Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

It's our 150th episode! To celebrate we finally have Martha's dad David R. Megarry on the show to talk about designing board games and specifically designing the fantasy adventure board game Dungeon! We get to hear the inspiration behind some of the now iconic game mechanics, unexpected lessons he learned along the way and why community is so important to a game designer. We even hear some stories Martha didn't know before!Board Game DesignGame DesignTabletopSecrets of Blackmoor documentaryDungeon!It's sold many places including Powell’s bookstore in Portland, OR.On the Board Game Geek page for Dungeon! you can see pictures of many different editions of the game- including different iterations of the board, cards and player pieces.A historically accurate version of the game made a cameo on an episode of Stranger Things! [ADD PHOTO HERE]Pentantastar

It's another Nice Games Jam! This time, our boyfriend Dylan sent in a particularly interesting challenge, asking your nice hosts to design a game where the player's load-out impacts the game's controls.After an aborted attempt to make it into a game consisting of physical props, we came up with a very strange concept for a video game where you equip and battle a bunch of different controllers as if they were Pokémon or something!PromptDesign a game where the player's load-out impacts the game's controls.Game typePaper prototypePlayer count2-4MaterialsA controller of your choosingPieces to "slot" to your controller's buttonsSetup"Buttons and Triggers and Sticks, Oh My!" (Prototype)In this game, you control a "battlebot" vehicle that you configure using equipment and weapons that are auctioned off between players before the match. The twist is that your bot is a vehicle shaped like the actual controller you play the game with, and its capabilities are determined by the physical configuration of the input elements. Want a different bot, you gotta plug in a different controller!ControllersEach controller, from a knock-off Xbox 360 controller to a Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, has a list of "inventory slots" which line up with the physical controller's buttons and input elements. Items placed in these slots are "attached" to the in-game representation of the controller.Each controller also has general properties such as hull strength and overall weight, and controllers with special properties like rumble, motion controls, or expansion ports would have additional in-game potential. Additionally, wired controllers would have different properties than wireless controllers, etc.EquipmentEach piece of equipment has the following characteristics:TypeMovementEnginesRanged weaponsMelee weaponsTraps/environmentShieldsBonus/special itemsStats: depends on type. Engines would have speed/power stats and weapons would have damage stats, for example.Input compatibility: Which set of buttons, sticks, and/or triggers can this equipment be attached to? For example, the Z button on a Saturn controller is a face button, but it's a trigger on a Nintendo 64 controller. A machine gun might be placed on a trigger, or it could be placed on an analog stick and work as a turret! Maybe certain items can only be placed on controllers that have a "Select" button, etc.RulesAuctionPlayers configure their loudouts from stratch before every match, at the same time, using an auction system. Pieces of equipment comes up for auction one-by-one.First, players are given vague information about the next item up for bid, and may pre-bid for it, gambling that it will be something useful to them.If no player pre-bids for the item, it is fully revealed and players bid normally for it. Certain items will be incompatible for certain controllers, but a player may wish to bid on it anyway to deny it to another player (maybe they can then "melt down" the unwanted piece of equipment for some other resource).This process continues either until all players are out of resources, or all the items (some subset of the total items in the game) have been put up for auction.Resources could be limited, meaning that high-bidding contests would result in weaker players and more tactical, less chaotic matches (since all equipment would be expensive). Alternately, resources could be plentiful, providing players with lots of options, and any left over resources could be used to power and/or upgrade equipment, providing some motivation not to overspend for equipment.GameplayBattles would be essentially multiplayer deathmatchs, where each player operates the equipment they've equipped to thier vehicle by using the input element they've assigned it to.Battles would be heavily focused on targeting other players various equipment, in order to disable or destroy them.Play could work using a 3rd person "Mario Kart/Twisted Metal battle mode" style of skill-based play, or perhaps it could use a Fallout VATS style targeting system where players would need to assign targets in real-time but would only need to hit the other player (letting an RNG system determine how successful the hit was)The game might include other genre staples like item pickups (energy, ammo, etc).Campaign/Progression?Outside of regular matches, perhaps players could run campaigns where the results of each match would provide winnings that they can later use to upgrade their vehicle or purchase new equipment.

This week Martha just got back from the XOXO Festival and Conference in Portland! She gives a run down of all the cool video game related content and what it was like to be there. Then Stephen talks all about Randomization and how you can use it to enhance or detract from your game. Stephen manipulates the RNG, Mark doesn’t understand loot color coding, and Martha just wants to sort things.0:19:53XOXO FestivalXOXO websitePIG (Portland Indie Game Squad)Rose City GamesSmallbü animationLater AlligatorBrian David Gilbert of Polygon’s “Unraveled” video series about ridiculous vide…Here are the instructions and character sheets for calculating your pet’s HPEmma Kinema of Game Workers UniteHundred Rabbits0:52:05RandomizationProcedural generation episode"Mutual butt-kicking." Loot episode"There's loot in your DNA!"“If Your Office was an RPG”Rooster Teeth

It's still Wednesday in the clubhouse, which means an extra-long meta section where your nice hosts discuss showing off games at the recent 2DCon convention, Martha maturing both as a person and a culture, and what it feels like to have your words translated into Japanese.Oh, and we talk about designing rumble for your game, and close out the show with a great discussion about making games designed for unique spaces, including perhaps a preview of a future Nice Games Jam.Widget Satchel in being translated into Japanese! Neat!Adobe's page about Source Han Serif, one of their open-source CJK fonts.Source Han Sans on GitHub!Martha and Mark both missed TypeCon!0:21:27RumbleSony's first rumble controller was the PlayStation Dual Analog Controller (in J…WikipediaNintendo's HD Rumble will be the best unused Switch feature of 2017Sean BuckleyEngadgetRead about the lawsuit which was the likely cause of the lack of rumble in the …Wikipedia0:47:04Making Games for SpacesRead about the Riddle Mia This installation.Our previous episode on Game Instalations."Ugly and hard to use."Our previous episode on Physical Games."We should go outside!"Our previous episode on Escape Rooms (with Art Allen)Puzzle/Escape Rooms"Seattle Immersive’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ has audiences on their feet"Misha BersonThe Seattle Times

It's Nice Games Bulletin time! We bring you all the news from the video game world leaving no stone unturned. We’ve got news in all varieties- Nice News, Medium News, Bad News and Dad News! So much news! Join your Nice Hosts as we sort it all out.Photo credit: Foam Sword Games- Knights and Bikes promo screenshotBulletin topic (Recent releases)Games:Knights and BikesMan of MedianControlRemnant: From the AshesAstral ChainTelling LiesAncestors: The Humankind OdysseyMonster Hunter World IceborneNBA 2K20Gears of War 5Anodyne 2Local game! Listen to our interview with Marina Kittika here to learn all about how she created the game’s lo-fi aestheticBulletin topic (News)Timecode0:16:10PAX stuff is happening/has happened!Friend of the show Beth Korth was on a panel at PAX DEV about diversity consulting but since there doesn’t seem to be a way to watch it yet check out our interview with her about Narrative Design!Bulletin topic (News) Not Nice News :( Timecode0:17:29Not Nice News :( Game Informer layoffsPeople you should totally hire because they are amazing:Matt Bertz Elise Favis Javy GwaltnyKyle Hilliard Imran KhanJeff MarchiafavaSuriel VazquezContent Warning: sexual assault and abuse- if you don’t want to hear discussion about these topics please skip from [19:59] to [23:50]New allegations of sexual assault surface against established game devs - Kris Graft, Game DeveloperContent Warning: transphobia, homophobia, sexism - if you don’t want to hear discussion about these topics skip from [23:50] to [28:41]Ion Fury Developer Backtracks, Says It Won’t Remove Gay Joke Because Of ‘Censor… - Nathan Grayson, KotakuBulletin topic (News) Medium News :/Medium News :/“Two People Who Didn’t Work At Telltale Games Say They’re Bringing Back Telltal… - Jason Schreier, KotakuBulletin topic (News) Nice News Now :)Timecode0:30:01Nice News Now :)“A Remaster Of Disney’s Classic Lion King and Aladdin Games Is Coming In Fall” - Mike Fahey, Kotaku“Dungeons & Deceptions: The First D&D Players Push Back On The Legend Of Gary G… - Cecilia D’Anastasio, Kotaku“Hey, remember When Star Trek Did Galaxy’s Edge, 20 Years Before Star Wars?” - James Whitbrook, IO9GDC Summit talk submissions are open August 29-September 30, 2019. Submit your …“Play retro 8-bit sports in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020” - Samit Sarkar, Polygon

This week your nice hosts are joined in the clubhouse by visual artist and games UI designer Jajeev Nithiananda. He talks the good and bad of game UI, working with demanding clients and argumentative co-workers, and explains how function and form must work together to create a good experience for the player.User InterfacesArtUI / UXPGA TOUR Golf Shootout on Google Play and iOS App Store.UI Breakdown: Metroid Prime - SYH, MediumThe Long, Desperate Search To Understand Poise In 'Dark Souls 3 - Patrick Klepek, ViceLessons Learned Creating UI for The Division - Christian Savoie, GDC

This week your Nice Hosts break open Power Fantasies and Indie Game Trailers and analyze what makes them work! Can boredom be a game mechanic? Is the age old storytelling rule "show don't tell" actually bad advice for indie game trailers? Can a power fantasy game really ever have too many explosions??Picture credit Gearbox SoftwareIf you have a trailer for your game and want to get some feedback on it send us a link on Twitter to see if it gets the "Stephen Would Actually Watch This" Seal of Approval!Game Devs of Color Expo TalksFriends of the show gave talks! Aubrey Scott talks at 49:57 and Evva Kraikul is on a panel at 4:07:54.Swimsanity (If your team includes two brothers it has to be sea themed)Worker Bee is publishing Widget Satchel in Japan!The Ooblets team is amazing and you should plan on buying the game on the Epic …(Ooblets was going to be published by Double Fine until Double Fine was bought …0:18:08Power FantasiesMonster Den was a game store/event space in Minneapolis where Martha first played Halo- there is a different game store there now called Dreamers Vault Games0:43:27Game TrailersWidget Satchel Trailer

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!

While Stephen is away at the Game Devs of Color Expo in New York, Ellen Burns-Johnson joins in the club house to discuss organizing your game library and what to do when you actually know nothing about marketing. Martha throws it in the 'eh' pile, Mark delegates, and Ellen has it all under control.Game Devs of Color Expo 2019Depression and the Solace of 'Grinding' in Online Games - Julie Muncy, Wired0:02:49Game LibrariesHow to deal with your Steam backlogMichael McWhertorPolygonAdobe Flash Debug Downloads - The "Flash Player Projector" can open SWF files from your desktop or from a URL. It is a portable application that doesn't need to be installed.2064: Read Only Memories - Turing Collector's Plush (SOLD OUT, to Martha's lame…When your nice hosts went to Seattle for PodCon this year, they visited the Liv…Mark has been watching a lot of "old tech" content on YouTube latelyTechnology ConnectionsYouTubeThe 8-Bit GuyYouTube0:28:08Marketing 001How, why, when and how much to pay for indie game marketing?TavroxMediumBest PR, Marketing & Community Talks / GDC 2019Thomas ReiseneggerMedium

This 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