Designer Notes Designer Notes 76: Tanya Short
02:44:04
Teen Years Spent In MUD Roleplay
- Tanya discovered MUDs after chat rooms and spent years roleplaying there, using emotes and character descriptions to socialize.
- She formed long-term online relationships and even attempted a real-life meetup that her mother convinced her to cancel.
MUD Cult Ambition Nearly Derailed College
- Tanya built a 'spy network' in a MUD to try to become a volunteer god and nearly let it derail her thesis and relationship.
- She quit cold turkey, staged an in-game character suicide, finished college, and later became staff on the MUD.
Free-To-Play Forces Design Compromises
- Free-to-play mobile design forces business logic into design and often conflicts with creative goals.
- Tanya avoided becoming a free-to-play studio and insisted on making a premium Steam version alongside the mobile build.
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Introduction
00:00 • 2min
The Importance of Role Playing
02:11 • 2min
The Importance of Video Games
03:55 • 2min
The History of Mods
05:53 • 2min
How to Play Deku Meds
07:36 • 2min
The Differences Between Rolte and PvP
09:24 • 2min
Wheel of Time: A Beginner's Guide
11:15 • 2min
How to Befriend a Bunch of People as a 13 Year Old
12:54 • 2min
The Importance of Having a Second Phone Line
14:37 • 2min
The Importance of Character Types
16:19 • 2min
How I Got Addicted to MMOs
17:58 • 2min
How to Be a God in the Mud Pyramid Scheme
19:34 • 2min
How to Communicate With Servers
21:43 • 2min
The Ultimate Way to Come to God
23:17 • 2min
The Importance of Gender in Role Playing
25:02 • 2min
How to Be a Successful Game Designer
26:35 • 2min
The Path to Become a Game Designer
28:48 • 2min
How to Be a Successful Junior Designer
30:43 • 2min
How I Subverted the First Person Shooter to Make Something Other
32:33 • 2min
The Importance of Playing MMO Games
34:06 • 2min
The Importance of Learning the Roles Without the Pressure
36:30 • 2min
The Imposter Syndrome of a Game Developer
38:17 • 2min
The Importance of Game Design
40:36 • 2min
How to Design a Guild Leveling System for Age of Conan
42:13 • 2min
Age of Conan: A Review
44:31 • 2min
The Rise and Fall of Asia Conan
46:39 • 2min
How to Stay on With Asia-Konan
48:37 • 2min
How Age of Conan Recruited a Lead Designer
50:32 • 2min
The Secret World: A Narrative MMO
52:12 • 2min
The Path to Success
53:51 • 2min
The Indy Pad
55:51 • 2min
The Importance of Non-Commercial, Indie Game Creation
57:31 • 2min
The Origins of Puzzle Pirates
59:21 • 2min
The Distressing Mentor: The Free to Play Expert
01:01:29 • 3min
Shattered Planet: A Free to Play Mobile Game
01:04:30 • 2min
Shattered Planet's Shutdown on Steam
01:06:32 • 2min
How to Decide What Game to Make
01:08:15 • 2min
Shadow Planet: A RPG Fog of War
01:10:08 • 2min
Roguelikes: A Better Planet
01:11:41 • 3min
Moon Hunters: A Game That Succeeds
01:14:22 • 3min
Moon Hunters: A Beta Build
01:17:05 • 2min
Moon Hunters: A Procedural Design for a One to Four Player Game
01:19:29 • 2min
How I Found King of Dragon Pass
01:21:11 • 1min
King of Dragon Pass: A Novel
01:22:34 • 4min
Moon Hunters: A Storyteller's Guide
01:26:52 • 2min
The Effect of System Suspense on Players
01:28:44 • 2min
How to Unlock Constellations in Dungeons of Fate
01:30:41 • 2min
The Evolution of the Combat System
01:32:56 • 2min
The Problem With Combat in Moon Hunters 2
01:35:20 • 2min
Moon Hunters 2: A Guide to Survival Games
01:37:10 • 2min
The Importance of Multiplayer in Moonhunters
01:39:17 • 2min
Moon Hunters: A Survival System
01:41:07 • 2min
Seven Seasons of Gold
01:42:48 • 2min
Moon Hunters: A Game That Changed My Mindset
01:44:32 • 3min
The Dark Side of Multiplayer Design
01:47:11 • 2min
Moon Hunters: A Self-Publishing Indie Game
01:49:13 • 2min
Moon Hunters: A Kickstarter Story
01:51:12 • 3min
The Procedural Generation of Moon Hunters
01:54:19 • 2min
The Pity of Authored Game Designers
01:56:23 • 2min
The Joke About Dating and RPGs
01:58:06 • 2min
How to Date a Companion in an Action RPG
01:59:46 • 2min
Dream Daddy: A Shadow Drop
02:01:32 • 2min
The Importance of Character Design in a RPG
02:03:30 • 2min
How to Cap the Love in a Dating Game
02:05:49 • 3min
The Unsatisfying Truth About Moonhunters
02:08:53 • 2min
How to Overcome a Grindy Game
02:11:09 • 2min
How to Balance a Game
02:12:42 • 2min
The Importance of Diversity in Dating
02:14:51 • 2min
How to Write a Novel With an Antagonist
02:16:26 • 4min
The Unforgivable Sword Monster
02:20:37 • 2min
The Importance of Choice in a Game
02:22:14 • 2min
The Importance of Apologies
02:24:25 • 2min
The Dating Sims: The Age Old Thing
02:26:12 • 2min
How to Write a Game Without an Antagonist
02:27:55 • 3min
The Rules of Romance on Steam
02:30:40 • 2min
How to Be a Better Combat Designer
02:32:15 • 2min
How to Make a Game That Stands Out
02:34:05 • 2min
The Procedural Monotheistic Beliefs That Influence the Overlord
02:36:19 • 2min
The History of Religion
02:37:52 • 2min
The Joy of Making Games
02:39:27 • 3min
Moon Hunters: A Designer's Guide
02:42:05 • 2min
In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Tanya Short, co-founder of Kitfox Games and best known for her work on Moon Hunters and Boyfriend Dungeon. They discuss why her parents had to get a second phone like, how she accidentally made a roguelike, and whether Moon Hunters should have combat. This episode was recorded on March 23, 2023.