Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

It's story time this week in the clubhouse. Updates on projects from Martha, endless family game fights with Stephen, and Mark's shady past as a rhythm game DJ (he needed the money but there was no money). Meta "Unpacking" is planned for a late 2020 release. [0:04:49] Multi-generational Gaming "Yoshi’s Crafted World dev comments on the game’s difficulty" - @NE_Brian, Nintendo Everything The single-player version of Canfield Solitaire is, according to Wikipedia, a card game with "a very low probability of winning." [0:32:44] Noble Failures I, Robot (arcade game) "Preservationists Are Racing to Save Ouya's Games Before They Disappear" - Nicole Carpenter, Vice Games Here's a video of the RBN Megamix project for Rock Band Network that Mark worked on and "DJ'ed." If you have Rock Band 4, you can still download it here for Xbox One, although it's no longer free (sadly, Mark doesn't get royalties for it).

It's story time this week in the clubhouse. Featuring updates on projects from Martha, endless family game fights with Stephen, and Mark's shady past as a rhythm game DJ (he needed the money, but there was no money). "Unpacking" is planned for a late 2020 release. Multi-Generational Gaming 0:04:49 Martha Megarry Gaming IRL Yoshi’s Crafted World dev comments on the game’s difficulty - @NE_Brian, Nintendo Everything Single-player Canfield Solitaire has "a very low probability of winning" - Wikipedia Noble Failures 0:32:44 Mark LaCroix Hardware I, Robot (arcade game) - Wikipedia Preservationists Are Racing to Save Ouya's Games Before They Disappear - Nicole Carpenter, Vice Here's a video of the RBN Megamix project for Rock Band Network that Mark worked on and "DJ'ed." If you have Rock Band 4, you can still download it here for Xbox One, although it's no longer free (sadly, Mark doesn't get royalties for it).

"HONK!" It's time for another Nice Games Bulletin! We talk all about recent releases, game industry news and also Star Trek news cause we can't help it. Photo Credit House House. [0:05:51] Recent releases HONK! Untitled Goose Game is out! “Untitled Goose Game Review- The Joys Of Goosing Around” -Kimberley Wallace, Game Informer “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is the perfect Zelda for younger fans” -Russ Frushtick, Polygon “Should Your Boyfriend Play Legend of Zelda: Link’s Untitled Goose Game?” -Girlfriend Reviews (Video) “How Gears of War changed to become Xbox Game Pass’ biggest launch” -Owen S. Good, Polygon What The Golf? “Return of the Obra Dinn docks on consoles this month” -Owen S. Good, Polygon John Wick Hex Ring Fit Adventure Luigi’s Mansion 3 [0:29:24] Star Trek News StarTrek Star Trek: Picard NYCC Trailer -CBS All Access (Video) Star Trek: Discovery - Season 3 NYCC Teaser Trailer -CBS All Access (Video) Star Trek: Short Treks Q&A Trailer -CBS All Access (Video) [0:34:59] Video Game News Union news “Monument Valley developer Ustwo threatened with legal action over union busting” -Chris Kerr, Gamasutra Kickstarter Union (Twitter) “Troy Baker Says He Didn’t Voice Rhys In Borderlands 3 Because ‘They Wouldn’t Go Union’” -Cecilia D’Anastasio, Kotaku “Difficulty is about trust and communication, not ‘hard’ vs. ‘easy’” -Jennifer Scheurle, Polygon “Rocket League is Replacing Loot Boxes With ‘Blueprints’” -Luke Plunkett, Kotaku

"HONK!" It's time for another Nice Games Bulletin! We talk about recent releases, game industry news...and also Star Trek news because we can't help it. Bulletin topic (Recent releases) Timecode 0:05:51 Untitled Goose Game Review - The Joys Of Goosing Around - Kimberly Wallace, Game Informer The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is the perfect Zelda for younger fans - Russ Frushtick, Polygon Should Your Boyfriend Play Legend of Zelda: Link’s Untitled Goose Game? - Girlfriend Reviews, YouTube How Gears of War changed to become Xbox Game Pass’ biggest launch - Owen S. Good, Polygon What the Golf? Return of the Obra Dinn docks on consoles this month - Owen S. Good, Polygon John Wick Hex Ring Fit Adventure Luigi's Mansion 3 Bulletin topic (News) Star Trek News Timecode 0:29:24 Star Trek News Star Trek: Picard NYCC Trailer - CBS All Access, YouTube Star Trek: Discovery - Season 3 NYCC Teaser Trailer - CBS All Access, YouTube Star Trek: Short Treks Q&A Trailer - CBS All Access (Video) - CBS All Access, YouTube Bulletin topic (News) Video Game News Timecode 0:34:59 Video Game News Union News Monument Valley developer Ustwo threatened with legal action over union busting - Chris Kerr, Game Developer Kickstarter Union (Twitter) Troy Baker Says He Didn’t Voice Rhys In Borderlands 3 Because "They Wouldn’t Go… - Cecilia D’Anastasio, Kotaku Other News Difficulty is about trust and communication, not "hard" vs. "easy" - Jennifer Scheurle, Polygon Rocket League is Replacing Loot Boxes With "Blueprints" - Luke Plunkett, Kotaku

This week on the show, your nice hosts get caught up in all the game releases that gamedev Twitter was going on about in the last few weeks, then talk about how it all comes together, and revisit an old topic now that nearly three years has passed and so much has changed. Meta The latest game trailer to submit to the #StephenTest is "Reginald Does His Thang" by Gibrian Foltz. Available now on Steam and Itch! Stephen is working on a new game, the just announced Rhythm Rumble! "Apple Arcade: Game Developers Still Don’t Have Answers They Need" - Nate Swanner, Dice "Developers Cash In By Selling Their Switch Games For Pennies" - Stephen J. Bronner, Kotaku [0:20:11] Holistic Game Design [0:49:10] Work/Life Balance

Your nice hosts catch up on all the game releases that gamedev Twitter was going on about during the last few weeks. We then talk about how it all comes together, and revisit an old topic, now that nearly three years have passed and so much has changed. The latest game trailer to submit to the #StephenTest is "Reginald Does His Thang" by Gibrian Foltz. Available now on Steam and Itch! Stephen is working on a new game, the just announced Rhythm Rumble! Apple Arcade: Game Developers Still Don’t Have Answers They Need - Nate Swanner, Dice Developers Cash In By Selling Their Switch Games For Pennies - Stephen J. Bronner, Kotaku Holistic Game Design 0:20:11 Mark LaCroix Game Design Production Work/Life Balance 0:49:10 Stephen McGregor IRL

It's our 150th episode! To celebrate we finally have Martha's dad David R. Megarry on the show to talk about designing board games and specifically designing the fantasy adventure board game Dungeon! We get to hear the inspiration behind some of the now iconic game mechanics, unexpected lessons he learned along the way and why community is so important to a game designer. We even hear some stories Martha didn't know before! (Photo copyright David R. Megarry) Our Nice Guest: David R. Megarry David R. Megarry Facebook page David Megarry’s Dungeon YouTube channel Secrets of Blackmoor documentary Dungeon! It's sold many places including Powell’s bookstore in Portland, OR On the Board Game Geek page for Dungeon! you can see pictures of many different editions of the game- including different iterations of the board, cards and player pieces A historically accurate version of the game made a cameo on an episode of Stranger Things! Pentantastar

It's our 150th episode! To celebrate we finally have Martha's dad David R. Megarry on the show to talk about designing board games and specifically designing the fantasy adventure board game Dungeon! We get to hear the inspiration behind some of the now iconic game mechanics, unexpected lessons he learned along the way and why community is so important to a game designer. We even hear some stories Martha didn't know before! Board Game Design Game Design Tabletop Secrets of Blackmoor documentary Dungeon! It's sold many places including Powell’s bookstore in Portland, OR. On the Board Game Geek page for Dungeon! you can see pictures of many different editions of the game- including different iterations of the board, cards and player pieces. A historically accurate version of the game made a cameo on an episode of Stranger Things! [ADD PHOTO HERE] Pentantastar David R. Megarry Guest Dave created the game Dungeon! and was part of the creation of Dungeons and Dragons. External link Facebook Dungeon Youtube channel

This week's episode is sponsored by Codecks, the project management tool for game developers, by game developers! Sign up for free at http://codecks.io/nicegamesclub to let them know we sent you! It's another Nice Games Jam! This time, our boyfriend Dylan sent in a particularly interesting challenge, asking your nice hosts to design a game where the player's load-out impacts the game's controls. After an aborted attempt to make it into a game consisting of physical props, we came up with a very strange concept for a video game where you equip and battle a bunch of different controllers as if they were Pokémon or something! "Buttons and Triggers and Sticks, Oh My!" (Prototype) In this game, you control a "battlebot" vehicle that you configure using equipment and weapons that are auctioned off between players before the match. The twist is that your bot is a vehicle shaped like the actual controller you play the game with, and its capabilities are determined by the physical configuration of the input elements. Want a different bot, you gotta plug in a different controller! Controllers Each controller, from a knock-off Xbox 360 controller to a Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, has a list of "inventory slots" which line up with the physical controller's buttons and input elements. Items placed in these slots are "attached" to the in-game representation of the controller. Each controller also has general properties such as hull strength and overall weight, and controllers with special properties like rumble, motion controls, or expansion ports would have additional in-game potential. Additionally, wired controllers would have different properties than wireless controllers, etc. Equipment Each piece of equipment has the following characteristics: Type Movement Engines Ranged weapons Melee weapons Traps/environment Shields Bonus/special items Stats: depends on type. Engines would have speed/power stats and weapons would have damage stats, for example. Input compatibility: Which set of buttons, sticks, and/or triggers can this equipment be attached to? For example, the Z button on a Saturn controller is a face button, but it's a trigger on a Nintendo 64 controller. A machine gun might be placed on a trigger, or it could be placed on an analog stick and work as a turret! Maybe certain items can only be placed on controllers that have a "Select" button, etc. Auction Players configure their loudouts from stratch before every match, at the same time, using an auction system. Pieces of equipment comes up for auction one-by-one. First, players are given vague information about the next item up for bid, and may pre-bid for it, gambling that it will be something useful to them. If no player pre-bids for the item, it is fully revealed and players bid normally for it. Certain items will be incompatible for certain controllers, but a player may wish to bid on it anyway to deny it to another player (maybe they can then "melt down" the unwanted piece of equipment for some other resource). This process continues either until all players are out of resources, or all the items (some subset of the total items in the game) have been put up for auction. Resources could be limited, meaning that high-bidding contests would result in weaker players and more tactical, less chaotic matches (since all equipment would be expensive). Alternately, resources could be plentiful, providing players with lots of options, and any left over resources could be used to power and/or upgrade equipment, providing some motivation not to overspend for equipment. Gameplay

It's another Nice Games Jam! This time, our boyfriend Dylan sent in a particularly interesting challenge, asking your nice hosts to design a game where the player's load-out impacts the game's controls. After an aborted attempt to make it into a game consisting of physical props, we came up with a very strange concept for a video game where you equip and battle a bunch of different controllers as if they were Pokémon or something! Prompt Design a game where the player's load-out impacts the game's controls. Game type Paper prototype Player count 2-4 Materials A controller of your choosing Pieces to "slot" to your controller's buttons Setup "Buttons and Triggers and Sticks, Oh My!" (Prototype) In this game, you control a "battlebot" vehicle that you configure using equipment and weapons that are auctioned off between players before the match. The twist is that your bot is a vehicle shaped like the actual controller you play the game with, and its capabilities are determined by the physical configuration of the input elements. Want a different bot, you gotta plug in a different controller! Controllers Each controller, from a knock-off Xbox 360 controller to a Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, has a list of "inventory slots" which line up with the physical controller's buttons and input elements. Items placed in these slots are "attached" to the in-game representation of the controller. Each controller also has general properties such as hull strength and overall weight, and controllers with special properties like rumble, motion controls, or expansion ports would have additional in-game potential. Additionally, wired controllers would have different properties than wireless controllers, etc. Equipment Each piece of equipment has the following characteristics: Type Movement Engines Ranged weapons Melee weapons Traps/environment Shields Bonus/special items Stats: depends on type. Engines would have speed/power stats and weapons would have damage stats, for example. Input compatibility: Which set of buttons, sticks, and/or triggers can this equipment be attached to? For example, the Z button on a Saturn controller is a face button, but it's a trigger on a Nintendo 64 controller. A machine gun might be placed on a trigger, or it could be placed on an analog stick and work as a turret! Maybe certain items can only be placed on controllers that have a "Select" button, etc. Rules Auction Players configure their loudouts from stratch before every match, at the same time, using an auction system. Pieces of equipment comes up for auction one-by-one. First, players are given vague information about the next item up for bid, and may pre-bid for it, gambling that it will be something useful to them. If no player pre-bids for the item, it is fully revealed and players bid normally for it. Certain items will be incompatible for certain controllers, but a player may wish to bid on it anyway to deny it to another player (maybe they can then "melt down" the unwanted piece of equipment for some other resource). This process continues either until all players are out of resources, or all the items (some subset of the total items in the game) have been put up for auction. Resources could be limited, meaning that high-bidding contests would result in weaker players and more tactical, less chaotic matches (since all equipment would be expensive). Alternately, resources could be plentiful, providing players with lots of options, and any left over resources could be used to power and/or upgrade equipment, providing some motivation not to overspend for equipment. Gameplay Battles would be essentially multiplayer deathmatchs, where each player operates the equipment they've equipped to thier vehicle by using the input element they've assigned it to. Battles would be heavily focused on targeting other players various equipment, in order to disable or destroy them. Play could work using a 3rd person "Mario Kart/Twisted Metal battle mode" style of skill-based play, or perhaps it could use a Fallout VATS style targeting system where players would need to assign targets in real-time but would only need to hit the other player (letting an RNG system determine how successful the hit was) The game might include other genre staples like item pickups (energy, ammo, etc). Campaign/Progression? Outside of regular matches, perhaps players could run campaigns where the results of each match would provide winnings that they can later use to upgrade their vehicle or purchase new equipment.

This week Martha just got back from the XOXO Festival and Conference in Portland! She gives a run down of all the cool video game related content and what it was like to be there. Then Stephen talks all about Randomization and how you can use it to enhance or detract from your game.

This week Martha just got back from the XOXO Festival and Conference in Portland! She gives a run down of all the cool video game related content and what it was like to be there. Then Stephen talks all about Randomization and how you can use it to enhance or detract from your game. Stephen manipulates the RNG, Mark doesn’t understand loot color coding, and Martha just wants to sort things. XOXO Festival 0:19:53 Martha Megarry Events XOXO website PIG (Portland Indie Game Squad) Rose City Games Smallbü animation Later Alligator Brian David Gilbert of Polygon’s “Unraveled” video series about ridiculous vide… Here are the instructions and character sheets for calculating your pet’s HP Emma Kinema of Game Workers Unite Hundred Rabbits Randomization 0:52:05 Stephen McGregor Game Design Procedural generation episode "Mutual butt-kicking." Loot episode "There's loot in your DNA!" “If Your Office was an RPG” - Rooster Teeth

This week's episode is sponsored by Codecks, the project management tool for game developers, by game developers! Visit http://codecks.io/nicegamesclub to let them know we sent you! It's still Wednesday in the clubhouse, which means an extra-long meta section where your nice hosts discuss showing off games at the recent 2DCon convention, Martha maturing both as a person and a culture, and what it feels like to have your words translated into Japanese. Oh, and we talk about designing rumble for your game, and close out the show with a great discussion about making games designed for unique spaces, including perhaps a preview of a future Nice Games Jam. Meta Widget Satchel in being translated into Japanese! Neat! Adobe's page about Source Han Serif, one of thier open-source CJK fonts. Source Han Sans on GitHub! Martha and Mark both missed TypeCon! [0:21:27] Rumble Sony's first rumble controller was the PlayStation Dual Analog Controller (in Japan, anyway!) and nearly beat Nintendo's Rumble Pak to market. "Nintendo's HD Rumble will be the best unused Switch feature of 2017" - Sean Buckley, Engadget Read about the lawsuit which was the likely cause of the lack of rumble in the first PS3 controllers. [0:47:04] Making Games for Spaces Read about the Riddle Mia This installation. Listen to our previous episodes about: Game installations Physical games Escape rooms (with Art Allen) "Seattle Immersive’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ has audiences on their feet" - Misha Berson, The Seattle Times

It's still Wednesday in the clubhouse, which means an extra-long meta section where your nice hosts discuss showing off games at the recent 2DCon convention, Martha maturing both as a person and a culture, and what it feels like to have your words translated into Japanese. Oh, and we talk about designing rumble for your game, and close out the show with a great discussion about making games designed for unique spaces, including perhaps a preview of a future Nice Games Jam. Widget Satchel in being translated into Japanese! Neat! Adobe's page about Source Han Serif, one of their open-source CJK fonts. Source Han Sans on GitHub! Martha and Mark both missed TypeCon! Rumble 0:21:27 Mark LaCroix Hardware Sony's first rumble controller was the PlayStation Dual Analog Controller (in J… - Wikipedia Nintendo's HD Rumble will be the best unused Switch feature of 2017 - Sean Buckley, Engadget Read about the lawsuit which was the likely cause of the lack of rumble in the … - Wikipedia Making Games for Spaces 0:47:04 Martha Megarry Events Physical Games Read about the Riddle Mia This installation. Our previous episode on Game Instalations. "Ugly and hard to use." Our previous episode on Physical Games. "We should go outside!" Our previous episode on Escape Rooms (with Art Allen) Puzzle/Escape Rooms "Seattle Immersive’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ has audiences on their feet" - Misha Berson, The Seattle Times

It's Nice Games Bulletin time! We’ve got news in all varieties- Nice News, Medium News, Bad News and Dad News! So much news! Join your Nice Hosts as we sort it all out.