Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

It's that season—there's snow on the ground, and it's time for the annual "year in review" episode. Your nice hosts are getting ready to take a break from recording for a few weeks while serving up some of our favorite episodes from the past year. But before we start hibernating, there's a lot to discuss! What did we accomplish this year, and how do we feel about it? What are our goals for next year? Are we taking on any fun projects during our hiatus? And what are we looking forward to playing next year (besides all the Kirby games, of course)?Nice Games Club is five years old! That's a solid handful of years. Happy birthday show, and thanks to you all for listening!The feeling is real, even if this video isn't.0:13:45Local Releases (2021)Fingeance by Escape Industriesitch.ioTotally Reliable Delivery Service (console release this year)YouTubeAnodyne 2: Return to Dust (on Nintendo Switch this year)Nintendo.comClosed Hands by Passenger Games Ltd.0:43:17Nicest (2021)Hades by Supergiant GamesFirewatch by Campo SantoWhere Should We Begin? A Game of Stories from Esther PerelMetroid: Fusion (Ellen played it on emulator)Nintendo.comPokémon QuestPokemon.comBowser’s FuryNintendo.comRatchet & Clank: Rift ApartPlaystation.comMetroid: DreadNintendo.comHumankindDeathloopRogue CompanyHavenYouTubeValheimIt Takes TwoSteam1:10:25Most Anticipated (for 2022) Endling: Extinction is Forever (from Handy Games)Weird West (by Wolfeye Studios, published by Devolver)Game InformerTiny Tina's WonderlandsGame InformerSCHiMEwoudSolo-developed ‘Mars First Logistics’ is a physics-based sandbox on MarsAlan WenNME.comCyberpunk cat adventure Stray will let you do highly accurate cat stuffMichael McWhertorPolygonLittle Kitty, Big CityDouble Dagger StudioThe Playdate handheld system!!!Kirby™ and the Forgotten LandNintendo.comMultiversus (from Warner Bros)Dragon's Dogma 2 will run on the same engine as Resident Evil Village, leaker s…Connor SheridanGamesRadar1:26:51Gamedev Resolutions / What We're Working On (for 2022)

Your nice hosts (Ellen, mainly) conduct a double-interview, with a consummate professional and a committed amateur, on the subject of game design though the lens of tabletop game mastering. Subjects include the dynamic between system design and session design, the balance between planning and improvisation, and how players can be encouraged to participate in the process.Designing like a Dungeon MasterGame DesignNarrativeTabletopAlternity - Sasquatch Game StudioMDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research - Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek, Northwestern UniversityDread, a game of horror and suspense - The Impossible DreamThousand Year Old Vampire - Tim HutchingsRobin's Laws of Good Game Mastering - Robin D. LawsUnpossible Game LabsCon of the NorthKatrina imagined a future with "Westworld as a video game," which coincidentally was a topic in one of our first episodes:"It's against the law to stop."

Three nice hosts, plus two topics, plus three meta topics equals a good time! Listen to Stephen's secret to popcorn success, Mark bringing up the Observer effect multiple times and Ellen's branding plans for her latest game.Forever - Endless Runner Engine - DreamteckFlavacol - Popcorn SupplyThe definition of Chrimbo - Lexicon0:08:33Player CountDevelopers explain why 4 is the magic multiplayer numberCass MarshallPolygonMultitapWikipediaMAG ReviewDAN RYCKERTGame InformerParenting young kids is exhausting. Should we rethink the nuclear family?Sophie Brickman0:36:33Hidden Information

As the podcast approaches its fifth anniversary, your hosts get a little (more) frivolous. Mark shares some industry news about hardware releases. Ellen prompts everyone to share their experiences of learning development tools and examine their process of learning through the lens of Maximum Whooo. Stephen explores the difference between cooperative and collaborative gameplay, and invents something called a Feedborm. Dang!Steamworks Virtual Conference: Steam Deck - SteamSteam Deck launch delayed by two months - Jay Peters, The VergeIndie handheld Playdate delayed to 2022 - Michael McWhertor, PolygonHow Long to Beat: Metroid Dread - HowLongToBeat14:05Learning to Use ToolsArticulate Storyline 360, an e-learning development toolGodot, an open-source 2D & 3D game engineGodot: Getting Started >> Step by stepJuan Linietsky, Ariel Manzur and the Godot communityGodotTuckman's stages of group developmentWikipediaCoDecks: Playful PlanningSonder (a story)Ludum DareProactive and Retroactive Interference (re: learning interference)Dr. Saul McLeodSimply Psychology53:10.0Co-Op GamesOvercooked Co-Op Review: Five-star co-op gamingJason LoveCo-OptimusThere’s a Difference Between Cooperation and CollaborationRon AshkenasHarvard Business Review

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