Torque and your sanity
by Jean-Pierre Cuerrier · in General Discussion · 08/11/2006 (7:58 am) · 42 replies
Hello again,
This question is a little different then others posted on these forums. So here is the skinny.... When programming for a long time and I have difficulties wrapping my head around a certain problem, I usually get up and toss my stress ball into a garbage can(that is empty :o)) or bounce it off the wall for 15 minutes or so. It takes my mind off things like the rendering pipeline of Torque and building my own inventory system and such.
Just wondering what the rest of you do to get a fresh take on a hard problem.
Thanks,
RealTime
This question is a little different then others posted on these forums. So here is the skinny.... When programming for a long time and I have difficulties wrapping my head around a certain problem, I usually get up and toss my stress ball into a garbage can(that is empty :o)) or bounce it off the wall for 15 minutes or so. It takes my mind off things like the rendering pipeline of Torque and building my own inventory system and such.
Just wondering what the rest of you do to get a fresh take on a hard problem.
Thanks,
RealTime
About the author
Software Engineer for the Department of National Defence (Canada) during the day, I work part time on game projects and attempt to do so as professionally as possible by leveraging my experience. Blog: http://instantcarnage.tumblr.com/
#42
If I'm stumped in the middle of the day, I straight up program something else. It doesn't even have to be in the same project, I just have to keep coding until the "little dutch boy in my head lets the water flow."
If getting sleep or continuous coding doesn't solve my problem, I bounce the problem on another coder to see what they think. If all else fails, I turn to the one thing a good programmer should never use to unlock my killer coding instinct. . .alcohol. This is terrible, and programming drunk should never...EVER happen.
I don't know why, but the first 30 minutes to an hour of inebriation removes all other distractions and mental blocks I have. I've actually found that after that first hour, I'm useless at everything computer related except making WinAmp playlists...and for some reason, I play that list the next day and always wonder how Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" shows up in the between Slipknot and 36 Crazy Fist....hmmmm....
03/19/2007 (6:13 am)
Whenever I'm stumped on something, I usually check the time. If it's past 1 am, I just save, turn off the monitor, and go to bed. I'll set my alarm for 8 or 9am, and immediately get back to work. My progress is usually tripled the next morning.If I'm stumped in the middle of the day, I straight up program something else. It doesn't even have to be in the same project, I just have to keep coding until the "little dutch boy in my head lets the water flow."
If getting sleep or continuous coding doesn't solve my problem, I bounce the problem on another coder to see what they think. If all else fails, I turn to the one thing a good programmer should never use to unlock my killer coding instinct. . .alcohol. This is terrible, and programming drunk should never...EVER happen.
I don't know why, but the first 30 minutes to an hour of inebriation removes all other distractions and mental blocks I have. I've actually found that after that first hour, I'm useless at everything computer related except making WinAmp playlists...and for some reason, I play that list the next day and always wonder how Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" shows up in the between Slipknot and 36 Crazy Fist....hmmmm....
Torque Owner Stuart Campbell