I agree as well. Most of my fastest, "best" code is awful to look at because it has to be. It's full of crazy comments and hacks that were necessary for the hardware, language, and time usually. I think as processing power has increased, the low-level code is actually much less ugly. This is in no small part due to astronomical leaps in game design, engine design, and development time and other resources.
Still, in my experience any codebase that pushes a large amount of technical boundaries tends to be full of huge "WTF is this" moments that require explanation. It is an achievement if you can create a decently powerful codebase that can survive rapid changes and additions. It's much more common, but I've seen and worked on AAA codebases that would break if you blew on them.
Still, in my experience any codebase that pushes a large amount of technical boundaries tends to be full of huge "WTF is this" moments that require explanation. It is an achievement if you can create a decently powerful codebase that can survive rapid changes and additions. It's much more common, but I've seen and worked on AAA codebases that would break if you blew on them.