It's all to do with something introduced in .Net 2.0 called "Nullable Value Types".  I like that the shorthand declaration is like a question... I'm a bool?  Well that means this bool really has three states, true, false and not set.  That kind of thing is useful when dealing with databases, which can have null columns in a table.  Or perhaps there is an option for the user which is either true, false, or whatever the default is.  You see this pattern (although not using Nullables) in the ThreeState checkbox - where the third state is "Indeterminate" and the checkbox is shaded and unchecked while in that state.

Below is a small snippet illustrating use of the ?? operator with an int? type.

using System;

namespace NullableNoddy

{

    class Program

    {

        static void Main(string[] args)

        {

            int? nullable = new int?();    //Declare.  new Nullable<int>(); is equivalent.

            Console.WriteLine("nullable is {0}", nullable);    //Not set, so nothing is output after is

            int test1 = nullable ?? 1;    //Nullable is null (HasValue is false), so 1 is used

            Console.WriteLine("test1 is {0}", test1);    // test1 is 1

            nullable = 2;    //Set value using normal int

            int test2 = nullable ?? 1;    //Nullable is set (HasValue is true), so current value used

            Console.WriteLine("test2 is {0}", test2);    // test2 is 2

        }

    }

}

If you are interested, the MSDN has a good launch point in to deeper documentation: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/1t3y8s4s(VS.80).aspx

Well this being the first game I've been on the team for professionally... even if I'm just helping out on the tools side... I get goose-bumps every time I hear someone talking about it in the media.

OXM Podcast 111

I'm trying to figure out how often I should blog too.  Once a week enough?  Twice a week?  I am thinking twice a week is probably enough content for a semi-professional blog - which I guess this is trying to be.

I have also decided the format of the blogs will try and stick to around the title and not veer too far off that.  The length of each blog entry I'll try and keep to something you can read in a couple of minutes or less.  Any more then that and I'm probably abusing your time, and well it could probably be broken up in to multiple parts anyway.

Every line of code that is entered in to the Mainline (release branch) either through integration of a branch to main... or a smaller change set directly on that branch, gets seen by at least one other coder.

In fact, many of the developers also monitor the diffs (differences between what was there and what is in there now) - and have them mailed to them, so the potential of someone seeing something wrong and alerting the submitter early to something wrong is increased.  Of course, having diffs mails to you also exposes you to parts of a large system you might not otherwise see.

The quality of these buddying sessions relies on three things:

1. The ability of the coder to communicate
2. The ability of the buddy to communicate
3. Size of the change set

The best buddies sessions come from when a coder is open to criticism from the buddy, the buddy being able to constructively critique the code without putting the coder on the defensive (and resist rewriting it in his own image!), and the change list is reasonably small so the buddy doesn't glaze over towards the end.

It is a good way of spreading knowledge, a great way of getting to know your team, and awesome for stopping some real howlers getting in to a build.

I guess this is somewhere between pair "extreme" programming and normal programming - and personally I really enjoy the balance it gives.  It makes you think really hard about what you are about to submit, because you know you are going to have to explain it.  Of course, some times your buddy might come up with something you don't necessarily agree with - and you have to talk it out... or even bring in another party to sort out the dispute.  But those times are way outweighed by the pleasant experience of knowing your code is much less likely to break something.

Often, during a buddy the coder will self-critique, or realize something while explaining it to the buddy.  Buddy goes away, coder fixes, buddy comes back and everyone feels better about that code.  Any rank of developer can buddy any other rank too.

So when something is checked in, it will have your name on it, and that of your buddy.  What is important though is that as far as my experience here thus far - it is not used as a big bat to splat a developer or two with if something goes wrong because of that change.  Obviously if it's broken, you fix it... but if the coder is away or unavailable, perhaps the buddy can fix it.  It is also not used as some kind of metric here... not as far as I can tell anyway... it is just about the quality of the code.

I tried to set up something similar at a different employer with some colleagues... however it got twisted.  Management took over and wanted complicated forms to be filled out and signed... basically there was an undertone of blame and shame over code quality... it was a little too beaurcratic for my tastes.  It made the developers feel watched, defensive and resentful... as some people were immune... some had absolute veto... etc.  Bring in an all powerful third party company that could veto anything in house and well... cue a massive dip in the development department morale.

So "buddying" can have a very positive effect on bugs introduced, spread knowledge and encourage discussion among a team.  When executed correctly, everyone is happy!

The Tutankhamen exhibition was awesome.  For whatever reason I just assumed it would have the casket and mummy of the boy king - but I think in the back of my mind I knew that stuff wasn't travelling around anymore.

Still the stuff they had on show was fascinating.  Unfortunately for my ever-suffering wife, I was mesmerised by the workmanship and ancient religious rites linked to the artifacts... so we did spend a great deal of time there.

There were classes of school children running around too, drawing pictures and pestering their teachers (and at some points adults just wanting to look at the things!) - I think some were really taking it all in.  Others were more interested in someone dropping a tissue, then playing some kind of impromptu soccer game with it until one of their teachers stopped them.

A couple of things stood out - one was the mini casket used for holding the Tutankhamen's liver... there were ancient spells carved out inside that little mini version of what one day I really must try and see.  For Amiga people who liked deluxe paint, you'll know the casket I want to see! :-)

The most expensive part of the trip was the travel... despite not living that far away from London.  Danni manage to find a four star hotel for 38GBP including tax... and it was a lovely room.  We ate out in Covent Garden, using some 2 for 1 vouchers that we got with the tickets, which mitigated that cost some what.

We got a few pictures of things around London - it was my first time to Canary Wharf - and it seemed kind of futuristic to me with it's heavy use of glass on shiny metal.  Also it was my first visit to what was the Millennium Dome... I wonder if the architects were going for a kind of Crown shape.  It was cool to think of that scene at the beginning of one of the bond films exploding around that place.

Installed the Vista Service Pack 1 on the laptop.  I did try and download the full install for all languages, because I keep the laptop en-uk where possible... even if it does have an American background (and keyboard!)

For some reason the install from MSDN wouldn't have any of it, and gave me an error code I didn't write down.  On reflection, probably should have just to have a record of it.  Anyway using Windows Update it installed just fine - and although I may be trying to *will* this... it does seem more responsive and faster.

I had a strange problem happen to me over Christmas, where my wife's profile on the laptop could see wireless networks but mine couldn't.  This was very frustrating, as I had to log in as her - and then switch to me with that network connect to the hotel still open.  Any network that was paired seemed to be fine.

First of all I broke out regmon, then got a message saying it was replaced by the excellent process monitor (download).  With that amazing tool at my disposal, I discovered a locked down registry was not my friend.  During opening up the blank "Control Panel\Manage Wireless Networks" Window, this was one of the lines in the log:

6653 17:32:26.8356089 Explorer.exe 4000 RegOpenKey HKCR\CLSID\{88D96A05-F192-11D4-A65F-0040963251E5}\Progid ACCESS DENIED Desired Access: Query Value

Looking up that value in regedit.exe - I found it was the COM Component for "XML DOM Document 6.0".

That sounded kind of important to me.  Possibly some way internally of collating results or displaying them?  I don't know, only guessing.

So right clicking on that {88D96A05-F192-11D4-A65F-0040963251E5} folder I found Danni's user there and not mine... and not the Administrators group either.  Ah ha! So I added myself with read privileges and restarted.  Next time I opened up that "Control Panel\Manage Wireless Networks" Window, I could actually see the wireless networks again in my own profile.

I could have also added the Users group with read only access and that probably would have done the trick too.

Did you know about what the Alt button on the keyboard does in Vista?  Apparently magical things sometimes.

Some programs... I'll use XNA Game Studio Connect as an example... like to have the network interface being used to connect to your Xbox 360 to be the first network interface.  I believe it's something to do with UDP broadcasting, and possibly getting back the reply over an interface you aren't expecting.

In Vista you can reorder the network cards by using the special advanced menu that pops up when you use the Alt key:

• You will need admin rights to the machine
• At the start menu type and execute: ncpa.cpl
• If you can't see a file menu with "Advanced" on it on the new window (Control Panel\Network Connections) then select the window and press ALT
• With any luck the advanced menu has appeared... select "advanced settings" from that
• A dialog pops up, the top list allows you to change the order of the adapters

(Posted on Lionhead the other day, figured I'd post it on my blog too)

Since the last time I’ve blogged, a certain senior developer whom I shall call “Sam” (he blogged a little while back) has had a webcam set up on his desk (Fable 2 Cam). 

Now and again it points towards my screens and off in to the distance you can see artists in the gloom, working away making Fable 2 look incredibly cool… surrounded by everything from Star Wars action figures to Pokemon and Scooby Doo.  Who wouldn’t want to work in a place where there’s an epic battle between ships of the Empire and Rebel Alliance hanging from the ceiling?

Very recently dev Sam has constructed a tower for that web-cam.  In true engineering tradition that of course involves cardboard and sticky tape.  I am sure it will not be long before version two of that tower comes along… perhaps it even deserves a little picture somewhere. :0)

If you are lucky and watching the webcams… now and again you might see a test level running on my dev-kit - but luck making anything out with the cam resolution! ;0)

Recently I have continued work on the editor bits of the LHTS (Lionhead Text System), plus some other parts to do with triggers for level exits.  Georg checked in gigabytes of final recorded speech to our repository… and on Monday Louise did a little demo to the team with that content in.  It is great hearing *actor to be announced* in Fable 2, especially sounding a little corrupt… I didn’t really think of him like that before ;0) Next up for me is adding extra bits to the stuff that allows the editor to update the game running on the 360 with data live.   Should be interesting!