I am not a fan of mythologizing people. Most of the listed achievements are just as much the result of the circumstance and should have an asterisk. For example - Einstein was the first to introduce the theory of relativity, but his works stands on the work of others, also if he had failed others would have almost certainly come to the same conclusion. Chris Sawyer at the start of making RollerCoaster Tycoon already had 12 years of game development experience, during a time when being a solo programmer was the norm. Eric Barone was lucky enough to have a girlfriend, who worked 2 jobs to support them both.
karmakurtisaani · 41m ago
I think you're trivializing their achievements, and they deserve to be applauded for their productivity if not for the exceptional outcomes (some of which would have probably been done by others sooner or later).
By the way, RCT was coded entirely in assembly. As if making a game worth of millions is not impressive enough.
nertirs1 · 5m ago
Are you trying to imply, that every physicist working in the academic field, who is not lucky enough to stumble on the correct theory is less productive than Einstein? I thought it was common knowledge, that at least 99% of all research is failing.
RCT was coded in assembly, because Chris Sawyer had 12 years of professional experience in assembly. It seems impressive from today's perspective, because today an average developer never really touches assembly outside the single university course. One could even argue, that a more productive programmer would have already switched to C by 1995.
My goal is not to trivialize their achievements. I think if people payed more attention to these stories, then they would have a more healthy outlook on the world. Also they would understand, that working hard in your basement is only a part of the recipe.
hock_ads_ad_hoc · 1h ago
The ending was a bit bizarre. I don’t think anyone should want to be a one man army in a corporate setting. You will never be rewarded commensurate to the work in that setting.
f1shy · 1h ago
It is just unwanted to be that in a medium to big company.
For a long time I thought the more productive you are, the better. And it is so, until a certain point.
It is inconvenient for a big company to have “that one man” that can do “everything”. Because then when he/she is unavailable, chaos ensues, in a hurry. It can be because of disease, death, or another job. Doesn’t matter. Is a liability. Big companies want “commodity” people, that cost less, and can be easily replaced. Say RAID for HR.
ahofmann · 2h ago
Impressive list, with a strange ending. I'm still blocked by Rebecca, because the project is setup in a way that multiple people are dependent from each other.
sandspar · 2h ago
Generally, one man armies are actually two person armies: the genius and their spouse. As a typical case, Einstein relied heavily on his wife. He needed vast amounts of time for uninterrupted thought. Guess who took care of everything else while he was in his study? Running a household is a part-time job for two people or a full-time job for one. If the genius needs to devote his or her full attention to their work, that leaves a full time job at home for someone else to do.
joshdavham · 2h ago
This was also the case with Eric Barone when he was creating Stardew Valley.
polotics · 2h ago
Very short article, just a list, one now always wonder how much content is slop.
sandspar · 2h ago
The lesson of our current era is trust nothing and no one, basically.
number6 · 2h ago
Sometimes it's not the article in itself but the discussion it creates, or the thoughts
ahofmann · 2h ago
This is the state of the Internet since at least 15 years.
joshdavham · 2h ago
Do you consider this article to be slop?
polotics · 31s ago
probability 10% slop would have diluted the same content to 3x the length
blamestross · 2h ago
Now if only i could afford to spend a few years working on something like this. Sadly there is a mortgage to pay and investment banks who want returns this quarter, not in 3 years.
By the way, RCT was coded entirely in assembly. As if making a game worth of millions is not impressive enough.
RCT was coded in assembly, because Chris Sawyer had 12 years of professional experience in assembly. It seems impressive from today's perspective, because today an average developer never really touches assembly outside the single university course. One could even argue, that a more productive programmer would have already switched to C by 1995.
My goal is not to trivialize their achievements. I think if people payed more attention to these stories, then they would have a more healthy outlook on the world. Also they would understand, that working hard in your basement is only a part of the recipe.
For a long time I thought the more productive you are, the better. And it is so, until a certain point.
It is inconvenient for a big company to have “that one man” that can do “everything”. Because then when he/she is unavailable, chaos ensues, in a hurry. It can be because of disease, death, or another job. Doesn’t matter. Is a liability. Big companies want “commodity” people, that cost less, and can be easily replaced. Say RAID for HR.