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#143Ants of Destiny: Morsels of the QueenNice Games Jam2019.08.13This week in the clubhouse, Stephen is still away in New York.Ellen is back to help out with a Nice Games Jam! Our prompt: create a JRPG-inspired game in under an hour. But like any good JRPG, it took twice as long to complete as expected...Ellen's handwritten notes are worth a look! (PDF) And here's the Wikipedia page for Weevil, which Ellen wanted you to see.PromptWhat would the Nice Games Club take on a JRPG be? Do thatGame typePaper prototypePlayer count2SetupA two-person pen-and-paper RPG. One player portrays the party of ants, and the other player controls all enemies and narrates the story as the GM.The StoryYour queen is dying, and for unknown reasons (foreshadowing!) your colony is running out of resources. You, a young worker ant, and your party of misfits must set out from your home to collect the extra food and supplies needed to save your colony, battling foes and overcoming challenges along the way!RulesThe PartyWorker Ant (Player protagonist)Bite (attack): 2Carry (inventory): 5Exo (armor): +0Ability: "Defend" - Once per encounter, secretly choose (and write down) a party member. The next attack against that character will automatically fail. This remains in effect until an enemy attacks the selected player, or the player uses their ability.Soldier AntBite (attack): 3Carry (inventory): 4Exo (armor): +2Ability: "Command" - Once per encounter, use this ability to grant an automatic success on a party member's next attack.Flying AntBite (attack): 1Carry (inventory): 3Exo (armor): -1Ability: "Fly" - Once per encounter, choose an attack target, then exit play for this round. This character cannot be attacked by a non-flying enemy until they return at the start of the next round, when the attack is executed (as long as the target is currently in play).Weevil (in disguise)Bite (attack): 1Carry (inventory): 4Exo (armor): +4Ability: "Push" - Once per encounter, you can select an enemy to remove from play until the end of the round. This enemy cannot attack or be attacked.All party members have 10 hit points (HP).Party stats Move: 4Overworld The GM prepares a map on a 20x20 grid, with multiple paths, each ending with a resource. This map is kept hidden the player. The player has their own map, which starts out blank. The GM draws new information on this map as the player uncovers it.Each path on the map has the following information/stats:Sense threshold (the number the player must roll above to detect its existence)The shape and length of the path on the map.The "peril value" representing the number added to random encounter checks (1-3).The type of resource at the end of the path (food, item, etc. During our playthough, we only used food).The amount/value of the resource at the end of the path (food: 1-3)Paths don't all have to start from the origin point of the party. Some can begin in the middle of another paths, but the party can only discover a path if they are within sensing range of the beginning (how near is that? Um, we didn't figure that out).Overworld turn sequenceSense check: Player rolls 1d10. This value is compared against the "sense threshold" of each path which is within sensing range of the party. All paths whose sense threshold is equal to or below the value of the roll is "discovered" by the player. For each path whose sensing threshold is below the value of the roll, the player rolls another 1d10. The higher the roll result, the more information is revealed about it (1-3 no info, 4-7 some info, 9-10 all info). The exact information revealed is up to the GMs discretion. Paths which are revealed as a result of the initial roll being equal to the sensing threshold are discovered but no extra roll is made and no information is revealed.Move: Player chooses a path and advances along it equal to the number of spaces of the party's "move" stat.Random encounter check: The GM rolls 1d10. The "peril value" of the current path is added to the roll. The value is checked against an encounter table. This table (which, oops, we didn't create) would have more dangerous encounters the larger the number is, while the low range of numbers (say 1-4) would have no encounter at all.Sense points During the episode, we discussed letting the player "bank" sense points. For example, a player rolls a 9 on a sense check, but only chooses to use 6 and save the other 3. The GM then treats it as if the player rolled of 6, and the player now has 3 points to add as a modifier to future rolls.Enemy Encounters At the start of each round of battle, the player and the GM roll 1d10 for initiative. The higher roll goes first.Each character has one action per round. Initiative passes between the player and the GM and the round is over when all characters and enemies have taken an action.ActionsAttack: This is an opposed roll. The attacking character rolls 1d10. The defending character rolls 1d10, plus its Exo modifier. In the case of a successful attack, the defending character loses HP equal to attacker's attack stat. If the roll (including modifiers) is a tie, both players roll again with no modifiers to determine the result.Ability: The character may use their ability instead of attacking.After the player's party defeats certain opponents, its body can be converted into resources, which use up the "carry" stats of various party members, distributed as the player sees fit.Obtaining resources Once the party reaches the end of a path, the GM rolls 1d10 (in secret) to determine the state of the resources in this area. We develop a table for this during the episode, but it might go something like:1 - 2: All resources are immediately available to collect. 3 - 5: Resources are trapped, players must attack or dismantle a barrier of some kind. The Exo value of the barrier is equal to this roll and the barrier's HP value is equal to a second 1d10 roll by the GM. 6 - 9: Resources are hidden, with this value being the threshold value the player must roll above in order to discover them one by one. 10: Resources are completely inaccessible.If resources are trapped or hidden, the player can roll 1d10 to find them or attack the barrier to release them. After each attempt, an encounter check is made, so players will have to make calculated risks.Once the player collects all resources, or declines further attempts to collect them, the party returns to the home colony, unloads thier resources, heals all their HP, and starts again on a new path.Once the player brings 30 pieces of food (or some other metric of resources) back to the colony, the colony is saved! ...OR SO IT SEEMS!!The Big Twist!This is a JRPG-inspired game, so now it's time to turn the tables, expand the world to a preposterous scale, and raise the stakes as high (or higher) than makes any sense.What the story twist is will be determined using a die roll from the GM.1 - 3: An Evil Weevil Infiltration It turns out the weevil in your party isn't the only "ant imposter" in your colony! Via a tearful confession, your weevil friend reveals that they have had a change of heart and must tell you the truth... your queen, and much of the high guard who protects the colony, have been replaced by EVIL WEEVILS in disguise! No wonder resources have been limited: The weevils have been stealing them! It's now up to you and your party to stop the them and win back your homeland!4 - 6: Nearby Colony Has Incredibly Advanced Technology A huge rumble shakes the ground. Suddenly, a fleet of dragonflies descends at the edge of the colony, dispensing super-soldier ants from a neighboring colony, who have somehow obtained unimaginably powerful technology. No wonder resources have been limited: the neighboring colony has developed... industry, evaporating water reserves and contaminating local food supplies! It's now up to you and your party to shut down their terrible war machine and bring peace back to the colony!7 - 9: The Truman Show Ending Wait, what's that? A violent shake disrupts the ground below, the walls around, and the ceilings above you! It's as if the entire colony has been knocked around and then dropped from a great height. Well, that's exactly what happened! It turns out, you've all been living in a large, artificial ant farm! No wonder resources have been limited: the human who is supposed to feed and take take of you has neglected their duties. It's now up to you and your party to rescue the members of your colony from this disaster, and find a way to break free of the plastic shell that represents your entire reality!10: Roll again!

#120Developer/Publisher RelationsInterview2019.03.12This week, August Brown (senior producer for Kongregate Publishing) enters the clubhouse to reveal the secrets of successful developer/publisher relationships!Your nice hosts learn what publishers expect from a pitch, how forming a relationship with a publisher isn't always strictly business, and that publishers also think you're not charging enough money for your game.Developer/Publisher RelationsProductionKongregate PublishingSelf-publish on KartridgeMartha mentioned the Sokpop Collective.August brought up The Flash Games Postmortem that his colleague John Cooney pre…

#115"Steal this episode."Roundtable2019.02.06Your Nice Hosts are back from PodCon 2 and fresh off the Global Game Jam where Martha wrote a game for the first time! We talk all about that experience as well as celebrate Public Domain Day for the first time in 20 years. Mark guides us through the history of copyright, Stephen jams in 3D and Martha is a totally normal McElroy Fan (tmtmtmtm)Photo by GLITCHLiving Computer MuseumGlobal Game Jam games from MinnesotaWriting for Games0:15:15Martha MegarryNarrativeOne Polar NightIntellectual Property and the Public Domain0:37:57Mark LaCroixNewsProductionPublic Domain Day 2019 (Duke University Website)“Happy Birthday” is public domain, former owner Warner/Chapell to pay $14 - Joe Mullin, Ars TechnicaCopyright vs Trademark vs Patent - United States Patent and Trademark OfficeAll by Myself - Irving Berlin, Aileen StanleySherlock Holmes in the 22nd CenturySherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century theme songThe Patent on Loading Screen Minigames is About To Expire - Luke Plunkett, KotakuOracle vs Google trial Java runtime

#141Nostalgia and the Lo-fi AestheticInterview2019.07.30Wishlist/purchase Anodyne 2: Return to Dust on:Steam | Itch.io | Kartridge | GoGThis week, your nice hosts are joined by Marina Kittaka, artist and co-developer on the upcoming Anodyne 2: Return to Dust.Marina made the 30-foot journey from her desk to the clubhouse in order to discuss Anodyne's theme of nostalgia, the "personal" authenticity of the game's lo-fi PS1-era aesthetics, jumping in to her first 3D project, leveraging your limitations, and more!Nostalgia and the Lo-fi AestheticArtWishlist/purchase Anodyne 2: Return to Dust on:Steam | Itch.io | Kartridge | GoGSean Han Tani (@sean_HTCH) is Marina's development partner. His solo game All Our Asias was a inspiration for their current collaboration.Analgesic Productions' previous titles:AnodyneEven the Ocean

#100"100 times nice." 100th Episode SpecialSpecial2018.08.22In this episode, your nice hosts celebrate 100 episodes of Nice Games! We reminisce a bit on how the podcast has been going and go behind the scenes on what it takes to release one of the episodes.Thanks for listening to us 100 times!100th Episode Special 0:00:27MetaOur evil counterparts, Evil Games Club, have released two episodes so far...Evil Games Club! and this one Evil Games Club 2!Martha in the recording studio aka "Clubhouse"StephenThe Microphones we use to record.The audio interface (hardware) we use to record

#94"Somebody's first episode."Roundtable2018.07.10You can wishlist Widget Satchel and Claw Breaker on Steam right now! You can also add Widget Satchel and Claw Breaker to your itch.io collection!This week, Martha admits to piracy, Stephen tells Nintendo to just stop making GameCube controllers already, and Mark tells his favorite video game story which is about buttons because Mark is boring.Amazing Mario 3 Speedrun Is Full Of Setbacks And Sportsmanship - Heather Alexandra, KotakuLanguage of Games0:11:31Martha MegarryGame DesignWhen snarky players still want to give info against the GM’s wishes, you get th… - @SeiWot, TwitterStop, Drop, and Heal: The history of regenerating health” - Jeff Dunn, GamesRadarAn article from the developers of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst on the new Runner’s Vi… - EAThe Sony PlayStation’s buttons get explained by their designer  - John Brownlee, Geek.comThe Japanese Side of the PlayStation Button Confusion -  Richard Eisenbeis, KotakuThe passion of the checkpoint: Why gaming's most frustrating failure is so hard… - Ben Kuchera, PolygonWe played the convention-defying game OneShot on our very first Nice Plays episode.Nice Plays: OneShot (2016)Rami Ismail documented his mother’s playing through new games on Twitter. - @tha_rami, TwitterSequels1:07:25Mark LaCroixMisc.The MIT Dropouts Who Created Ms. Pac-Man: A 35th-Anniversary Oral History - Benj Edwards , Fast CompanyTV Tropes has a list of spiritual successors in video games. - TV Tropes

It's time once again to bring you the Nicest Games of 2019! Or rather, the nicest games that we played in 2019. We also talk about our game dev resolutions and the games we are excited for in 2020.We also have some programming news! We are going on hiatus until February 2020 to work on a revamp of our website and logo. We will be bringing you some of the nicest episodes from the past year or so to tide you over until then. Happy new decade, everyone!0:02:26Local Releases (2019)Widget SatchelTreasure StackFuseTactics VNewt One on SwitchAnodyne 2Extreme Mining0:08:05Nicest (2019)Martha’s Nicest:Destiny 2Read Only MemoriesWe talked about Martha’s honorable mention in episode 152."Casper the Not-So-Friendly Goose."Mark’s Nicest:ControlLink’s AwakeningLots of cool pictures of Control and other games in Dead End ThrillsControl taught me to love the ugliest architecturePolygonStephen’s Nicest: Stephen technically doesn’t have any this year!0:25:39Most Anticipated (for 2020)Martha’s:OobletsAnimal CrossingSkateBIRDOllie Oop (a MN Local!)Mark’s:Playstation 5Project Scarlett (Xbox)12 MinutesSpiritfarerStephen’s:Nioh 2The Last of Us Part 2SpiritfarerFingeance0:36:07Gamedev Resolutions (for 2020)

Evil Games Club is back! Dale, Adia, and Dylan are here to correct the score and give their take on past Nice Games Club topics, including "Writing For Games," "Reravel," and "Video Game Nostalgia." They’re at it again—being evil, that is!Felix Drags Dale Through The Marvel Universe (a podcast)Dylan thwarted Dale's attempts at taking publicity photos.0:10:00Writing for GamesThe Interactive Fiction CompetitionNaNoRenO on ItchThe Outer Worlds has some unusual (and awesome) character-building optionsPatricia HernandezPolygonThe Outer Worlds Will Rattle Your Idea Of A Perfect PlanetGita JacksonKotakuBreaking BongoRadiolabMGSV - Quiet/Ocelot model swap - Rain sceneTactical Modding OperationsYouTubeHeaven's Vault0:35:40ReravelEarly iterations of this game started on a recent Nice Games Jam!Reravel: A Backwards Storytelling GameThe YawhgMicroscopeTracery, a generative tool by Galaxy Kate.1:01:15Video Game NostalgiaSimCityWikipediaCap'n Crunch's Crunching AdventureGiant BombSpot: The Video Game (featuring the 7Up mascot of the time, Spot)WikipediaGlider (originally for classic Apple computers)WikipediaSkiFreeGiant BombRuneScapeGiant BombCommander KeenGiant BombAldo's Adventures gameplay (PC Game, 1987)SquakenetYouTubeJill of the JungleWikipediaJazz JackrabbitWikipediaThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeGiant BombHalo: Reach Launches On PC, Becomes Third Most Played Game On SteamEThan GachKotakuGolden SunGiant BombRed Vs. BlueRooster Teeth

This week on the show, your nice hosts take two very different in-depth approaches to a topic that pops up a lot on the show:  the ever-challenging calendar math!We spoke with Jajeev on a recent episode about UI design.User InterfacesWe recently spoke with Martha's dad about board game design and his work writing cross-compilers for 8-bit computers.Board Game Design0:07:41Calendar Math (Production Schedules)Our guest Eric Johnson went in-depth on Agile development in a recent episode.Agile DevelopmentMark alluded to a pattern that is found in almost everything in nature, but is most frequently studied in language. It's called Zipf's Law, and here's a video from Vsauce on YouTube about it.0:43:23Calendar Math (Real Time in Games)Date and Time Odds, Ends and OdditiesMaggie PintJavaScriptMNSamoa and Tokelau skip a day for dateline changeBBC

Widget Satchel is out! Go buy it on Steam, Itch or Switch! Your Nice Hosts celebrate by talking all about Widget Satchel-related topics, like Metroidvania level design, world building in platformers, and (of course) ferrets!Widget Satchel is out! Buy it on PC and Switch here:Widget Satchel on SteamWidget Satchel on ItchWidget Satchel on the Nintendo E-shopWidget Satchel has ferrets, unlike another recent Switch gameOther meta notes:Protospiel/Minispiel, table top prototyping events0:10:29Metroidvania Level DesignGame Maker’s Tool Kit Boss Keys0:24:26FerretsBlack-footed FerretWikipediaBlack-footed FerretIUCN Red ListWidget Satchel listed on Genuine Mustelids0:40:38World Building in PlatformersBraid on SteamHollow KnightThomas Was Alone on Steam