Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

This week, our boyfriend Dylan gave your nice hosts a prompt to create "a narrative game where the story is told backwards." This one is a slow burn, but it really cooks by the end!With Stephen still away, Dale LaCroix (she of Evil Games Club and your nice social media manager) re-enters in the clubhouse to help create this week's game.But Dale didn't just join your nice hosts for this week's jam. She also took the resulting game and made improvements once the recording stopped! Not only that, but she's going to keep working on it. It will be at Glitch's December Play/Test event if you want to play the latest version!Our original rules are presented below, and Dale's "first revised edition" is presented below that...PromptMake "a narrative game where the story is told backwards."Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count2-4MaterialsEND CARDS: 7 possible endings to your storySETTING CARDS: Places the story could take placePLOT CARDS: Events that might take place in your storyMAIN DECK: This is made up of several different types of cards:Character Cards - Describes the occupation or description of people who will be in your storyNoun Cards - Describes items that will be in your storyEditor Notes - Special instructions from your editor, this might include directions such as this next scene takes place in a different setting, or that someone in your story is not who you think they are.SetupDeal the following:One ‘Setting’ card. Deal face up and place it on top of the Setting deck.Three 'Main Deck' Cards. Deal face up. These will be the Goal Cards; if there are any Editor Note cards, place these at the bottom of the main deck and re-deal so that there are three total Main Deck cards representing the Goal Cards.One ‘The End’ card. Deal face up and place this on top of the Setting deck.Four ‘Plot’ Cards. Deal face down. One will be revealed each round during rounds 2-5.RulesORIGINAL RulesSTEP ONE: Start with the END ScenarioWe randomly selected by rolling a six-sided die, for the six END SCENARIOS:DeathGetting off a planeA big hug / reunionThe end of a weddingGetting on a planeFalling off a cliffAlso pick a character card from the deck - draw and discard until you get one - or roll a 20 sided die and table in step 2STEP TWO: Each Player picks a “card” and adds a detail about the card information that they picked.The FIRST ROUND will be picked from a separate pile of END SCENARIO DETAILS:Wine stainExplosionSight bruise to the upper armKnifeSpilled MilkBloody noseBroken SunglassesFrostbiteSomebody is wearing sweatpantsAn orangeTo mimic a card draw this use the following table:(Roll a 6-sided die, then a 20-sided die)A participantShopkeeperClericMagicianBrideCaptainPeasant/Passenger/GuestBartenderDetectiveChefChild(for 11-20, duplicate 1-10)A settingForestMall/ MarketTavernSchoolMeadowShipBridgeOfficeHomeCastle(for 11-20, duplicate 1-10)An action or event RobberyFightCrashBees!Heart AttackLunchtimeChildish InsultAnkle SprainCaught in TrafficOverslept or Fall Asleep(for 11-20, duplicate 1-10)An item PenCableKnifeOvenCommunication Device (Letter, Phone)MushroomBootCatBookSockFluteArrow(for 13 - 20, more cats, I guess?)ROLL AGAINA participant (use list from 1)STEP THREE: Together the group makes up a story about how each item goes together in this scene to lead up to the established storySTEP FOUR: Repeat for each previous “scene”. Each Scene will take place at some earlier point in time, it may be minutes, hours, days or months earlier. You decide what fits your story best.STEP FIVE: The fifth round is your inciting incident, the event that kicked off your story.SCORING: We haven’t figured this out, we discussed awarding points based on if random events happened during the story, such as:Scoring Events:Bloody NoseWeather EventSomebody TrippedSomebody got dumpedSomebody criesThe Devil shows upSomeone left to go to the bathroomThere was kissingOr awarding points with a judge or game master….UPDATED Rules by Dale"Re-ravel: A backwards storytelling game" (working title)IntroductionHave you ever heard the phrase, a camel is a horse designed by a committee? It’s a proverb about the faults of having too many designers in a room, causing a final poor design. The goal to this game is to write a story with your friends, but to protect against the story trailing off, like so many comedy sketches, your editor came up with the perfect ending, start with the ending! And it turns out there are only so many endings in human playbook.Each Game is made out of 5 Rounds or Acts, each moving backward in time.Three cards from the main deck are selected as goal cards. These can be used in your story at any time. Using each card is worth 1 million points for the team. If an editor note card selected as a goal card, this should be discarded to the bottom of the main deck.The last round, representing the first part of your story, will be the inciting incident.GoalCreate a coherent story while using each of the three elements from the goal cards with your writing committeeRound 1: The End RoundEach Player draws a card. For this round only, if you get a Editor’s note, redrawOne at a time. each player reveals their card, and creates one detail or fact about the item or character that they drew, and places the card near the ‘End Card.’ This fact should not relate to anything already placed on the board. The order of players does not matterExamples:Character Card - the Cleric - the cleric has a fancy hatItem Card - Wine Stain - the wine stain is on somebody’s white shirtItem Card - An Orange - The orange is part of basket of fake fruitTogether the players craft a scene in which all the elements are used, and results in the ending within the setting. At any time the players may pull in the elements on the goal cardsRounds 2-4: The Middle RoundsEach Player draws a card.Each player reveals their cardAdds a detail about their card (as in round one) unless it is a ‘Editor’s Note’ CardPlaces the card near the next face down Plot CardIf a Editor’s Note Card is drawn, follow the directions on the card.When all the elements of the story, the Plot Card is then revealed.The players then craft the scene. They must use all the elements that were revealed this round. They may use any elements that were revealed in the previous round (i.e. later in the story). They may use any of the elements from the goal cards at any time. The scene should connect and make story-scene with the other scenes that have been crafted.Round 5: The Final Round, i.e. the beginning of the StoryEach Player draws a card.Each player reveals their cardAdds a detail about their card (as in round one) unless it is a ‘Editor’s Note’ CardPlaces the card near the next face down Plot CardIf a Editor’s Note Card is drawn, follow the directions on the card - Unless it is a Epilogue card  or other card that places this out of order - please redrawWhen all the elements of the story, the Plot Card is then revealed.The players craft the first scene. They must use all the elements that were revealed this round. They may use any elements that were revealed in the previous round (ie later in the story). They may use any elements of the goal cards at any time. The scene should connect and make story-scene with the other scenes that have been crafted AND this should somehow start the story (the inciting incident) - How does this plot point kick off the rest of the story.END of GAME:Optional: Retell the story in the forwards directionAward your Committee the following points:1 million points for each goal element used in the story100 points if your story made any sense.500 bonus points if you had a really difficult element you had to fit into your story.

Nice Games Club Social Media Manager (and Evil Games Co-host) Dale LaCroix joins us to discuss Localization and Navigation, both in games and IRL. Is Google Translate enough for your game? Will your awesome pun work in Spanish? What do Ikea and airports have to do with level design? Stick around past the outro for more Dale Travel Tips!0:18:42LocalizationGamedev Polyglot Google Spreadsheet1:00:52NavigationWant To Learn About Game Design? Go To IkeaJamin WarrenReadwriteIKEA, and the Logic of Video Game DesignDaniel GoldingKotaku1:23:55Dale’s Additional Travel TipsGoogle MapsDrury Hotels

With Mark still away, Ellen returns to in the clubhouse for another episode! This week, she invited her husband, strategy consultant / Agile coach / Scrum Master Eric Johnson, to discuss Agile Development and iterative workflows.Agile DevelopmentProductionWhy people still believe in the Waterfall model - Tarmo ToikkanenAn Agile Approach to Launching the Nordstrom Sunglass Application - Nicoli Sinclair, Temple University

Mark is away this week, so Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us once again as a guest host! We get philosophical and reflective in this episode, talking about finding "fidelity" and taking in constructive criticism. What can you make abstract in your game and what needs to be realistic? How do you take negative feedback with grace? Is it the players who are wrong, or are you just not asking the right questions?Ellen Burns-Johnson on TwitterWidget Satchel announced! 0:03:45Finding FidelityValve Knuckles controllersFoundry10 Portal 2 curriculum0:26:06Taking FeedbackThe Invisible Gorilla ExperimentHiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenocerus (NSFW)Flight of the ConchordsYouTube

It's story time this week in the clubhouse. Featuring updates on projects from Martha, endless family game fights with Stephen, and Mark's shady past as a rhythm game DJ (he needed the money, but there was no money)."Unpacking" is planned for a late 2020 release.0:04:49Multi-Generational GamingYoshi’s Crafted World dev comments on the game’s difficulty@NE_BrianNintendo EverythingSingle-player Canfield Solitaire has "a very low probability of winning"Wikipedia0:32:44Noble FailuresI, Robot (arcade game)WikipediaPreservationists Are Racing to Save Ouya's Games Before They DisappearNicole CarpenterViceHere's a video of the RBN Megamix project for Rock Band Network that Mark worked on and "DJ'ed." If you have Rock Band 4, you can still download it here for Xbox One, although it's no longer free (sadly, Mark doesn't get royalties for it).

"HONK!" It's time for another Nice Games Bulletin! We talk about recent releases, game industry news...and also Star Trek news because we can't help it.Bulletin topic (Recent releases)Timecode0:05:51Untitled Goose Game Review - The Joys Of Goosing Around - Kimberly Wallace, Game InformerThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is the perfect Zelda for younger fans - Russ Frushtick, PolygonShould Your Boyfriend Play Legend of Zelda: Link’s Untitled Goose Game? - Girlfriend Reviews, YouTubeHow Gears of War changed to become Xbox Game Pass’ biggest launch - Owen S. Good, PolygonWhat the Golf?Return of the Obra Dinn docks on consoles this month - Owen S. Good, PolygonJohn Wick HexRing Fit AdventureLuigi's Mansion 3Bulletin topic (News) Star Trek NewsTimecode0:29:24Star Trek NewsStar Trek: Picard NYCC Trailer - CBS All Access, YouTubeStar Trek: Discovery - Season 3 NYCC Teaser Trailer - CBS All Access, YouTubeStar Trek: Short Treks Q&A Trailer - CBS All Access (Video) - CBS All Access, YouTubeBulletin topic (News) Video Game NewsTimecode0:34:59Video Game NewsUnion NewsMonument Valley developer Ustwo threatened with legal action over union busting - Chris Kerr, Game DeveloperKickstarter Union (Twitter)Troy Baker Says He Didn’t Voice Rhys In Borderlands 3 Because "They Wouldn’t Go… - Cecilia D’Anastasio, KotakuOther NewsDifficulty is about trust and communication, not "hard" vs. "easy" - Jennifer Scheurle, PolygonRocket League is Replacing Loot Boxes With "Blueprints" - Luke Plunkett, Kotaku

Your nice hosts catch up on all the game releases that gamedev Twitter was going on about during the last few weeks. We then talk about how it all comes together, and revisit an old topic, now that nearly three years have passed and so much has changed.The latest game trailer to submit to the #StephenTest is "Reginald Does His Thang" by Gibrian Foltz. Available now on Steam and Itch!Stephen is working on a new game, the just announced Rhythm Rumble!Apple Arcade: Game Developers Still Don’t Have Answers They Need - Nate Swanner, DiceDevelopers Cash In By Selling Their Switch Games For Pennies - Stephen J. Bronner, Kotaku0:20:11Holistic Game Design0:49:10Work/Life Balance

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