Designer Notes

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Caroline Marchal, best known for her work on Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, and As Dusk Falls. They discuss whether narrative games should show all paths to players, should we care if characters walk up stairs correctly, and how Heavy Rain was built for non-gamers but enjoyed the most by gamers. This episode was recorded on September 6, 2024.

In this episode, Soren interviews Anton Strenger, best known for his work on Civilization 5, Civilization 6, and Beyond Earth. They discuss how he ended up paying Carnegie Mellon so that he could work at Firaxis, why there aren’t many Great People after 1900, and whether Civilization has secretly become a live-service game. This episode was recorded on October 22, 2023.

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he made a game about assembly language, how he guaranteed that Fortune’s Foundation is winnable, and whether he knows how to make fun games. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023.

Zach Barth, an innovative independent game developer known for his unique puzzle games like SpaceChem, shares his journey from creating games for passion rather than profit. He discusses the surprising challenges of designing engaging puzzles and the interplay of chemistry in gameplay mechanics. Barth also reflects on his nostalgic gaming influences and the balancing act of creativity within corporate constraints. Their conversation delves into how community engagement and competitiveness shape player experiences, revealing the art of crafting compelling game puzzles.

Venture capitalist Mitch Lasky discusses the evolution of game design, the impact of user interactions on game development, monetization strategies, the shift towards free-to-play models, the evolution of the gaming industry, challenges in game development across platforms, emotional gameplay, gifting and altruism in video games, game complexity, growth of Discord, AI in game development, character balance in games, past collaborations, future opportunities in the gaming industry, and the evolution of video game business models.

Venture capitalist Mitch Lasky discusses game industry insights, shareware models, EA buying Maxis, paying for mobile visibility. Memories of arcade gaming, legal complexities, early revenue strategies, theory of fun in game design, Spore evolution. Negotiations, founding a mobile game studio, online gaming business models, narrative-driven games evolution, customer data consolidation strategy, EA restructuring vision, sports subscriptions, and VC success.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss his first, failed attempt at XCOM, why 75% does not mean 75%, and how many copies of XCOM he sold at Power Gamer in Glen Burnie, MD. This episode was recorded on April 26, 2023.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss how much money he had to give back to Accenture, how to animate multiple units at the same time, and why Sid suddenly started golfing so much. This episode was recorded on April 25, 2023.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss why Armello has so much output randomness, whether they fudge the odds, and how to turn off a Game-as-a- Service. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss how he faked his way into games journalism, how to sneak risky ideas past licensors, and how to make games feel big. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023.