Episodes

  • "Numbers go up." Scoring 101; Turning off the Gamedev Brain

    "Numbers go up." Scoring 101; Turning off the Gamedev Brain
    Oct 3 2024
    In this episode, Ellen does some work research. Everyone else gets to learn about what Ellen was like as a student. Stephen wonders if he’s made a huge mistake. And Mark insists that there is no such thing as magic.Stephen started a new class: Film making Ellen forced her parents to play another game! Parks Board GameMark saw the Badger Badger Mushroom song for the first time and was underwhelmed. Consequently, Dale was editing and then also got to see it for the first time, and found that this was the correct response. This video is over 20 years old (2003).Badger Badger Mushroom - Weeb's Stuff, YouTubeMark is (still) working on some User Interface Tools in Unity, called NobleTools0:11:26Scoring 101The four types of scoring discussed: 1. Victory Points 2. Experience Points 3. Stats based scoring 4. Hit PointsPerplexity conversationNoodleThe Training ArcadeKurt Vonnigut The Shape of StoriesStephen JohnsonBig ThinkSumming Salt - Mario Kart DSSumming SaltYouTube0:42:39Turning off the Gamedev BrainMoonwalking with EinsteinWikipediaEllen has been watching the behind the scenes special feature for ' The House that Dragons Built'
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  • Optimization (with Jarryd Huntley)

    Optimization (with Jarryd Huntley)
    Sep 26 2024
    Entering the clubhouse this week is our the third Owl (employee of Owlchemy Labs) and first Peabody Award winner (as lead developer for We Are OFK), to talk about the "dos," "don'ts," and "good enoughs" of optimization.Cleveland video game designer Jarryd Huntley wins Peabody Award for ‘We Are OFK’ - Joey Morona, cleveland.comWe are OFK - Peabody AwardsCleveland Game Developers - LinktreeOptimizationHardwareProductionProgrammingIs Using LINQ in C# Bad for Performance? - James Vickers, The Startup For Vs Foreach In C# - Sagar Gavand, C# CornerJarryd HuntleyGuest
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  • "It's hard how my mind works." Audio Middleware; Psychic Distance

    "It's hard how my mind works." Audio Middleware; Psychic Distance
    Sep 19 2024

    There are now episodes of Nice Games Club for each new day of the year! When you get to the last day of that year, you'll hear about Audio Middleware and Psychic Distance from us in the clubhouse.

    • About the Fair - Minnesota State Fair
    0:17:06Audio MiddlewareAn example of audio tech conversations we've had in the past.Game Audio Tools and WorkflowsWwiseAudiokineticFMODFMOD0:51:32Psychic DistancePsychic Distance: what it is and how to use itEmma DarwinThis Itch of Writing
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  • Nice Thinking: "Player Personas"

    Nice Thinking: "Player Personas"
    Sep 12 2024
    In this episode the boys are back in Minneapolis, but they are still thinking about their time with Ellen in Duluth, or Roboluth ;) sSo they are using this episode to talk about instructions, again, but this time though the lens of the different types of "user personas" who will be reading it.InstructionsWhat is Roboston?Roboston is a tabletop game that the the Nice Games Club came up with during an podcast Game Jam Episode. For anyone new to the podcast, we recommend starting two episodes back (at 362), for some background on the game. For those of you who wish for a full memory restoration, here is the full episode list:The original Nice Game Jam where Roboston was concievedRoboston! (Live at 2D Con 2020)A follow up episode 197 continues the devlopment because they were so excited about RobostonRoboston! (part 2)The club worked on the game over winter break in 2020-21, episode 207 summarizes what they worked on."It’s March tomorrow."We again visited Roboston over our 2023-24 winter break, and talk about in in episode 337"The Roboston Sessions"Mark and Steven visit Ellen in Duluth where they play a bunch of Roboston"Apply your context, thusly."Rulebook isMore than a script for “the teach”Verbal and visual (and, increasingly, multimedia)Define your PlayersSteve BromleyGame User ResearchDefine your PlayersUser persona is the UX term, Player persona is used in gamesThings to add to the FAQsDoes the value affected by the repeater also get multiplied if you’re adding a part? Does the value for a new part always have to come from the torso? Can you send the robot without having arms/legs/heads? How many dice should I try to go for in this check?Player Personas1. Roboston new playersBox inventory list Anatomical diagram of a robot Game setup diagram (game as a whole, what’s in your hand) Reference cards (player actions, game phases, etc.)2. Roboston experienced players Table of contents Stats for nerds Index (?) FAQ section3. Inexperienced tabletop game players Invitation to play, sense of fun Build trust with the player as the rulebook progresses4. Experienced tabletop game playersResource, reference Allow them to get right to the core, fast
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  • The Duluth Basement Session

    The Duluth Basement Session
    Sep 6 2024

    Once again from hilly Duluth, Minnesota! On Day 2 of a game design weekend retreat, your nice hosts tackled rules—writing rules, rewriting rules, and playtesting them. It was a long day, culminating with a family playtest of Roboston, featuring a newly written rulebook. How did it go? Well, there's more work to be done, but we learned a lot. Your hosts discuss this and more in today's episode, recorded on Day 3 of Mark's and Stephen's trip to Duluth.

    • Minnesotan Phrases - Wanderlust In Real Life
    • Dante is the adorable troublemaker who barked MULTIPLE TIMES during the recording session.
    Resources for Rules-WritingTop Six Rules for Writing RulebooksMeeple MountainHow to Teach GamesThe Giant Brain
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  • "Apply your context, thusly." Instructions; Cynicism

    "Apply your context, thusly." Instructions; Cynicism
    Aug 29 2024

    It's a nice sleepover as this (and next) week's episode is recorded from Ellen's basement in Duluth. Mark has an angle, Ellen shares her topic, and Stephen manages.

    • The view from the rotating resturant that Mark took Stephen to - Ragnar Eythorsson, YouTube
    • Karen Puzzles - Karen Kavett, YouTube
      • 178 (TNG) + 176 (DS9) + 7 (TOS movies, including "Generations" because Kirk was in it) = 361 episodes
      • Nice Games Club = 362 episodes

    • One Piece aired it's 362nd episode 16 years ago. As of press time, it's up to 1116.

    • Our next target is My Three Sons, which has 380 episodes. We will reach that milestone at the end of 2024.

    0:07:31Instructions0:33:35Cynicism
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  • "The lensing effect of the window." Theming vs. Aesthetics; Parries

    "The lensing effect of the window." Theming vs. Aesthetics; Parries
    Aug 22 2024
    It’s hot in the clubhouse and hot in Ellen’s greenhouse this week, so your hosts are eager to crunch through some discussion. Ellen introduces the concept of the MDA framework, and the differences between Theming and Aesthetics, and Stephen comes to a major conclusion about parrying.0:06:40Theming vs. AestheticsThe MDA FrameworkWikipediaEllen promised Dictionary.com definitions, so here you go:AestheticsDictionary.comThemeDictionary.comWe talked about theming and aesthetics for a GameJam Game from a previous episodeThe Bike BoomAlien Isolation Themes explored n : Demystifying the Terror of Alien IsolationAndy RobertsonWired0:28:56ParriesStephen's list of why parries are so popular: 1) A way to reward mastery or paying attention 2) Rewards participation 3) An appreciable way to consider mastering the game The different variations of Parrying 1) Just Dodges 2) Traditional Parrying (miss = block) 3) Dynamic Parrying release parrying 4) Alternate button (paper mario parrying) EVO Moment 37Wikipedia
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  • Accessibility (with Dave McKee)

    Accessibility (with Dave McKee)
    Aug 15 2024
    We invite music producer and sound designer Dave McKee into the clubhouse to talk about accessibility in games this week.AccessibilityAccessibilityGame DesignControl Accessibility Report - "Vivek Gohil, Ben Kendall", Family Gaming DatabaseInclusive Gaming: How Game Developers Can Make Video Games More Inclusive And A… - Accessibility.comVisual impairment accessibility musts:High ContrastUser-set color schemesBig Icons! (more important even than large text, which is also important)Leverage Haptics (HD Rumble) paired with visual cuesToning the music down (Dave recommends, regretfully)Accessibility options should come up at a game’s first-launchThe next Forza will help blind players race by listening to ‘beeps and boops’ - Tom Warren, The VergeRay Tracer - WayverbHow Next-Gen Audio Improvements in Snowdrop Could Mean Real-Time ‘Ray-Tracing A… - Youssef Maguid, UbisoftTekken 8 Accessibility Features Are Causing Controversy - Trumann Tu, GameRantThe Importance of Audio Described Cutscenes - Dom Parker, LinkedInSelf-Voicing - Ren'PyAdditional Resources not talked about on the showXbox Accessibility Guidelines V3.2 - MIcrosoftCan I Play That? - Can I Play That?XR Access - XR AccessDave McKeeGuestAn electronic and orchestral music producer and sound designer going by the name ViRiX.External linkLinktree
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