Coffee with Butterscotch: A Game Dev Comedy Podcast

In this episode, we discuss devlogs, content moderation, and neurodivergence. When players leave reviews and feedback for gamedevs, a lot of times they’ll come in guns blazing with inflammatory language because they’re frustrated and accustomed to being ignored. People sometimes forget that there are real humans on the other side of the screen. Plan ahead by setting guidelines for feedback and creating a way to pre-fillter those comments to protect everyone’s peace. A little humor goes a long way!00:30 Intro02:05 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)Things Mentioned:  Book: ADHD 2.0 by E. Hallowell & J. Ratey (https://bit.ly/3oZHugz) Book: Unmasking Autism by Devon Price (https://bit.ly/3LrYe7r) Questions answered (abbreviated): 02:32 Beekie Boppaboop: How often do you watch or read dev logs? 13:14 Bupanoilie Rolleepa: What content moderation lessons have you learned from working on Levelhead? 32:16 QuantumAnomaly:Do you have any good book suggestions that helped you understand your own flavor of neuro-spiciness? ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we talk about existential questions, ADHD, and finding your art style. Who knew that an art style wasn't just a magical thing living inside of you?! Turns out, it's the end result of your particular process for visual problem solving. So if you wanna develop your own style, you gotta refine and expand your process. While you’re working on that, before you know it, you’ll see your style come to life!00:15 Intro00:50 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)Questions answered (abbreviated): 01:48 JohnFlavin: What were Sam’s motivations for working with a Life Coach? 25:53 Teele: How have your methods for deep work and/or fast work changed post ADHD diagnosis? How does medication factor in? To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we discuss scalability, complaints, and skill acquisition. Learning a new skill is daunting enough even before you get to self-doubt. Focus on progress instead of the current state of things to avoid falling into the comparison trap. Then enjoy the satisfying rush of seeing how far you’ve come from the early days of mediocrity - you’re leveling up!00:29 Intro01:24 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)Questions answered (abbreviated): 02:22  Fraser_: Now that you're finally seeing the payout of a multi-year push to improve processes and tooling, do you have any plans to staff up? 23:22 challosis: How do y'all push through being bad at new skills? Or do you mostly do things you are good at? To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we spill the tea on designing for multiple platforms and devices! How do you create a flexible design that can accommodate a variety of different devices and inputs, especially when the parameters are always changing? It’s a complicated question, so grab a drink and get ready to slay those design challenges!00:24 Intro01:41 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)Questions answered (abbreviated):08:02  FGKeiji: How do you approach determining the size of each art asset?To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we discuss time mysteries, content consumption, and burnout. It’s easy to end up in a position where all you can see are the things that other people expect of you. If you stay in that space long enough, you can lose sight of yourself and burn out. How do you balance meeting your obligations and taking care of yourself?00:22 Intro00:51 Time & Calendars09:29 Diablo 4Questions answered (abbreviated): 24:53 Gibbs: Do you consume any content from other game developers about the creation of their games? 33:23 Teele: Have you ever dealt with burnout? To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we talk about artificial general intelligence, new programmers, and the pace of development. The rapid evolution of AI reflects our insatiable desire for progress and innovation but also highlights our limited capacity to fully comprehend the consequences of our own creations. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.00:30 Intro00:58 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)02:57 AGI12:31 Open AI Plugins37:03 Junior DevelopersTo stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we discuss the tiny human, AI updates, and work-life balance. In our current capitalist structure, there is a literal cost to living. As technology evolves to the point where it can make those costs obsolete, it's time to reevaluate the structure. Changing the rules changes the trajectory of the future.00:16 Intro00:32 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)00:40 +1 Human27:42 GPT-440:34 Art Community To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we talk about baby deets, bank run, and sequel names. When choosing the right title for a game, you need to consider the fuzziness of discovery algorithms. If incorporating humor into a game's name can make it more memorable, but if it's also harder to search for, is it worth the laughs?00:36 Intro01:20 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)01:40 Happy Update25.18 Bank RunQuestions answered (abbreviated):43:42 JohnFlavin: What's your opinion on jokey pun sequel names, and would you ever use one in a game? To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we discuss phased stories and the value of advertising. While a marketing campaign can boost visibility and increase wishlist numbers, how do those things translate into actual sales? The crux is that advertising is expensive to invest in and no one knows what the impact is.00:31 Intro00:50 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)02:38 Phased StoriesQuestions answered (abbreviated):18:30  Mimmabip Gourkee:  Are you doing spending uncomfortable amount of money for advertising for crashlands 2 or do you have a different strategy from Levelhead?To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we dive into motion, data conversion, and the power of AI. Motion is a big source of waste in DevOps. Converting information from one form to another and passing it between people creates the opportunity for mistakes to creep in. It's a messy situation. Could AI be the Marie Kondo of data?00:25 Intro00:49 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)04:15 Bing BetTo stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we discuss constraints, AI systems, and consciousness. Constraints are limits or boundaries that are imposed on AI systems or on our own creative endeavors. There is a two-fold problem of identifying constraints: if they need to be there, and how to overcome them. Can we be creative while working within constraints? Can we be creative without them? Let's find out!00:34 Intro01:50 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)03:15 AI watchTo stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we talk about piercing alarms, CPU brains, and AI wars. People typically process one thing at a time when playing a game. If you give them two things to focus on simultaneously, the second thing may not even register. However, having only one thing to do can become tedious or feel like a grind. The key is to find the right balance in pacing and onboarding for players.00:31 Intro02:01 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)02:13 Home Story12:59 Crashland 2 Playthrough36:34 AI WarsTo stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we discuss AI tools, infinite Seinfeld, and the consequences of volume. Economies and companies are built to handle infinite scale. The constant want for more has turned into the unending production of content. But what happens once there are tools that can generate output infinitely? If there’s infinite noise, how do you find something worth listening to?

This week, we talk about happy news, early access, and collaboration. Tools make it possible to design and implement stuff directly without any other input. This might save you time, but you lose the chance to collaborate. As always, it’s about where to leverage the tools you have. Threading that needle requires communication.

In this episode, we discuss cashews, Project Zomboid, and knowing your audience. When you find people following along with your work prior to a game’s release, you might be developing in a strange bubble where your interactions are with an audience interested in game design rather than the players who will ultimately buy the game. The trick is to know who is giving you the feedback before you take it.