So Notch (best known for designing and writing Minecraft) has released some information about the next game he plans to create. It’s to be a sandbox space exploration/ trading/ coding game called 0x10^c. I would normally pronounce this “hex sixteen c” except I’m not really sure what the c stands for.
I never thought the day would come when I’d be geeking out this badly for the chance to virtually program a 16-bit CPU inside a game. And you actually get to program it in its own assembler (*geek heaven*). I actually once had a job where they paid me to write production assembler, and I thought those skills would never be useful again! But now, clearly, it was all worthwhile! He’s even put in op codes for multiply and divide, the big wuss. (Real coders do it all with bit shifts.)
Read the design document for the virtual CPU in 0x10c and weep 
And then, in a modern world where kids don’t really get taught to program in schools, imagine the potential of a setting where being able to code a simulated CPU is presented as part of a PvP game.
And how would you pronounce the game’s name?
Welcome to Spinksville! 
I’ll probably shorten it to “Zero X”. Don’t worry. If I call it that it should guarantee it won’t catch on.
The first thing that runs through my mind when looking at that is “oink”.
Now I’m not sure that I’ll be able to ever call it anything else. 🙂
I read that and think “0 to warp speed”, considering both 0 and 10^c to be speed notation where c is the constant value for the speed of light… making 10^c some sort of superluminal speed.
…yeah, I’m *that* sort of nerd.
The C is 12. It’s hex too. The characters have been asleep for 16^12 years.
I was sitting trying to work out how 281 trillion years related to the speed of light when this was pointed out to me. Felt like an idiot.
I’d probably ignore the C and just call the game “Sixteen”. I caught the fact that the name is just shorthand for the number of years the error caused people to be asleep pretty quick. I like 16 since the game is based around having a 16bit CPU you control.
Very Narrow Room Measurements, or VinRims for short.
Assembler? In a game? Yay! I haven’t coded assembler since like 15 years ago. (And found out a few years ago that students in my old university are still recycling code of an exercise only a few years ago. Seems like not many still bother to actually code stuff to be allowed to take the exam… )
So, bring it on! This is the game where we old ones hold the absolute high ground! 😀
c is the constant for the speed of light. Remember E=MC^2?
As for the name it should just be called zero. After all 0 times any number is still zero.
Forgot to add that this would be a step up from one of my early jobs which was to write assember for the 8088 processor.
This game could be geek heaven… I stated on Z80a assembly… Any game when knowing how to code gives you an advantage kinda thrills me. Who woulda thunk my skills would do more than post the bills!
0x isn’t a multiplier. It’s standard C (as in coding language) prefix denoting a hexadecimal number, which is often used outside of C in many other languages.
So 0x10^C is basically 16 to the power of C, which is either the speed of light, or 12. I’m going to go with the speed of light, because it makes more sense given the setting.
I have to disagree. 0x is not a hex number by itself. It is used to represent a hexidecimal number such as 0xDF8A, meaning DF8A is to be interpreted as a hexidecimal number. And clearly 10^c is not a hex number as they never represent powers.
And they used the small case c instead of a large case which usually implies a constant.
And ‘x’ is used very often to represent multiplication. Hence my conslusion is 0 times 10 to the power of the speed of light which equals zero.
@Goodmongo
You misinterpreted my post I’m afraid. I know that 0x is not a hex number by itself. As per my original post, it is a *prefix* denoting a hexadecimal number.
However, I have further proof that it really is just 0x10 to the power of c (or 12 in Hex):
http://www.intuitor.com/hex/words.html
10^c = trillek = 1,0000,0000,0000 (Base 16) = 281,474,976,710,656 (Base 10)
“It’s now the year 281 474 976 712 644 AD”, which is 1988 (the Launch year) + a trillek in Base 10.
So yes, it’s actually just a number, 0x10^c. You can use exponents in Base 16, just like you can in Base 10, and if you’re going to have the base be in Base 16, you certainly better ensure your power is also Base 16. Mixing Bases in a single equation is highly confusing in mathematical notation.
So yeah, definitely not the Speed of Light, so I agree that it’s a number and not a constant.
Finally, Notch actually confirmed how to pronounce it: https://twitter.com/#!/notch/status/187274697799499777
“Ten to the c”
What it means has been explained up there. ❤
How I pronounced it at a glance was "Oh-Ex-10-See".
Oh, so it’s assembly programmer convention?
Me too! Done it for a few years 🙂
Assembler makes sense. Small instruction set is easy to remember, as well as easy to implement.
I do wonder how it will interface with other elements of game. Do you attach certain outputs/actions to values in memory? and how do you get data from “outside”? 🙂
“Oh, so it’s assembly programmer convention?”
Apparently so 🙂 I’m impressed!
I’d assumed the C was referring to the speed of light. Not much help on pronunciation thought! Will ponder it as I drink me beer on the train down to london for eastercon 🙂
“Two-Six-Eight”. I’m a human being not a computer, I think in decimal.
It’s “Zero Existence” most likely. If you don’t dive into its scientific meaning.
I pronounce it ‘That game Notch is making that’s like that game that was like Elite. Federation of Free Traders, I think. That might be it. Yes. If it has procedual generation, it’s going to be a lot like Federation of Free Traders’
I would pronounce it as ‘Oh…Existence…’
And then I read Skyve’s post. a pox on you! But no, it could be zero existence too, I suppose. I always read 0’s as ‘oh’. Which is probably why I was terrible at coding. Oh well…..i mean 0\\|//3L.
How timely. An Eve without the dickishness. At least potentially.
As someone who still has fond memories of coding in 6502 and 65C816 Assembly, I pronounce it with a rather embarrassing girly squee.
I would call it zero light speed becouse i think x10 is 0 and c is light speed
I’ll be pronouncing Notch’s new game 0x10^c…. “Steve.” It’s simple, concise, and gets straight to the point. When I play it, I’ll be “Steven it up” and if I’m pining for it, I can just say, “Man, I miss Steve.”
It is quite clear from the web site (http://0x10c.com/) what it means and quite humorous explanation also (if you are or have been an assembler geek, that is…)
The prospect of doing some in-game assembler coding sounds quite nice, would not mind that;)
Although would not mind either to perhaps build a Forth interpreter on top of it.
I think c= 1.348079356.
From Notch himself. 🙂
https://twitter.com/#!/notch/status/187274697799499777
bah. that link didn’t post because wordpress tried to “help me”
Here:
http://www.0x10cforum.com/forum/m/4932880/viewthread/2701772-pronunciation-0x10
I pronounce it “blue” as that’s what color hex 10c is. Try it in Photoshop.