Tech Feed - December 16, 2025
Articles and podcasts from the software engineering world.
Software Engineering Daily
Rivals of Aether with Dan Fornace
Here is a 300-word summary of the podcast episode "Rivals of Aether with Dan Fornace":
Opening Context: Dan Fornace is the game director and designer at Aether Studios, the developer of the indie platform fighting games Rivals of Aether and Rivals of Aether 2. He joins the show to discuss the process of creating and evolving a platform fighter.
Key Discussion Points and Insights:
-
Fornace's personal history with platform fighters like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl inspired him to create his own take on the genre. He wanted to capture the depth and competitiveness of Melee, but with more accessible controls.
-
In developing the Rivals games, Fornace and his team had to carefully balance the needs of casual and competitive players. They added features like Steam Workshop in the first game to expand the casual fanbase, while still maintaining a high skill ceiling.
-
The transition from 2D pixel art in Rivals 1 to 3D graphics in Rivals 2 presented technical challenges. The team had to build custom collision, physics, and networking systems to maintain the precise feel and responsiveness required for a competitive fighting game.
Notable Technologies and Concepts:
- Rollback netcode and custom networking solutions to enable high-level play online
- Intentional design of mechanics like wavedashing to be more accessible than in Smash
- Procedural level generation and content creation tools to empower the community
Practical Implications: Fornace discussed the team's approach to ongoing balance and character updates, aiming to keep all fighters viable at a high level of play. The studio's commitment to 4 new characters per year was highlighted as a way to maintain interest and momentum.
Overall, the podcast provides an in-depth look at the technical and design considerations that go into creating a successful platform fighter, as well as Fornace's journey from solo indie developer to leading a growing studio.
Dev Interrupted
Why engineering leadership matters more than ever | Manoj Mohan
The common narrative suggests AI will make engineering leadership obsolete, but history - and the Industrial Revolution - suggests the opposite is true. Engineering executive Manoj Mohan joins the show live from ELC to argue that as code generation costs drop, the demand for high-level judgment and ...
Tech Brew Ride Home
The Pivot To AI Datacenters
Tech continues to be a major geopolitical stumbling block, this time with the UK. Are we currently in the midst of the second mini-tech recession of the year? If Ford can pivot from EV’s to servicing datacenters, maybe you can too. And the civil war lining up in Hollywood, over AI. U.S.-U.K. Trade D...