NOMORECOCAINE

Tools

CODE

CLOJURE/LISP

I watched my friend learn Pascal when I was young, and then C and of course moving to C++. Which he still programs in a major game studio. I basically learned programming by osmosis, but I could not want less to do with it.

I tried learning Python, but couldn't care less. Then I started learning Lisp, specifically Common Lisp. But I didn't get too far, using SLIME and Emacs was a brutal and vicious way to have your first experience in programming, I can tell you that much. Probably qualifies as torture for minors.

Anyway, then one fine day a certain book about many shades of gray came out, and people started mocking the prose of it online. There was a generator online about it. It was supposedly funny. I found it annoyingly badly done. I said out loud "I could do better than this!"

So, then I did. First I did it in the Harlowe language (for Twine) but went insane with the fact that everything was GLOBAL in it. Then I figured I needed a better language, and looked for something Lispy, but not CL because I knew I couldn't do web-stuff with it to save my life.

Tadah. Clojure.

I consider Clojure as my first true programming language. Sure, I could manage something with some tutorials on other languages, as I had absorbed all the basics of programming from being a dumb-and-silent pair-programmer for a learner.

But I got really busy with Clojure, did bunch of small game projects. All HTML based, not actual "real time" games, though. I still think Rich Hickey has some really goddamn good ideas, even if he's maybe a bit too lenient about types, to be honest.

GDSCRIPT

Not my favorite language, but coming from Lisp/Clojure background, so dynamically typed white space aware language where indentation matters... is not bad. I mean, TECHNICALLY it didn't matter in Clojure or CL. But good fucking luck reading or writing that language without proper formatting.

But it works really well for the game engine glue that I need it to be.

RUST

While it is a sad C derivative and has really chunky syntax... I am interested in it, and slowly learning it. Why? Because it has opinions about how code should be structured and done. I really liked Clojure because it also had firm opinions about immutability and state. Rust is a bit like that.

It has very strong opinions about how you write your code and how you handle your variables. If it doesn't like it, it stops you and calls you very naughty boy and spanks you, while it tells you how you can be better.

Yes, I suppose that's not the best way to explain the language, but should do the job for certain segment of internet.

Anyway, I am learning it as I found out some six months ago (currently it's November 2026) that it is very easy (in my opinion) to make GDExtensions for Godot. You telling me, that I can house complicated game logic in GDExtension? I don't need to worry about GDScript's number crunching speed? And the language has strict opinions and isn't just "like, do whatever you like, I don't care."?

Sign me the fuck up.

GAME ENGINE

GODOT

I like the node-based approach, the tiny executable, and how easy it is to work with. I have no notes. I've tried other engines, bunch of smaller ones and the big two as well. First time I tried Unity was when it still had three languages and I preferred the pseudo-python, and even then Unity was sluggish and monolithic beast. I've tried it several times after, and I even tried Unreal 4. Talk about slow workflows.

Godot is speed incarnate compared to those engines.

I've used a bunch of addons, created several addons for my own pipeline and so forth. I like using Godot a lot, the whole system works for me. My only possible complaint is that GDScript could be faster. Granted, for most part, this is completely pointless speed -- but I come from the old-school game world, where every MB of RAM was precious, and Processors were counted in MHz and not GHz.

So I have instinctive need to be efficient about things.

SOUND & MUSIC

BITWIG

I mainly compose in Bitwig, because I am a generative-music nutso. Until recently, it was hard topping Bitwig on that end, without going to VCV Rack for fully modular stuff. There are options now, but they're all mostly unfinished. Also Ableton can go and f--

REAPER

I initially used Samplitude before Reaper, and when Reaper got individual sound/item FX into it at Reaper 3, I think, I switched over from the rental Samplitude. It's by far the best generalist "traditional" DAW price can buy. Not to say it doesn't have cool stuff. Like routing sound/midi anywhere from anything and from wherever.

FMOD

I like FMOD. The Godot support just sucks. FMOD is basically like a DAW anyway, so it's easy to use. So if at all possible, I might stick to it. But I might try some other middleware if I feel like I might benefit from learning the workflow.

HARDWARE SYNTHS & GEAR

I have several hardware synths. Osmose from Expressive E, Digitakt and Octatrack MKII from Elektron, Lyra-8 from SOMA Laboratory, bunch of eurorack modules, Yamaha RBX375 5-string bass, and a cheap self-built Strat. I also have a Yamaha YTS-280 tenor saxophone that hasn't seen much use lately. Hundreds of cables, bunch of microphones, recording equipment, tiny mixer, a big 16 track mixer, DJ mixer, etc. Yes, I was in a band for years.

SOFTWARE SYNTHS & FX

Now, honestly, I don't even know why I created this section. There's 100s of VST/CLAP plugins I use. But let's give a very brief rundown on what I like and use a lot.

  • Bazille is my favorite synth (from u-he.)
  • I adore Generate from Newfangled Audio as well. I use it a lot.
  • I really like physical modelling synths, or at least Mutable Instruments Rings.
  • Long time ago, my favorite synthesis was Additive, but it's a teensy bit harsh for what I do these days.
  • The older I get, the more I appreciate a good EQ/Compressor, or any other utility plugin.
  • I own every plugin from AudioThing.
  • I use Kiive Audio Tape Face on more or less every track master bus since its inception.
  • I prefer Master Plan 1.5 from Musik Hack for the final-final touches.
  • Sometimes Gullfoss from Soundtheory.
  • I own VCV Rack 2 Pro and sometimes use it.
  • I have all Arturia plugins, but I use them very selectively. Dist TUBE-CULTURE, for example is a mainstay.
  • I really like UVI plugins, but I don't use them unless I need a specific thing from them.
  • I use a lot of Cherry Audio plugins, but almost none that are reproductions of real synths. So Sines, Dreamsynth are my go-to for certain types of sound.
  • I love semi-modular synth plugins.
  • I love distortion and delay plugins. I have way too many. The odds are that any song will have up to 4 different delays or maybe even more (if it needs them).
  • I find sonible smart:EQ 4 very useful for quick and dirty bus balancing.
  • I use PSP VintageWarmer2 on a lot of things. I also sometimes use the PSP InfiniStrip (the old WIND version, I am not shelling out 200e for a new version, fuck you very much)

GRAPHICS

My first "digital art" was done in Deluxe Paint on DOS. Some version of it, no idea which. I also used the Animation version for some minor game projects. I had 3D Studio on DOS too, before it turned into 3ds Max, but I never did jack shit with it.

Then I got my hands on a pirated Photoshop 3. I think it was 3? All I know is that it crashed every 15 minutes, and it had exactly one level of undo. One. That's how I got into photo manipulation, and I did that in Photoshop for ages.

When Adobe dragged everyone into subscription hell, I jumped ship. I bounced around art programs for a while: Black Ink, ArtRage, Paintstorm Studio, Affinity Photo, etc. Not that I was doing much 2D art at that point anyway. I was mostly a 3D artist.

I don't like Affinity. It has some weird quirks, but also, I do not trust Canva giving software away for free, okay? That is not going to end well, just telling you right now.

HOWEVER! I have bought and paid versions of 1 and 2 of their whole suite, before Canva got their hands on it. So, I use those.

BLENDER

So, I caved in, and Blender is my main 3D program now. It's kind of a mixed bag.

Before that it was Cinema 4D, and I don't think there's any contest on this: Cinema 4D has the best interface and user-friendliness out of all 3D software. It's suffering from the bloat too, but compared to Blender and Maya, it wins.

In between, there were two or three years when I used Houdini. I stopped around the time the first versions of Karma, their new renderer, started showing up. It wasn't even running on the GPU yet back then. Mantra, the old CPU renderer, is still my favorite renderer as far as results go. Sometimes it just looked so goddamn good.

3DCOAT

I sculpt in 3DCoat, because ZBrush has the interface of a very ugly and uncooperative orc. ZBrush started out as a toy 2.5D painting program, and I used it back when it was at that stage. It shows. So I refuse to use it.

Not that 3DCoat's interface hasn't suffered massive levels of bloat too, mind you.

For a long stretch, my way forward was sculpting in 3DCoat, then Cinema 4D, render, and finishing touches in an old pre-subscription Photoshop.

REBELLE

These days I tend to paint in Rebelle. Although I have... uh, thoughts about its performance, and some basic features it's missing.

CLIP STUDIO PAINT

The Japanese anime "Photoshop". I can never remember the name of it. I have version 3 bought and paid for, but I'm not subscribing, because fuck that noise.

Clip Studio Paint is pretty quick, but it's also missing some basic things. So I do not have one program that does it all, and it's quite annoying.

This means I have to bounce between Clip Studio Paint, Rebelle, and Affinity to get it all done. Not ideal, but I can live with it.s

WORKFLOW

OBSIDIAN

The power of flat text files! A whole host of pretender "improved" versions of this have appeared, especially after vibe-coding became a thing. Despite being Electron-based monstrosity, it is still by far the best solution for writing stuff down and keeping it all accessible for future.

GITEA

I have an old (and outdated by now) locally hosted Gitea server. There's nothing fancy about it. It's just a basic-bitch Git server and that's it.

It runs on my laptop as a mobile Git server. I'm dreaming of possibly buying Steam Machine and running Git server on that instead. A true gamer, amirite?

BASECAMP

I use basecamp to have todos, notes, and occasional piece of documentation or article that I might want to share between the multitude of computers I have and develop on.

I warmly recommend basecamp, even if I think there's a bunch of stuff they could improve -- but it's hard to be too annoyed with something That Just Works(tm).

I have zero need for any of the collaborative features, but I'm sure someone finds them useful. I hear that Warframe uses Basecamp? Nice.