Math for Game Programmers: Solving Nintendo's CodinGame Challenge

In this 2017 GDC talk, programmer Mike Acton explains how he solved a very difficult puzzle for CodinGame sponsored by Nintendo, and how other programmers can benefit form his process.
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[@helloofthebeach]

My dude left his mouse cursor in the middle of the screen for the whole hour

[@aza.ak1ra]

Hero of the Beach No doubt, he's a real teacher.

[@RegiRuler]

2:51 how does he assume those bit sizes?

[@g7parsh]

that's what the test cases say

[@dullyvampir83]

This is the kind of stuff I wish University taught me.

[@roman-vv5xz]

First half was cool, but once he just implemented polynomial division in F_2 I got bored...

[@roman-vv5xz]

And wtf I never thought I'd do the 15th comment on a 3 years old youtube video :-D

[@KnThSelf2ThSelfBTrue]

Oh come on, that was the best part! ... but maybe only if you're interested in knowing more about Mike Acton's problem-solving-process.

[@pipeliner8969]

I don't get this

[@revfry9018]

I think the tldr; is these aliens are pedantic jerks.

[@adama7752]

PewDiePie: only the most epic gamers will get this..

[@helloofthebeach]

He addresses this at 40:47

[@jonathanrussell9733]

So basically, in order to "figure this out", you need to not only simplify the encoding algorithm to get a general sense of how the output comes from the input, you also have to have prior knowledge of GF2 and a specific computer science textbook by Knuth lying around. That's just dumb gatekeeping at that point.

[@phant0mlink]

That's what need to work at Nintendo. XD

[@smallbluemachine]

I have long since come to terms with the fact that getting to work with Nintendo as a programmer is probably very stressful and this is their way of asking "have you read Knuth", without you simply saying "yes", like a weenie.

[@chriskandt150]

Erste

[@paxinum]

Why go through all the pain to do it in C, when he has Mathematica? I guess to learn... well, that's fine, I guess...

[@igormorgado]

speed.

[@b.b4229]

@@igormorgado is king

[@Murray2000]

Because the task at CodinGame needs to be solved in C++