Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

Latest Episodes:

Indiedev During the Pandemic (with Glen Henry) Aug 20, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Mark and Stephen are joined by guest host Adia Alderson for a thoughtful conversation with Glen Henry, an indie developer out of Jamaica. Glen runs Spritewrench Studios and has released multiple creative titles like M@ge (pronounced "Mage") and Grimm and Tonic. The club talks about Glen’s current projects, as well as creative processes, maintaining community during COVID-19, and re-imagining the visual novel.

Also, Adia defines a game genre with food-like products, Mark brings up cozy bunkers, and everyone’s a crusty old developer.

Meta
GIG - Games Industry Gathering
University of West Indies GGJ site

Indiedev During the Pandemic

Game Design IRL

Check out Glen's games on Itch.io and Steam!

We talked about most of these titles during the episode:

Grimm and Tonic
Questlike
Hail
SHLD FLNG
M@ge
Shiny Gauntlet
Questlike Pocket (coming soon)

Find Glen's art on his ArtStation page (NSFW) and watch him speed paint on his YouTube channel.

Additional links and resources

Ren.js - "a new videogame engine for making Visual Novels that run directly in the web browser. Based on Ren'Py and powered by PhaserJS, it's easy to use and easy to extend."

Winter Wolves Games - Developer of visual novels, dating sims, and RPGs.

Narrascope Conference - Conference, Discord chat, game jam, and more.

Zach Gage's wise tweet about making small games - Twitter Grimm & Tonic Webcomic - Spritewrench The Kindaichi Case Files (Manga) - Wikipedia Kinetic Novel - TV Tropes Isekai - Wikipedia

"A way to farm notions." Prototyping; Design Pillars Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

This week, Mark hires quack calendar scientists, Ellen proposes a glossary, and everyone contradicts Stephen... including Stephen.

0:13:50

Prototyping

Mark cited a "Nice Games Jam" episode as a good example of a paper prototype for a digitial game:Blob Ball D.I.C.E. Summit 2002Mark CernyYouTubeBLARP! on SteamIsaac CohenAdobe XD0:49:22

Design Pillars

Two clear glass hourglasses, one with white sand, one with black sand. — **Mental Health (with Alanna Linayre)** Aug 06, 2020
Show notes

Your nice hosts are joined by nice guest Alanna Linayre, founder of the indie studio Team Toadhouse. Alanna (rhymes with "banana") guides the gaming world towards healthier work practices and personal habits. We asked her a lot of questions about best practices in mental health, and about Team Toadhouse's upcoming game *Call Me Cera*.
Also, Mark has a mission for artists, Ellen names a canary, and Stephen learns about "hustle culture."
Mental Health
IRL Production
Alanna’s guidelines on depicting mental illness in games:
Ask yourself why you’re putting mental health issues in your game.
Make sure to have correct definitions, and not promote stigmas.
Try not to use triggering content for the audience you’re serving.
Avoid harmful tropes.
Mental Illness: The Bio-Psycho-Social Spheres of Influence - Allan Schwartz, MentalHelp.Net I’m a “Spoonie.” Here’s What I Wish More People Knew About Chronic Illness - Kirsten Schultz, Healthline Stoicism - Wikiwand Radio calisthenics - Wikiwand Daylio mood tracker and micro-diary You can get an hourglass similar to Alanna's

"Empty the bucket." Burnout; Asynchronous and Asymmetric Gameplay Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

Your nice hosts are tired, then get energized. Stephen is thinking about it, Mark brought a few unlikely examples, and Ellen is also thinking about it.

Here's a fun new thing: We've recently started a Discord channel for listeners to discuss the show with each other. It's part of the Twin Cities Gamedev Discord server, but you don't need to be a Twin Cities gamedev to partisipate! Get directly to the Nice Games Club discussion channel via https://nicegames.club/discord

0:06:43

Burnout

Burn-out, an "occupational phenomenon"World Health OrganizationTeacher Burnout: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How You Can Prevent End-Of-Yea…WaterfordToxic management cost an award-winning game studio its best developersMegan FarokhmaneshThe Verge0:46:39

Asynchronous and Asymmetric Gameplay

Asynchronous Multiplay: Futures for Casual Multiplayer ExperienceIan BogostGeorgia Institute of TechnologyRelaxed Hardcore: Why Asynchronous is the Next Big Thing in Core GamingIan HardinghamGDCWhy an Asymmetric Board Game Pissed Off Me and My FriendsKyle RogacionGoomba StompAre Asymmetrical Multiplayer Games Becoming a Major Trend?Micah ShapiroGameRant

Community Development (with Christine Marten) Jul 24, 2020

Show notes

What does it mean to manage a community of players? How do you do it well? Is it just about social media, or is community engagement part of game creation? In this episode, community manager and MageQuit player Christine "Birb" Marten gives your nice hosts a primer on using data, dealing with trolls, and getting input from gamers. Also, Mark sends out an invite, Stephen doesn't like horror games, and Ellen gets the giggles.

Community Development

Game Design Marketing Production Games Industry Gathering ArcGIS PaxSouth: MageQuit (Review) - Christine Marten, Gaming Access Weekly Grandia HD Collection

Christine mentioned these tools:

Sprout Agora Pulse Buffer Hootsuite Mailchimp

...and these community managers:

Victoria Tran with KitFox Games

Harris Foster with Finji

Level Editors (with Charles McGregor) Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

It's another week of brotherly love/war as Stephen's bro Charles McGregor re-enters the clubhouse to talk about his experience designing and building the level editor for his game HyperDot. Charles also joins your nice hosts in a discussion about their favorite level editors, and Ellen reveals the origin of her game design journey!

In the middle of the show, Ellen mentioned a kind tweet from Pheonix Simms, who recently reviewed Widget Satchel.

Level Editors

Game Design Programming Tools UI / UX Hypersonic.Xtreme Custom editor (Track 4) - Rwaaaaar, YouTube Starcraft 2 Map Editor - Getting Started - scfoxcode, YouTube ModNation Racers - Wikipedia Mega Man Powered Up (1D): Creating a Stage [Construction] - Bean1227, YouTube

"I will not threaten you with a noogie." Serious Play Conference 2020; Working with Family Jul 10, 2020

Show notes

Guest host Charles McGregor starts the episode by getting REVENGE. The group talks a bit about the state of the growing "serious games" industry and what it's like to work alongside family members. Also, Stephen does a good transition, and... no one mentions Star Trek?!

In his intro speech, Charles references episode #37:"Ugly and hard to use."
The last days of Mixer - Mikhail Klimentov, The Washington Post
Twitch Reckons with Sexual Assault as it Begins Permanently Suspending Streamers - Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge
Twitch bans popular streamer Dr Disrespect - Michael McWhertor, Polygon
Twitch temporarily bans President Trump - Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge

0:16:00

Serious Play Conference 2020

Serious Play Conference Home Page Serious Play Conference Schedule New Metaari Forecast for Worldwide 2020-2025 Game-Based Learning Market Shows N…Serious Play WireStop & Think: Teaching Players About Media Manipulation in HeadlinerGDCYouTubeMDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research (PDF)Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert ZubekNorthwestern UniversityMDA Framework Wikipedia5 Reasons Why Game-Based Learning Should Matter to OrganizationsKarl KappAllen InteractionsGamification vs Games-Based Learning: What’s the Difference?Halden IngwersenCapterra Blog0:42:09

Working with Family

Mark mentioned the Nice Games Jam episode that started Reravel (#157):Reravel: A Backwards Storytelling Game Ellen and Eric took blacksmithing at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center

A draft of a player ship stat chart. Life Support, AI Systems, Signal Strength, and Ship Power are each shown with a bar that has — **Nice Games Jam: "Dark Star"** Jun 30, 2020
Show notes

No, your nice hosts aren't pitching an adaptation of the 1974 film of the same name, but returning guest host Sarah Seember Huisken counts it as an inspiration for the solo-play tabletop RPG we workshopped in this episode. Immerse yourself a galaxy of corporate factions, fluid allegiances, and space pirates!
Scum and Villainy
The 5 best solo board games - Rafael Cordero, PC Gamer
PromptWorkshop existing solo-play TTRPG concept.Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count1 -?Materials
Player dossier (player character/ship sheet, notes)
Dice (how many? which type? we didn't figure that out!)
Module booklet (includes blank pages for journaling/recordkeeping)
Setup
Sarah's draft ship systems sheet:
Rules
Each adventure module is an "assignment," which consists of a multi-page booklet.
**Page 1 - Summary:** Provides the “goal” for the player as defined by “quest-giver.”
**Page 2 - Assignment parameters:**
*Player reward* (and possible advance payment)
*Assignment type* (Cargo, Escort, Espionage, Assassination, etc.)
*Constraints* (time budget, stealth requirement, equipment restrictions, etc)
*Supplies* (mission-specific resources such as maps, documentation, etc)
*Risks and Opportunities:* These are facts about the assignment's setting and characters that will impact the player differently depending on their alignment, ship condition, and other stats.
**Pages 3+ - Story Acts**
Generally, each act should fit on one booklet page, providing all the narrative and mechanical information required to play though it. Acts may have alternate versions, each with its own page.
*Act I:* A introduction/setup to the story, giving the player hints they can use to make preparations for the assignment. The player can spend actions in this act to tune their ship / Equip thier character / recruit NPC pals/crew, etc. Story events may include NPC conversations, skill checks, or other light gameplay. This act may be wholly different depending on which "class" the player is aligned with.
*Act II*: A conflict or mechanical gameplay sequence, usually related to ship functions. Examples include ship battles, navigational challenges, serious malfunctions, etc.
The outcome of the sequence changes the narrative ending of this act, expanding or limiting the player's options. The outcome of this act will also frequently alter ship stats, player inventory, etc.
*Act IIIa, Act IIIb (c, d?):* The player character must make a choice in the narrative, which determines which scene will end the story. The outcome of Act II may inform or limit this choice. Each scene plays differently, one might be a daring escape, while the other might be a diplomatic resolution.
**Final Page - "To Be Continued In...":** A list of other modules/assignments for the player to choose from in order to continue their character's story. Options may be limited depending on the version of Act III selected, the player's stats, Act II outcomes, class alignment, or other factors.
Example Assignment: “The Asset”
**Summary:** Email from corporation: “Take this large crate from planet Kittytail to planet Puppydog in time for the big corporate gala. Don't be late, and don't look in the crate!"
**Parameters**
*Reward:* Standard rate, no advance!
*Assignment type:* Cargo
*Constraints*
Time limit: Must reach destination without taking too many actions.
NDA: can't run with other players or NPCs, can't stop for supplies.
*Supplies*
“Papers” needed to pass planetary customs.
Fuel stipend (whatever you don’t use, you can keep)
*Risks:* Planet Puppydog is not friendly to scruffy types. Certain player stats might cause issues/delays at customs.
*Opportunities:* Access to future assignments on planet Puppydog (only available to “good dogs”).
**Act I:** "Pick up the cargo"
Learn a bit, experience some glitches, spend/waste some time
Some random events, die roll checks
**Act II: "**Oh no, it's pirates!"
Battle type: targeted attack, pirates intend to board your ship, not destroy it
Pirates attack random(?) stat, over a certain number of turns (5?). Player can react with actions, depending on stats and prep actions. Actions spend the player's time budget.
Can attack, evade, etc.
Can call for help, but if your comm stat is low, your general distress call might violate your NDA.
On battle failure (some stat threshold): Pirates board your ship
Player can choose to hide, reveal, or protect cargo, costing actions.
If pirates discover the cargo, they open the box!
If they are fended off, player can get curious, and open the box!
The cargo: “It’s clearly important…” but you don’t have any idea. It’s some kind of mysterious artifact maybe?
**Act III-A:** "Deliver the cargo"
Did you arrive on time? No? Corp docks your pay
Gotta get though customs. Conversation/diplomacy mechanic. Audited for inspection? If you don’t have a lot of time, you can make risky moves to speed things along.
Once you get though, you deliver the cargo to secret folks in bio-suits. Oooo, mystery vibes that will pay off in a future module, no doubt!
Story ends at the gala! Enjoy a cocktail at the expense of the corp!
**Act III-B:** "Steal the cargo!"
Escape the system with the mysterious cargo! Stealth check!
Get caught? It's time for a second battle!
Make it out of the system? Story ends with a tease: what is this thing and what do I do with it?
Get caught by the corp? Go to corporate jail. Do not pass GO.
**Possible "To Be Continued" modules:**
Check out the Puppydog job board!
Investigate the artifact by following your mysterious client to a hidden lab on planet Puppydog.
Escape with the artifact and take it to this crackpot scientist you met once.
Corporate jail break!

"I’m ashamed, but also so proud." NDAs; Replayability Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

Storyboard artist Sarah Huisken joins the club this week to talk about NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and the factors that make games as deliciously "replayable" as Mass Effect 2. Also, Stephen sort of gets the final word, Mark does a transition (!), and Ellen is slow to get the joke.

0:19:20