Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

"The opposing metric of jank." Composition over Inheritance; Elegance

Oct 12, 2023

The hosts dive into the woes of Unity and the elegance found in game design. They discuss the innovative word puzzle game Noodle and the challenges of composition over inheritance in coding. With humor, they compare programming practices in Unity and Godot. The conversation shifts to how elegance is perceived across different fields, using amusing anecdotes. They also explore the balance between simplicity and complexity in games, advocating for the appreciation of 'jank' as a valuable design aspect.

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The development of the new word puzzle game 'Noodle' highlights the importance of playtesting and player experience in game design.

The philosophy of 'composition over inheritance' emphasizes modular code systems over strict hierarchies, which can lead to better game architecture.

The debate on complexity versus jankiness in games illustrates how different design philosophies cater to various player experiences and expectations.

Deep dives

The Creative Process Behind 'Noodle'

A new word puzzle game called 'Noodle' is in development, designed to have variable word lengths similar to 'Wordle'. The game aims to be content agnostic, allowing authors to input their own content and images. During its development, the team conducted playtesting throughout the process to ensure a smooth player experience. The planned soft launch is exciting as it marks the first game designed for the Training Arcade platform, highlighting the challenges and complexities of game development.

Intro

2min

The Development Journey of Noodle: A Word Puzzle Game

3min

Navigating Code: Composition and Interfaces in Game Development

23min

Exploring Script Reusability and Game Engine Comparisons

6min

Exploring the Multifaceted Concept of Elegance

5min

The Elegance of Game Design

21min

Exploring Elegance and Jank in Game Design

3min

Wrapping Up and Engaging with the Community

3min

In this episode, the team gets back to all the regular reasons to complain about Unity. Stephen makes a pun, and Ellen searches for elegance through the power of internet research.