Camera axes: To invert or not to invert?

If you're the kind of person who likes to browse a game's menu and settings before playing (or if you're the kind of person having trouble with camera rotation in games), you probably know that many first person and third person games allow you to invert the x and/or the y axis of the joystick/mouse for camera movement. But why do we have that option, and why should game developers care about that? Let's see...

New Game+

New Game+ is the name (or one of the names) of the game feature that lets the player restart a game while retaining some of the stuff earned in a previously finished game save, like experience, skills, money, weapons...

The Unsung Secret of Great Games - and How Some Games Get It So Wrong

Interesting paper on how the rhythm of the game's mechanics makes it feel good or not.

The Unsung Secret of Great Games - And How Some Games Get It So Wrong

ZBR

Another term borrowed from Microsoft's project management philosophy, ZBR is where the end really begins.

It means Zero Bug Release, though it doesn't mean shipping a bug-free game...

Processing: the language

Another discovery today, Processing is an open source programming language designed to teach the basics of programming.

I haven't looked too deep into this, but it looks very interesting for beginners, as it's less abstract than algorithms. The tutorials all look pretty well organised and detailed. I'd recommend reading those to anyone who wants to learn programming for the first time.

http://processing.org/

UE Viewer

I've just been told about this very interesting tool which allows you to view the assets of nearly any game made with Unreal Technology.

It's useful to study mesh topology, and the way the companies make and organize their assets.

It seems it's also able to export meshes and textures, though I wouldn't encourage that since you're not allowed to re-use these assets anyway.

http://www.gildor.org/en/projects/umodel

Beta

Also coming from traditional software development, Beta usually has a less controversial definition than Alpha.

The short version is that a beta contains everything, including the bugs.

However, in games development, Beta has been taking another meaning since the last few years.