Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

It's Global Game Jam 2018! In this special jam episode you'll hear field interviews with gamedevs at the Minneapolis Gamecraft site mid-jam as they work on their games. Then your nice hosts talk all about how the weekend went for them and what they each got out of the experience. Martha is a stage manager, Mark can't help but make artistic developer art and Stephen is the GGJ MVP.Stephen’s GGJ game: ”Dicer and Clasp: Dungeon Skedaddle”. - Stephen's GGJ Team, GGJMark’s GGJ gam: ”CMYK”. - Mark's GGJ Team, GGJMarth's GGJ InterviewsAdia on Twitter. Adia’s game: “Jank Escape”Ellen on Twitter. Ellen worked with Stephen on “Dicer and Clasp.”“Intergalactic Transmissing”“Radwave”“Social Anxiety Simulator”“Space Pirate Radio”Charles’ wry tweet about the GGJ theme.Global Game Jam 2018Intergalactic Transmissing found the community at nesdev.com a great resource f…Mark used a very helpful open-source library called VRTK for his GGJ game.Mark used AssetForge to create 3D assets for his GGJ game.Rachel Peterson was a guest on a previous episode.Games Education

(Watch this and other Nice Plays on YouTube in HD-quality.)All three of your nice hosts play ball in this episode, taking each other to task in the super-playful party fighter Lethal League. Martha almost beats Stephen, Stephen patiently tries to explain it to Mark, and Mark doesn't understand what's happening even when he's winning.Video

(Watch this and other Nice Plays on YouTube in HD-quality.)In this episode, Mark dies a lot in Nioh, but his complaining has nothing to do with that.We're trying something new with Nice Plays, where we pick up our episode a little ways into a game rather that starting from the beginning. We'll also be talking about a particular mechanic or feature in the game which relates to a topic we had discussed in detail on a previous episode of the podcast.We're taking baby steps in this direction with this episode, where we pick up about an hour into the game, and focus a bit on the loot system. Your nice hosts discussed loot systems (and loot boxes) a few weeks ago in the episode "I have so much feelings." (https://nicegames.club/2018/01/i-have-so-much-feelings-loot-systems-loot-boxes/)Video

It's been awhile since your nice hosts recorded in the clubhouse, and they have a lot to talk about, including news about Martha's now-in-development point-and-click game!This, plus the return of Mortho, an uncritical endorsement of capitalism, and Stephen admitting that Uncharted 4 maybe had some good things about it.That Nintendo Labo Robot Game Looks Awfully Familiar - Chris Kohler, KotakuThe Global Game Jam is this weekend! It’s not too late to sign up!An Overwatch Women's League isn't the answer - Ashley Oh, Polygon0:10:06SteamThe biggest issues with Steam in 2017, according to 230 developersLars DoucetPC GamerVerdant Skies will be out on Steam real soon!We previously talked about Steam Direct in the clubhouse..."We joke here."...and had Andy, Beth and Gabe Korth in to discuss Steam Greenlight.Steam GreenlightA few alternatives to Steam: Itch.io, Good Old Games, Humble Bundle, Robot Cache.So You Want To Compete With SteamLars DoucetGame Developer0:43:35Games in GamesTV Tropes has a great list of games within games.The secret world of hidden gamesK. Thor JensenGeek.comMicrosoft Excel ‘95 contained Hall of Tortured Souls and Excel ‘97 had a space simulator!Long Lost Emulation Easter Egg Discovered in GoldenEyeKate CoxKotakuInside the Development of Gaming's Biggest Mystery, 'Frog Fractions 2'Patrick KlepekWaypointUncharted 4 Has The Perfect Video Game EndingLuke PlunkettKotakuWolfenstein 3D returns with a twist in Wolfenstein 2Patrick GillPolygonOne of Martha’s favorite games, Spy Fox in Dry Cereal, contains a small game ca…

This week, your nice hosts are introduced by Felix Foster, writer and narrative designer, to talk about character dialogue (or dialog, as was deemed also appropriate during the show).Character DialogueGame DesignProductionFelix mentions The Prophet from The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, who is looking for… - xenmordoc, YouTubeHere’s examples of audio logs from Bioshock Infinite. - YouTubeFallout 4’s 'Full Dialogue' Mod Makes The Game Way Better  - Kirk Hamilton, KotakuBranching Conversation Systems and the Working Writer, Part 1: Introduction - Alexander Freed, Game DeveloperClementine Won't Remember That: The False Promises of Telltale's The Walking De… - Matthew Byrd, , Den of GeekWe talked about character creation and motivations in a previous episode,"Shaniqua Shepard sounds cool."

Another year of great games! All "four" of your hosts gather in the freezing clubhouse to talk about some of the nicest games of 2017. They decided that they couldn't ALL talk about Zelda and Mario for the whole episode so each of them picked exactly two games to highlight. Mark is on brand, Stephen makes some ambitious resolutions and Martha totally didn't cheat the system.Listen to Sara’s Widget Satchel Soundtrack here! - Sara FerrartPlay the jam version of Widget Satchel - Ludum Dare0:08:19Martha’s/Mortho’s Nicest (2017)Thimbleweed ParkTerrible Toybox, IncSlime RancherMonomi ParkDestiny 2BungieCheck out #madewithblocks on Twitter to see/share amazing things made with Bloc…We talk a lot about Destiny 2 in our topic, Repetition, in our episode"Schrödinger’s Animal Crossing."0:22:09Mark’s Nicest (2017)Star Trek: Bridge CrewUbisoftGorogoaBuried Signal & Annapurna InteractiveThe old school Star Trek game we reminisced about is probably Star Trek: The Ne…Spectrum HolobyteWe talked about VR immersion in a past episode"You can see the cabbage in it."If you are local stop by Glitch’s VR Night run by Mark!The Puzzle Of A Lifetime Chris Kohler Kotaku0:32:33Stephen’s Nicest (2017)ArmsNintendoNeurovoiderFlying Oak GamesHear more about Stephen’s love for fighting games on our Fighting game topci in episode, "Shaniqua Shepard sounds cool."0:38:35Stephen's Most Anticipated (for 2018)Soul Calibur 6Michael McWhertorPolygonKirby 2018NintendoYouTubeSmash on the Switch (NINTENDO PLEASE)Martha's/Mortho's Most Anticipated (for 2018)Mineko’s Night MarketMeowza GamesOobletsGlumberland

This 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!0:03:58Loot SystemsZelda: Breath Of The Wild Players Are Tricking Amiibos To Grind For Rare LootEthan Gach KotakuNioh's latest patch fixes its most annoying flaw Jeffrey MatulefEurogamerStephen brought up our recent episode on repetition in games,"Schrödinger’s Animal Crossing."NeuroVoider Chock-Full of Rogue-Like KillBot Twin-Stick ShootingJames CunninghamHardcore GamerBungie says it " betrayed" Destiny 2 fans over transparencyYouTube0:29:30Loot BoxesLoot boxes in video games will soon get a review flag from OpenCriticSam MachkovechArs TechnicaWhat You Need To Know About Shadow of War's Controversial Loot BoxesPatricia HernandezKotakuA Guide To The Endless, Confusing Star Wars Battlefront II ControversyGita JacksonKotakuGearbox boss Randy Pitchford is ‘very much against predatory monetization schem… Dustin BaileyPCGamesNAn inconvenient truth: game prices have come down with timeBen KucheraArs TechnicaI Just Got A Bunch Of Overwatch Gift Cards, And I'm Terrified To Use ThemNathan GraysonKotakuHow Luis Von Ahn Turned Countless Hours Of Mindless Activity Into Something Val…Alison GriswoldBusiness InsiderGame Designer Damion Schubert posted a thread on Twitter about how to do loot boxes ethically. Mark was not convinced.

(Watch this and other Nice Plays on YouTube for HD-quality.)It's an Xmas miracle! In this jumbo-sized edition, your nice hosts play 36 (!!!) games in less than 50 minutes! Each of these games were created during the 40th Ludum Dare online game jam, which took place December 1st - 4th, 2017.Stephen and Mark participated in this jam with friends of the show Sara Ferret and Lane Davis, and to cap off this episode, Martha plays their game, Widget Satchel.GamesAntiBucketAvoidanceBabies with GunsBetween StationsBrick RacerClaustrophobiaCoinminator 2000Critters Inc.CrosstalkDangle CopterApparently I'm a DetectiveThe Fabulous Orchestra of Mister VincentGames Games GamesGreen Chefs and PancakesHeartless JumpHeavy HeartsHUDdledI'm Not HereJust Another DayKetchup QuestKiwi is the KeyToo Many RulesFit InMini MysteryMothsNo Coins AllowedNoteBoyOffice EscapeSynapseTailThe Adequate ShepardThe GravediggerI'll Take You To Tomato TownToo Many Cats!Enjoy the FlowersWidget SatchelVideo

Your nice hosts interview Ben Burnes, sole developer of recently released Color Jumper, to discuss the process of finally releasing a game, and the lessons learned along the way.Releasing a GameMarketingProductionColor Jumper is available on Steam right now! You can try it out on the itch.io pageThe 20/60/20 Rule of Leadership” - Derrick Strand, LinkedInBen had mixed results with Keymailer.Ben shared two years(!!) of in-development GIFs of Color Jumper.Facepunch.Steamworks is a C# Library for Steamworks.Will Tice was a previous guest who we talked to about solo development.Solo DevelopmentBen talked about how every last 10% of work is another 90% of work, and so on. But don’t worry, because 0.999... is equal to 1!The Agile Composer: Project Management for Game Audio -  Dan Hulsman, Video Game Music Academy

This week is Stephen's first turn as roundtable host, Mark teaches us about film and Martha sells her soul for three Destiny 2 faction tokens.Mark and Stephen and friends made it through Ludum Dare! Check out their game called Widget Satchel.0:02:49InfluencesWhat Is Blackout Poetry? These Fascinating Poems Are Created From Existing Art E. Ce MillerBustleThat action/puzzle game Stephen was trying to remember was Meteos.We talked about Star Wars Episode 1 Racing in our episode on racing games."We joke here."The Secret of Mario's Jump (and other Versatile Verbs)Game Maker's ToolkitYouTubeThe Norwood Suite Is A Very Different Kind Of Music Game EThan GachKotaku0:46:44RepetitionThe Unexpected Joy Of Repetition In Video GamesHeather AlexanderKotakuDesert Bus comes to VR at long lastOwen S. GoodPolygonStuck on repeat: why we love repetition in musicTom Service The GuardianSaying the same word over again until it means nothing is called semantic satia…WikipediaLoops EpisodeRadiolabPodcast