Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

This week, your nice hosts discuss Star Trek, Star Trek, and Ghostbusters. Plus, Mark talks something out of existence, and Ellen is not even gonna not disagree with Stephen.NOTE: Early in the episode we promise a picture of Dale's Halloween costume for the show notes, but we did not have one as this episode went to press. Check this episode's page on our website, and/or our Twitter in the next few days...Mutant Giant Spider Dog - SA Wardega, YouTubeThe Inside Story of Mass Effect 3's Endings, Finally Told - People Make Games, YouTubeThe suspense!0:23:09Power-ups0:52:10FranchisesList of best-selling video game franchisesWikipediaHow many Super Mario games are there?jan MisaliYouTube

This week the clubhouse is joined by our second favorite pair of game development brothers - Sami Sati and Erick Sati, developers of Astral Gunners. The Sati brothers talk about staying motivated, when to release early access, and saving some of your heart and soul for future projects.Early AccessMarketingProductionCave Games - Cave Interactive Co., Ltd, WikipediaAstral GunnersThe Sati Bros. Present: Tips for Early AccessMake sure you can finish your game if nobody buys it: Delaying release maybe is OK for your reputation.Cancelling a release will reflects badly on your reputation and will make it tougher to release your next game.Being open and honest with players (customers).Make sure your core game is finished, so the only things you need to add in are extras and content: levels, features, characters, etc.Centralize your player feedback forums. Think about where you would like to talk about a similar game.

Mark goes over the theory and practice of debugging (in Unity, at least). Ellen gets the gist of it. Stephen considers when a game can benefit from having a silent protagonist, or at least a main character that doesn't say anything. Stay tuned after the outro music for bonus sound effects!Wordplay 2021: Celebrating Writing in Contemporary Games - Hand Eye Society0:02:06DebuggingWorking in the Inspector: Toggling Debug ModeUnity0:43:58Silent ProtagonistsConcept: Silent ProtagonistGiant BombSilent protagonistWikipediaHeroic MimeTV Tropes

It's Stephen's turn at Nice Thinking, our new episode format where we brainstorm around a single concept someone brings into the clubhouse. Get ready for your first contact with the Sledgehammer Bride!Glom will be part of Wordplay 2021, November 13-14 - Hand Eye SocietySledgehammer Bride A Brief History of Beat ’em Up Video GamesHero ConceptProspective Teachers Misperceive Black Children as Angry Bryan GoodmanAmerican Psychological AssociationThe Brute CaricatureHistory on the NetExamining Game Pace: How Single-Player Levels TickMark DaviesShank 2Klei EntertainmentSteamHow the Original Hyrule Warriors Broke The Mold for Musou Games ForeverDale BashirIGN

This week's episode has things getting a little crepuscular in the clubhouse! Mark possibly flubs the intro (jury is still out on this!), Stephen has prepared two rants and Ellen requests all of our best silly noises.Editors note: I (Stephen) did in fact edit this episode, but it's really early in the morning so I didn't find fun sounds to put in there. There is a fun sound in the episode though!What Is a Crepuscular Animal? - Jaymi Heimbuch, TreehuggerNickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a bummer - Patrick Gill, Polygon0:05:30Relaxing Games‘Optica’ is the Mind-Bending Spiritual Successor to ‘Strata’ that’s Launching N…Jared NelsonTouch ArcadeMonument Valley 2Really Bad ChessWhat is Chess 960 or Fischer Random Chess?Chess.comDoctor Who 20480:35:00CommitmentUnderstanding What "Commitment" Means in Fighting Games LordKnightYouTubeSo Mew2King just got 3-stocked... HungryboxYouTube“I’m not fast enough to play fighting games”Patrick MillerMedium

Your nice hosts recorded this episode on an especially-timely Tuesday evening. It turns out that recording on an "off" day does goofy things to a podcaster's brain. Can you improve upon the game of "rock, paper, scissors"? How common are red stop signs across the globe? What noises does a wind serpent make? Do video games really give us choices? How many Kirby plushies does Stephen have? We're asking the tough questions here on Nice Games Club. Wordplay: Celebrating Writing in Contemporary GamesNickelodeon All-Star Brawl for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo.comMetroid: Dread - Nintendo.comDenver Botanical GardensRocky Mountain National ParkLucile's Creole Cafe (has a GREAT breakfast!)10:04Deluxe EditionsRock, Paper, Scissors: Deluxe Edition (on Kickstarter)Day of Dragons (in early access)37:28Illusions of ChoiceJellyvision LabsJellyvision (history) WikipediaStop signsWikipediaOperation LifesaverThe Illusion of Choice in Telltale Games' The Walking DeadAdrian FroschauerOntological Geek

In this episode Ellen points out the wisdom of Stephen and Mark makes up excuses to talk about his new favourite T.V. programme (and it's not even a Star Trek show!).5:15PrototypesHere's a previous episode where we've talked about prototyping!"A way to farm notions."0:33:38Game ShowsEllen talked about Jeopardy in a previous episode!Gameful UX

This week, it's the inaugural episode recorded from the brand new clubhouse inside the office of Noble Robot, the gamedev co-working space that Mark just opened up in northeast Minneapolis!Ellen lays out everyone's frustrations, Stephen sets the agenda, and Mark has words for Whirlpool.This way to the new clubhouse!Here's the office fridge, moments before it got really frustrating.The new clubhouse, in "conference room" mode.Your nice hosts each work with remote teams from all over the world, so Mark put together a "world clock" display as the visual centerpiece of the office.Stephen works in this office, so it needs two things: tea, and Kirby memorabilia.0:10:34Frustration0:50:28Meetings

On this week's episode, your nice hosts explore two completely separate but fully compelling topics! Ellen learns a new engine, Mark discusses why shooting could be a more interesting mechanic than it is, and Stephen completely misses a pun.Astral GunnersPillars of CreationGames shown at 2D Con 2021:Snow Day: The Cold WarEmeryJohnny ChainsawArmed and GelatinousCaptain's Log: Crisis DetectedMerchant of WindvaleFar AwayMagical Unicorn QuestChronicles of the Wolf and Wallachia: Reign of DraculaEterbal ExodusWidget SatchelThey StirredAstral GunnersFitmentFingeanceOllie-OopHyperDotCULTivatePillars of Creation0:13:05Learning a Game EngineThe Only Certainty Is That He Won’t Show UpDave ItzkoffThe New York TimesStep by Step Godot Documentation - IndexGodot EngineStep by Step Godot Documentation - InstancingGodot EngineStop Waiting for Godot JamTerry Cavanaghitch.io#stopwaitingforgodotTwitterTypes of Interference in PsychologyKendra Cherryverywellmind0:43:14GunsCritical Reaction to Mass Effect CitadelMetacritic20 years on, Bushido Blade remains a fighting game masterpieceSimon ParkinEurogamerAny good 1 hit kill games out there?Reddit

After many months of recording over Discord (or together in Mark's and Dale's apartment), Nice Games Club is finding a new place to meet. Well, "finding" isn't really the right word. Mark and Dale are making it happen. The new clubhouse is being customized as a workspace and community hub, and this week on the show, Your Nice Hosts talk about how to start things up in the new spot.The New ClubhouseErgonomic stools by Herman MillerThe cover image for this episode's page is from The Treehouse, an educational game published in 1991. Ellen played this game a lot when she was a kid. Learn more here: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-treehouse-1ag