuals!

Hey guys play here with me and earn SOL: Shout out to Ansem 🐂🀄️ for following me. Now we’re mutuals!

Sandy Petersen 🪔

41,416 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

I balanced all of the Age of Empires series except the first (which I then re-balanced after Rise of Rome). What I learned is that the Goths or Ottomans aren't your real enemies - that's the spreadsheet. Game balance is one of the black arts. If you make a unit too strong, everyone whines that it's broken, and it gets banned. If you make it too weak, nobody touches it and all your time was wasted. You’re forever chasing that sweet "goldilocks" spot. 1/7

I balanced all of the Age of Empires series except the first (which I then re-balanced after Rise of Rome). What I learned is that the Goths or Ottomans aren't your real enemies - that's the spreadsheet. Game balance is one of the black arts. If you make a unit too strong, everyone whines that it's broken, and it gets banned. If you make it too weak, nobody touches it and all your time was wasted. You’re forever chasing that sweet "goldilocks" spot. 1/7

Sandy Petersen 🪔

58,193 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

Spears are the best melee weapon ever invented, and we inherited them from earlier hominids (probably Homo erectus). With a spear, a human can take on a lion with a pretty good chance of success. The Masai tribe used to require its youth to kill a lion with a spear as a rite of manhood. Every kid. Spears in some version dominated every battlefield. Yes the Romans used gladius & shield, but they also carried spears (pila). Yes knights carried swords, but at Agincourt, the dismounted English knights used their lances as spears against the French chivalry. Even when firearms came out, spears were used. Up till near the end of the 17th century, pikes were used to protect musketeers from cavalry. The pikes were only discarded when bayonets were invented - allowing every musket to be its own spear. We still use bayonets today of course, but the vastly superior weapons of our age make it mostly superfluous. But the spear is the weapon that put us on top of the food chain, and that won almost every battle fought up till the 19th century. Lindybeige (the guy in the video) did the actual experiment. He had a bunch of guys who had never used spears before battle a bunch of guys who were somewhat familiar with swords. The spears win and win and win.

Spears are the best melee weapon ever invented, and we inherited them from earlier hominids (probably Homo erectus). With a spear, a human can take on a lion with a pretty good chance of success. The Masai tribe used to require its youth to kill a lion with a spear as a rite of manhood. Every kid. Spears in some version dominated every battlefield. Yes the Romans used gladius & shield, but they also carried spears (pila). Yes knights carried swords, but at Agincourt, the dismounted English knights used their lances as spears against the French chivalry. Even when firearms came out, spears were used. Up till near the end of the 17th century, pikes were used to protect musketeers from cavalry. The pikes were only discarded when bayonets were invented - allowing every musket to be its own spear. We still use bayonets today of course, but the vastly superior weapons of our age make it mostly superfluous. But the spear is the weapon that put us on top of the food chain, and that won almost every battle fought up till the 19th century. Lindybeige (the guy in the video) did the actual experiment. He had a bunch of guys who had never used spears before battle a bunch of guys who were somewhat familiar with swords. The spears win and win and win.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

122,395 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce

This is my favorite anti-tank rifle. It's from World War I. I know it's not the best, but it's cool because it looks like a real rifle, instead of a technological nightmare (like the Finnish and Japanese weapons). It only has a pistol grip because it's impossible to wrap your hand around the giant stock.

This is my favorite anti-tank rifle. It's from World War I. I know it's not the best, but it's cool because it looks like a real rifle, instead of a technological nightmare (like the Finnish and Japanese weapons). It only has a pistol grip because it's impossible to wrap your hand around the giant stock.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

131,636 görüntüleme • 7 ay önce

How Ensemble Studios got bought by MicroSoft. Ensemble Studios was amazingly successful. We produced only one game that sold less than 2 million copies, and THAT one sold a million so was no failure. Even the expansions (which I led) sold a million copies or more. In 2000, MicroSoft needed to sign a new contract with us for our upcoming games. The contract sucked. It was literally equal to or worse than the contracts offered to their other partners. We balked. The problem was that MicroSoft is so huge, that it is divided into different satrapies that don't answer to each other. The contract-signing division get rewarded, basically, for handing out sucky contracts that benefit only MicroSoft. But the game publishing division was rewarded for selling great games, and Ensemble Studios was a rock star. 1/5

How Ensemble Studios got bought by MicroSoft. Ensemble Studios was amazingly successful. We produced only one game that sold less than 2 million copies, and THAT one sold a million so was no failure. Even the expansions (which I led) sold a million copies or more. In 2000, MicroSoft needed to sign a new contract with us for our upcoming games. The contract sucked. It was literally equal to or worse than the contracts offered to their other partners. We balked. The problem was that MicroSoft is so huge, that it is divided into different satrapies that don't answer to each other. The contract-signing division get rewarded, basically, for handing out sucky contracts that benefit only MicroSoft. But the game publishing division was rewarded for selling great games, and Ensemble Studios was a rock star. 1/5

Sandy Petersen 🪔

45,155 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

All traditional Chinese medicine is trolling rich people. "I bet if I put a snake in this bottle of wine I can sell it to a wealthy idiot for big bucks." "My client's wiener doesn't work. I'll tell him that if he eats a tiger's wiener it'll heal up." "Gonna feed this guy aristolochic acid, because it will destroy his kidneys and then I can marry his widow." Traditional Chinese medicine is the most-disproved folk medicine in the world. I would rather go to a Hindu Vaidya or a Navajo medicine man than a Chinese doctor. They'll be far cheaper, won't use endangered species, and while their elixirs might not fix me, won't kill me.

All traditional Chinese medicine is trolling rich people. "I bet if I put a snake in this bottle of wine I can sell it to a wealthy idiot for big bucks." "My client's wiener doesn't work. I'll tell him that if he eats a tiger's wiener it'll heal up." "Gonna feed this guy aristolochic acid, because it will destroy his kidneys and then I can marry his widow." Traditional Chinese medicine is the most-disproved folk medicine in the world. I would rather go to a Hindu Vaidya or a Navajo medicine man than a Chinese doctor. They'll be far cheaper, won't use endangered species, and while their elixirs might not fix me, won't kill me.

Sandy Petersen 🪔

38,411 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce