Although hardware has got more and more powerful (see our picks of the best laptops for game development), optimisation is still a vital concern in game development. We've seen various cheap game design tricks used to get around costly or complicated situations, from reflections to water simulations.
Sometimes the classic hacks are still the most ingenious and impressive. An indie developer has shown how they're tackling the issue of helicopter rotors in their upcoming mecha tactical RPG game, and people are impressed by the simple efficiency of the optical illusion.
