I asked ChatGPT AI what are the Top 20 Best Games Of All Time?

I asked OpenAI’s GPT3 about the top 20 games of all time on any platform:

What are the top 20 games of all time on any platform?

* I asked this on the 18th Dec 2022, it may have different results at a later date.

It replied with its top 20 list, including a comment clarifying its subjective.
(read on below to see what it picked).

Sure! Here is a list of the top 20 games of all time on various platforms:

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    These are just a few examples of some of the greatest games of all time, but there are many more that could be added to the list. What makes a game one of the greatest of all time is often subjective, and different players will have their own opinions on the matter.
  1. Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) – This classic platformer introduced the world to the iconic character of Mario and has become a cultural phenomenon.

2. Tetris (Various) – This simple puzzle game has been ported to nearly every platform and has sold hundreds of millions of copies.

Another solid pick by the AI. Its a highly addictive game to try to fit the right pieces in the right spaces.

3. Minecraft (Various) – This sandbox building game has taken the world by storm, with millions of players creating and exploring virtual worlds.

4. Grand Theft Auto V (Various) – This open-world action game has set records for sales and continues to be popular among players.

I can see why the AI might like this game, which im yet to play as i’m personally still stuck back in the masterpiece of GTA: Vice City.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo) – This action-adventure game is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time, with a memorable story and innovative gameplay.

6. Doom (Various) – This first-person shooter helped to define the genre and has inspired countless imitators.

7. Pac-Man (Arcade) – This classic arcade game is still enjoyed by players today and has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs.

8. Space Invaders (Arcade) – This classic shoot-em-up was one of the first successful video games and has influenced countless others.

9. Pong (Arcade) – This simple but addictive game was one of the first video games to achieve widespread popularity.

10. Half-Life (PC) – This first-person shooter has received critical acclaim for its immersive gameplay and innovative storytelling.

11. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation) – This role-playing game has a devoted fan base and is considered a classic in the genre.

12. Halo (Xbox) – This first-person shooter has become a major franchise and has influenced many other games in the genre.

wallup.net

13. Call of Duty (Various) – This first-person shooter series has become one of the most successful in the world and has inspired numerous imitators.

14. World of Warcraft (PC) – This massively multiplayer online role-playing game has millions of players and has influenced the development of other MMORPGs.

15. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Various) – This open-world role-playing game has received widespread critical acclaim and has won numerous awards.

16. Portal (PC) – This first-person puzzle-platformer has received critical acclaim for its innovative gameplay and memorable characters.

17. Bioshock (Various) – This first-person shooter is known for its immersive storytelling and innovative gameplay.

18. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Various) – This open-world action game is considered one of the best in the Grand Theft Auto series and has received widespread critical acclaim.

19. The Last of Us (Playstation) – This action-adventure game has received widespread critical acclaim for its immersive storytelling and compelling characters.

20. Mass Effect (Various) – This action role-playing game has a devoted fan base and is known for its immersive storytelling and character development.

wallup.net

In review, here are ChatGPT’s top 20 games:

Sure! Here is a list of the top 20 games of all time on various platforms:

  1. Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) – This classic platformer introduced the world to the iconic character of Mario and has become a cultural phenomenon.
  2. Tetris (Various) – This simple puzzle game has been ported to nearly every platform and has sold hundreds of millions of copies.
  3. Minecraft (Various) – This sandbox building game has taken the world by storm, with millions of players creating and exploring virtual worlds.
  4. Grand Theft Auto V (Various) – This open-world action game has set records for sales and continues to be popular among players.
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo) – This action-adventure game is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time, with a memorable story and innovative gameplay.
  6. Doom (Various) – This first-person shooter helped to define the genre and has inspired countless imitators.
  7. Pac-Man (Arcade) – This classic arcade game is still enjoyed by players today and has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs.
  8. Space Invaders (Arcade) – This classic shoot-em-up was one of the first successful video games and has influenced countless others.
  9. Pong (Arcade) – This simple but addictive game was one of the first video games to achieve widespread popularity.
  10. Half-Life (PC) – This first-person shooter has received critical acclaim for its immersive gameplay and innovative storytelling.
  11. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation) – This role-playing game has a devoted fan base and is considered a classic in the genre.
  12. Halo (Xbox) – This first-person shooter has become a major franchise and has influenced many other games in the genre.
  13. Call of Duty (Various) – This first-person shooter series has become one of the most successful in the world and has inspired numerous imitators.
  14. World of Warcraft (PC) – This massively multiplayer online role-playing game has millions of players and has influenced the development of other MMORPGs.
  15. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Various) – This open-world role-playing game has received widespread critical acclaim and has won numerous awards.
  16. Portal (PC) – This first-person puzzle-platformer has received critical acclaim for its innovative gameplay and memorable characters.
  17. Bioshock (Various) – This first-person shooter is known for its immersive storytelling and innovative gameplay.
  18. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Various) – This open-world action game is considered one of the best in the Grand Theft Auto series and has received widespread critical acclaim.
  19. The Last of Us (Playstation) – This action-adventure game has received widespread critical acclaim for its immersive storytelling and compelling characters.
  20. Mass Effect (Various) – This action role-playing game has a devoted fan base and is known for its immersive storytelling and character development.
https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

Quarternions & Gimbal Lock

Quaternions are a mathematical concept that are commonly used in computer graphics and game development to represent rotations in three-dimensional space. In this article, we will discuss how quaternions are used for position, translation, and rotation, and how game developers can avoid a phenomenon known as gimbal lock when using quaternions.

What are quaternions?

A quaternion is a mathematical object that consists of four components: a scalar (real) part and a three-dimensional vector (imaginary) part. Quaternions are similar to complex numbers, which consist of a real part and an imaginary part, but they have an additional three dimensions. Quaternions can be represented as follows:

q = w + xi + yj + zk

where w, x, y, and z are the scalar and vector components, and i, j, and k are the imaginary units. Quaternions can be used to represent rotations in three-dimensional space, as well as translations (movements) and positions.

Using quaternions for position and translation

In game development, quaternions are often used to represent the position and translation of objects in three-dimensional space. For example, the position of an object can be represented as a quaternion with the scalar component set to zero and the vector component representing the object’s coordinates in three-dimensional space. Translation can be represented as a quaternion with the scalar component set to one and the vector component representing the amount of movement in each dimension.

To move an object, game developers can simply add the quaternion representing the desired translation to the quaternion representing the object’s current position. This can be done using the following equation:

p’ = p + t

where p is the quaternion representing the object’s current position and t is the quaternion representing the desired translation.

Using quaternions for rotation

Quaternions are particularly useful for representing rotations because they can be used to represent any possible rotation in three-dimensional space. To represent a rotation, game developers can use a quaternion with the scalar component set to the cosine of the angle of rotation and the vector component set to the sine of the angle of rotation multiplied by the axis of rotation.

For example, to rotate an object by 90 degrees around the x-axis, a game developer could use the following quaternion:

q = cos(90) + sin(90)i

To apply a rotation to an object, game developers can multiply the quaternion representing the object’s current orientation by the quaternion representing the desired rotation. This can be done using the following equation:

o’ = o * r

where o is the quaternion representing the object’s current orientation and r is the quaternion representing the desired rotation.

Avoiding gimbal lock

One potential issue that game developers may encounter when using quaternions for rotation is gimbal lock. Gimbal lock occurs when two of the three axes of rotation align, causing the system to become singular and unable to represent the full range of rotations. This can cause unexpected behavior in the game, such as objects flipping or rotating in unexpected ways.

To avoid gimbal lock, game developers can use alternative methods for representing rotations, such as Euler angles or rotation matrices.

In computer graphics and game development, rotations are often represented using quaternions. While quaternions are very powerful and efficient, they can suffer from a phenomenon known as gimbal lock, which can cause unexpected behavior in games. To avoid gimbal lock, game developers can use alternative methods for representing rotations, such as Euler angles or rotation matrices.

What is gimbal lock?

Gimbal lock is a phenomenon that occurs when two of the three axes of rotation align, causing the system to become singular and unable to represent the full range of rotations. This can cause unexpected behavior in games, such as objects flipping or rotating in unexpected ways.

Gimbal lock is a common issue when using quaternions to represent rotations, as quaternions are based on a system of three perpendicular axes. When two of these axes align, the system becomes unable to represent the full range of rotations.

Using Euler angles to avoid gimbal lock

One alternative to quaternions for representing rotations is Euler angles. Euler angles are a system of three angles that represent rotations about the x, y, and z axes. Euler angles can be used to represent any possible rotation in three-dimensional space.

To avoid gimbal lock, game developers can use a system of Euler angles that avoids aligning two of the axes. One such system is the yaw-pitch-roll system, which represents rotations about the y, x, and z axes, respectively. This system avoids gimbal lock because the yaw and pitch angles are not dependent on each other, so there is no risk of the x and y axes aligning.

To apply a rotation using Euler angles, game developers can simply update the angles representing the desired rotations and apply the rotations to the object. For example, to rotate an object by 45 degrees around the y-axis, a game developer could update the yaw angle by 45 degrees and then apply the rotation to the object using the updated angles.

Using rotation matrices to avoid gimbal lock

Another alternative to quaternions for representing rotations is rotation matrices. A rotation matrix is a 3×3 matrix that represents a rotation in three-dimensional space. Rotation matrices can be used to represent any possible rotation and do not suffer from gimbal lock.

To apply a rotation using a rotation matrix, game developers can multiply the matrix representing the object’s current orientation by the matrix representing the desired rotation. This can be done using standard matrix multiplication techniques.

For example, to rotate an object by 90 degrees around the x-axis, a game developer could use the following rotation matrix:

[ 1, 0, 0, 0, cos(90), -sin(90), 0, sin(90), cos(90) ]

To apply the rotation to the object, the game developer would simply multiply the object’s current orientation matrix by the rotation matrix.

In conclusion, game developers can use Euler angles or rotation matrices to avoid gimbal lock when representing rotations in computer graphics and game development. Both of these methods have their own strengths and weaknesses, and game developers should choose the method that best fits their needs.

Strengths and weaknesses of using Euler angles

Euler angles are a system of three angles that represent rotations about the x, y, and z axes. They can be used to represent any possible rotation in three-dimensional space and are relatively easy to understand and implement.

One of the main strengths of using Euler angles is that they are intuitive and easy to understand. Game developers can easily visualize rotations as a series of angles about the three axes.

However, Euler angles have several weaknesses that make them less ideal for some applications. One of the main weaknesses is that they are prone to gimbal lock, which can cause unexpected behavior in games. To avoid gimbal lock, game developers must use a system of Euler angles that avoids aligning two of the axes, such as the yaw-pitch-roll system.

Another weakness of Euler angles is that they suffer from singularities, which are points where the angles become undefined. This can cause issues when interpolating between rotations or when using Euler angles for animation.

Singularities

A singularity is a point where the Euler angles become undefined or have multiple valid solutions. Singularities occur when the orientation of an object becomes degenerate, such as when the object is pointing straight up or down. At these points, the Euler angles become indeterminate, and there is no unique way to represent the orientation of the object using Euler angles.

There are several types of singularities that can occur when using Euler angles, including gimbal lock, which occurs when two of the axes align, and axis singularities, which occur when the object is pointing directly along one of the axes.

Singularities can cause issues when interpolating between rotations or when using Euler angles for animation. At singular points, the interpolation may become undefined or jump between multiple solutions, causing unexpected behavior in the game.

To avoid singularities when using Euler angles, game developers can use a system of Euler angles that avoids aligning two of the axes, such as the yaw-pitch-roll system. Alternatively, game developers can use alternative methods for representing rotations, such as quaternions or rotation matrices, which do not suffer from singularities.

Strengths and weaknesses of using rotation matrices

Rotation matrices are 3×3 matrices that represent rotations in three-dimensional space. They can be used to represent any possible rotation and do not suffer from gimbal lock.

One of the main strengths of using rotation matrices is that they do not suffer from gimbal lock or singularities. This makes them ideal for interpolating between rotations and for use in animation.

However, rotation matrices have several weaknesses that make them less ideal for some applications. One of the main weaknesses is that they are less intuitive and more difficult to understand than Euler angles. Game developers may find it harder to visualize rotations as matrices rather than angles.

Another weakness of rotation matrices is that they are more complex to implement and require more computational resources than Euler angles. This can make them less efficient for some applications.

In conclusion, game developers can choose to use Euler angles or rotation matrices depending on their needs and the specific requirements of their application. Euler angles are easy to understand and implement, but are prone to gimbal lock and singularities. Rotation matrices do not suffer from these issues, but are more complex and less intuitive to work with.

Did Nintendo Developers Really Master Unreal?

Game playing aficionados and game developers alike recognise Shigeru Miyamoto as one of the most famous developers in game development. He was the mastermind behind the Nintendo titles Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda that helped launch Nintendo dominate right back in the 1980s.

Flash forward nearly 35 years and Nintendo continues to produce great games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild among many other new titles. Miyamoto is now seen as a game design master ninja, a great wise game developer sage who continues to influence the direction of new games even if he is not doing much of the coding.

“mastered state-of-the-art technologies such as unreal engine”

Miyamoto was quoted (back in 2017) to have said that Nintendo Developers have “mastered state-of-the-art technologies such as unreal engine”, but however Nintendo was originally renowned for producing their own game engines from scratch, usually in low level programming languages like C/C++.

The full quote (originally reported by Polygon) was very revealing of Nintendo and Miyamotos ninja like strategy.

“Regarding our software development environment, third-party developers who are making software for PC can now easily adapt that software to work on our platform”…
“…In the current development environment, I’d say that it would take less than a year for them to port a PC game to Nintendo Switch. That ease of software development has also been felt by Nintendo’s internal developers. Also, even though game software developers in the U.S. and E.U. are often said to have superior skills to their Japanese counterparts when it comes to software development techniques, Nintendo’s software developers have mastered state-of-the-art technologies such as Unreal engine, and their skills can now be compared with those of Western developers. Our developers are more excited than ever to create software.”

Shigeru Miyamoto, 2017, via Polygon

Managing Executive Shinya Takahashi supported Miyamoto, pointing out that Nvidia is working closely with Nintendo to ramp up the new unit’s performance compared to previous consoles. “I have to refrain from disclosing any technological details, but … we have been very flexible when making technological selections,” he said. “This time, in order to develop Nintendo Switch with high performance in spite of its low power consumption, I feel it was key that the two companies could work together as partners while also fully displaying our individual craftsmanship.”

Shinya Takahashi, Managing Executive of Nintendo, 2017.

Using a custom developed engine today can give game developers more customisability and flexibility, but initially they were used merely because there was no choice of the advanced third party game engines like Unity and Unreal that are around today. The change came when Nintendo wanted to open up their platform to more developers so that more PC developers could develop or port games to Nintendo’s Switch. To do this, Nintendo needed to open up their compatibility to these game engines like Unity and Unreal.

Its also known that top award winning physics engine Havok, that is used in many top games like Breath of the Wild are also now available to both the Unity and Unreal game engines. Havok is used elsewhere for all sorts of physics and robotics simulations.

In retrospect these decisions by Nintendo to open up and integrate or make compatible with the successes of other engines such as Unreal, Unity and Havok can only be seen as a success and another great strategic move by Nintendo.

So is Nintendo now using Unreal as their master platform for game development for such titles as Zelda: Breathe of the Wild and the eagerly awaited Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

Its not exactly known if this is the case or not. Unreal is known to take a percentage of profits, whilst Unity doesnt but can be more difficult for new developers to navigate. Assuming that Nintendo is using Unreal more now than custom engines, it might be the case that Nintendo (as a large company) doesnt need to worry about giving up a % of their profits to Unreal, if they get the added benefits that Unreal offers. For smaller developers Unity might still be more of a draw card as it doesnt ask developers to give up this commision, but then again for smaller indie developers Unity can be harder learning curve.

Notably several fan made remakes of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have appeared and garnered a large fan following on YouTube (which no doubt Nintendo are watching very closely). These remakes are also being remade in the Unreal Engine, and are very beautiful.

To game aficionados and casual players alike its not a big deal what platform the game was developed in, or what Nintendo developers will continue to use in the future, but game developers like to follow these trends, especially game developers interested in considering new partnerships or ports or expansions of their titles to other hardware platforms like Nintendo.