In this episode, we dive head-first into the world of quests of all variants, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and share our thoughts on how they should be designed and implemented!
Is crunch in the video games industry a real problem or not? What do you use a test kit for? What is a debug menu, and why does your game need one? — All this and more, on this week’s episode of House of Games!
Your Hosts and Their Games
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/knifeboy-rebooted-switch/ — The Nintendo Switch store page for KnifeBoy Rebooted.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1799590/Red_Colony_3_Uncensored/ — The Steam store page for Red Colony 3 Uncensored.
https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=RunicCodes&ndl=1&ignore_preferences=1 — Rune’s Steam page.
https://theeliteinstitute.net/2022/12/26/the-elite-goty-awards-2022/ — The Elite Institute’s GOTY Awards 2022, where KnifeBoy Rebooted won the “Biggest Improvement Over a Previous Title” award.
https://ottowretling.medium.com/list/our-first-game-175f8c8b7ce1 — Otto’s blog about the development of “Tulip Craze”.
https://discord.gg/mYM72SQ9CP — The discord server for Game Hub Umeå.
Other Games
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us — The homepage for the game Minecraft.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/xenoblade-chronicles-definitive-edition-switch/ — The Nintendo store page for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/214510/LEGO_The_Lord_of_the_Rings/ — The Steam store page for LEGO Lord of the Rings.
https://store.steampowered.com/sub/53403/ — The Steam store page for the LEGO Batman Trilogy.
Articles, and Other Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania — The Wikipedia page for the phenomenon “Tulip Mania”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_generation — The Wikipedia page for procedural generation.
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2017-life-of-black-tiger-is-the-worst-ps4-game-weve-ever-played — An article detailing the issues with the game “Life of Black Tiger”.
https://spoti.fi/JoeRoganExperience — The Spotify page for “The Joe Rogan Experience”.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln34LD6l57Y
This time, Otto and Rune discuss the testing process for their games in development, whether you should make creative decisions to satisfy your audience or stick to your own creative vision, and the future of video game art and innovation.
Your Hosts
https://store.steampowered.com/app/889130/KnifeBoy_Rebooted/ - The game KnifeBoy, by Rune.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24596/Red_Colony_Uncensored_Threesome_Bundle/ - The Red Colony trilogy, by Rune.
https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=RunicCodes&ndl=1&ignore_preferences=1 - Rune’s steam page.
https://medium.com/@ottowretling – Otto’s blog.
Games and Other Links
https://asciicker.com/ - The homepage for ASCIICKER, a 3D browser game rendered completely with text.
https://www.factorio.com/ - The homepage for the game Factorio.
https://www.ea.com/games/harry-potter - The homepage for the Harry Potter games on PC.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/the-last-of-us/ - The homepage for The Last of Us games.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/god-of-war/ - The homepage for the God of War franchise.
https://www.crytek.com/games/crysis - The homepage for the game Crysis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breath_of_Fire_III - Breath of Fire III Wikipedia page.
https://www.reddit.com/r/matrix/comments/q2xefs/batteries_not_processors/ - Discussion on the “battery or processor” theory in The Matrix.
https://www.cbr.com/jurassic-world-nearly-featured-human-dinosaur-hybrids/ - “Before Jurassic World, the Franchise Nearly Featured Human-Dinosaur Hybrids”.
https://sea.ign.com/elden-ring/184231/news/fromsoftware-shouldnt-feel-pressured-to-add-an-easy-mode-in-their-games - An article attacking the idea of an “easy mode” in the Souls franchise.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jFu0fN09rL5KnUGMCu6xH?si=bf5dabe3beed4b02 – [In Swedish] Josef Fares tells the story of transitioning from being a movie director to starting his own game studio.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory - The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí (the painting with melting clocks).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dXOVze5hRk&list=PLiB-by5UlBGahp40kLH5e9xlCdAZtgpmz - “Minecraft - Race to The Moon” video series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging - The Wikipedia page for Rubber duck debugging.
https://youtu.be/tffX3VljTtI - Classic Game Postmortem: Deus Ex, GDC talk by Warren Spector
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-PfrfcbLio
Are you ready for an obscure open-world dark action RPG, inspired by the dark ages? ?? Well, soon it's ready for you! ? In this week's episode ?️, we talk with Mireneye, the very talented technical artist and developer ?♂️? behind the epic game almost a decade in the making; Dynasthir! ⚔️? Join us for a thrilling adventure into the world of game development! ?️?
Your Hosts and Guest, and Their Games
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2145210/Dynasthir/ - Wishlist Dynasthir on Steam!
https://discord.gg/ZZgQCSQYHx - Join the Twinlake Minstrels Discord community!
https://www.patreon.com/Mireneye - Support Mireneye on Patreon!
https://twitter.com/Mireneye - Follow Mireneye on Twitter!
https://twinlakeminstrels.wordpress.com/ - Visit the Twinlake Minstrels homepage!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2436180/Sunset_Moon/ - Wishlist Sunset Moon on Steam!
https://www.play-asia.com/red-colony-trilogy/13/70fmjh - Buy the Red Colony trilogy on Switch!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24596/Red_Colony_Uncensored_Threesome_Bundle/ - Buy the Red Colony trilogy on Steam!
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/knifeboy-rebooted-switch/ - Buy KnifeBoy on Switch!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/889130/KnifeBoy_Rebooted/ - Buy KnifeBoy on Steam!
https://ottowretling.medium.com/list/our-first-game-175f8c8b7ce1 - Read Otto's blog about the development of "Tulip Craze"!
https://discord.gg/mYM72SQ9CP - The discord server for Game Hub Umeå.
See Dynasthir in Action
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1863383756 - Stream by HurricaneKitten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM-Phe10_F4 - Stream by Switch Heads.
Games, Game Companies, and Game Engines
https://zelda.nintendo.com/tears-of-the-kingdom/ - The homepage for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
https://ffvii-remake.square-enix-games.com/en-us - The homepage for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
https://finalfantasyxhd.square-enix-games.com/en-se/home/ - The homepage for Final Fantasy X & X-2 HD Remaster.
https://www.streetfighter.com/ - The homepage for the Street Fighter franchise.
https://www.fromsoftware.jp/ww/ - The homepage for FromSoftware, the creators of the Souls games.
https://unity.com/ - The homepage for Unity.
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US - The homepage for Unreal Engine.
Videos and Audio
https://youtu.be/Kkh6wj0F0P8 - Rune's "shark video".
https://youtu.be/40jdpzrpIps - The Halo 3 "Believe" commercials.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/41IpEaymUwicuENDaOvYqf?si=768f8de9a94645e2 - Our episode with Yahya episode, about making development vlogs.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mY8RILnA3RN99TAhRwlgg?si=406ae6db74d2489b - Our episode with Switch Heads.
Get all the links and transcript for this episode right here: https://medium.com/@ottowretling/house-of-games-34-dynasthir-413521bcca2
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5ytGWBVlxg
Get ready for a brand new episode where we dive deep into the world of a Brazilian indie game studio called Lumo Entertainment with Breno Negreiros, the brilliant mind behind it all! ?? In this episode, we explore everything from their games ??, making great puzzle levels ?✨, and putting the player at the center of attention ?️?. Press play ▶️ and stay tuned! ??
Your Hosts and Guest, and Their Games
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1746700/The_Alchemist_Shop_An_Apprentices_Life/ — Buy The Alchemist Shop: An Apprentice’s Life on Steam.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1793580/Feelings/ — Wishlist Feelings on Steam.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2052150/A_Broken_Halo/ — Wishlist A Broken Halo on Steam.
https://www.lumoentertainment.com/ — The homepage for Lumo Entertainment.
https://www.patreon.com/lumoentertainment — Support Lumo Entertainment on Patreon.
https://www.instagram.com/lumo_entertainment — Follow Lumo Entertainment on Instagram.
https://discord.gg/tfZ35dgfvH — The Discord server for Lumo Entertainment.
https://linktr.ee/lumoentertainment — The Linktree page for Lumo Entertainment.
https://www.play-asia.com/red-colony-trilogy/13/70fmjh — The official store page for the physical release of the Red Colony trilogy.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/knifeboy-rebooted-switch/ — The Nintendo Switch store page for KnifeBoy Rebooted.
https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=RunicCodes&ndl=1&ignore_preferences=1 — Rune’s Steam store page.
https://ottowretling.medium.com/list/our-first-game-175f8c8b7ce1 — Otto’s blog about the development of “Tulip Craze”.
https://discord.gg/mYM72SQ9CP — The discord server for Game Hub Umeå.
Games, Game Engines, and Game Companies
https://www.madmimic.com/dac — The homepage for Dandy Ace.
http://www.rimegame.com/ — The homepage for Rime.
http://the-witness.net/ — The homepage for The Witness.
https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/hades/ — The homepage for Hades.
https://nierautomata.square-enix-games.com/switch/en-us/ — The homepage for NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition.
https://bioshockinfinite.ghoststorygames.com/the-game — The homepage for Bioshock Infinite.
https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/skyrim — The homepage for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
https://forspoken.square-enix-games.com/en-us/ — The homepage for Forspoken.
https://www.kongregate.com/games/icylime/omino — The flash game Omino (might not be playable).
https://www.guerrilla-games.com/games — The homepage for the Horizon homepage.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/uncharted/ — The homepage for the Uncharted franchise.
https://www.thinkwithportals.com/ — The homepage for the Portal franchise.
https://www.half-life.com/en/home — The homepage for the Half-Life franchise.
https://unity.com/ — The homepage for the Unity engine.
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US — The homepage for Unreal Engine.
https://www.aquiris.com.br/ — The homepage for Aquiris.
https://www.madmimic.com/ — The homepage for Mad Mimic Interactive.
Read the full episode transcription here: https://medium.com/@ottowretling/house-of-games-23-lumo-1132a67d632a
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjoPNA3xXMc
? Get ready for an electrifying ? episode where we dive deep into the exciting world of Rune's new game ?, a fiery ? rant about the weirdness of gaming culture ?, and the mysteries of localizing games ?. Don't miss out on this thrilling ? episode - tune in now and join the excitement! ?
Listen to the full episode here: https://youtu.be/9dkYfyrp9Jc
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMlyYZkl66M
The story about Mulle Meck turns 30 years old this year, and a new game is in development for the first time in a long time. Tune in to this week's episode to hear Simon Bergqvist and Anna Frew from Shaping Games discuss the new game and what to expect!
Your Hosts and Their Games
http://eepurl.com/h31Y0L - The signup link for the Mulle Meck Reboot newsletter.
https://shapinggames.com/ - The homepage for Shaping Games.
contact@shapinggames.com – The email address for sending in Mulle Meck fan art.
https://tossvr.com/ - The homepage for the game "TOSS!?".
https://www.play-asia.com/red-colony-trilogy/13/70fmjh - The official store page for the physical release of the Red Colony trilogy.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/knifeboy-rebooted-switch/ - The Nintendo Switch store page for KnifeBoy Rebooted.
https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=RunicCodes&ndl=1&ignore_preferences=1 - Rune's Steam store page.
https://ottowretling.medium.com/list/our-first-game-175f8c8b7ce1 - Otto's blog about the development of "Tulip Craze".
https://discord.gg/mYM72SQ9CP - The discord server for Game Hub Umeå.
Read the full description for this episode, including a full transcription as well as games and articles mentioned in the episode, here: https://medium.com/@ottowretling/house-of-games-episode-11-mulle-meck-a36da78e390b
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEMpV-DXw2o
??️ This week, we ?heat up? the debate on everything from game development ?️, player analytics ?, work ethics ⚖️, and more with Sweden’s latest rising ? in the games industry, Dennis Magnusson! He's the solo developer ? behind the newly released ? game “Dice Hero: The Unoriginal Story” ??♂️! Tune in and get your mind blown! ??
Your Hosts and Guest, and Their Games
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1134610/Dice_Hero_The_Unoriginal_Story/ — Buy Dice Hero: The Unoriginal Story on Steam!
https://discord.gg/6H5wDkZ — Join the MistByte Games Discord Server!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2436180/Sunset_Moon/ — Wishlist Sunset Moon on Steam!
https://www.play-asia.com/red-colony-trilogy/13/70fmjh — Buy the Red Colony trilogy on Switch!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24596/Red_Colony_Uncensored_Threesome_Bundle/ — Buy the Red Colony trilogy on Steam!
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/knifeboy-rebooted-switch/ — Buy KnifeBoy on Switch!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/889130/KnifeBoy_Rebooted/ — Buy KnifeBoy on Steam!
https://ottowretling.medium.com/list/our-first-game-175f8c8b7ce1 — Read Otto’s blog about the development of “Tulip Craze”!
https://discord.gg/mYM72SQ9CP — The Discord server for Game Hub Umeå.
Games, Game Companies and Game Engines
https://lastepoch.com/ — The homepage for Last Epoch.
https://www.megacrit.com/ — The homepage for Slay the Spire.
https://playsaurus.com/PokerQuest.html — The homepage for Poker Quest.
https://magic.wizards.com/en — The homepage for Magic: The Gathering.
https://supermario.nintendo.com/ — The homepage for Super Mario Odyssey.
https://www.half-life.com/en/home — The homepage for the Half-Life franchise.
https://www.thinkwithportals.com/ — The homepage for the Portal franchise.
https://www.storyofseasons.com/ — The homepage for the Story of Seasons franchise (Harvest Moon).
https://www.stardewvalley.net/ — The homepage for Stardew Valley.
https://animal-crossing.com/ — The homepage for the Animal Crossing franchise.
https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-jam-2022 — The homepage for GMTK Game Jam 2022.
https://gamemaker.io/en — The homepage for GameMaker.
https://unity.com/ — The homepage for Unity.
https://www.turborilla.com/ — The homepage for Turborilla.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1VF8qyhtyOg6xTdfBpU2zo — The episode of RISE’s podcast “Spelfokus”, where the CEO of Turborilla talks about implementing a 4-day work week (in Swedish).
https://www.dice.se/ — The homepage for DICE.
https://www.fromsoftware.jp/ww/index.html — The homepage for FromSoftware.
Software and Digital Stores
https://stablediffusionweb.com/ — Stable Diffusion on the web.
https://chat.openai.com/ — The homepage for ChatGPT.
https://github.com/features/copilot — The homepage for GitHub Copilot.
https://unity.com/products/unity-analytics — The homepage for Unity Analytics.
https://machinations.io/ — The homepage for Machinations.io, a web-based game analytics tool.
https://www.humblebundle.com/ — The homepage for Humble Bundle.
https://assetstore.unity.com/ — The homepage for Unity Asset Store.
Other Links and Articles
https://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_httpmethods.asp — A tutorial about HTTP request methods.
https://curl.se/ — The homepage for cURL.
https://www.hbo.com/silicon-valley — The homepage for the Silicon Valley TV-series.
https://melodifestivalen.se/ — The homepage for Melodifestivalen (in Swedish).
Get all the links and transcription for this episode right here: https://medium.com/@ottowretling/house-of-games-32-dice-hero-c5760547754a
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxqCuHYy7L4
?️? This week, we get a revisit from Jamie Arron ??, the director, and creative mind ?? behind Kittens in Timespace ??. In this episode, we give you an exclusive review ?️? of his newest project, the yet-to-be-released game “Kickback Slug: Cosmic Courier” ? ??, and a discussion about game design ?, UX ?, and how to get your project across that very elusive finish line ??!
Listen to the full interview here: https://youtu.be/dB-BpOD6oC0
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsRSuUbm8-Q