In this post I’m going to talk about linked lists, a seemingly trivial subject that many programmers — even good ones — seem to get terribly wrong! Then I’m going to share techniques (with source code) to make your game engine code simpler, faster, more memory efficient and more reliable. Wow! This post is part […]
Detect client disconnects using named pipes in C#
July 23, 2012 by 19 Comments
TL;DR: Solved – after several failed attempts I discovered how to detect client disconnects when using named pipes in C# — the article below includes relevant code snippets from my CSNamedPipes GitHub project. In my spare time — of which there’s not much since I have four kids — I’ve been helping someone solve a […]
Error handling using forever-loop
July 23, 2012 by 17 Comments
One of the biggest hassles in programming is handling error conditions. It’s also one of the most important parts to get right because improperly handled errors lead to security defects and general unhappiness of your users. Error-handling code sucks because it complicates the flow of the code that does real work. Consequently, most programming articles […]
Your new() is not my new()
November 10, 2011 by 7 Comments
One of the problems I’ve experienced using third-party DLLs is the way that they handle new and delete for C++ classes, which can lead to memory leaks or even memory corruption. This was a particular problem when developing the Guild Wars model and animation exporter for 3ds Max, since 3ds Max uses plugins extensively, many […]
Using transaction rate-limiting to improve service reliability
November 4, 2011 by 8 Comments
I develop and publish multiplayer games for a living, and have discovered some useful solutions for running reliable online services. The one I’m writing about today is how to implement reasonable usage limits so that services are less likely to be abused by hackers. Y’see, hackers find ways to manipulate games by simulating the behavior […]
