Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

This week on the program we attempt another Nice Games Jam, where we are given a prompt from Martha's boyfriend (and Evil Games Club co-host) Dylan, which we have to use to create a playable game by the end of the episode.The prompt was "Cold," owing to the extreme winter temperatures we were facing in Minnesota at the time of this recording.We're hoping to do even more of these going forward, so let us know what you think of this episode format on the feedback from!PromptColdGame typeTabletop gamePlayer count2-4Materials4-sided Die4 Player MarkersNotepad to track player statsBoardSetupBoardMartha took a photo of what we were using to play the game during the recording of the episode:And here's a rough mockup Mark made while editing this episode:RulesGoalThe goal of the game is to leave your house and run a quick errand during the worst blizzard of your lifetime.PlayThe board is split into 4 stages. On your turn, you roll a 4-sided die to determine your movement. When you reach the first square of the next stage (even if you are in the middle of your movement), you draw from a deck of "events/challenges" giving you an situation to deal with. After resolving the challenge, complete your movement (modified according to the result of the challenge, if any).The game begins by having every player draw an event for the first stage (see below for event desciptions).Play order is determined in descending order by who spent the most time outside during the Halloween Blizzard of 1991. If you are unable to determine play order using this method, figure something else out, I guess.After every player draws an event for the first stage, all players will get dressed for their adventure by distributing winter gear stats...StatsPlayers get 9 points to distribute on winter gear. Points you don’t "spend" here are saved and can be used later at certain opportunities. Each player puts 0-4 points in each of three categories: Shoes (to aid in snow-based challenges): 0 points is gym socks and flip-flops.4 points is pac boots plus snowshoes.Coat (to aid in wind-based challenges): 0 points means just a T-shirt.4 points is a sweater under a hoodie under a heavy parka under a pea coat.Gloves and Stuff (to aid in interaction-based challenges): 0 points is bare hands/head4 points is wool-lined mittens with a pocket for your hand-warmers, an inch-thick balaclava, and an 8-foot tartan scarf.Players also begin the game with 0 Cold Enough For Ya? points, and 3 Minnesota Nice points. Events in the game can add or subtract these points: If you accumulate 3 Cold Enough For Ya? points, you lose the game by giving up and going home to bury yourself under 100 fleece blankets (role-play optional).If you drop to 0 Minnesota Nice points, you may complete your errand, but you lose your Minnesota spirit (and also the game).Challenges/EventsFor the purposes of this prototype, rather than draw from a deck, roll a 4-sided die and use the challenges listed below.1st stage: "Getting out of the house"1 - Furnace out: +1Cold Enough For Ya?2 - You're snowed in: If you do not obtain a 3 or better in Shoes, you must end your turn when you reach your front door, no matter what your die roll is.3 - You slept in: Lose a turn.4: Whoops! Two errands: You must take "the long way" in the 3rd stage.2nd stage: "Getting to your car"1 - Car covered in snow: If you have 3 or greater in Gloves and Stuff, ignore this, otherwise, chose from these options: Get rid of snow: +1Cold Enough For Ya?Don’t get rid of snow, -1 to all die rolls in the 3rd stage.2 - Neighbor needs help shoveling: If you have any stat points saved over, you can spend one point to help your neighbor. If you do not have any points or don't want to spend one, -1Minnesota Nice. If you do spend a point, roll a 4-sided die: 1 - "Thanks! I owe you one" You get nothing.2 - "Rough out there. I've got an extra coat if you want it" +2 to Coat.3 - +2 to Shoes.4 - +2 to Gloves and Stuff.3 - Slip on your sidewalk: Lose a turn as you lay embarrassed on the cold ground.4 - Freezing wind: If you have a 3 or greater in Coat, ignore this, otherwise, chose from these options: Power though it: +1Cold Enough For Ya?Move carefully: During this stage, you may only move one space per turn (if you have any movement left on this turn, you can move forward one space).3rd stage: "Making it to the store"1 - Car won’t start: Lose a turn while your neighbor helps you.2 - The roads are not plowed: If you have a 4 or greater in Shoes (for the purposes of this prototype, Shoes stands in for a Snow Tire stat), ignore this, otherwise, -1 to all die rolls in this stage.3 - A stranger spun out into a ditch: If you have any stat points saved over, you can spend one point to help the stranger. If you do not have any points or don't want to spend one, -1Minnesota Nice. If you do spend a point, roll a 4-sided die: 1 or 2 - "Thanks! I don't have AAA." You get nothing.3 or 4 - "Let me pay you back somehow." +2 to Any Stat.4 - Car's heater is broken: +1Cold Enough For Ya?4th stage: "Picking up a half-gallon of milk"1 - Forgot your grocery list: Lose a turn as you sit and think.2 - The parking lot is snowed-in: If you have a combined 7 or greater in Shoes + Gloves and Stuff, ignore this, otherwise, -1 to all die rolls in this stage.3 - Help an old person with groceries: If you have any stat points saved over, you can spend one point to help the person. If you do not have any points or don't want to spend one, -1Minnesota Nice. If you do spend a point, roll a 4-sided die: 1 or 2 - "You know, they used to have people for this." You get nothing.3 or 4 - "I'm on my way to the Goodwill, do you want anything?" +2 to Any Stat.4 - There's a line out the door!: Choose from these options: -1Minnesota Nice as you shove your way past everyone.+1Cold Enough For Ya? as you wait patiently.

Your 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 Minnesota0:15:15Writing for GamesOne Polar Night0:37:57Intellectual Property and the Public DomainPublic Domain Day 2019 (Duke University Website)“Happy Birthday” is public domain, former owner Warner/Chapell to pay $14Joe MullinArs TechnicaCopyright vs Trademark vs PatentUnited States Patent and Trademark OfficeAll by MyselfIrving Berlin, Aileen StanleySherlock Holmes in the 22nd CenturySherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century theme songThe Patent on Loading Screen Minigames is About To ExpireLuke PlunkettKotakuOracle vs Google trial Java runtime

Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us once again in the club house to discuss our work on Widget Satchel (a platformer staring an adorable ferret!) We talk all about what went well, what was challenging and what is still left to do.Widget Satchel: Our goal is to release in April 2019.Wishlist Widget Satchel now on Steam!Code Comment episode about Widget SatchelCode Comment: "Widget Satchel"Ludum Dare special video episode featuring the first prototype versionNice Plays: Ludum Dare 40 games (2017)What We Did On Our Winter Break (2018-19)

We're back with new episodes for the new year! Friend of the show Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us in the clubhouse for the annual Nice Games Club Nicest of 2018 where we talk about some games we liked that came out in 2018 - or at least that we played in 2018. Stephen is on brand with his signature fighting moves, Ellen has Unity in her sights for 2019, Martha has to think of new titles for herself, Mortho barges in to steal the show and Mark -twist- doesn't talk about a Star Trek game.Ellen is here!Podcon 2We will be there in Seattle this weekend!You can attend the con remotely and watch live streams of the talks/live shows.Global Game Jam EventbriteJanuary 25-27, 2019There is a free Diversity ticket option.No experience required to jam.Remember a healthy game dev is a better game dev so go home and sleep, eat, drink lots of water and don’t crunch- make a smaller game!Local Releases (2018)Video GamesClaw Breaker (Team Klaw)Verdant Skies (Howling Moon Studio)Newt One (DevNAri)Joggernauts (SpaceMace)Optica (GLITCH)RJdoesVR (local OculusGo developer)Hardlight Blade (released in 2018)Asimov (early access in 2018)FireZone (coming soon)Board and Card GamesRoot (Leder Games)Vast: The Mysterious Manor (Leder Games)Squirmish (Steven Stwalley)Too Many Bones: Undertow (Chip Theory Games)Martha's Nicest (2018)Celeste (Matt Makes Games)Nintendo Labo (Nintendo)Ellen's Nicest (2018)Fate: Core System (Evil Hat Studio)Pyre (Super Giant Games)Mark's Nicest (2018)Spiderman (Marvel/Sony)Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)Stephen's Nicest (2018)Soulcalibur VI (Project Soul)Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo)Girlfriend Review of Super Smash Bros. UltimateMartha's Most Anticipated (for 2019)Ooblets (Glumberland)In the Valley of Gods (Campo Santo)Mark's Most Anticipated (for 2019)Dreams (Media Molecule)Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Nintendo)Yoshi’s Crafted World (Nintendo)Widget Satchel (Noble Robot)Stephen's Most Anticipated (for 2019)Nioh 2 (Team Ninja)Smash Bros. DLC (Nintendo)Ellen's Most Anticipated (for 2019)Baba is You (Hempuli)Alien Isolation 2 (Cold Iron Studios)

#51"Right the dang now."Roundtable2017.10.07Stephen will be speaking at the November IGDA Twin Cities meeting! Details will be posted at igdatc.org soon.In this episode, Stephen fights his demons, Martha likes sports now, and Mark learns a lot about both.Scope Creep0:02:41Stephen McGregorProductionMartha took a blacksmithing class! Also, her instructor told her this was a perfect forge weld.Martha brought up fighting scope creep on our GDC 2017 Special.GDC 2017 Special (Part 1)Project management is a way to combat scope creep that we’ve covered before, in the episode"We joke here."A core concept for your game can help focus ideas as well. We go over this in our Game Design Primer topic in our episode"That makes me retroactively nervous." Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making - Sam KanerOur post on the r/gamedev. Special thanks to SaxPanther, ledat, GravityGamesInt, Bwob, and DustyPixel for their stories.SaxPanther created a battle royale game out of the Unity Roll-A-Ball tutorial.ledat shared a story on how one person accidentally created banking software after attempting to streamline coffee orders.eSports0:30:53Martha MegarryEventsGamingLeague of LegendsLeague of Legends World Championship is happening RIGHT THE DANG NOW!Martha will be rooting for her favorite team, C9.Player Signings, Salaries, and More in the Overwatch League™ - Blizzard EntertainmentLeague of Legends' ratings top NBA Finals, World Series clinchers - Patrick Dorsey, ESPNAn example of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament casting. - TwitchThe Story of DOTA - Paul Dean, EurogamerThe biggest Call of Duty tournament shines light on growth of esports - Jordan Crook, TechCrunchThe Rise and Fall of StarCraft II as an eSport - Kevin Hovdestad, IGN How Intellectual Property Rights Are Hurting Esports Teams - Leonard Langenscheidt, The Esports ObserverThere is, in fact, a Civilization VI eSports scene. - Leif Johnson, Motherboard

#105Ha-Ha!Nice Games Jam2018.09.25This week on Nice Games Club we are trying out a new type of episode: Nice Games Jam! We get a topic from Martha’s boyfriend Dylan and then attempt to create a playable game by the end of the episode. We then include the rules here in the show notes for you to play at home!Let us know what you think of this episode format on the feedback from!Prompta realtime card game [for PC]Game typeCard gameMaterials52 Card deck + two jokersSix sided die (One per Player)A stuffed trophy - we used a plush Toad! but a jesther hat would be the most appropriateSetupEach player starts with seven cards.RulesThis game happens in real time. No turns!Roll for six with the dice, if so draw a card then pass it or another card in your hand to someoneIf you’re passed a card, you have to discard a card that was not passed to you.Having a joker allows you to pick up the TROPHY (Toad) on a roll of six.If you pick up the TROPHY (Toad), the game stops, you announce you have a joker and are looking for another, if someone has it they have to give it to you, the person losing a joker draws a card, the person gaining the joker discards a card.If you have two jokers, you can end the game early by saying “haha!” at any point.If you gain a joker you cannot discard it.The game ends if someone says “haha!” or as soon as the deck runs out (and all card passes are resolved.)If you have the highest poker hand, you win!

#63"I have so much feelings..."Roundtable2018.01.02This week, your nice hosts get into it. Stephen is split on everything, Mark is the bad guy, and it's all Martha's fault.Stephen and Mark talked about their Ludum Dare 40 game, Widget Satchel, which Martha played on last week’s Nice Plays episode!Loot Systems0:03:58Stephen McGregorGame DesignZelda: Breath Of The Wild Players Are Tricking Amiibos To Grind For Rare Loot - Ethan Gach , KotakuNioh's latest patch fixes its most annoying flaw -  Jeffrey Matulef, EurogamerStephen brought up our recent episode on repetition in games,"Schrödinger’s Animal Crossing."NeuroVoider Chock-Full of Rogue-Like KillBot Twin-Stick Shooting - James Cunningham, Hardcore GamerBungie says it " betrayed" Destiny 2 fans over transparency - YouTubeLoot Boxes0:29:30Martha MegarryGamingMarketingLoot boxes in video games will soon get a review flag from OpenCritic - Sam Machkovech, Ars TechnicaWhat You Need To Know About Shadow of War's Controversial Loot Boxes - Patricia Hernandez, KotakuA Guide To The Endless, Confusing Star Wars Battlefront II Controversy - Gita Jackson, KotakuGearbox boss Randy Pitchford is ‘very much against predatory monetization schem… -  Dustin Bailey, PCGamesNAn inconvenient truth: game prices have come down with time - Ben Kuchera, Ars TechnicaI Just Got A Bunch Of Overwatch Gift Cards, And I'm Terrified To Use Them - Nathan Grayson, KotakuHow Luis Von Ahn Turned Countless Hours Of Mindless Activity Into Something Val… - Alison Griswold, Business InsiderGame Designer Damion Schubert posted a thread on Twitter about how to do loot boxes ethically. Mark was not convinced.

#15"We are artists and we should be artists."Roundtable2017.03.13A day late but worth the wait! In this high signal-to-noise roundtable episode, each member of the club picks a topic that they are particularly passionate about:Stephen shares his wisdom and guidance about playtesting your work early and often, Martha helps you get your act together in a practical discussion about project management, and Mark tries to explain the obligation he feels as an artist, but picks a weird hill to die on as he wrongly insists that Portal 2 isn't really about anything.We're trying to make the show even better and we need your input! Be nice and visit our feedback form to tell us what you think!Ice Cold Games@zacharyjohnsonNIce Games Club Feedback FormDemoing and Playtesting0:03:27Stephen McGregorProductionProject Management0:33:26Martha MegarryProductionToolstrelloAgile Development - WikipediaWaterfall Development - WikipediaKanban Development - WikipediaThe Blue Yarn - 99% Invisible - The Blue Yarn, 99% InvisibleNUMMI (2015) - NUMMI, This American LifeDavid Megarry's Three Questions all project managers should ask: “Do you have all the resources you need?" "Do you have any roadblocks or impediments?" "Are you on schedule?”“A project manager (PM) is more of a problem solver than anything else. If you don’t have the resources, the PM finds them. If there are roadblocks, the PM helps to find a way to get around them. If not on schedule, the PM alters it or adds more resources or changes scope. Above all, the PM communicates with management as to the state of the project so they can make proper decisions and not be blindsided or surprised.” -David MegarryMessages and Meanings0:52:56Mark LaCroixGame DesignSummerland - Michael Chabon, NovelA Closer Look at How Three Assassin's Creed Games Have Handled Slavery - Evan Narcisse, KotakuFor Honor's accidental alt-right connection - Allegra Frank, Polygon

#42"You can see the cabbage in it."Roundtable2017.08.30It's a slightly experimental show this week, as we try to see what a two-topic episode looks like. Also, Martha defends her love of coleslaw, Stephen still doesn't really like VR, and Mark has almost completely lost his voice.Discuss this week's episode on Reddit in r/gamedev here.Video Game Immersion0:05:54Stephen McGregorGamingOur pal and VR innovator Andrew Fladeboe.Representation and Embodiment in Virtual Reality - Jorge Albor, PopMattersWould You Kindly Read This Article on Gaming’s Greatest Plot Twist? - Mike Diver, ViceOur recent episode of Nice Plays: OneShot - Nice Games Club, YouTubeEnhancing VR Immersion with the CPU in Star Trek: Bridge Crew - Cristiano F, Intel DevelopersCognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design - Sean Baron, Game DeveloperWhy Sonic the Hedgehog is awful, and always has been - Ryan Brown, MIrrorRequiem, a “roleplaying” mod for The Elder Scrolls: SkyrimMark is up to 118 shrines in Breath of the Wild. Stephen is not happy.Main Menus and First Impressions0:39:27Mark LaCroixUI / UXWhy do console games require a button press before showing the main menu? - StackExchangeGame Design: Splash Screen - Jesse Freeman, MediumThe Ten Commandments Of Video Game Menus - Kirk Hamilton, KotakuWe didn’t get a chance to talk about it in the episode, but here is a cool brea… - Mike Fahey, Kotaku

#88The Gaming PressInterview2018.05.29Stephen is away showing off his games at the Anime Central convention, so we're also joined this week by our new permanent guest host and self-proclaimed "mean old lady," Holly Harrison, who was a guest on a previous episode!For an episode 18 months in the making, Ben Hanson, video producer for Game Informer and host of the excellent gaming podcast The Game Informer Show, finally enters the clubhouse for a wide-ranging discussion about which games and developers get the attention of the gaming press, developing games for modern audiences, and creative leadership in both AAA and indie teams.The Gaming PressGamingIRLMarketingHere is the fabled tweet that started the long road to this episode.Subscribe to The Game Informer Show via RSS (podcast) or on YouTube.Get more of Ben's unimpeachable wisdom on Twitter!How A Japanese Reality TV Show About Nothing Became A Global Hit - Mia Nakaji Monnier, BuzzfeedBen mentioned a clubhouse favorite game by a local developer, Color Jumper (on …Enjoy Martha's famous crab dance!Where the Water Tastes Like Wine Postmortem - Johnnemann Nordhagen, MediumBen mentioned the Easy Allies podcastAlan Alda's Experiment: Helping Scientists Learn To Talk To The Rest Of Us - Lulu Garcia-Navarro, NPR