Okay, i know its a silly question, considering how relatively easy AGS is to run (as are its games). but i've been thinking about getting a new computer specifically for AGS work, and i thought it could make for interesting conversation. what's everyone's developer set up look like?
right now im working on my home PC that's plugged into my tv. so i've been developing from the couch, with a wireless keyboard in my lap and a mouse on my little side table. but i'm thinking about getting a laptop that i'll use specifically for AGS dev. something lightweight and sturdy. i like to do my writing away from home (like in a mcdonalds or something), and it'd be convenient to sometimes do the same with AGS. but, i write on an old macbook air, so i need a windows machine for this. and no, im not interested in emulating windows on a mac.
anyway, not exactly looking for suggestions, so much as chat, but i'll hear anything you've got.
cheers!
I'm running a gaming PC from about 4-5 years ago, with an Intel i7-6700K and an Nvidia GTX 1080 and an odd 24 gigs of RAM. The PC was built for running games and the Oculus Rift VR headset, so it's way overpowered when it comes to doing pixel art and AGS games. I even got one of those fancy gaming chairs from a 50% off sale years ago, so I've got maximum gamer cred on my battlestation! (laugh)
I also have the PC hooked up to a Steam Link device via my home network, so I can also lounge on the couch and stream the picture and sound to the living room TV while I control things either with a wireless Xbox 360 controller or a wireless keyboard / mouse combo.
I'm actually waiting up on summer to see what new hardware comes out, as I'm looking to replace my current PC with a newer box. Sadly, it seems crypto miners are buying up all the fancy graphics cards, so availability is poor.
Quote from: WHAM on Wed 24/03/2021 11:01:26
I'm actually waiting up on summer to see what new hardware comes out, as I'm looking to replace my current PC with a newer box. Sadly, it seems crypto miners are buying up all the fancy graphics cards, so availability is poor.
Having recently found a new job in a computer store, I barely have anything to do, exactly because of the lack of graphics cards putting a halt to almost everything in building and distribution.
My own PC and laptop are getting super old and noisy, but it seems I have little hope in changing that anytime soon.
Quote from: Blondbraid on Wed 24/03/2021 11:11:37
Having recently found a new job in a computer store, I barely have anything to do, exactly because of the lack of graphics cards putting a halt to almost everything in building and distribution.
My own PC and laptop are getting super old and noisy, but it seems I have little hope in changing that anytime soon.
I'm aiming to build my new rig around the new GTX 3080 series graphics card, but there seems to be zero availability for those in Finland right now, so wait I shall. At this rate they'll release a new generation of graphics cards by the time this one becomes available to the general public.
Luckily my old rig is still in good enough health to play on if I accept lower graphical fidelity and framerate.
Besides, the cats love how warm the big black box is!
(https://i.imgur.com/rHHP1Wf.png)
Quote from: WHAM on Wed 24/03/2021 11:23:24
Besides, the cats love how warm the big black box is!
(https://i.imgur.com/rHHP1Wf.png)
Be glad it's not sitting on your keyboard!
Brienne (pictured) and her colleague Arya are rescue cats, so they're still too skittish and fearful to get on the keyboard while I'm using it, but I hope we'll get to that point soon. :)
Isn't that setup bad for ventilation?
The machine has enough legs to stand on to have space for cool air intake off the floor (though I do need to get some platform to lift it up off the floor now that I have cats. Too much cat hair, so I need to clean the filters on the intakes more often. The image doesn't show it well, but there is a solid 10~ cm of space behind the machine, into which the hot air is vented, and from there it has space to dissipate.
It is by no means an optimal setup, but it's worked for me so far. I'm planning on getting a tall shelf next to my desk, and moving the computer into a lower shelf on that to get it in a more airy and elevated position. Plus I can then add pillows on the shelves so the cats can perch up there and watch birds through the windows.
EDIT: I hope it's not too far off topic from the original "what kind of computer do you use", but how about expanding that out to "what kind of battlestation does your computer live in?"
(Excuse the mess, I've been streaming lately, so I've got extra controllers and stuff plugged in. The wires on the right side are supposed to be stuck to the wall, but the cats keep pulling them free.)
(https://i.imgur.com/VoIt2qJ.png)
And behind my back there is a cat tree, with two fuzzy observers keeping an eye on my every move.
(https://i.imgur.com/SxZup9M.jpg)
Nice setup! I'm not a tech guy: what hardware/software makes the dual monitors possible?
I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but tomorrow I'm picking up a used computer (1-2 years old) for around $180 USD. I'm just wondering if I can get a quick thought from someone on the longevity of this machine (it's for mostly light gaming: Minecraft, side-scrollers like Hollow Knight, Braid, etc.):
INTEL CORE i5 3.3GHZ/ 8GB RAM / 128GB SSD /500 GB HDD /DVD RW DRIVE / WIFI USB DONGLE / KEYBOARD AND MOUSE / 19 INCH WIDE SCREEN LED
AUTOCAD 2017 / WINDOWS 10 PRO / NODE 32 ANTIVIRUS / MS OFFICE 2019 / ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR 2017 / ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC 2015 / FOXIT PDF EDITOR BUSINESS EDITION
OP, to answer your question, I have an 8 year old Macbook Pro that was running fine until a year ago when I started some basic gaming on weekends with my son. (laugh) I also have a work issued Lenovo ThinkPad that I think will survive the apocalypse. Like most, I prefer Apple products for work related stuff (better portable experience, so hitting a coffee shop doesn't slow down productivity) and PC products for gaming.
Quote from: milkanannan on Thu 25/03/2021 03:43:47
Nice setup! I'm not a tech guy: what hardware/software makes the dual monitors possible?
Don't need any software, Windows can handle dual screen itself, but the graphics card installed on the machine needs to support it and have the ports for it. The specs you gave in your post don't mention a graphics card, so my guess is that it only has the graphics chip integrated into the motherboard and thus likely only supports a single monitor. That also makes it poorly suited for gaming in general, though I can't really say how those particular games will run on it. Modern 2D games are a bit weird in that they often run on 3D based engines and can require surprising amounts of processing power to run.
Cool thanks. Yeah I guess I’ll need to buy a graphics card to up my new rig.
Cool thanks for the info about the dual monitors. I’m going to look into doing that, too.
I have one monitor om HDMI, and the other on VGA port. Works fine for me. ;) But then again, I don't "game", so maybe it's not suited for a gamer setup. ???
Wham, it's not a mess at all, it's a pretty cool setup! Can't say from the rest of the room, because it doesn't show, but if you can occupy a bit more space in it, I would suggest getting a desk that the chair can actually enter under it, that and having something to hold legs below, gives a ton of extra comfort when using the computer - at least my legs hurting, tend to be the major factor recently for putting me off of the computer.
I never had a keyboard with those extenders on the wrist, how do you feel, does it feels better than using without them?
Quote from: eri0o on Fri 26/03/2021 02:24:49
Wham, it's not a mess at all, it's a pretty cool setup! Can't say from the rest of the room, because it doesn't show, but if you can occupy a bit more space in it, I would suggest getting a desk that the chair can actually enter under it, that and having something to hold legs below, gives a ton of extra comfort when using the computer - at least my legs hurting, tend to be the major factor recently for putting me off of the computer.
I never had a keyboard with those extenders on the wrist, how do you feel, does it feels better than using without them?
The arm rests are adjustable, so I can push them down and slide the chair under the desk, though due to how the room is built it doesn't matter much. The setup is in a secluded corner of my bedroom / office, out of the way. A foot rest does sound good, though. I tend to twist myself into weird positions, sometimes having my feet or knees up on the desk, and other times resting them on top of the PC itself.
The wrist rest on this keyboard isn't that great, but it's a lot better than letting my wrists rest against the hard corned of the desk itself. I used to have an old keyboard with a lot nicer, rounder shape that suited me better, but a friend of mine destroyed that keyboard by spilling his drink in it, and it was so old that I can't get one anywhere nowadays.
Thanks WHAM! The sliding of the chair looks like a great way to gain some room space when needed!
Man, is that a light strip as desk lamp? That looks awesome! I think I will borrow some ideas from your setup when I have more space to setup my stuff. :)
Quote from: eri0o on Fri 26/03/2021 11:54:44
Man, is that a light strip as desk lamp? That looks awesome! I think I will borrow some ideas from your setup when I have more space to setup my stuff. :)
It's a modular LED strip with adjustable brightness. I use it as a makeshift studio light when streaming on Twitch, and using the webcam. Helps to have stable lighting, and since it's all modular I can adjust and adapt it as I want.
I have a computer with intel core i5-2400 (old, but enough for me), geforce gtx 1050 ti, 16gb ram, 500gb ssd, windows 10 64bit