Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

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

This week your Nice Hosts appear out of nowhere to discuss Stealth Games and Motion Controls! Mark shoots lasers, Stephen time travels and Martha joins a geriatric gang.Dishonored 2 cover art copyright Bethesda.0:01:30Stealth GamesBanana Bread (Griffin & Justin of Polygon play SpyParty)PolygonYouTubeGiant Bomb Plays Hitman Let's PlaysFly On The WallYouTubeWhy Fashion in (Most) Games Sucks, and Why You Should CareVictoria TranGDCOur Interview with Freya Holmér of Neat Corporation maker of Budget CutsSelf-education, et al.Spider-Man is (Definitely Not) Murdering PeopleBrian David Gilbert, PolygonYouTubeLevel Design Workshop: A Narrative Approach to Level Design (Or, why Die Hard g…Jolie MenzelGDC0:28:52Motion ControlsSega ActivatorSega's Forgotton Motion GameRerezYouTubeMicrosoft "Microsoft announces an Azure-powered Kinect camera for enterprise"Brian HeaterTechCrunchRhythm Game Accessories on Wikipedia (including the Rock Band pro controller)Wikipedia

This week, your nice hosts talk about a pair of game genres that none of them are that wild about, and Mortho returns to brighten the proceedings!Our previous episode on "unloved" topics: “Try it once!”"Try it once."You Never Realized Fonts Could Be This Exciting - Mike Fahey, KotakuDonut County is the Anti-Katamari - Marcus Estrada, Hardcore GamerSlay the Spire is my favorite game to lose  - Jeff Ramos, Polygon0:16:46Designing Horror GamesDownload Stephen's horror game Infectious!How the Resident Evil 2 remake's Mr. X actually worksWesley Yin-PooleEurogamerThe Difference Between Horror Movies And Horror GamesHeather AlexandraKotaku0:44:37Designing Sports GamesMark couldn't find anything about the Minnesota professional basketball teams discussed in the episode, but he did find "Who wins a fight to the death, Lynx vs Wolf?" on Quora.Why Is Tennis Scored So Weirdly?Merrill FabryTimeMichael Chabon Will Showrun Star Trek: PicardJames WhitbrookIO9Anti-loot box bill poses a real threat to sports video gamesOwen S. GoodPolygon

All the news that fit to pod! Mark makes a Mario, Martha adds things to her wishlist and Stephen gets mad at his TV.Bulletin topic (Recent releases)Timecode0:00:42Super Mario Maker 2: Building On Success - Kyle Hilliard, Game InformerBloodstained: Ritual of the Night: The Kotaku Review - Joshua Rivera, KotakuThe making of Samurai Showdown (2019) - Alex Kane, PolygonCrash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled: No Rust On This Ride - Andrew Reiner, Game InformerCadence of Hyrule is the best Zelda spinoff ever made - Russ Frushtick, PolygonHarry Potter: "Wizards Unite" Improves On What Makes Pokemon Go Great" - Gita Jackson, KotakuBulletin topic (News)Timecode0:18:01Summer Games Done Quick raised over 3 million dollars for Doctors Without Borde…Devs hit by Steam promo confusion as games are pulled from Wishlists - Chris Kerr, Game DeveloperDr. Disrespect Doesn’t Seem To Be Taking His Twitch Ban Very Seriously - Nathan Grayson, KotakuTwitched app removed from Roku - RedditThe Human Cost of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Jason Schreier, KotakuValve Index Review - The Enthusiast’s Choice - Ben Lang, Road to VRSomeone Turned Mario Into A Battle Royale, And It’s The Best Thing - Heather Alexandra, KotakuHere’s how to save up to $360 on Xbox Game Pass over 3 years (The article says … - David Carnoy, CNETWe might get a Myst movie, TV series, and even a reality show - Susana Polo, PolygonThe Mouse Guard Movie Is Officially Dead, But This Demo Reel Shows What Could’v… - James Whitbrook, GizmodoMicrosoft, Nintendo, and Sony say [the president]’s tariffs on China will hurt … - Charlie Hall, PolygonEpic says it’ll eventually stop pushing for exclusives - Tyler Wilde, PC Gamer

This week, we welcome friend of the show Matt Gravelle into the clubhouse to talk about the ups and downs of, and lessons learned from, the decade-plus history of his indie game company, Graveck Interactive.Topics include the early days of Unity, holding the top-selling spot in the iOS App Store for months(!), weird guidelines from film studios on licensed web games, creating VR experiences for medical applications, and more!Running An Indie StudioIRLGet Optica on Android, iOS, or Steam!OpticaGet Strata on Android, iOS or Steam!Strata

Stephen has been working on patches for Treasure Stack and Mark has been busy getting age ratings around the world for Widget Satchel so this episode is jam packed with knowledge! Mark tricks his parents, Martha hides from E.T. and Stephen balances the game.Game Devs of ColorBlack Mirror’s ‘Striking Vipers’ uses fighting games to flirt with the theme of… - Gretchen Felker-Martin, PolygonThe Black Mirror Fighting Game Episode was Out of Control - Gita Jackson, Kotaku0:15:29Patches and Add-on ContentTreasure Stack on Steam (check out the patch notes to see an example of the patches Stephen has been working on)Asset Bundles Unity DocsUnity0:15:29International Age Ratings SystemsPEGI Ratings (Europe + Israel)ESRB Ratings (USA + Canada)IARC Ratings  The IARC Rating system translates to many different international rating systems (like PEGI and ESRB) through surveys in digital storefront submission processes. Notable rating boards that do not participate in IARC are JERO (Japan) and GRB (Korea)

Stephen's back from E3, and brought back tales of standing in line, going out at night, and staying in on Thursday. But before hearing about all the unreleased games Stephen played while in Los Angeles, your nice hosts discuss all the news and announcements from the show.0:05:28Google Stadia at E3 20190:16:57Microsoft E3 2019E3 2019: ID@Xbox Shines the Spotlight on Amazing Independent GamesLisa TrottXbox WireThe SDK 'Power Mac G5' for the Xbox 360Soutenir le blogjournaldulapinUltra-high-speed SSD is 'the key' to next-gen PS5Anthony GarreffaTweakTown0:22:49Bethesda at E3 2019"How to make a perfect E3 press conference (or drinking game)" PolygonYouTube"Deathloop: Everything we know so far" Heather WaldGamesRadar0:34:50Square Enix at E3 2019"Marvel's Avengers: Is it Connected to Spider-Man PS4?"Rob LeaneDen of Geek0:38:27Nintendo at E3 2019"The Story of Zelda: Link's Awakening" Gaming Historian YouTube"Everything We Noticed From The Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Sequel Teaser" Joseph StanicharGame Informer0:54:37Others at E3 20190:56:03Stephen’s Travelogue!That shop in Little Tokyo Stephen visited was Retro Game Camp LA.When the power went out at E3, Nintendo was preparedMichael McWhertorPolygon

This week is another Nice Games Jam! We got a prompt from Martha's Boyfriend Dylan to "make a puzzle game that includes a written document that updates as you play." You can play the game we came up with in the episode using the rules in the show notes below!PromptMake a puzzle game that requires a text/readme file or some other sort of text thing that you have to use as a guide to figure out the game. Then as the level progresses, the guide changes, to be harder to understand, or to tell a story, or to taunt.Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count2MaterialsSome set of blocks (we used 10 cubes), different colorsPencil/PenPaperSetupThe Codemaker comes up with sequence of blocksRulesThe Codemaker creates a list of four rules to help the Codebreaker player guess the sequence Rules cannot specifically place a cube in a place in the sequenceRules can only involve one relationship between two sets of cubesRead first rule, and the Codebreaker creates a pattern based on ruleIf the sequence is not correct, read the next rule and have the Codebreaker make a new pattern based on the revealed set of rulesRepeat until the player has created the correct patternIf the Codebreaker needs more than the four rules, the code maker then makes a new rule immediately, and the Codebreaker makes a new sequence with these rules.The Codemaker can call for a mulligan up to 3 times total in the game so the player can make a new pattern with the same sets of rulesScored based how many rules are needed before the code breaker solves the sequenceSome example rules: 1. No same colors touching2. If a sequence of colors appears in the line, it must appear again in reverse3. Green cubes appear before yellow cubes4. Pink cubes appear in-between red cubes5. Any brown cube must touch a dark green cube6. A brown cube may not touch a red cube or a yellow cube7. Light versions of colors come before dark versions of colors