Click here to listen and enjoy to your favourite podcast about blue cups:
Episode 1: Animation, The Dig, Metal Dead. (http://t.co/Td8Samfk)
Episode 2: Backgrounds, Project Nomads, Ico. (http://t.co/X1Xp8I2F)
Episode 3: Remakes, E3, Journey, Botanicula. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_03.mp3)
Episode 4: Vince Twelve, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, inFAMOUS 2. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_04.mp3)
Episode 5: Designing & Writing, The Walking Dead Episode 1, Br�tal Legend. (http://t.co/6gfX6Hvo)
Episode 6: Boss Battles, Killzone 2, Rayman Origins. (http://t.co/hh19ImQV)
Episode 7: Introductions, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, Tiny Bang Story. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_07.mp3)
Case 8: Releasing Your Game! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_08.mp3)
Episode? NEIN!: Starting a New Project (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_09.mp3)
Episode 10: 2013! The Morales Paradox! PETER GABRIEL! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_10.mp3)
Episode 11: Art direction! Full Throttle is good! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_11.mp3)
Episode 12: Deadlines! OROW! Magic Potions! Friendship! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_12.mp3)
Episode 13: Top Scores! Game music! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_13.mp3)
Episode 14: OROW Games! Dialogue! Silliness! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_14.mp3)
Episode 15: Consequence! Multiple endings! *SPOILERS*! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_15.mp3)
Episode 16: Companion characters! Friendship and shit like that. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_16.mp3)
Episode 17: Atmosphere and other environmental concerns. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_17.mp3)
Episode 18: Grundislav is a cat. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_18.mp3)
Episode 19: Is this even a podcast? (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_19.mp3)
Episode 19.5: Top Scores 2! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_TS2.mp3)
Episode 20: Podcats. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_20.mp3)
Episode 21: Objectives in games etc (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_21.mp3)
Episode 22: Assorted remakes, hello Joel (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_22.mp3)
Episode 23: Interface discussions, etc (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_23.mp3)
Episode 24: Halloween! Spooooky! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_24.mp3)
Episode 25: Schedules! Other rambly crap! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_25.mp3)
Episode 26: Robert A Williams!!! :angry: (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_26.mp3)
Top Scores #3! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_TS3.mp3)
Epissode 27: Anatoly. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_27.mp3)
Epissode 28: Development workflow! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_28.mp3)
Epissode 29: On game types (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_29.mp3)
THIRTY: BALLS (teamwork) (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_30.mp3)
Episode 31: Dave Gilbert! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_31.mp3)
Episode 32: Testing & Feedback (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_32.mp3)
Episode 33: ?????????????????? (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_33.mp3)
Episode 34: DANE KRAMS (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_34.mp3)
Episode 35: Censorship, privacy, taboos etc (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_35.mp3)
Episode 36: Vegemite and paint flavoured tea (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_36.mp3)
Episode 37: Vince Twelve again! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_37.mp3)
Episode 38: Work environment. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_38.mp3)
Episode 39: Cutting the fat. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_39.mp3)
Episode 40: GDC (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_40.mp3)
Episode 41: Animation #2 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_41.mp3)
Episode 42: Music (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_42.mp3)
Episode 43: Backgrounds again (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_43.mp3)
Episode 44: Andail (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_44.mp3)
Episode 45: Sex Tapes Voice Acting (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_45.mp3)
Episode 46: Beta testing/feedback (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_46.mp3)
Episode 47: I honestly don't even remember it was so long ago D: (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_47.mp3)
Episode 48: Designing a story specifically for a game. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_48.mp3)
Episode 49: Coding! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_49.mp3)
Episode 50: Talking Adventure with Richard Cobbett. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_50.mp3)
Episode 51: It's the fifty first episode, yes it is! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_51.mp3)
Episode 52: Learning! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_52.mp3)
Episode 53: Hello again, Dave Gilbert! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_53.mp3)
Episode 54: The mailbag (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_54.mp3)
Episode 55: Development pitfalls (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_55.mp3)
Episode 56: Regrets & Things we'd do differently (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_56.mp3)
Episode 57: Making games - as a set of skills. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_57.mp3)
Episode 58: Crisis in games as a plot motivator. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_58.mp3)
Episode 59: Dave Gilbert returns! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_59.mp3)
Episode 60: Context. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_60.mp3)
Episode 61: Pacing in design & writing. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_61.mp3)
Episode 62: AdventureX (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_62.mp3)
Episode 63: THE YEAR IT FLOODED (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_63.mp3)
Episode 64: Imposter Syndrome (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_64.mp3)
Episode 65: Remakes (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_65.mp3)
Episode 66: Design without words (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_66.mp3)
Episode 67: Narration and Minigames (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_67.mp3)
Episode 68: GDC 2015 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_68.mp3)
Episode 69: Thinking about other genres (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_69.mp3)
Episode 70: Promoting your game (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_70.mp3)
Episode 71: Changes midway through production (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_71.mp3)
Episode 72: NOW YOU HAVE RUINED IT :angry::angry::angry: (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_72.mp3)
Episode 73: Stepping out (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_73.mp3)
Episode 74: Length and pacing (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_74.mp3)
Episode 75: Endings (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_75.mp3)
Episode 76: Look, are you going to give me a choice here? (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_76.mp3)
Episode 77: Being "Fun" vs being "Interesting" (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_77.mp3)
Episode 78: I wonder when Francisco will realize the first post has had Comic Sans as the font for months now (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_78.mp3)
Episode 79: DIE (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_79.mp3)
Episode 80: Trappings of the genre (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_80.mp3)
Episode 81: A T 1 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_81.mp3)
Episode 82: A T M O S F E A R (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_82.mp3)
Just lower the volume of music when you talk next, or maybe no music at all, at the Metal dead part I was really having trouble understanding what was being said. Otherwise, interesting stuff.
I agree with GraphicsGale (although I have some issues with getting transparency), I tried Pro Motion and while it has a lot of good tools for pixel art, the interface is clunky and really unusual. I mean just as a simple example Ctrl+Z, which is Undo in every Windows program I know, in PM it's not.
Also ASE Sprite is pretty good, doesn't have a big range of tools and the layers/frames view could be in a separate window instead of having to switch, but otherwise it's pretty light and easy to get used to.
A couple of others have mentioned this, so I will mention it to our producer Grundislav. Thanks for pointing it out :D
Aw yisssss, I am all up on this. Will listen...later today maybe perhaps.
I have pinned a piece of paper to the BlueCupTools corkboard saying "veryweirdguy is our #1 fan" in anticipation of your approval :D
Quote from: Anian on Sat 09/06/2012 09:57:16
I mean just as a simple example Ctrl+Z, which is Undo in every Windows program I know, in PM it's not.
I beg to differ :P I'd rather say, you somehow mixed up your hotkeys. In pm it's crtl-z like everywhere else.
But now I got to listen to this podcast :D
ooh good job! I really enjoyed this. I totally need to give Rotoscoping a try :D
Dirk: Indeed you must!
Azure: Hooray, thanks :D. Heed Francisco's warning: Action stunts can be dangerous to film!
Hehe, good show. Although I couldn't listen completely to the redneck rant music due some whispering on top of it :P
It's really interesting hearing you talk about animations, a topic usually not that much discussed, because usually everyone seems to be much more into backgrounds.
So yeah, please do more!
Edit: There's also the stickman-method, which I happen to use for unusual situations.
(http://shatten.sonores.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ashra-sit2-bones.gif)(http://shatten.sonores.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ashra-sit2.gif)
Oh, and if there's any chance to see some rotoscope-outtakes... I bet there's an audience waiting for it :D
Here's the mentioned part of HHH2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXpZpQWYpgQ#t=3m21s
Listened to this when I woke up this morning.. what madness!
I agree about the music being a little loud near the end, although overall it was very well put together. Thanks for the talk about animation. I don't have to ask my noobish questions now :embarrassed:
I loved it, especially Grundislav's stuntman story. At first I thought you were going to say you'd walked into the bedroom wall or something silly but no, and not even away from public scrutiny either.. Wish I was your neighbour. Legend :grin:
Look forward to more.. I don't want to be a Loser.
Quote from: abstauber on Sat 09/06/2012 12:25:12
Oh, and if there's any chance to see some rotoscope-outtakes... I bet there's an audience waiting for it :D
I make sure to delete them as soon as I'm finished filming them. NO ONE MUST EVER KNOW!
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 09/06/2012 16:38:17
Quote from: abstauber on Sat 09/06/2012 12:25:12
Oh, and if there's any chance to see some rotoscope-outtakes... I bet there's an audience waiting for it :D
I make sure to delete them as soon as I'm finished filming them. NO ONE MUST EVER KNOW!
When I filmed Kim and her friend as references for the sexy dance party in Forever Friday 2, I made sure to never delete the files. :wink:
Also, hooray new podcast! \o/
Good tips and alot of info.
I really enjoyed it, I'd go with a quieter more subtle music or at least tone down the volume.(Gotta Love the rayman music.)
Good tips on animation and some general info about a few things. You guys complement eachother, so good synergy between you two.
The part about watching your self for doing animations is how I've been doing and haha I always wondered if someone saw me.
Hugo house of horrors and the others were pretty awesome to me when I was a kid. I got stuck in that damn cage in number 3.
Anyways thought it was awesome you should do one a week or two and add in more stuff about whats going on in the community or have like a game pick of the week/month made in ags to play.
We discussed the music and both agree that it needs to stay, we're just going to make it a little quieter :D.
As for frequency we haven't really decided on one yet, although it'd be pretty awesome to do one on a regular basis. Eventually we're bound to run out of informative things to say and it will end up being 45 minutes of us doing stupid segments in stupid voices, because that's easily our favourite thing to do!
Thanks to everyone for the feedback, nice catch on the Rayman Origins music Frito Master, and thanks Khris for the HHH vid. That's brilliant! :cheesy:
How about you do the next episode as a behind the scenes look at the making of ~~Airwave 2~~, which had better be coming out soon or I shall be very cross. :angry: :angry: :kiss:
Yay! I offer myself up to be a guest at some point! I AM FASCINATING!
Edit: I love The Dig. I haven't played it for probably ten years because it will almost certainly ruin it for me.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Mon 11/06/2012 02:31:18
I offer myself up to be a guest at some point! I AM FASCINATING!
Cool. Airwave 2 AND the return of Twelve Interviews. 2012 is shaping up to be an awesome year. :=
Something I forgot to mention to Frito Master before: I pick a game of the month each month, which is at the top of the page on the games page. If you'd like I could also mention it in the podcast.
Also, wow, we've already got special guests and behind the scenes episodes being planned for us. We were kinda thinking we'd just do a 2 serious episodes and then from that point just turn it into an audio periodical in which we make strange noises for 40 minutes and then rant in hillbilly voices for 57 seconds at the end.
Which, you must admit, would also be pretty darn good!
Ah, I saw.
Sounds good, Looking forward to the next one.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 11/06/2012 10:30:05
audio periodical
This makes it sound so
classy, like I should put on a smoking jacket and have the dog fetch my slippers while I sit in my favorite lounge chair by the fireplace to listen to it. (nod)
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/hughheifer.gif)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sat 09/06/2012 11:16:16
I have pinned a piece of paper to the BlueCupTools corkboard saying "veryweirdguy is our #1 fan" in anticipation of your approval :D
I listened, so laminate it.
QuoteI mean just as a simple example Ctrl+Z, which is Undo in every Windows program I know, in PM it's not.
I love the interface for Pro Motion, it's slick and to the point. And apparently you didn't know (so I'm educating you) that you can remap every control to a key of your choice via the preferences.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Wed 13/06/2012 15:26:11
QuoteI mean just as a simple example Ctrl+Z, which is Undo in every Windows program I know, in PM it's not.
I love the interface for Pro Motion, it's slick and to the point. And apparently you didn't know (so I'm educating you) that you can remap every control to a key of your choice via the preferences.
Yeah, somebody mentioned it before, I tried an older version, apparently I checked the manuals and they changed it.
The key shortcut was just an example, I just couldn't get used to it for some reason, that's the major reason I hated Blender for a long time as well.
Yeah I still dislike blender, I like xsi over everything. Next up 3dmax.
Just listened to it - good stuff! Really looking forward to the next one!
Also - rotoscoping is the best. I think He-Man proved that. :-D
New episode is up! We discuss backgrounds, review some games, and take fan feedback!
Get it here! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_02.mp3)
I'm loving the ending 4 minutes. Very engrossing.
Really interesting. Keep them coming!
Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Fri 15/06/2012 22:44:32
I'm loving the ending 4 minutes. Very engrossing.
Indeed, making suggestions and questions is mentioned like ten times in the episode and then there's the ending produced by a comment from the first episode. :grin: There is a warning before it so I guess it's ok.
But, yeah, interesting, just the right timing as well, I wanted to listen to something before going to sleep.
Grabbed, Tagged and Ipod-add(ed).
Can't wait to listen on my walk to work.
Sweet biscuits! Another episode? Why, this is what you might call an ongoing concern. :shocked:
UPDATE: They read my letter, mockingly. I'm somebody now! :cheesy:
(Although I was a bit disappointed that you failed to refer to me as "The Iron Man of AGS").
Your feedback makes our podcasting all so worthwhile! Nice to know people are interested in this sort of thing :cheesy:
Don't forget you can tell us anything you'd like us to cover, or any other suggestions. We have plenty we'd like to talk about, but more ideas is always good.
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 16/06/2012 07:08:09
(Although I was a bit disappointed that you failed to refer to me as "The Iron Man of AGS").
You could always write in a letter of complaint that you weren't referred to as this so that I can read it out on the air again for everyone to listen to and take note of...
I'll just leave this here.
How to submit a podcast to the iTunes Store (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1819)
*walks away nonchalantly*
So apparently, iTunes have recently implemented a new requirement, which is having your server allow byte-range requests in order to submit your podcast to their directory. Since I have no idea how to even begin doing that, we have decided to say "F.U. iTunes!" However, we still have an RSS Feed you can subscribe to, to be alerted to new episodes.
Blue Cup Tools RSS (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/bct.xml)
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 16/06/2012 07:08:09
Sweet biscuits! Another episode? Why, this is what you might call an ongoing concern. :shocked:
UPDATE: They read my letter, mockingly. I'm somebody now! :cheesy:
(Although I was a bit disappointed that you failed to refer to me as "The Iron Man of AGS").
You even got your own podcast ending :O which I learned alot from.
Edit: Also another interesting podcast guys. No complaints.
Also I hate when I mark on the wrong layer.
Ok after hearing the second pod cast I now understand how some things like shades in your backgrounds look so smooth ben. I thought you used the smudge tool (roll) Foolish me.
I started off using the smudge tool. It works, but it's ineffective.
I know, I think I might buy another tablet unless I can buy another pen.
Oooo I want to make a suggestion! Interview Vince about Resonance.
Do it! I demand this. My foot is firmly down.
So... Are you done yet? Where's the interview already? Waiting... >:(
My second dream is to be interviewed on the BlueCupTools Podcast!!!!! :D
Now that's something I'd like to hear (PubMaster interview)!
Yes! Interview Vince (I hear he has a new cat or a new game or something). After that, interview Icey. Then interview Dualnaems so he can interview you about interviewing him. This is clearly an awesome plan. (nod)
Interview me about why I love fritos so much, Though I may need a 35 to 45min segment to describe them.
Do it in a range of silly voices and we'll consider it. (nod)
Heh, if that was directed to me. Don't encourage me cause I will haha.
Hey Ben you play in a band? Have you posted any of your music in the forum?
My band has never recorded a song yet. You can see some demos of stuff I've recently written on my dev journal tumblr thing though.
Interview me. Even if it's not about AGS. I NEED THE PUBLICITY. (http://pucomic.com)
Brilliant! I'm here animating as Ben's talking tween frames. Massively motivational, great work.
Quote from: Chicky on Wed 20/06/2012 00:06:19
Brilliant! I'm here animating as Ben's talking tween frames. Massively motivational, great work.
After listening to them mock me for drawing everything by hand, I was actually motivated enough to break out my tablet and use it for my MAGS game. Clearly, this podcast is the best thing to happen to AGS ever (except for Oceanspirit Dennis, of course). One listen and we're all better people for it! ;-D
vwg: I've been on the phone to your agent. She says you'll be busy all week with the ice-cream sponsorship people. You shouldn't get my hopes up like that :(
Chicken: We're total animation bros/colleagues/comrades now :D
Ponch: Man, I feel so influential now! Everybody wear silly hats!
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 20/06/2012 04:07:39
Man, I feel so influential now! Everybody wear silly hats!
Done and done!
Me too. (http://i.imgur.com/sZWG4.jpg)
You want more?
Here is more! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_03.mp3)
Quote from: Grundislav on Wed 20/06/2012 04:54:53
You want more?
Here is more! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_03.mp3)
Hooray! Time to put on my "special occasions hat". (http://www.barnrunner.com/OSD/Roger-Dennis-Wink.gif)
http://www.barnrunner.com/OSD/OSD_Hat.png
It's not every hat that has a smiley face skull, you know.
/me approves of this 304%
Just for clarification, the early release of this episode is due to our switching to a midweek release schedule from now on, which suits us more!
At this rate, by the tenth podcast, it will be made up of nothing but special segments! :=
Also, perfect dog-walking length. Thanks for that. But no Vince XII interview? I was so looking forward to it. I've heard from a very reliable source that he is FASCINATING. 8-)
Quote from: Grundislav on Wed 20/06/2012 04:54:53
You want more?
Here is more! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_03.mp3)
Thank God you chose a release frequency similar to Ben's games and not to yours :=
I love these. you guys should set up an itunes store thingy.
Ponch: Hopefully we can get Mr Twelve once he has returned from his NY activities! Glad we got the length spot on this time!
TomatoesInTheHead: Grundislav does release games more regularly and consistently than pretty much anybody, you do realize? :D
stepsoversnails: We tried but Grundi's server doesn't support it, sadly :(
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 20/06/2012 12:58:39
Glad we got the length spot on this time!
Actually, it was about a minute and a half too long. I'll trust you'll remedy this in future installments. :wink:
Ahahah *giggle* 304 and Grundi talking about Abe <3
^ This is how i roleplay.
Wonderful 2nd podcast. I listened to it while working on a background for my game which made me scrutinize it much harder. It also made me burst in laughter - especially during the Deliverance part.
Haha excellent third podcast - this is becoming a mandatory part of my saturday morning routine, love it=) I really liked the format of it this time around with the discussion topic (remakes) and the reviews section. It just keeps getting better and better.
On a side note, I haven't seriously played Abe's Odyssee but I loved Exoddus so I am shocked that they want to start doing remakes. I don't see the point since they're on the Playstation Store anyway. I agree with the sentiment about doing remakes so that games can be played on modern platforms. I wouldn't have thought the original Tombraider needed a remake but they made a good job of Anniversary.
Is your podcast the vice city mission complete noise? Its driving me nuts cause I recognise it.
Yep! Good catch.
Thanks, Goodjob on the third podcast.
You have a good taste in podcast noises!
I'm all caught up now! This is a really good podcast and I'm disappointed there isn't more.
Our release schedule is every Wednesday! That means: Soon, veryweirdguy. Very soon.
Wednesday?!?!? Who knows when that will be? I'm not sure I can wait that long.
Well Wednesday is a character in the Addams Family so all we need to see is a new Addams Family series/film and we will totally release #4.
/me taps foot patiently waiting for this film/series.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 27/06/2012 12:52:12
Well Wednesday is a character in the Addams Family so all we need to see is a new Addams Family series/film and we will totally release #4.
Did you see that one with Tim Curry? You might lose interest in ever seeing another Addams Family film after witnessing it.
Quote from: Ascovel on Wed 27/06/2012 13:46:43
Did you see that one with Tim Curry? You might lose interest in ever seeing another Addams Family film after witnessing it.
Well it was the last one, plus it's far from the worst thing Addams related.
Also Dr. Frank-N-Furter/Gabriel Knight etc. man should not be put down. :undecided:
Episode 4 is out now! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_04.mp3)
So the rumors were true: Vince XII really is fascinating! But now that I've discovered that your interview guests must take part in Deliver Rants, I demand that you interview Ghost and Tzachs. I must hear how a hillbilly twang is filtered through German and Israeli accents. :=
Or you could interview Pixel Hunt. That would be four (five?) people ranting at once. My ear buds would explode from the awesomeness. :cheesy:
And what of Space Man (In Space)? What will happen to our hero? I'm all a'tingle for the next exciting installment! And dare I hope there will be an AGS game tie-in with this dramatic serial? :wink:
Interesting podcast again :P
Hillarious interview and great seance(!) guys!
But why was everyone so quite, when Vince
announced he was going to make an "Ego-shooter"? - I was rolling on the floor laughing!!
By the way, Vince, that's the first interview that I heard of you, where you weren't
using as many 'umms', what's up with that?
I thought that was going to be your quirky trademark as all powerful
big-time game designer!? :P
But seriously, great, great interview all three of you!
Actually, Ponch has shed light on one of my "things I look forward to" happenings of the future: Having a guest with a strong European accent of some description do a Deliver-rant :D
As for a Spaceman in Space game, the idea is to explore the thrilling medium of adventure through the non-interactive linear audio only format. Making a game of it might ruin the artistic credibility of the project, I am afraid.
I wasn't laughing when Vince said he would make an FPS because it is something I support and would actually play. I love Vince's games and I love many FPS games - perfect combination. If he was joking... well, put me down as "heartbroken".
As for the lack of ums, it was probably our superior interviewing skills that made him more comfortable chatting than all of those other lame interviewers! That, or he was focused on being as interesting as possible to try and make us forget about getting him to do a Deliver-rant (which clearly failed miserably - mostly because Deliver-rants is our #1 favourite part of doing the show).
Thanks for listening, guys! :cheesy:
Not that I minded mr. XII, quite the opposite, but I really liked the art discussion and tips parts from previous episodes. :undecided:
We're gonna be mixing it up, alternating between design discussions like those and more general stuff like the last two. Variety is the goal!
I wasn't kidding about the FPS! It will be the best game of 2018.
I don't know why I didn't ummm so much. Maybe because I was laughing so much. Out of all the podcasts I've done over the last couple weeks, this one is the only one that makes zero attempt to be professional, which makes it hilarious and easy going.
Anian's right, I could have given some tips! I AM FASCINATING AND INFORMATIVE! Here's two for you, Anian:
Coding: repeatedly_execute_always is your friend for making crazy stuff. Don't worry about it slowing down the game. Resonance has thousands of lines of code jammed in there!
Art: Particle Illusion 3.0 (Available here (http://www.wondertouch.com/index_2.asp)) Was used to make almost all the special effect graphics in the game. Fire, smoke, birds flying, sparks, explosions. It's awesome, and I figured out a pretty good pipeline for using it in conjunction with AGS.
Writing: Do it in the shower! But not on your computer, that's dangerous. Use your noodle! Not that one!
Thanks Vince, always wondered how much could be stuffed into rep_ex_always!
As for using my noodle in the shower, good advice, thank you!
With regards to Particle Illusion, any tutorials you could recommend for our listeners?
(it's like we're podcasting via text and typing!)
It's not so much about how much you stuff into rep_ex_always, it's more about what. :)
Great podcast, as always!
Usually I go with every character in the game running SayBackground("Wow, Ben304, you're the best!");
Most of the time I comment this out of my games before they're released though (which totally ruins the game, imo, but the testers don't seem to like it :\ )
No tutorials that did much for me, but I might make one myself one of these days!
I've listened to all 4 - incredibly entertaining! In fact you one can feel you have so much fun doing these (especially those silly bits - Dr Morales's ghost etc.), that it's impossible not to get infected with some of that enthusiasm.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Thu 28/06/2012 14:50:08
I don't know why I didn't ummm so much. Maybe because I was laughing so much. Out of all the podcasts I've done over the last couple weeks, this one is the only one that makes zero attempt to be professional, which makes it hilarious and easy going.
@VinceSorry about that. I should've added waaaay more smileys to my last post. (unlike Tabata, I really don't like smileys! :P <- :shocked:)
I hope, I didn't come across the wrong way or tick you off or something along those lines!
When I posted after listening to the podcast, it was very much 'infected by that enthusiasm' (Ascovel put it very nicely) of you guys
having fun and in the overall spirit of the interview.
It was intended as -12% criticism and as 150% pure nonsense (...of the Dualnames variety!) and didn't deserve any explanation about your
'umms' or not 'umms' in interviews :smiley:, much less a reasoned one (personally, I'd be a nervous wreck not being able to say anything at all!).
All I really wanted to say was, great podcast of everyone involved and you can't help but smile all the way through while listening to it...
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Thu 28/06/2012 14:50:08
Anian's right, I could have given some tips! I AM FASCINATING AND INFORMATIVE! Here's two for you, Anian:
Too little too late, if it's not in the podcast, I ain't acknowledging it. :tongue: :grin:
Quote from: Tramponline on Fri 29/06/2012 07:40:05
Sorry about that. I should've added waaaay more smileys to my last post. (unlike Tabata, I really don't like smileys! :P <- :shocked:)
I hope, I didn't come across the wrong way or tick you off or something along those lines!
Oh, god no. I've joked about how often I ummm and uhhh in interviews many times. Maybe it is
I who needs more smileys. :)
@Vince
I found a few threads you did about user interfaces and such. You should really write up some more stuff about AGS/adventure games, I really enjoyed the stuff you wrote and considering your current/past games you obviously know what your doing.
Episode 5 is here! Designing & Writing, The Walking Dead Episode 1 & Brütal Legend. (http://t.co/6gfX6Hvo)
The music thing is a very good thing to do. I just listen to the Neotokyo soundtrack over and over for my sci-fi writing. :)
The thing with shower/bathroom/walking is that it has the same as effect as when you can't think of a name or movie title or something, but it's at the tip of your tongue and then as soon as you start to do something else it just kind of makes your brain "relax" and cleans everything you were thinking at that moment, changes your thoughts, but brain being versatile as it is, manages to remember.
While on the subject, there's a really cool speech about creativity from John Cleese https://vimeo.com/18913413 it offers some hints at the stuff you mentioned as well and tips on how to be creative in a practical way, achieving what he refers to an "open mode" and then getting back into "closed mode" to be productive. Not only informative but funny too.
Will listen to is soon. @Anian Thanks.
Edit: I like thinking about ideas right before I go to sleep but sometimes I get to tried and fall asleep haha.
I haven't tried the music thing but I do it while I'm drawing.
I don't remember the shower ever working for me (in terms of ideas). And music gets me too high.
I usually get the best concepts while jogging.
Thanks for the Cleese link, anian!
A new episode? Hooray! Something to listen to while doing the holiday-mandated grilling of the meat. ;)
I hope there will be more Spaceman (In Space)
Interesting to see people's thoughts on the topic - and thanks for that link, anian :)
As for more of our thrilling episodic audio drama?
Of course there is :cool:
To contribute further (and better-er, now that I have listened to the podcast), my ideas come to me out of the blue. That's why I keep a notepad by the bed and carry a small, spiral memo pad in my pocket throughout the day. You never know when inspiration might strike and I'll need to jot down a joke, a plot twist, or just sketch a pair of boobies. (Spoiler: One of those three things happens a LOT).
Also, hooray for another episode of Space Man (In Space). I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for an official AGS game tie-in. Or at least a novelization. If one doesn't appear soon, there may be a fan game. Just sayin' :cool:
This episode of Space man in space made me think about The Star Diaries of Stanislaw Lem, the seventh voyage where there are time vortices.
I was hoping space man would find a future self in the space ship. (laugh)
Great episode, keep them coming!
Another masterful episode. Now I finally know how to import sprites into AGS.
Another great episode. And one that makes me want to immediately discuss everything.
For example I feel Yahtzee's popular use-key-on-door metaphor for adventure game puzzles doesn't really say anything about them. It's too general and feels grumpy (not another locked door posing as something else!). But it actually perfectly describes any single-step problem solving. Untangling the Gordian knot or finding a missing sock doesn't have to be any less use-key-on-door.
I don't think Yahtzee minds the single-step problems, it's more the nature of the thing that he doesn't like I'm sure. Use inv item on hotspot would be a more technical and more correct description, but his audience isn't just game makers any more. There's a lot cooler puzzle designs that aren't just USE X ON Y.
Quote from: dkh on Fri 06/07/2012 02:23:38
There's a lot cooler puzzle designs that aren't just USE X ON Y.
But those are the only puzzles I know how to make. :~( ;)
Don't be silly Ponch, you can't use one breast on something, you must use them both, therefore you use D1 and D2 on Gaurds. Now that's complex.
My God! You're right! It turns out I've been some sort of puzzle making genius this entire time! ;-D ;-D ;-D
Awesome podcast I'm halfway through, I stopped it though to finally checkout a ben jordan game.
Oh my gosh! It's Wednesday! That means that it's time for another:
BlueCupToolsâ,,¢ Podcast! (Episode 6, in which we discuss boss battles, review Killzone 2 and Rayman Origins and add more silliness than ever!) (http://t.co/hh19ImQV)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 11/07/2012 05:43:20
Oh my gosh! It's Wednesday! That means that it's time for another:
Bluecuptools Podcast! (Episode 6, in which we discuss boss battles, review Killzone 2 and Rayman Origins and add more silliness than ever!) (http://t.co/hh19ImQV)
B-B-But its only been Wednesday for 45mins.
Edit:
QuoteThat's how ruthlessly efficient the BlueCupToolsâ,,¢ team is.
Guess I'll have to listen to it!
Quote from: Ponch on Wed 11/07/2012 05:47:48
Damn, and I was just getting ready for bed too! Sigh. Well, time to go wake up the dog and go for a walk. :)
That made me laugh in real life.
Grundislav you need to go play metal slug! For me its the most beautiful pixel graphic game!
That's how ruthlessly efficient the BlueCupToolsâ,,¢ team is.
Damn, and I was just getting ready for bed too! Sigh. Well, time to go wake up the dog and go for a walk. :)
I am curious to know which section your dog enjoys the most. This is important target audience research, you see :D
I also endorse Frito Master's recommendation of Metal Slug. It ranks with the first two Simon the Sorcerer games as having the some of the most amazing pixel work.
^
I have to say the best boss battle for me was "The End" in metal gear solid 3. (Thinking about it almost all my favorites are from that series.)
Spoiler
I love the fact he died of old age if you saved your game and waited to long.
I played some of arcanum I thought it was pretty awesome, I'm playing divine divinity atm.
Edit: Ok I finished it, Haha the rayman origins part had me laughing hard. Thats exactly what happen while I was playing it on my vita.
This podcast made me sad because I remembered that there never was a No One Lives Forever 3 and instead the series ended with the mediocre Contract Jack. :undecided:
Hopefully by morning this deep melancholy will have passed.
Oh wait! They mentioned the OSD website! Ah! I feel better already! :cheesy:
Update: My dog says he loves Deliver-rants because he loves hillbillys and he's easily excited by banjo music. Or maybe I only imagined he said that. I can't be sure. Moments ago, I discovered in the birthday thread that Baron has psychic powers and so the universe no longer makes sense the way it once did.
NEW EPISODE! It will probably make me sad when I hear about NOLF too... Should play some Beyond Good And Evil, has some good boss battles. And great everything.
I completely agree that Contract J.A.C.K. was nothing but a bland, mediocre shooter which didn't do the NOLF universe justice.
Beyond Good and Evil is a favourite of both mine and Grundislav's - we've both finished it twice (and I basically *never* play through games a second time, which shows how much I loved it).
Damn it Ben, it was 6:43AM here when you posted, I only went to sleep like 3h before that.
I listened to it through lunch, it's funny how you guys keep giggling like little girls still. :grin:
I am pleased that you find amusement in our podcast, but I think you'll find that those are the giggles of MANLY MAN MEN GUYS.
Just a minor detail I thought you should all be aware of. :cheesy:
I have succeeded at enjoying yet another BlueCupToolsâ,,¢ Podcast. I succeed at everything!
And the BlueCupToolsâ,,¢ Podcast is a podcast always played on "hard" mode, which makes it even more amazing!
Where's my weekly fix?
Man, I sure do miss the podcast. What fun the dog and I had with it. But I guess it's gone now and it's never coming back. I have no evidence for this, but I can only assume it's true.
R.I.P. Two Tools, Once Cup podcast. We barely knew ye. :=
(Seriously, where's the new episode? The dog gets fidgety if he doesn't get a good walk in before dinner :wink: ).
Ben's been sick you monsters! MONSTERS!!
Haha, hooray, we are important!
I have been sick, but we still managed to do a podcast on Sunday (although I have no idea if I was even slightly comprehensible with the state this fever has had me in). I haven't spoken to Grundislav since, though, since we've both been working and our timezones are exactly opposite each other, but I'm sure he'll upload it soon (unless I've forgotten to send him something ???)
Cheers!
Quote from: dkh on Wed 18/07/2012 17:39:05
Ben's been sick you monsters! MONSTERS!!
Has it occurred to you that maybe Ben304 doesn't want you advertising the fact that he picked up syphilis from a particularly sexy (and shockingly easy) young lady-sheep? Has it occurred to you that Ben304's vast and interesting collection of various STDs and how they impact podcast schedules are a private matter not meant to be discussed on these forums? Can't you please respect his privacy during this difficult time?
I'm disappointed in you, dkh. Anian and I were able to politely ignore Ben's recurring battles with gonorrhea and his latest stubborn outbreak of pubic lice. But you? Oh, you just had to stick your nose in his business and air his dirty (sexy) laundry, didn't you? For shame!
Goodness, this is worse than when he got genital warts from a randy wombat and accidentally deleted Airwave 2 while in the grips of a warty fever.
Dude, it's just Bunyip flu. My nipples will grow back in no time.
"Bunyip Flu". Gotcha. Your secret is safe with me. :wink:
I've had a particularly busy week between work and Ben Jordan 8, so I haven't fully edited together the podcast yet. I'll try and have it done by tonight, but it may be delayed by a day or two.
Gosh! Grundy's got the herpes Bunyip Flu too! Goodness, it certainly seems to be going around! :=
The Bunyip Flu has been cured! Our nipples are back and lactating as normal! (What? That's NOT normal? I'd better go see a doctor, then...)
Episode 7 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_07.mp3)
(This also happens to be the longest episode yet!)
Of course it's normal! Why, if all four of my nipples didn't produce milk constantly, then how would I eat my Rice Krispies* every morning? Dry? I think not, sir!
Also, hooray for a new podcast! I was just about to take the dog out for a walk. Looks like he's in luck tonight as I won't have to again regale him with my own retelling of your previous podcasts. (He much prefers the original Spaceman (In Space) to my poor version -- I think my Spaceman sounds a bit too knowing to his finely tuned ears. Winking at the audience, if you will. My dog does not care for even subtle camp in his dramatic readings).
- Ponch
* Ben tells me that Down Under they're called Rice Bubbles. Damn, Australia is a strange place.
Yay!
Quote from: Ponch on Fri 20/07/2012 03:54:46* Ben tells me that Down Under they're called Rice Bubbles. Damn, Australia is a strange place.
Said the lactating 4 nippled human male. :tongue:
Thanks for releasing it before I started begging. Great episode! Hanz & Helmut are a great addition.
There were a few things that you said that I'm outraged about of course. For example, the voodoo messages puzzles in Gabriel Knight are some of my favorites (of all time!).
As for introductions... Eye of Geltz does perhaps alienate a bit at the start, because of throwing you into that huge place. But on the other hand there's something profoundly artificial about always giving the player gradual introductions. I'm not sure it would even fit with Eye of Geltz's game world structure to do it this way.
Quote from: Anian on Fri 20/07/2012 09:53:28
Said the lactating 4 nippled human male. :tongue:
Ponch is male!? :shocked:
HesIt's both and has to many nipples.
Quote from: Ascovel on Fri 20/07/2012 20:26:57
Ponch is male!? :shocked:
Damn right I am, baby. Just because I'm a cow doesn't mean I'm some sort of girly cow. :=
Y U NO CHANGE HEADER!!!
Nice episode.
It may be a while before our next podcast, unfortunately. I'm currently having to work weekends, which is when we record, so for the next couple of weeks you'll have to be without your BlueCupTools fix, sadly.
We'll be back with a vengeance as soon as work quietens down a bit, though!
Shame. At least this way Grundislav will have more time polishing his Ben Jordan to the finish line.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Tue 24/07/2012 13:56:33
I'm currently having to work weekends
Ah, "having to work weekends." I got ya. No need to explain. I've used that excuse myself from time to time.
(I hope your latest bout of herpes Bunyip Flu clears up soon). :cool:
Like!
If Ben is working on the weekends for a while, why not have a guest host for the podcast? I nominate Dualnames or SSH. I NEED to hear a hillbilly accent coming out of a Greek or Scottish mouth. Or have VinceXII sit in again. Or maybe Ron Dave Gilbert or Snake or Steve McCrea -- one of the ancient, old school AGSers who can regale us youngins with rambling tales about the good old days, back when all we had was each other, CJ, and EZBoard! Snake could tell us all about Leitor's Edge! Dave could tell us about Purity of the Surf II. ProgZmax could tell us why we should vote for Ron Paul. The possibilities are endless!
Ben's addiction to working outdoors and being healthy shouldn't hinder my addiction to hiding indoors where Ryan Timothy can't find me and listening to podcasts! My dog and I don't get along as well as we did before when we go out walking. I think the Two Tools, One Cup podcast may be all that's keeping us from drifting apart entirely! I need Spaceman (In Space) and my dog needs DeliverRants!! Help, Grundy! :embarrassed:
I vote Ponch as a guest host. Please talk all the podacast through about finding the right curves when painting female characters for games. Preferrably in different voices. But then the podcast is not that surprising and new for you (but at least for your dog).
I vote Ponch's dog be a guest host.
I want Ben304 hosting or no one at all!
Quote from: Ascovel on Thu 26/07/2012 23:26:54
I want Ben304 hosting or no one at all!
Not even Grundy?!? 8-0
And for the record, my dog has already heard all my theories about drawing chicks. He would find me dull and uninspired as a guest host.
I guess the only solution is to wait for Ben304 to return to his senses and start taking Saturdays off again. 8-)
Gabriel Knight is on GOG.com, so it works fine without DOSbox if you get it from there.
Quote from: Ponch on Fri 27/07/2012 03:36:41
Not even Grundy?!? 8-0
Grundy and Ben both of course - unbelievable chemistry!
I'm just saying "no" to someone replacing Ben in this particular podcast, even temporarily. But some completely different - competing - "blue cup" podcasts would be most welcome (potentially awesome).
Quote from: Stupot+ on Fri 27/07/2012 14:14:45
Gabriel Knight is on GOG.com, so it works fine without DOSbox if you get it from there.
Not sure about Gabriel Knight specifically, but GOG.com uses DOSbox to run most of its DOS-based oldies. Even for something like Duke Nukem 3D, which makes it crawl on 6 year old systems.
Quote from: Ascovel on Fri 27/07/2012 14:26:20
I'm just saying "no" to someone replacing Ben in this particular podcast, even temporarily.
That's cool. But does anyone know how long this drought will last? Really, Ben! I didn't expect such shocking behavior from you. Working hard to pay the bills, keep a roof over your head, and put food on the table?
Instead of making a free podcast?! What a questionable decision! I just don't get you kids today at all! (wrong) ;)
@Ascovel. Oh, yeah. I ran it again and it sure does use DOSbox. At least it does so automatically rather than the user having to fart about trying to get it to run.
Guys (and Ponch), I have just received shocking information: Ben has ditched us all, the community and the podcast, under false pretenses. He doesn't work weekends, he sold out and applied at Google where he is currently making sure every single Youtube view counter glitches out at exactly 304.
(http://i.imgur.com/bSpnP.png)
Quote from: dkh on Fri 27/07/2012 16:39:31
Ben has ditched us all, the community and the podcast, under false pretenses.
Curse you, Ben304! :~( Y U No free podcast?! Y U leave us? Y U No return our loves 4 U?
Weekends are for sleep and recording podcasts, not working on the ranch! Ben i will pay you two great british pounds.
The podcast will return (sort of) this week!
So that'll be 2 British pounds thanks Chicken and they better be great! :D
Hey, when you guys were talking about Assassins Creed 3, you had the music playing from Psychonauts, right? From that creepy guy's brain who believed everything was a conspiracy with all the agents wandering about stopping you.
Enjoyable podcast.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 13/08/2012 15:25:16
So that'll be 2 British pounds thanks Chicken and they better be great! :D
Damn, you entice with free samples, then start to charge? Like a cheetah on Serengeti...or something. For shame. :-D
Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Mon 13/08/2012 19:34:07
Hey, when you guys were talking about Assassins Creed 3, you had the music playing from Psychonauts, right? From that creepy guy's brain who believed everything was a conspiracy with all the agents wandering about stopping you.
Enjoyable podcast.
You mean this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I0_QTO-kwE ?
Looks like Ben has put his priorities in order and understands that the podcast is more important than work. Great news!
Oh look, another episode (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_08.mp3) (kind of sort of!)
We'll be back to normal posting schedule and content next week!
Hooray! A new episode! I'm all a'tingle for the next exciting chapter of Spaceman (in space) :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:
EDIT (48 minutes later): Alas! My tingling was for naught. :embarrassed: Still, all in all, a fine podcast. Looking forward to the next one.
I hereby demand that you start work immediately on the missing case with the interrupting ghosts!
This whole discussion came at EXACTLY the right time for me, having just finished a game with no idea what to work on next. You guys are the bestestest.
Great podcast, is just like watching The Big Bang Theory without any video. Me gusto la voz de Dr. Morales lol. Very informative stuff about doing things with AGS. These 7 are the only podcast available? Also, does someone know the name of the song at the beginning? I remember hearing it a long time ago.
Ponch: Sadly, Spaceman in Space was concluded in Episode 7.
VWG: <3
Xionix: There are 8 podcasts available! Also, the intro song is "Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 15/08/2012 14:20:32
Ponch: Sadly, Spaceman in Space was concluded in Episode 7.
What?! This is shocking news! 8-0
I need to lie down for a while until I come to terms with this. :~(
I really liked that song, but completly forget about it. Listened to all 8 podcast and I really enjoyed them, looking foward to the next time. Too bad Dr Morales is dead, I wanted to hear a cooking show of him talking in spanglish, doing some "tostones con tequila" or something like that. Great job on the podcast guys.
hmmm, what about a monthly podcast now? I'd like to listen to another one.
oh, and this seems to be the perfect place to point at the missing picks of the month... ;)
I see podcast thread at top of board, i disappoint D:
Damn it! Why is this thread at the top of the board yet contains no new podcast?! I blame Chicky!
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Y_U_No_Podcast.PNG)
ahhhaha, Ponch :D
I digress, Bendislav, could you at least hum jaunty tunes for twenty minutes?
This mad cow is haunting me in my sleep... :D
Yer darn tootin' that cow is mad! MAD COW! It's got a fever! And the only prescription is more cowbell podcast!
I gotta have more podcast!
Hey, look!
A new episode! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_09.mp3)
;-D ;-D ;-D ;-D ;-D
UPDATE: Special Birthday Edition!
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
Noice! ;-D
also: happy Ponch day!
I have some splainin' to do! I actually picked the name when a ghost named Señor Morales visited me in my sleep.
And wow, so I'm like live blogging this here: You're still talking about me? I can neither confirm nor deny any rumors about Felicia Day licking my bald head.
Yay, finally! Great episode, guys - Morales conspiracies, Lionheart, juicy AGS gossip, indie games and just the right amount of hate for the Dodge/Burn tool - it's like it's been made specifically for me, not Ponch! :cheesy:
Actually, scratch that bit about the dodge tool - there's not enough hate in the world. :cheesy:
Looking forward to the next podcast!
Quote from: Mr. 12
I have some splainin' to do! I actually picked the name when a ghost named Señor Morales visited me in my sleep.
OOOooooOOoooOOooOoOo 8-0
Quote from: Ilyich on Mon 29/10/2012 19:59:26
Actually, scratch that bit about the dodge tool - there's not enough hate in the world. :cheesy:
Amen! :cheesy:
Hurrah, more ear pron :D
Interesting stuff -I've finally caught up. The silly banter and the puns were certainly entertaining, but what I really find fascinating are your own impressions of the trials and tribulations of the game development process. What I'm missing in the last two episodes are the higher-tempo segments, particularly Deliver-Rants, the episodic soap-operas and the mock-advertisements. Actually, you haven't done that last bit, but you should. Keep up the good work!
Quote from: Baron on Tue 30/10/2012 00:51:52
You haven't done [mock-advertisements], but you should.
Ooh! You could plug the Barn Runner series. Going strong since 2003. ("Now even longer lasting than Ben Jordan!")
It's not so much mock-advertising as it is free advertising, but I think it's just the thing
my games your podcast needs! ;-D
Bark
The higher-tempo segments kinda stopped being fun and started being a chore so we decided to do away with them. Glad you're all enjoying!
So no more DeliverRants? I guess we'll just have to wait for the next MAGS to get DeliverRants: The Game :=
yup, drowning in enjoyment :)
Glad to listen to another episode, Dr. Morales from RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRResonance is the best character ever since Solid Snake and Godot. And stop playing games and doing life stuff so you can make more podcast. Glad we got a cow to fight for our podcast rights.
Quote from: Xionix on Fri 02/11/2012 17:15:47
Glad we got a cow to fight for our podcast rights.
Darn tootin' :smiley:
Great show, and this was the best episode yet!
Definitely gonna kill a Morales in my next adventure game.. Eventually he will end up like Kenny..
Quote from: tzachs on Sat 03/11/2012 08:29:44
Definitely gonna kill a Morales in my next adventure game.. Eventually he will end up like Kenny..
No Grazie!
Are you sad because it's almost 2013 and you haven't gotten your BlueCup Tools Podcast fix in months?
Well fear not!
Ok, so there's no new episode, but something is better than nothing, right?
Here, we present a snippet of a conversation that was specially recorded and never found a place in a podcast because we never got around to recording one afterwards. Think of it as a 15 minute special.
Grundislav Goes to a Midnight Release (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_special.mp3)
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 31/12/2012 04:08:08
Are you sad because it's almost 2013 and you haven't gotten your BlueCup Tools Podcast fix in months?
Why, it's like you're right inside my head! :cheesy:
QuoteWell fear not!
I'll try. But this long without a podcast has left me psychologically scarred and unable to trust or form meaningful relationships with people. :undecided:
QuoteOk, so there's no new episode, but something is better than nothing, right?
I'm a bit unclear. Is this reason to go on living or not? I need guidance in this matter. :confused:
QuoteThink of it as a 15 minute special.
Hmmm... This might be just the small scrap of hope I need to face another year in this cold, uncaring, podcastless world. We'll see... :sealed:
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 31/12/2012 04:08:08Here, we present a snippet of a conversation that was specially recorded and never found a place in a podcast because we never got around to recording one afterwards. Think of it as a 15 minute special.
Grundislav Goes to a Midnight Release (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_special.mp3)
So what I gather from this is that this is a Midnight Special. *parum-pum*
Hey!! Im the fat nerd with the girlfriend so STOP TALKING ABOUT ME!!! Nah, just kidding, I not go out with my imaginary girlfriend in public, Im ashamed of her, I told her to go to the gym but she does not listen, is like she is not even there. This was a fun little talk, too bad Dr Morales does not play Assassins Creed. Btw I like when you review and talk about old games, I played Gabriel Knight and love it. Now Im doing Planescape.
Oh look, a new episode! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_10.mp3)
________
| Hooray |
|___ ___|
|/
\:cheesy:/
Sweet, sweet podcast fix.
funny stuff :D
QuotePeople know how to make games. They don't need our help
(roll) :grin:
AT LAST!!!! I can continue my podcast addiction, I decided go out and see ppl, but then i see a new podcast and i decided stay in my cave and listen to this for 400 times. Keep em coming, I dont want to go to rehab. Downloading right now!!
Thoroughly enjoyed, as always :)
For what it's worth, either format is fine to me. Maybe mixing it up like you've been doing is the best way to go.
Awww yissss!
Entertaining. I mean, I miss some of the "high-input" segments obviously, but it was interesting to hear your further-developed Mordalles conspiracy theories. It's interesting that the podcast lasted for about an hour, and you were talking about hour games you both had previously made: if only there were a way to combine the two projects in an amusing way....
Hourgames would probably be better presented in video, I think. Kweepa used to take footage of himself making an hourgame, that was always fun.
Glad you guys are still enjoying the podcasts. Peter Gabriel bless your souls! :kiss:
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 14/01/2013 09:30:51
Hourgames would probably be better presented in video, I think.
I think Francisco's oral description of which sprite looks like a blob and which sprite looks like a blob with a butt would suffice for my tastes, but then that's just me.... ;)
Finally listened and I must say, you have gotten further than anyone else at solving the ARG that I started in the early nineties. Well done.
Would that be, "¿Dónde está Morales?"
WE WANT MORE!
Let it not be said that we don't listen to our public (which is to say Ponch.)
Here (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_mini.mp3) is a special mini-podcast recorded on location in Walpole, Western Australia!
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Well that was disappointingly short...
Good job, but... NEED MOOOOooooore! :~(
What are you doing in Australialand, Grundislav? :)
Watch out for all the poisonous critters!
Australialand sounds like a great place to live besides all the insects that can kill you in your sleep. And the horrible internet.
Nice mini-cast. But surely Bogans allowed opportunities for the full podcast experience that your listening audience craves! :smiley:
I'm afraid that's all we recorded, what with having to fight off kangaroos and deadly insects the rest of the time.
I have these in my car and they make my daily commute fantastic :D Informative and fun podcast :D
Could it be? After all this time? Another episode?!
YES! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_11.mp3)
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
You guys rock, these podcasts are the perfect inspiration for game making. For that i thank yee!
That was great.
Just when I'd finally accepted that you were never coming back and was ready to move on with my life... WHY DO YOU KEEP PLAYING GAMES WITH MY HEART?!? :=
Only the Final Cut of Blade Runner is bluish and greenish. They ruined the colors during restoration.
EDIT: These podcasts are such a great thing to listen to when I'm feeling down or find myself in a desperate situation where I need to quickly re-awaken my enthusiasm for game making.
Goodie!
Your voices are eerily similar, if it weren't for the accents.
Igor: Interesting! That's the version I have :D
Andail: It's because we're clones both taken from the same primary source, then modified physically to make sure nobody gets suspicious :=
Also, I sat in on a guest spot on the DOS Nostalgia Podcast (http://www.dosnostalgia.com/?p=268) with Anatoly Shaskin and we both talk about the mighty Build Engine by Ken Silverman and get extremely excited about DOS games for 2 hours. :D
A thoroughly enjoyable podcast, lads. I'm always excited to this thread updated. :)
Quote from: Chicky on Sat 29/06/2013 23:28:01
You guys rock, these podcasts are the perfect inspiration for game making. For that i thank yee!
Agreed. Never fails to make me dust off the old game ideas notebook on my desk. :-D
Yes, thanks for another inspiring podcast. It spurred me to adjust my wacom settings and study more backgrounds.
Another episode! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_12.mp3)
Wow, are we actually doing these regularly again?
THANKS, BRAN!
listen to it D:<
Poor sad man with a hat. :<
import the podcast as background music to your new engine game and then listen to it
and then enter it in mags <3
Woah a new episode. :D
Yay! Another delightful episode! Loved all the friendly off-topic rambling in this one :-D
Linus Bruckman was an OREM game. (That's One Room Eight Months for you philistines.)
I fell asleep last night listening to the podcast and had visions of Ben304s and Grudislavs dancing in my head.
I hope you shouted "Dance for me, puppets!" :cheesy:
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sun 14/07/2013 15:20:51
I fell asleep last night listening to the podcast and had visions of Ben304s and Grudislavs dancing in my head.
Oh, that was going to happen anyway. :wink:
Thanks for the new cupcast, guys. Enjoyable as always -- and much sooner than expected! I want (nay!
demand!) to see pictures of the cork board. :=
listen to bctp
sleep
make a list
great episode :-D
have you done an episode already about getting ideas and where you are stealing getting inspiration from?
and what kind of subtances from coffee to cocain do you use to keep you motivated and what was your worst result of drunken coding? And the best too of course...
and I'd like to know more about these revolutionary gameideas where you feel like the king of the world when you have'em :)
How did we never realize this podcast existed?! And Metal Dead was featured in the first episode... shame on us! A very belated thank you for the kind words.
Now to listen to the rest of them!
Better late than never! Please enjoy them!
Hey uh. You should skip the 13th episode and move to 14 because a lot of people on this forum are superstitious. (roll)
We have something special planned for episode 13...
Is it a video podcast?
No, we'd need to be in the same room again to do that.
Here you go! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_13.mp3)
In this special episode, "Top Scores," we each talk about and play some of our favorite tracks from video games!
Ëâ,,¢Ã‹â,,¢Ã‹â,,¢ÃŠÅ½ÃŠÅ¾Ã‰â€nןun sÃ,,± ʎןןÉÂÇÂɹ ɹÇÂqɯnu 31 sÃ,,±É¥Ê‡ ¡buÃ,,±Ê‡Ã,,±É¹Ê ÊŽÉ¯ ʇɠʞooן 'ʇÃ,,±É¥s ʎןoÉ¥Ëâ,,¢Ã‹â,,¢Ã‹â,,¢
¡ÊŽoظuÇ ¡Ê‡Ã,,± buÃ,,±op oʇ punoɹɠʇÇÂb ʎןןÉÂuÃ,,±ÉŸ oʇ ןooɆs,ʇÃ,,± os - ÉÂÃ,,±×ŸÉÂɹʇsnÉ oʇ ÇÂɯÉÂɆʎpunɹb ÇÂɹoÉŸÇÂq ÉÂÇÂpÃ,,± ÇÂɥʇ pÉÂÉ¥ Ã,,± - sÇÂbɠɹoÉŸ ɹÇÂɥʇÇÂboʇ ʇnd oʇ pÇÂʇuÉÂÊ ÇÂÊÅ',ÇÂÊ ÇÂuo sÃ,,± ÇÂposÃ,,±dÇ ÊÂÇÂu sÃ,,±É¥Ê‡
¡×ŸÇÂnbÇÂs ÇÂɥʇ ʇnoqɠɹÉÂÇÂÉ¥ oʇ pÇÂʇÃ,,±Éâ€xÇ puÉ - ÇÂɯosÇÂÊÂÉ :sןןÉÂÊÂnɹɥʇʞןÉÂÊÂ
Ëâ,,¢ÃŠâ€¡uÃ,,±od ÇÂɯos ʇɠÇÂɹoɯ ʇÃ,,± ɹÇÂÊÅ'oɆoʇ ÇÂÊÅ'ÉÂÉ¥ ןן,ÇÂÊ Ëâ,,¢ÃŠÅ½Ã—ŸÇÂʇÇÂןdɯoɆʇou ʇnq - ÉŸo ʇɹos :ÊžÉÂÃ,,±É¯×ŸÇÂs
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Thu 18/07/2013 05:12:22
Ëâ,,¢Ã‹â,,¢Ã‹â,,¢ÃŠÅ½ÃŠÅ¾Ã‰â€nןun sÃ,,± ʎןןÉÂÇÂɹ ɹÇÂqɯnu 31 sÃ,,±É¥Ê‡ ¡buÃ,,±Ê‡Ã,,±É¹Ê ÊŽÉ¯ ʇɠʞooן 'ʇÃ,,±É¥s ʎןoÉ¥Ëâ,,¢Ã‹â,,¢Ã‹â,,¢
¡ÊŽoظuÇ ¡Ê‡Ã,,± buÃ,,±op oʇ punoɹɠʇÇÂb ʎןןÉÂuÃ,,±ÉŸ oʇ ןooɆs,ʇÃ,,± os - ÉÂÃ,,±×ŸÉÂɹʇsnÉ oʇ ÇÂɯÉÂɆʎpunɹb ÇÂɹoÉŸÇÂq ÉÂÇÂpÃ,,± ÇÂɥʇ pÉÂÉ¥ Ã,,± - sÇÂbɠɹoÉŸ ɹÇÂɥʇÇÂboʇ ʇnd oʇ pÇÂʇuÉÂÊ ÇÂÊÅ',ÇÂÊ ÇÂuo sÃ,,± ÇÂposÃ,,±dÇ ÊÂÇÂu sÃ,,±É¥Ê‡
¡×ŸÇÂnbÇÂs ÇÂɥʇ ʇnoqɠɹÉÂÇÂÉ¥ oʇ pÇÂʇÃ,,±Éâ€xÇ puÉ - ÇÂɯosÇÂÊÂÉ :sןןÉÂÊÂnɹɥʇʞןÉÂÊÂ
Ëâ,,¢ÃŠâ€¡uÃ,,±od ÇÂɯos ʇɠÇÂɹoɯ ʇÃ,,± ɹÇÂÊÅ'oɆoʇ ÇÂÊÅ'ÉÂÉ¥ ןן,ÇÂÊ Ëâ,,¢ÃŠÅ½Ã—ŸÇÂʇÇÂןdɯoɆʇou ʇnq - ÉŸo ʇɹos :ÊžÉÂÃ,,±É¯×ŸÇÂs
Damn it! I'm getting dizzy!
You guys are the bestest. But now look what page we are on!
Quote from: Armageddon on Wed 17/07/2013 05:31:35
Is it a video podcast?
We actually did one in Australia but the King of the World deemed it "Too Dangerous And Sexy" and so we can't release more than a single static image of the least Dangerous And Sexy part:
(http://i.imgur.com/8QaY1kA.jpg)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Thu 18/07/2013 05:51:30
we can't release more than a single static image of the least Dangerous And Sexy part:
(http://i.imgur.com/8QaY1kA.jpg)
My God! The sheer amount of DangerSex
TM on display is almost overwhelming! I think you made the right call by sparing the more sensitive members of this community exposure to such a thing. Think of the children! 8-0
Nice as always, but I think I prefer it when you talk more. The songs turned out a bit long (especially those I didn't really like) - I'd rather just get a playlist and listen to them in my own pace.
Looking forward to the next one!
To be honest, I did think of doing the project separately from the podcast, but then I remembered how much Grundy likes game soundtracks, told him my idea and it sort of naturally evolved into a podcast episode. It's more of a supplemental thing than a podcast, but it was just easier to incorporate it, basically. Thanks for listening, anyway!
Listening while working. Thinking to myself, "If I were picking, what song would I pick?" Conclusion: Setting Sail from Bastion. Next song: Setting Sail from Bastion. Well chosen.
That soundtrack is in regular rotation on my phone along with the soundtracks of Dust Force and Thomas Was Alone. There are lots of other game soundtracks (my music collection is almost entirely game soundtracks) but those three get called back up all the time for me.
The Botanicula soundtrack is another classic. I saw DVA perform live at Indiecade earlier this year!
This was a great idea, guys. Some of these I've never heard and some were great shots straight in the nostalgia.
We've joined the rest of the internet and now our podcast is available on iTunes!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blue-cup-tools-podcast/id675920577 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blue-cup-tools-podcast/id675920577)
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 20/07/2013 00:09:25
We've joined the rest of the internet and now our podcast is available on iTunes!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blue-cup-tools-podcast/id675920577 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blue-cup-tools-podcast/id675920577)
Sweet! This means you'll have to put out new installments at regular intervals of else Steve Jobs (now in Lich (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lich_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29) form) gets to harvest your souls for violating the iTunes EULA. It's a win/win either way! :cheesy:
EDIT:
Taking a cue from the king of trophies, Vince XII, I would say that two game soundtracks I can never get enough of are Dark Forces and Outlaws. I loop them often when I'm working on AGS stuff.
Vince: Great minds think alike! Setting Sail, Coming Home is one of the few game songs that I will put on as "normal" music if in company and listening to music, because it's a great song even away from the game. And yep, the whole soundtrack is pretty amazing. Not sure about only game soundtracks in the music collection, though, I'm far too much of a music nerd to even comprehend that.
Ponch: I love the Outlaws sountrack, one of my favourites of all time, but sadly do not have a copy of the game, as I had borrowed it from a friend. I do, however, have two copies of Dark Forces.... :=
You know Ben, there is a thing called the internet that lets you download all soundtracks from any game ever without the disc. You should check it out, www.internet.com.
Young man, I'll have you know that I listen to most of my music on CDs. I'm sure these "Empty Trees" and "Eye Pods" are all well and good, but you'll find me a very happy luddite, thank you very much!
I still play my games from disk, you know. Have you kids even ever seen a floppy disk that's actually floppy!?
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sat 20/07/2013 06:40:41
I still play my games from disk, you know. Have you kids even ever seen a floppy disk that's actually floppy!?
Punch cards or nothin'! You haven't played Colossal Cave Adventure properly unless you've spent twelve hours feeding the punch cards in, one at a time, into your IBM / Hollerith card reader only to discover that you got two cards out of order six hours earlier and now you'll have to spend the entire next day reloading them again. And no saved games! None! Saved games are for wussies! Make a mistake and die? Perma-death followed by twelve hours of card loading to start a new game!
Now when is the CupCast going to be available on vinyl or 8-track I can get in the mail? I'm tired of trying to get your fancy electro-files to play in this new-fangled "Real Audio" player you forced me to install. :angry:
I've just finished up pressing the grooves into the vinyl, so I'll pack it up and send it to you soon, Ponch.
I want the next podcast to be carved as hieroglyphs into the side of a pyramid.
I still play games on cassette :wink:
Nice walking around with your voices whispering in my head *ahem*
No big deal, but for some reason all the episodes are listed as published 1st Jan 2001 in the iPhone Podcasts app.. maybe the pubDate in the XML file?
Quote from: straydogstrut on Sat 20/07/2013 09:11:30
I still play games on cassette :wink:
The only authentic magnetic media. I like your style! If you ask me, this whole "compact disc" thing is just a fad. It will never catch on. People will come back to cassettes. You just wait and see. :cheesy:
I haven't listened to the last episode yet, but I believe Skyrim has one of the best soundtracks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh00ONeG5Ng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsnRQJxanVM
NEW EPISODE! WE TALK TOO MUCH! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_14.mp3)
¡Fantástico! Muchas gracias.
Yay more talking!
I don't agree with you at all! :P I think it's better that the player character not say the dialogue option you just read and chose. Like FO3.
I also played through Baldur's Gate (II) as a bard! It was great, the lore bonus allowed me to identify everything without having to waste identifying spells and shit.
Probably lousy compared to every other class, but I've never been a power gamer.
Rubbish! The ability to, in later stages, equip any item no matter class/race/character restrictions means a bard can become a veritable powerhouse! It's actually reasonably common for powergamers to pick Bard class for solo runs of BG because, equipped with the right wands, there's really nothing a Bard can't do!
Me gusta ! :cheesy:
Actually, it should be "Herramientas de la Taza Azul!" :-D
this podcast needs more morrrrralezzz! :D
Why don't we hear all these vile things coming out of your mouth on the podcast, Benjamin?
Thanks for throwing in a Forest review alongside the discussion of all the great OROW games! Wait, I'm a dart board now?
I usually try to only say vile things when it's appropriate, and it rarely seems so on the podcast. It's called "Being professional", yeah!
Maybe one day we'll release all the vile stuff we say when we're not recording. It can be called "Midnight Blue Cup."
Guess which Lou Gramm song I have stuck in my head now...
Great podcast :) totally have to agree with you guys about the cat in Kanji Gakusei, that was brilliant (laugh)
I AM ONTO YOU, VINCE TWELVE!
(http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/135347-kronolog-the-nazi-paradox-dos-screenshot-i-come-for-your-funeral.png)
Another Episode!
OH BOY!!! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_15.mp3)
Excellent!
Now talk about Skyrim. A whole episode. You know you want to.
w00t!
Ben doesn't like/watch movies... :(
Another excellent episode. I hope the awkward pause gets resolved in the next show. :cool:
New Episode! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_16.mp3)
Companion characters! Bromance! Let's all be friends!
No no no no no, this is purely a platonic relationship between you two.
Neat and bromantic ;)
I love the fact that the awesome bleeding emo poet in Ben Chandler: Paranormal investigator was actually based on Calin Leafshade. And that he was willing to voice himself :D
Joey might not be wrong about the photocopier being a phone. A substantial number of them have a fax function and are connected to a phone line. Just coming to the defense of Rosa's companion.
Another fine podcast, but gosh it got unexpectedly humid at the end! Bromance indeed! :shocked:
Are you sure this wasn't the Valentine's Day edition?
Excuse me while I get back to my Grundi/Ben slash-fiction.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Mon 05/08/2013 21:28:35
Excuse me while I get back to my Grundi/Ben slash-fiction.
Don't forget to include a Morales in there somewhere.
Quote from: Grundislav on Tue 06/08/2013 01:16:18
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Mon 05/08/2013 21:28:35
Excuse me while I get back to my Grundi/Ben slash-fiction.
Don't forget to include a Morales in there somewhere.
But that would make it snuff slash fiction. And no one wants to read that sort of stuff! :=
New episode! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_17.mp3)
A very atmospheric discussion. Also, longest podcast yet, but the last one for a while because I'm moving away and won't have access to my PC and microphone for a couple of weeks.
I'm really enjoying these, just the kind of thing to lie back and listen to on a lazy evening :) Was it the last one that mentioned Primordia? Because seriously, maybe I'm tonedeaf, but Crispin sounded so much like Grundislav sometimes!
Dibs on stand-in Grundislav duties.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sun 11/08/2013 03:23:43
Dibs on stand-in Grundislav duties.
Yay, we may get more after all! Great podcast today though, nice to listen to while drawing, not much insight in how to create atmosphere though. :P
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sun 11/08/2013 03:23:43
Dibs on stand-in Grundislav duties.
I'll hold your trophies while you skype. :wink:
Another good installment. Can't wait for the next one.
Yay!*
Nooo!**
Yay!***
Nooo!****
* Another podcast.
** Grundislav taking podcasting break.
*** Vince possible substitute.
**** Out of orange juice.
We're back! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_18.mp3)
So when are you going to interview Icey? :)
They're interviewing Icey? DOWNLOADING NAOW!!1! :shocked:
I didn't read Miller's Batman myself, but I remember stumbling upon this article years back:
http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/longbox7/
Yay new podcast.
you're playing Sword & Sworcery now? Don't tell me you you haven't played Faster than Light yet!? I got FEZ with the recent humble bundle (but haven't played it yet, gotta do that now, now that it was mentioned on the BCTP (oh, btw, I haven't played planescape torment yet, should I?)), so if that is where you got it, go play FTL and podcast about it while you both are playing it batteling out who dies first :D
have fun in NY ben :D
Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 22/09/2013 17:39:00
We're back! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_18.mp3)
Sweet!
Can't wait to give it a listen during tomorrow's commute :-D
Edit after listening: Another great installment, keep 'em coming :)
P.S. No complaints here with regards to podcasts with no specific theme.
Episode 19 is here! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_19.mp3)
A new episode! Hooray! I can't wait to listen to it! ;-D I sure hope I don't learn something dreadful and shocking, such as Ben Chandler hates Shakespeare or anything. That would be terrible! But I doubt it would happen because surely a cultured man like Grundislav wouldn't stand for such a misinformed opinion. No doubt, he would set Mr. Chandler straight! (nod)
Good stuff. I can't remember but have you guys talked about FTL before?
Really good one today. I wish you would do a podcast about interesting puzzles, I can never think of anything beyond use key on door. :=
Cool chaotic episode! Rogue Legacy is awesome indeed btw!
Another episode of Top Scores (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_TS2.mp3)! Listen to more of our favorite game music.
Ahh. Some easy listening CupCast goodness to sing me to sleep. Nicely done. :cool:
Quote from: Andail on Sun 22/09/2013 20:49:42
I didn't read Miller's Batman myself, but I remember stumbling upon this article years back:
http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/longbox7/
Oh, Andail, did you bother to dig up an article on that Batman episode that we explicitly asked you, our listeners, to find for us? THANK YOU
THANK YOU ANDAIL
Enjoying the Top Scores episode even more than the latest podcast I have to say. Excellent picks so far!
Episode 20 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_20.mp3)
Quote from: Andail on Thu 03/10/2013 17:54:30
Quote from: Andail on Sun 22/09/2013 20:49:42
I didn't read Miller's Batman myself, but I remember stumbling upon this article years back:
http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/longbox7/
Oh, Andail, did you bother to dig up an article on that Batman episode that we explicitly asked you, our listeners, to find for us? THANK YOU
I missed this before, but read this now. Wow. Batman has sure got issues in this arc!
Wow, that must be an amazing Batman series.. either that columnist is a terrifically funny guy or that set of Batman is completely horrific! (wrong)
Fun episode as always. I thought it would be good to inform Ben of this.
http://dos-ist-gut.tumblr.com/
http://bad-opinions.tumblr.com/
Who could do such a thing! (wrong)
Haha aw man, did you use the template from Dos ist gut!? I made that myself by butchering two different templates together into some freaky hybrid template that only just works how I want it to. :D
Good: Fresh podcast lovin'. :cheesy:
Bad: I didn't learn about it until bedtime. :sad:
How am I supposed to sleep tonight knowing there's a new episode waiting in the morning? How, Grundlben? HOW?! :shocked:
Hey who said it's mine? :P
(and yes I did)
Now hang on a minute. Are you telling me, Ponch, that you don't refresh this thread every 5 minutes, all day, every day?
I'm a little shocked and hurt by this revelation.
Lots of back story this time around -nice. 8-)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sun 06/10/2013 08:54:44
Now hang on a minute. Are you telling me, Ponch, that you don't refresh this thread every 5 minutes, all day, every day?
I'm a little shocked and hurt by this revelation.
I don't have time! I spend all day refreshing my PM box to see if you've sent me a PM... but you never do... :~(;)
The BlueCupTools Podcast is now old enough to drink! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_21.mp3)
Friday evening is the perfect time to release a new episode!
Hey, thanks for not recognising I mentioned FTL before Ryan did, accompanied with a funny idea for a special edition episode... I'd really love to hear you 2 ramble all about the game and everything else on your mind while simultaneously playing FTL on the podcast. That comment about having read the book for Doom really cracked me up! But there is indeed a comic for the game with some quoteable badass lines in it and no story at all :)
SuperMeatBoy is a really good challenge (and not as insanely hard as iwbtg) if you are bored with flashback and smb also happens to be an indie game.
Only one of you did a great Walken impression. I'll let you guys decide which. :P
Sweet! A new episode! :cheesy:
Quote from: Armageddon on Sat 12/10/2013 15:02:46
Only one of you did a great Walken impression. I'll let you guys decide which. :P
I don't really do Walken impressions. I merely talk funny. Grundislav, however, used to delight me with his amazing drunken Walken impressions every weekend before his social life turned into staying at home and skyping with me all day.
He also does a sensational Bowie when drunk. He and I teamed up for a Space Oddity duet in a bar on karaoke night and it was sensational.
As for a Doom book, there really is one. Actually, a 4 part series. I actually own one of them. As for Super Meat Boy, one of these fiends is Layabout and the other is me. Can you guess which one!? (https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/s720x720/298199_10152735763325212_228004182_n.jpg)
wow, i neeeeed that shirt! ;-D
I have the best shirts. (http://i.imgur.com/z0qeef6.jpg)
You play guitar? You don't play guitar that's not you... Is it? Also that's a sweet verbcoin shirt where would you even buy that.
You need some new trousers Ben :p
He's been wearing the same ones since Bogans!
I blew my trousers apart with the power of rock, baby.
About me being a teacher etc:
Yeah I absolutely agree that games nowadays are being dumbed down and streamlined just to make sure the player won't have to spend valuable minutes finding out how the game actually works on their own.
Years back I played the vanilla WoW. But when I watched some kids in school play it recently, I realized that so much was changed in this direction that the game appeared to be some kind of easy version of the WoW I had played. They just ran around and XPs somehow just rained over them with zero effort, and acquiring epic weapons was done in a matter of minutes.
I spoke to a friend who had tried Guild wars 2, and he explained that there was basically no easing in going on in terms of game material - all skills and places and monsters and special effects were shoved in the face of the player immediately. Instead you had tutorial stuff going on, explaining everything.
So my conclusion is that these days you can't really present a game slowly to the player, like back when I started playing WoW and I was walking around in a big nice forest on my own for hours and hours with virtually no gear and maybe one or two skills, while learning how to play the bloody game, so instead all the awesomeness has to be presented at once to impress people and get their attention, and in return you have to dumb down every single rule or obstacle lest it gets far too hard to manage.
Long sentence.
And yeah, I guess we teachers don't put funny hats on pupils that answer incorrectly anymore, but that's a slightly different issue - if I respond encouragingly to someone who gave an incorrect answer, I've probably ensured that the child in question dares to try again, instead of forever muting them.
Sure, there's a lot of pampering going on in schools today - you virtually can't fail a student without raising hell everywhere, no matter how lousy they are - but the part where we give constructive feedback to failures is not the problem :)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 14/10/2013 08:41:34
I blew my trousers apart with the power of rock, baby.
More like the power of b-roc-occoli, Fartpants!
Well I suppose rock flatulence is better than the Tenacious D style of ripping your pants open (man, such a bad movie).
Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Tue 15/10/2013 00:36:39
Well I suppose rock flatulence is better than the Tenacious D style of ripping your pants open (man, such a bad movie).
Heresy! :shocked:
QuoteI have the best shirts.
You also have the best hats! 8-)
I sure do, Jack!
Andail's post highlights something that games were never afraid to do back in the day: allow the player to explore and learn things for themselves without fear of them getting bored/impatient with a game. It's very rewarding to figure things out on your own, and part of the fun of a game for me is overcoming the challenge of not being good at it and learning how to play it well. Lose that, and you've lost one of the aspects that makes a game an enjoyable experience.
Ooh, you mentioned Blazing Dragons! A game close to my heart :) I've been trying to emulate the graphics style for years, it's one of the prettiest adventures of the 320x era.
Yeah, it's just as pretty as any Lucasarts game, an also very fun to play.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 16/10/2013 12:35:40
Andail's post highlights something that games were never afraid to do back in the day: allow the player to explore and learn things for themselves without fear of them getting bored/impatient with a game. ... Lose that, and you've lost one of the aspects that makes a game an enjoyable experience.
I agree completely. I'm tired of games holding my hand through every encounter. Either my map is covered in waypoints and objective flags, or everything I can interact with had a golden sheen on it so I can't miss it.
I miss the days of hidden areas, secret levels, and more than one way to the goal. :undecided:
So... I checked what this podcast-thing is all about and listened to you guys for over 2 hours straight. It's like listening to a radio show but with cool topics, instead of the usuall boring radio stuff;)
Enjoyed it a lot!
Perfect for when you're tinkering with some backgrounds for a new game.
Episode 22 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_22.mp3)
Darn it! I was about to take my girlfriend out to see Gravity. But now I have to tell her to call a cab and get out of my apartment... The new podcast is up! :cheesy::cheesy::cheesy:
Yesh!
Also Ponch, Gravity is amazing. See it in IMAX maybe if you have it there.
Ben, you haven't seen enough movies to know that Priest is a pretty not good film. :-D
I know Priest is a terrible film. I don't see how that should stop me from liking it? :D
Ponch: Your dedication to the podcast is most admirable!
Gravity was pretty amazing. First movie I've ever seen in 3d and I can't imagine seeing it in 2d.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sat 19/10/2013 05:04:04
Ponch: Your dedication to the podcast is most admirable!
Shhh! I'm listening to the podcast! If you're going to make noise, go outside and wait on the curb with my girlfriend! ;)
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 19/10/2013 05:05:25
Gravity was pretty amazing. First movie I've ever seen in 3d and I can't imagine seeing it in 2d.
This goes double for you, Shakespeare hater! :P
Nice one!
Also nice hearing Joel's voice :) We've communicated a lot and now there's a voice attached to those text messages. A slightly disoriented voice struggling for words :P
Haha yeah, poor Joel. We caught him completely off guard! :=
The Number 23 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_23.mp3)
Also, for you hip Twitter people the podcast now has an official account: https://twitter.com/BCT_Podcast (https://twitter.com/BCT_Podcast)
Best podcast yet. Ben still didn't tell use where he got the verbcoin shirt. ;)
I come home on a Saturday night and what do I find waiting for me? A new podcast!
A few quick observations:
* Grundy derides others for not playing text parser games, yet he has never played Fallout or Tex Murphy. For shame!
* Why wasn't the performance by Ben and the 304s podcasted or streamed over the web? Surely the tubes could handle the strain!
* Australia, the deadliest continent on Earth, mandates bicycle helmets and bells? Isn't that a minor concern in a country where spiders devour entire towns?!? (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/thousands-spiders-blanket-australian-farm-escaping-flood-165958059.html) :shocked:
All in all, another fine episode. My DangerSexTM quota for the week has been met and I can sleep soundly tonight. Well done, gentlemen.
Ahh, nothing better than a cup of brew, a freshly trimmed moustache and a new podcast, here here!
Oooh, spooky Halloween episode! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_24.mp3)
The whole 'let your parents check your candy' thing is probably a good plan.
This happened in the UK last year:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/21/man-who-accidentally-handed-out-cocaine-instead-of-halloween-candy-sentenced-to-community-service/
Another podcast and again I am shocked at the things Grundy reveals! He doesn't like Shakespeare! He's never played Quake! He isn't familiar with Druuna, simply the greatest character of late 20th century literature?! I can't even find the words to describe the outrage I'm feeling right now! :shocked:
Fortunately for my blood pressure, halfway through the podcast I paused it and listened to the Quake theme for a few minutes. It gave me the time I needed to sort my feelings and realize that I can still find a way to love the podcast despite Grundy's incredibly limited knowledge of art and culture (ad big bottoms). And now I must go play Spaceman In Space for a bit and then flip through my old Druuna hard covers. :=
Now hold on just one minute, Ponch.
Quote from: Ponch on Thu 31/10/2013 22:19:15
It gave me the time I needed to sort my feelings and realize that I can still find a way to love the podcast despite Grundy's incredibly limited knowledge of art and culture (ad big bottoms).
Ok, I'll give you art, I'll give you culture, but big bottoms? HOW DARE YOU SIR! MY KNOWLEDGE OF BIG BOTTOMS IS UNPARALLELED!
(and I cannot lie)
/me eats Pie Face.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Fri 01/11/2013 00:04:42
(and I cannot lie)
(http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tmnt-set-photos-megan-fox-08b-omg-becky-sir-mix-a-lot-baby-got-back.jpg)
I shall take you at your word, Grundy. Butt you are on probation, ass far as I'm concerned. :cool:
Grundy hasn't played They Hunger? BURN THE HEATHEN!!!
I play that every single Halloween.
Also Ben, play System Shock 2 and get all the HD mods.
New Episode! Number 25. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_25.mp3)
Yay!
The URL is wrong, too much http.
Always happy to get a new podcast to listen to while I sit by the woodstove and work.
Good news Ben!
I'm being laughed at :~(
Thanks Daniel!
Andail: Noooo, I was laughing at Grundislav!
Congrats, Ben. :cheesy: And thanks to both of you for another fine podcast.
Congrats as well Ben! Does this mean no more/not as much freelance work? ???
Great listen as always :) Usually put this on when I take my girlfriend's parent's dog for a walk, and you two guy's voices make for great company!
Hello, Episode 26! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_26.mp3)
Roberta Williams fans may not enjoy this one so much...
Great podcast as always.
I'd love to see a 304 FPS. Maybe with Quake 2 with shoddy Strife conversation systems and blocky BSP worlds. :P
A new podcast? :cheesy: Waiting for me as I come home from a long day? :cheesy: :cheesy:
Will I learn something shocking and offensive about Francisco? Will the bromance that is GrundlBen continue to warm the cockles of AGSers everywhere? Will Ben once again speak of spider orgies and sweets tins? I can't wait to find out! :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:
fuck you haters, this was the ***ing best podcast in days, you ****ing crack me up, littel furry pals!! speak your mind out :D
26 episodes!!!!! Wow, now that Breaking Bad is over is good to know this series are still going on.
Top Scores #3 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_TS3.mp3)
Sweet! ;-D
Episode 27. (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_27.mp3) Play along with the drinking game...IF YOU WANT TO DIE.
Yay! Perfect way to start the weekend.
In case you thought the drinking game was a joke. (https://twitter.com/dosnostalgic/status/406921265371688961/photo/1/large)
It was not a joke. (https://twitter.com/dosnostalgic/status/406933918689280000/photo/1/large)
It's astounding that you've managed to basically record the show -- AND actually remained coherent throughout. One of my favorite episodes, for sure, very interesting.
I seem to remember someone promising a discussion about starting/designing/workflowing of adventure games...
They sort of did. There mentioned a handful of things you should consider when designing a game -- including alternative mechanics for obtaining information, other than talking to everyone. You also shouldn't start a game with the word "physicist" ;)
It's also not very far-fetched to assume alcohol is a vital part of the creative process.
Next podcast, Armageddon.
Yeah, remember we record these a week before release, so there's a bit of a gap.
Also, we didn't play the drinking game ourselves, those pictures were taken by Anatoly. (boing)
Episode 28 is up! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_28.mp3)
Yay!
Now I can listen to the voices of AGSers even though I couldn't make it to AdventureX :)
We're like AdventureX Lite!
Hooray! Episodes 27 AND 28! It's gonna be a good night! :cheesy:
I think this was your best podcast so far.
And I endorse writing in proper notebooks, old-style. Beats computer documents!
Good podcast. I feel there's more to say about the subject though. :)
Yes. I guess we'll keep doing more podcasts, in that case.
(hint: if you want us to discuss something specific about a subject, be specific in your request.)
Some discussion ideas:
why is monkey island such a great game and would it be as great without the insult swordfighting?
is 320x200 a small enought resolution for todays retro games or can it be halfed?
what is character development in adventure games and how to accomplish it as a characteristic developer developing character development 8-0
Good stuff as always.
But why can't I use Photoshop for animations?! :~(
Photoshop is fine for real world high res animations, obviously. I was referring to pixelart, for which there are far better tools, sorry for not clarifying! :cheesy:
(most of the things I say are picking on Grundislav :D)
Loved the game making process discussion in this episode! I had been getting a bit tired of the long-winded conversations about which AAA games you're playing. I mostly listen to the podcast while driving and it kept putting me to sleep. I'll send you the bill.
But yeah, the game making talk was super interesting hearing you guys break down the inspirations and completely different processes you follow. More of that, please!
Actually, I'd really love to listen to other AGSers run down their own processes for making their games.
Throwing out ideas for future shows:
-Working with teams
-Writing interesting characters
-Non-standard adventures
-Dialog writing in general
-Interface design!
The insights into your game making methods are really interesting. Well I'm interested in anyone's methods.
But if anything 'what's your game making process?' is a really broad question. If you broke it down and had a different focus each week, such as Vince's ideas, that's hours of discussion fodder right there.
@Vince, if you're interested in more people's processes, have you checked out this recent thread? http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=49582.0
I'd like to hear about your dialogue writing process too. Maybe how you can make each character sound different even though you're the one writing everything. Maybe a guest that writes scripts before hand would be better since you both sort of touched upon it this last episode. (One of the Owl Cave guys maybe.)
Quote from: Stupot+ on Mon 09/12/2013 01:10:57
The insights into your game making methods are really interesting. Well I'm interested in anyone's methods.
But if anything 'what's your game making process?' is a really broad question. If you broke it down and had a different focus each week, such as Vince's ideas, that's hours of discussion fodder right there.
Aye, but we've covered a ton of stuff and it's been nearly 30 podcasts. Hard to remember exactly what we've spoken about and what not, so hard to know exactly what you want to hear about. We're happy to break things down and talk about specific things; but if there's something specific you're interested in, let us know what you'd like to see it broken down into.
That being said, lots of good topics we can cover. Bravo!
Yeah, true, it's not as though you haven't talked about aspects of your game design processes before. I say just keep doing what you've been doing but with the occasional listeners' questions (and guests). Coz, judging by the response for that episode we definitely want more game-making talk :)
It's Episode 29! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_29.mp3)
Ooh! What incredibly offensive thing will we learn about Grundy this week? Does he hate puppies? Is he reading Mein Kampf? Is he parking in handicapped spots?
I'm all a'tingle! :cheesy:
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 14/12/2013 20:07:55
Ooh! What incredibly offensive thing will we learn about Grundy this week? Does he hate puppies? Is he reading Mein Kampf? Is he parking in handicapped spots?
It's much worse. He hasn't seen Star Wars Episode IV.
Quote from: DoorKnobHandle on Sat 14/12/2013 20:10:48
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 14/12/2013 20:07:55
Ooh! What incredibly offensive thing will we learn about Grundy this week? Does he hate puppies? Is he reading Mein Kampf? Is he parking in handicapped spots?
It's much worse. He hasn't seen Star Wars Episode IV.
The horror!! :shocked: I can only hope that he hasn't seen Episode I either!
I'll be praying for you, Grundy! :sealed:
He has. He has.
And he... kinda... Liked it I guess? Not sure but it sounded like he kinda did. Oh the humanity!
Golden Wake sort of sounds like There Will Be Blood(Best movie of the last decade probably). Except instead of a rise and fall of an oil tycoon you're a realtor tycoon? :=
Very good podcast though, good subject.
Armageddon: I LOVE There Will Be Blood. It's definitely an influence on AGW.
hey, after you reviewed your own games in this episode (again), why don't you both play and review 1 AGS game per episode/week or add an ASG games review corner with 2-4 games once a month? I'm very interested in your educated opinion on various ASG games and think this would be very fitting for the blue cup tools podcast and since you also have listeners outside of the blue cup this will also get more people to play some lovely games. It would be cool if you even announced what game will be reviewed the next week (as in after recording but before publishing the podcast) so listeners have 1 week to play the game and make up their own mind about the game and know what you're talking about when making fun of various aspects of the game. I haven't played almost 99% of the AAA games you are talking about and I am not that interested in them.
PLAY THE INNER WORLD
(it's not ags but it's far from AAA)
but, ... but I'm too lazy to even enjoy myself playing a game and want you to play it for me and tell me about it in an entertaining way... well, uhm, it is on my to play list since you first mentioned it, haven't had time to play it yet ;)
Haha, oh, the LP generation. Meanwhile I'll spend all Friday night after work reading the manual for some DOS game just so I know how to play it come Saturday morning. :cheesy:
Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 15/12/2013 07:45:09
Armageddon: I LOVE There Will Be Blood. It's definitely an influence on AGW.
P.T. Anderson is great at writing characters you want to follow for a whole film. Hopefully Alfie Banks won't sink as low as Daniel Plainview though. :)
How dare you slam G. Lucas! I enjoyed the creation of Darth Vader.... :(
Episode 30 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_30.mp3)
Working in teams and the weird stuff it makes you do.
My body is ready.
Also Hotline Miami is great.
Did someone say Hotline Miami? :-D
http://youtu.be/oKD-MVfC9Ag?t=10m10s
Dat lead bleepy bloop!
Quote from: ThreeOhFour
Breaking Indie News: Ponch doesn't use Twitter!
Damn it! Now my secret is out! :shocked: I can never show my udders in this forum again! I can certainly never send pictures of my udders to GrundlBen!
And when did they start calling "HumpBack" "CamelCase" instead? Darn you kids and your new names for old things! And why am I still the only person using 2.72?! And why did you tell everyone I'm old? And why does no one send letters anymore? You kids today have terrible penmanship!
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Y_U_No_Secrets.PNG)
Here's my question. How do you know if you love game development? I've been working on my game for over a year and I'm sick of it. I don't even think I ever liked it but I have to finish it now. Do you ever not enjoy making games? I really don't think I like it anymore. Or maybe I'm in the wrong area of game development.
Great as always! Enjoy listening to these while painting. :)
You made do a few steam purchases.. Not that I have time to play them, but at least my steam library will look cool!
Great Podcast. Maybe the genital jokes motivated me to draw some more (genitals) :D
Chicky: Oh yes, such a great soundtrack. Fits the game's tone perfectly.
Ponch: It's been called CamelCase for as long as I've been coding. Worth it for the mad cow pic :D
Armageddon: It really depends what your goals are. For me, game development takes all forms, because I do it as a hobby, but also as a job. I never hate a game, but there's always a point where you go "Man, I could do so much better than this" and you reach a crisis where you have to give up and persevere. Game design certainly isn't for everyone. Doing it as a job means it takes some of the sheen away from doing it as a hobby - you have to make sure you get x amount of work done each day, etc, and that can take the fun away from it. There'll always be stuff you like less in game development, and the way to overcome this is to either find someone who will do this aspect for you and focus on the stuff you prefer, or to get better at that thing and learn more about it. Knowing more and more about a subject is the best way to get more passionate about it, in my experience.
Daniel: Nice! Street cred unlocked!
Selmiak: The BlueCupTools Podcast officially endorses the act of drawing genitals.
The thing is, making any big project -- whatever it may be -- takes time. A LOT of time. I've done all sorts of creative stuff over the past ten years. I wrote dozens of stories, then books, ranging from some 200 to 600 pages. I drew comics (a longer story, a page every two weeks), then comic strips (three strips a week, with an ensemble cast and no real story) -- and every time I take up something new, I'm utterly terrified. It's like standing at the foot of a mountain and looking up at the top. It's going to take a lot of time and energy, and it'll take a million steps -- including stops, detours, tripping and falling down -- to get there. So naturally, the fear is paralyzing. But then comes a day I just know I need to do it, and I take the first step, then another, and then I just keep plodding on, one step at a time -- looking down at the ground in front of me, not at the mountain top far away. I try to enjoy the now: the process itself, not just reaching some distant goal. I like to spend some time polishing some bit of artwork -- regardless of how small or irrelevant -- not worrying about time or schedules. If there's a character I like writing for, I'll spent some extra time amusing myself writing some dialogue for them. Anything fun, humorous. I like learning new small things, too, like audio-editing, sound effects or voice-overs.
With all that in mind, there'll still be times when I hate what I'm doing. There will be days when I'm out of ideas for comics, or when I'm tired/cranky and I can't focus on anything, not to mention sit there for 4+ hours doing just one thing. And I do get what Armageddon means. I got so exhausted with one of my webcomics that even though I left it with an open ending, intending to get back to it at some point, it's been five years and I never have. Not going to unless I find an easier, less demanding style -- because the artwork got almost photo-realistic at some point, and while it looked pretty nifty, it took all of my free time after work and weekends. There just has to be a balance between the effort involved and the enjoyment you get out of it. There's no point in maintaining a hobby that you hate every step of the way and you feel like you've chased yourself in a corner. Most of us have our day jobs for that ;)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sun 29/12/2013 08:00:51
The BlueCupTools Podcast officially endorses the act of drawing genitals.
Finally! A reason to break out the tablet! :=
I'm sensing some jealousy on Grundislav's part re: the love connection between Ben and Richard Cobbett. Love triangle drama!
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Mon 30/12/2013 21:08:45
Love triangle drama!
WHAT?! NO WAYS!! :shocked: This is a bromance that shall last for all time! Nothing can divide this uncomfortably humid ManLove... can it? :cry:
Episode 31 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_31.mp3)
First podcast of 2014! Special guest Dave Gilbert joins us to talk about game design.
Too much fun. Thanks for having me on!
Thanks for the shaming Grundy!!
So... When are you kickstarting? :P
Love triangle edition!
(http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/Smileys/AGS/cheesy.gif)
UPDATE: A very nice installment. I'm sad that Dave didn't give us a nice Deliverants, but I can live with that, I guess.
Fun fact: The very first PM I ever got here was from Dave Gilbert, way back at the end of 2004. It was very encouraging. Thanks, Dave. Is that offer to do some beta testing for me still open? :cool:
Great interview. And I got a mention. :P
I demand that you make Dave do DeliveRANTs!
We did do a rant, kinda, towards the end. I just don't get angry enough, I guess!
It's not a true DeliveRANT without the "Squeal like a pig, boy!" accent.
GET DAVE ON THE PHONE!
UPLOAD A SPECIAL EDITION MINI-SODE!!
DON'T MAKE ME BREAK OUT THE ANGRY COW!!! :=
Great episode :)
Episode 32 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_32.mp3)
Dave is back this week along with wife Janet (briefly) to discuss the benefits of beta testing, as well as feedback and criticism from others.
*opens beer and starts listening*
*secretly hopes for anatoli mentions*
well, from your closing words I suck at BCTing by giving feedback in advance and now commenting on my own comment...
best word creation from this podcast: mindblinking, or was it mindblanking? Anyways, funny and enjoyable podcast with good themes and explanations to it. And I made it though it without falling asleep ;)
The changing of the ending for Resonance, I think was a pretty good example of dealing with the whole taking feedback from others during development topic you guys were talking about. As the writer, I was so close to the story, it's really hard to see the weaknesses and things that are not adequately explained. I was really against any changes at first, but after sleeping on it, I was able to realize that Dave and Janet weren't making these suggestions to hijack my story, but to try and make the best game possible. I was able to then approach their suggestions from that common goal rather than from some adversarial standpoint. Basically, I had to try seriously hard not to be a complete primma donna about the whole thing.
And in the end, it wound up not really being that huge of a change.
For those wondering exactly what the changes were, I'm going to go full spoiler here, so don't read the spoiler section unless you've played Resonance.
At the point when Dave sent me an email with their proposed changes, the phone tracing conversation, finale crane confrontation, and ending scenes had not been written. So, I was convinced that my version of events would totally work once that stuff was in there. Dave's suggestion was primarily that we change Ed's motivation for the events of the game and untangle some other things with simpler explanations.
Here's a rundown of the differences between the version of events I had planned and the ending as proposed:
HUGE SPOILERSSpoiler
Original story
- Ed's entire motivation from the beginning is to destroy Antevorta.
- He works with The Eleven Foundation because he believes that they are also working against Antevorta, but he is misled. They are just using Ed to get Resonance using their own program, Antevorta, as the bait.
- Ed mistakenly believes that Reno and The Eleven Foundation will use Resonance to simultaneously destroy all the many Antevorta servers around the country, crippling the program. He is told that he, personally, will be the one to take out the server in the Aventine hospital.
- Reno sets Ray and Bennet on Ed's trail knowing (with her "mystical" future predicting powers) that they will stop the attack on the hospital and kill Ed. She will then be able to set Ray and Bennet up as the fall guys for the whole thing.
- In the final crane scene, Ray and Bennet would have had to convince Ed that Amul and Reno were not, actually, on Ed's side and that they had no interest in destroying Antevorta because they were, in fact, behind the whole thing. But it would end up in the same explosive finale.
- After stopping Ed, Ray and Bennet would uncover Ed's phone, which would have several recorded phone conversations documenting Amul and Reno's involvement in the whole thing. As they ride the elevator down from the crane, the recordings would play over the end credits.
- These phone recordings would reveal that Amul was the driving point behind a number of events in the game. Ed setup the resonance device that killed Morales, but it was Amul that decided to trigger it. Amul also sent the thug to Anna's apartment in an effort to speed things up and push her towards finding Resonance. Ed is angry about all these steps Amul takes without consulting him.
- In the post-credits ending, Bennet and Ray would take Ed's phone recordings and publish them on Ray's website as proof against The Eleven Foundation and Antevorta.
- I also wanted beating the game to unlock a New Game + where these phone conversations would happen during the story allowing you to see it all play out chronologically.
|
Dave and Janet's suggestion
- Simplify the complex Eleven Foundation/Ed relationship. Ed just wants to preserve Resonance for the common good. The Eleven Foundation promised to help him to that end.
- Ed set off the device killing Morales. No complex thing with Amul. (Though we had to add the thing with the timer to allow this, since we're looking at Ed in the subway when the event takes place. This allows us to cut out all the recorded phone calls and New Game + stuff.
- After delivering the devices to the Eleven Foundation, Ed discovers their true motivations and decides to stop them. Ed's motivations are not about the "Orwellian nightmare", but just a desire to stop Reno and Amul.
- There is only one Antevorta server instead of many, and destroying it will stop the whole thing, giving more weight to the act.
- Crane scene is instead about convincing Ed that blowing up a chunk of the Hospital is not the best way to stop Antevorta, rather than convincing him that the people pulling his strings are behind it and that he's playing straight into their hands.
- Janet at this point came up with the second ending at this point where Ray can choose to let Ed go through with it.
|
The recorded conversations were to be:
- Ed calls Amul after the very first scene in the game. He tells Amul that Morales plans on destroying Resonance. Amul tells him to set up the device, just in case they need it.
- Ed calls Amul after seeing the destroyed Lab from the cemetery hill. He is angry. "Why did you set it off? It was supposed to be a fail safe!" Amul tells him that time is running out to stop Antevorta and that Ed proceed with plan B, "the girl."
- Ed reports to Amul the evening of Morales' death. Amul tells Ed he should go immediately to Anna's apartment building to "play the Hero." Ed asks Amul "What have you done now?"
- Ed calls Amul after the thug chases Anna on the stairwell. He is angry that Amul keeps taking steps without Ed's ok. Amul explains that the thug was there to help move things along faster."
- Ed calls to report that he has secured Resonance. He sounds overwhelmed with emotion (from killing Anna) and asks if it was really all worth it. Amul assures him that the destruction of Antevorta will be worth it and urges him to hurry and deliver Resonance to him.
In the end, I had to admit (as should have been obvious, but was hard to see at the time), mine was way too complex and required far too much exposition that might have worked better on a TV show or a movie, but not in a game. Furthermore, there were just too many plot points that would not have been explained until the ending credits. Dave and Janet's version got to the point faster and only really required a retooling of a few scenes. I was sad to let go of my version, but as I said, I had to come to terms with the fact that they were making these suggestions to make the game better and that Dave had quite a bit more experience than I had at this whole thing.
A few parts of my ending still bled into what we ended up using. (Ed turned vehemently against Antevorta once he learned of the "Orwellian Nightmare" of the thing, rather than just being out to destroy it to get back at Amul and Reno for misleading him about their intentions for Resonance.)
I was sad to see the phone recordings go because they gave a bit more context to Ed's motivations and state of mind and may have helped to make him somewhat sympathetic. Without them, eliciting any sympathy for Ed's actions was a lot harder.
I was also sad to see my New Game + idea go, but at this point it was March, and we were shooting for a release date that was three months away, so obviously it just wasn't going to happen. Better to simplify the whole thing and eliminate all that extra exposition.
Although, after releasing the game, I realized that we kind of orphaned the thug that chases Anna at her apartment. There was never really a good explanation in the game for that except to assume that Ed sent him to speed things up or that The Eleven Foundation was making a move. Oh well. :)
Bravo Vince! Interesting to get insight here!
There's a 304 cult? Why do I never get invited to the cool parties?! :cry:
Another enjoyable installment in the Wadjet Eye Podcast! :wink:
Great podcast as always.
Sounds like you guys need to get Jeff Vogel on the podcast.
Episode 33 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_33.mp3)
Puzzle variety and the usual David Cage bashing.
Sweet! A new episode! :cheesy:
listened and liked! The inner world seems really a fun game to play *moves it up on to play list*
I'm currently gradually working my way through Flight of the Amazon Queen with my niece (I'm turning her into a young adventurer) and I can confirm that you do find an oil can on the back of Sparkey's truck and empty the contents onto the car of the henchmen. There's also a 'rubbing' puzzle in this game, where you rub the pencil on a blank page to see what was written on the page above it. That's such a common puzzle that I even told my niece to expect it as soon as we got the pencil, and taught her how it works using a real notepad and pencil :)
Stupot, consider my cockles warmed :P
Thanks for the clarification Stu! :)
Another great podcast, guys. Ben, you're not the only person who likes the re-wiring puzzle in Resonance. There are at least four of us!
Re: mazes. I added the maze to Resonance as sort of a personal challenge. Everyone hates mazes in adventure games and I wanted to show that one could be done right. A risky proposition, because if done wrong it can really put a damper on an otherwise great game. Inherit the Earth, which Ben mentioned, is one of my favorite games with the one glaring exception of that damn maze. The Space Bar, another of my faves, has a 3D maze navigated from the first person that you have to solve in the minimal number of clicks. It's the most frustrating part of the game. Challenge accepted.
So here were my rules for adding a maze to a game:
1. Relevant to the story. My maze was a child's nightmare representation of a repressed memory. (spoiler alert?) The dream was an integral part of the story and related, eventually, to events outside the dream.
2. Presented in a readable way. Grundislav's example of the KQ5(?) maze that changed perspectives when you turned around is a great example of what not to do. The player has to be able to keep their bearings. I chose a top-down view for that purpose.
3. Player must be given in-game tools to solve the maze. Yes, you can map the maze with a paper and pencil as you go, but I'm a big believer that all the knowledge needed to solve a puzzle must be IN the game. (Which is why I put a calculator in the game with a pi key just in case some one didn't know the value of pi.) Hence the "breadcrumbs" in the form of coins. I also hinted at being able to use them by hiding a memory referencing Hansel and Gretel in the maze.
4. Some twist to make them unique. As you get deeper in the maze, it starts rotating - a literal twist - giving extra challenge. (some complained that this detracted from #2 though)
5. Optional! This might not always be possible, but I wanted my maze to be skippable. The reward for completing it is a bit of back story and a huge hint towards solving another puzzle, namely the key to decode the journal. The journal, of course, is also an optional puzzle, and can be decoded without the hint earned in the maze.
In my next game, I'm taking on a similar challenge: the whole game is about shaking orange juice and taking a shower.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Wed 22/01/2014 15:55:47
Inherit the Earth, which Ben mentioned, is one of my favorite games with the one glaring exception of that damn maze.
I wouldn't say I
disliked this maze, just that it took me a long, long time with pen and paper to solve. If you can handle that, it's more rewarding to me than, say, grinding bland RPG monsters over and over and over again to level up. (I like RPGS!)
But yeah, the biggest issue is totally the perspective change. I think the fireberries section in Kyrandia is great, though, so clearly I hate fun.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Wed 22/01/2014 15:55:47
Everyone hates mazes in adventure games
I like mazes. :sad:
But I always make my mazes optional. :cool:
So what's this about XII Showers? Are you jumping on the David Cage bandwagon and putting gratuitous shower scenes in your games? Awesome! I'm going to do that too. Coming soon: Oceanspirit Dennis in
Rubber Duck Adventures :=
You already did that christmas cooking game, Ponch. Although that was a bath....
Not saying you shouldn't do more, just that there's already a precedent, so you can hardly start doing something when you've already done it. :=
But I haven't done an Oceanspirit Dennis bath scene yet. And that's what people REALLY want to see. No one cares about two hot chicks in a bubble bath. It's teh Dennis they want to see! :=
/me imagines the same game remade with Ray and Dennis...
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 22/01/2014 16:40:30
/me imagines the same game remade with Ray and Dennis...
Don't just imagine it! Make it happen! You're overdue for your next OSD game anyway. A tactical real-time rubber duck vs. submarine battle would be just the thing, if you ask me! :cheesy:
After lol, Oceanspirit Dennis, I think I'm actually somewhat underdue, to be perfectly frank. :grin:
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 22/01/2014 16:46:18
After lol, Oceanspirit Dennis, I think I'm actually somewhat underdue, to be perfectly frank. :grin:
Stop making up words and start making Dennis games! And where's the next podcast? I need my fix!!!
the next podcast is 3(0)4 already...
Episode 34 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_34.mp3)
DANE KRAMS!
Interesting discussion of art and another great guest! :cheesy:
Spoiler
I still call it pumping iron :cry:
That's why we are both members of the same secret base, Ponch. :cheesy:
First rule of Secret Treehouse Club is that you do not talk about Secret Treehouse Club! :cool:
Spoiler
Now stop watching My Little Pony and get down here and blast your quads!!!1! :=
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Seekrit_Treehowz_4.PNG)
Peter Chan actually used Prismacolor markers which are very expensive. Not Crayola. :P You can see him drawing with them here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ0W4tOt84k) at 0:54. It looks like the full 200 complete set.
Interesting discussion!
And I found the one Thread you were talking about:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=32126.msg415012#msg415012
There it is! Thanks!
You guys! That made we super motivated and it's great to hear people are still looking forward to our project. :)
Oh, but the pressure, now I need to go back and redo all the art 8-0
But hopefully we can give some news about the project soon.
Interesting talk, I agree on many things about the feedback, but some different view on how far to go. But I'll leave that to a PM.
Episode 35 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_35.mp3)
The NAKED truth!
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 01/02/2014 17:08:46
Episode 35 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_35.mp3)
The NAKED truth!
Awesome! Let me just take off my pants and put in my earbuds! :=
It was quite an interesting discussion on the latest podcast episode. I'm not an avid listener of your podcasts, but when I do listen to them I don't regret it. ^^
so, does this mean, you are teh gays? 8-0 8-)
I think that would be considered incest.
so? \o/
Quote from: selmiak on Mon 03/02/2014 01:07:16
so, does this mean, you are teh gays? 8-0 8-)
Have you never listened to this podcast before? Grundlben is the greatest of all bromances! :cool:
after a podcast where homophobia and provocation come up and with this end I thought I'd just ask :)
What's the complete name of this performance artist you mentioned, vito ...?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vito_Acconci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vito_Acconci)
and, more specifically, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seedbed_%28performance_piece%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seedbed_%28performance_piece%29)
I resent the presumption that I'm just going to listen to every one of your podcasts. One of these times I'm just not going to listen, and they you'll feel pretty silly when you say hi to me and I never hear it.
Another great one. I wholeheartedly agree with the notion that watering your work down for fear of offending or being misconstrued is the worst disservice you can do your audience.
Neither of you have wives (obviously, or you'd make each other jealous), but in the project I'm currently working on, I've caught myself feeling very self-conscious when I'm writing relationship or marital problems into my story for fear that someone will assume that I must be drawing on my own marriage as inspiration and using my writing as an outlet for my frustrations. But then I step back from it and realize I've never once watched a movie where the husband and wife are fighting and thought to myself "Man, this screenwriter must really have a shitty marriage."
This is an interesting concern, and yeah, I've never looked at a work about a certain topic and assumed that the work is explicitly representative of the author. I've read countless stories involving serial killings and not once thought "Wow, this person knows a lot about killing someone, I bet they've committed plenty of murders."
Unless you make it super obvious (look at the romantic interest in Driftmoon and compare her to Anne Mönkkönen :grin::grin::grin:) then I really doubt anybody will make some connection between relationship issues in the work and those in real life - unless they were directly involved in something with a high number of corresponding elements or, you know, you tell them.
Episode 36 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_36.mp3)
VEGEMITE
I grew up on Marmite, and rarely go a day without the stuff in some form or another, usually on toast. It also makes for a tasty hot drink. :-* I'm not sure if the Aussies drink Vegemite, though. Do they, Ben?
It's coming up to the second week, new podcast? :)
Unfortunately, we're both having a social binge, so we won't be able to record this week either. Should be back next week, though!
Episode 37 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_37.mp3)
cool podcast. But in conclusion I have to say this podcast is too linear. There are branching pathes everywhere, which is good, but in the end there is some thread you follow. Please work on this and make a nonlinear podcast sometime in the future :D
Maybe make it in a way that choices really matter, and add some real interaction. Also I don't like the Sound system, where all I can do is listen. No choices or ways to influence there, not really a system, just a nice demonstration.
(?).
Nice podcast. I had a lot of laughs, and made my day a better one. Good for listening while you're doing AGS things.
Good podcast. I still don't think any game is actually non-linear. The closest is The Witcher and even then it's just multiple paths. I guess Fallout 3 is pretty non-linear.
I don't get what the big fuss is about non-linearity, like it's some Holy Grail of game design. It's a nice touch if you have the resources, but it's not really that important to me. What are important to me are interactivity and exploration, both of which can create the illusion of non-linearity, which is fine by me. Even a sprawling sand-box game like GTA has certain story check-points along the way making for an overall fairly linear story, well disguised in exploration and open-worldiness.
If you want to provide me, as a player, with some degree of choice along the way, then great. If you can create the illusion that I am having some impact over how the story is playing out, then even better, but you don't have to create multiple branches and personalised endings in order to make me happy. Tell me a story. Just one story will be fine. I'm probably only likely to play the game once anyway. And if I play it again it's because I enjoyed it the first time around. So if I want a different story I can play a different game.
Dark Souls. Has anyone here played that bastard? It's a non-linear game. When you start the game, you can go to pretty much anywhere, except for some places that need some kind of key, heh (plot). You can kill any NPC. You can customize your character to your liking and equip anything (this of course resulting in experienced people sticking to the "best method", like when in an RPG you have like 30 magics and you select the best one over and over -Meteor!-). And they try to hold your hand as LITTLE as possible, ending in you inevitably dying over and over.
Thing with non-linearity is that it doesn't has anything to do with the impact and extra endings. It's about breaking the "A to B" paradigm, making it instead A to either B, C, D, E, F... then at some point Z. Or finally end up with W, X, Y as possible endings.
Then the games that just throw a different cinematic depending on your variable values. Bools and integers determining what ending sequence plays (?).
Now let's think about linear vs. non-linear. Which is easier to develop? Which pleases most audiences without that much hazzle? Linear games. A lot of people are just caring for a story and blah. I'm not in that boat because I like a little more of non-linearity, but if I can please people with the easiest path, then it's a good thing to consider. Nowadays is pretty hard to achieve a good replay value if your game's main aspect is story.
If you go for a non-linear approach, there is this thing that involves branching. Let's say you make a branching, you have two results. Each of these branches then break again in two separate branches each. Now we have 4 paths. Let's say this happens over and over. With 7 levels of branching, you have 2^7=128 different paths. So you pretty much have to make 128 games in one.
Of course, I'm not taking into account that some branches start at mid of game, neither am I considering that some branches can join at some point, which is the key for branching stories, because neither you or your players will follow up with that gigantic schema where they are.
Episode 38 (http://t.co/TnpOD9uGRA)
Work environment!
Neither of you have played Thirty Flights of Loving? I don't think I can listen to your podcasts anymore...
Well, that was chock full of good advice for single men with no children. (I have no personal space, help me!)
And phew, I thought you were going to go that whole podcast without mentioning me. Thank god I slipped in at the end. My ego! MY EGO!
Quote from: Armageddon on Sat 08/03/2014 16:31:39
Neither of you have played Thirty Flights of Loving? I don't think I can listen to your podcasts anymore...
Have you played Planescape: Torment? Well!? Have you!?
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sat 08/03/2014 17:01:05
And phew, I thought you were going to go that whole podcast without mentioning me. Thank god I slipped in at the end. My ego! MY EGO!
You got mentioned within 4 minutes :P
Catching up on the backlog of episodes. Was very disappointed that Vince didn't provide another DeliveRants. It should be a prerequisite for any episode he appears in. (nod)
Great episode! I agree with everything Ben mentioned really, it does make life much easier.
I had the same opinion about Open Office being slow, but I had not been looking for an alternative - Installed Libra office now and seems to work great so far :)
really? I tested them all and OOo opened around 3-4 seconds faster than Libre office. And they both have almost the same installsize. And the new MS Office has some nice features too and opens really fast on win7 (but is probably cluttering up RAM for this right from the booting).
Yea, I would say about the opposite for me (I didn't keep open office loaded in the systray/background though). Opening a document in Libre takes around 1-2 secs. And it doesn't stay loaded stand by - so just feels clean, simple and fast :)
Realize it's getting off topic.
Yeah, OpenOffice has never loaded fast for me. I switched to LibreOffice solely because I was frustrated at the OO load times. Interesting to hear that you experience the opposite, Selmiak, but I can only speak from personal experience in saying I find LibreOffice much faster and "lighter" to use.
Episode 39 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_39.mp3)!
Episode 40 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_40.mp3)
GDC recap!
Hey! Awesome Podcast! I had a blast meeting you, and yeah - heh - it was a fun way to meet. And playing "Backdoor Man" with you and Edmundo was seriously a highlight of the whole shindig. I am really stoked for A Golden Wake, and I can't wait to throw thousands of bitcoins your way for it! Heh.
You did a really great wrap up for GDC, and listening to it, I got filled in on the stuff I missed. Anyway, I'm still recovering from my week, but I can definitely say it was great to meet and share AGS war-stories with you.
Bt
Sounded like it was a pretty awesome time :)
Buy my game because I like food! :-D
must have been fun! and even with a bonus track :-D
New record for namedropping in the podcast! I didn't know who a handful of the people mentioned are. :-[ But it sounded like fun!
And what the hell was that song at the end? What's going on? Where am I?
Episode 41 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_41.mp3)
Another animated discussion.
(social)
Now that was an educative funride :-D
Quote from: Blackthorne on Mon 24/03/2014 02:53:54
Hey! Awesome Podcast! I had a blast meeting you, and yeah - heh - it was a fun way to meet. And playing "Backdoor Man" with you and Edmundo was seriously a highlight of the whole shindig. I am really stoked for A Golden Wake, and I can't wait to throw thousands of bitcoins your way for it! Heh.
You did a really great wrap up for GDC, and listening to it, I got filled in on the stuff I missed. Anyway, I'm still recovering from my week, but I can definitely say it was great to meet and share AGS war-stories with you.
Bt
You need to do one of these, if you haven't already.
Do one of what? GDC wrap-ups? Listen to Episode 40 :)
Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 13/04/2014 19:15:47
Do one of what? GDC wrap-ups? Listen to Episode 40 :)
Do a podcast with BT.
I'm really super mad at myself that I've been sitting on this podcast for so long--just plowed through a bunch of episodes during a couple of long runs and they were excellent! Really enjoyed the pair of interviews with Dave, but in general it's just really cool to hear people who've been so successful with AGS talk about their processes and ideas and etc. etc. 8-)
Thanks for doing this!
Episode 42 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_42.mp3)
Music in games!
Music, one of those areas I'm not touching! I would say that the first 'Dark Forces' was the first game where I really felt music made a huge impact on immersion. I would have to admit that when I was young and played MI2 I didn't notice the iMuse usage (maybe because it was so well executed so it felt seamlessly and didn't distract).
Not all of us have Swedish sounding names, Grundislav! ;)
Episode 43 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_43.mp3)
Backgrounds again.
Two great episodes! Obviously a huge honor hearing you not only mention but actually playing TSP while pod casting :)
Yyyyeeeeah, if you could go ahead and start putting dates on your episodes on iTunes so they don't show up in random order and the auto-download new episodes notification would work, that'd be grrreeeaaat.
(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.switched.com/media/2008/09/office-space-boss6-1.jpg)
Also, interview Andail when you get a chance. I'll get you a copy of that memo.
You're not putting dates on your episodes? Didn't you get that memo?
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/The_Bobs.jpg)
What exactly would you say you DO around here, Grundy?
I DO put dates on the episodes! No idea why they would be going random, they work fine for me in iTunes.
(http://i.imgur.com/3fiOJ0o.png)
Huh, this is how they show up in the iPhone podcast app. It's a shitty app though, so maybe that's the problem.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38322/2014-04-26%2017.59.14.png)
Huh. Weird. I'd blame the app. Then again, I'm using a .txt as an .xml file every time I update so maybe it's just too outdated for iPhone.
Great podcast, speaking of background I have a topic question.
I saw the Blackwell backgrounds started as pen and paper block outs to prototype the gameplay before Ben drew them. I'm curious how much the artist would need to think of the design or how much direction they would be given, what objects to cast more light on than others. I'm curious how you would be thinking about the gameplay while drawing.
With Blackwell, that's very rarely an issue. Dave usually leaves the specific layout of a scene to me; and he very rarely will give any direction about light, unless a specific element needs a dark corner because of a design. Therefore, Dave will show me where the exits need to be, where the objects need to go, and the rest is completely up to me.
Because Photoshopt is magical, I usually lay out the basic foundations of a scene because I start painting any light or shadow in at all. So, for an interior, I'll put up the walls, doors floors and ceilings, all in the sort of colour I want the room to be, and then from this basis work in the lighting and the shadows, keeping in mind where I then think everything will be, and defining a clear set of lightsources, so I can use these as a reference for lighting any objects. With basic lighting done, I start painting in the meat of the scene; the various furnishings, embellishments, lighting them according to the light sources I've already established. With that done, I do a final pass, touching everything up and doing any final colour adjustments needed.
Episode 44 (http://t.co/Uwv84r9H5s)
Andail!
Great podca(s)ts!
Looking forward to see some of you guys' high res art and what you think about the production time going from low-res to high-res.
Maybe all of us Swedish Adventure devs could get together some time, maybe play each others games and hack them to pieces (as in test play and give feedback) :)
This was a great one! I'm really glad you had Andail on. That was a great discussion on the creation and creative intentions of TSP. And I'm really excited that Andail's working on his next game!
Episode 45 (http://t.co/jU6FmOCHfw)
Diversity! Voice Acting! Sex Tapes!
Fun as always, I enjoyed the part about voice acting in particular. Grundy's crazy voices were all so effortless -- though Ben's impression of Sadwick might've been the highpoint of the podcast. One thing I noticed, though, is that Grundy's audio seems MUCH quieter than Ben's -- so it's hard to balance the volume, especially in a non-neutral environment, such as when I'm out walking.
I noticed this myself when I went back to give it a listen. My fault for lazy editing! A new, better balanced version has been uploaded.
Gotta be careful doing that, because I noticed you substituted one problem - being quiet - for another - clipping.
Episode 46 (http://t.co/e2A8ZCTNGa)
BUGS
I am the only pixel fanatic. :(
I am the only hand drawn fanatic. :sad:
I am the only photoshop filter fanatic.:cry:
As for topics, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not sure if you guys have done an episode dedicated to scripting/coding. It's come up occasionally in passing but maybe there's more to be said... Or Maybe there's nothing to be said at all. You decide. I'm just interested in your thoughts on the topic, any tricks or shortcuts you've acquired, anything you like/hate about scripting. Your proudest scripting achievement. Your worst piece of code ever. Whatever really... :-)
Great idea for a episode!
I liked the part about the audience's expectations about the endings in games. I think any sort ongoing series -- be it games, movies, books, tv series -- has people predicting what's next, and in the long run, how it'll all come to an end. As the series progresses, they get attached to their visions so much that the authors' way might cause disappointment and/or outrage. Case in point: Mass Effect 3. Harry Potter. Or, to take a few examples from TV this year, Dexter and How I Met Your Mother. Wasn't it Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author" that argued the story doesn't belong to the author anymore once they realse it to the public? I'd usually advocate the creator's freedom -- but that HIMYM ending was so horrid, pointless and illogical that I seriously question their competence ;)
Also, I listened to #43 tonight -- and I'm with you, Grundy, Photoshop 6 FTW, it's been my tool of choice since 2002 :D
Episode 47 (http://t.co/w487kPtjxE)
Writing annoying/unlikeable characters, how to decide how much of their story to tell.
I forgive you.
Any news on the next podcast? Have just caught up with the last 15 or so episodes in my backlog := Really liked the GDC one, had a nifty change of pace.
If you're stuck for topics it would be nice to hear one about the challenges that come with making a commercial release, press packs, promotion, non disclosure contracts -that kind of thing :)
*Edit: Didn't think that through. Sorry for raising hopes of a new episode :sealed:
and there I though yay, new episode.
Topics: Just let grundy's neighbour DJ for one whole episode or what chicky said!
Quote from: selmiak on Sun 20/07/2014 01:16:20
and there I though yay, new episode.
Me too! For one brief moment, my hopes soared! But then they were dashed! DASHED! :cry:
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 20/07/2014 02:06:38
Me too! For one brief moment, my hopes soared! But then they were dashed! DASHED! :cry:
Like a Texan on the highway side. Wait, is this the simile writing competition? ;)
Awww damn! I actually put this thread on my Notify list never to miss an update -- not to mention I pm'ed Benjamin to nag and complain about the lack of Deliverants. To make the waiting less painful I'm meanwhile listening to all the podcasts all over again.
Quote from: Baron on Sun 20/07/2014 03:26:30
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 20/07/2014 02:06:38
Me too! For one brief moment, my hopes soared! But then they were dashed! DASHED! :cry:
Like a Texan on the highway side. Wait, is this the simile writing competition? ;)
True, sadly. That motorcycle is in a million pieces now. But my broken bones have healed. But not my heart... because GrundlBen won't record a new CupCast... And Baron won't stop reopening old wounds. :wink:
Hey, we're back!
Episode 48 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_48.mp3)
:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON? IS THIS REAL?? IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING??? :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 26/07/2014 15:26:07
Hey, we're back!
Episode 48 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_48.mp3)
And wgot! (No, not a typo)
It's here! It's here! Squeeeeeeeeeee! :cheesy:
But beware! My wrath will fall upon you like a rain of molten lava if don't see Episode 49 same time next week ;)
It's so nice to feel loved. ^__^
Silent Hill 2 sort of has the art style reflect the character. A lot of survival horror's actually.
AUAHGHAHAGHAHA
I was actually considering making a mock Podcast today where I do both of your voices.
And ahem, that someone requesting Deliverants was me. Unless I'm not alone in my nostalgia/fondness of talking about games in redneck accents?
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sat 26/07/2014 23:27:23
AUAHGHAHAGHAHA
I was actually considering making a mock Podcast today where I do both of your voices.
DO. IT.
I have recently started listening to all the podcasts and I must say: good job, guys. And also, Ben's laugh is extremely contagious.
Hopefully it's so contagious that I get to hear Vince trying to replicate it at some point. :cheesy::cheesy:
Welcome back. Nice listen. Ben does have a cute laugh (laugh)
For some reason every time Grudislav said his own name I heard it as 'Princess Gorgonzolas'...
That's what happens when I try to Americanize it. Maybe I should say it correctly from now on!
Episode 49! (http://t.co/bquUvgwBt4)
Episode 50! (http://t.co/2UVGPXpGxt)
Woot woot! Congrats! :cheesy: Right on schedule, too!
Wow, I'm really glad Richard brought up 80 Days. It is really good.
Congrats on 50!
Good going on 50, here's to the next 50!
Fifty-One! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_51.mp3)
That was a pretty good one, but maybe next time you could go a little bit more off topic. :-*
(I kid. The tangents are an integral part of the BCT experience.)
And not a single question of mine about starting a new project was answered!
Basically wanted to hear their tips on how to approach the implementation into AGS. Start at first playable scene or Introduction cut scenes or I dunno, crazy like the last scene of the game and build backwards....
Start from the first playable scene, get the skeleton of the game done and playable, then polish up stuff while people test the playable, rough bits and tell you which bits suck before you waste time polishing bits that suck.
DONE!
I always make a little prototype first to see the character and how they match the background. Then focus on playable areas and add cutscenes and intros and whatnot later.
Fifty Two (http://t.co/CNuCbcDRGd)
w00t! New episode! :cheesy:
Fifty Three (http://t.co/CRC8IGqsSQ)
WHoops. Slight factual error in that podcast. Jennifer Hale played Dionarra in Planescape. Not Fall-From-Grace!
Actually, she played both! (Nerd alert!)
Let's talk about lore! :-D
Episode 54! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_54.mp3)
Yassss! :cheesy:
Thanks, Gorgonzola and Clem, for another interesting Podcats. Having suffered through the transition of a college to a university, at least one of the differences involves the post graduate degrees: Masters and Doctorates. Colleges, evidently, can only issue Baccalaureate degrees.
Episode 55 (http://t.co/7GlVY5TYOd)
Do you remember the ancient times when there was no dropbox, no flash drives, no CD-R's? I think I still have a few stories and graphics saved on good ol' 3,5 floppies, buried somewhere in the depths of the bottom shelf. I back up since my teenage, pre-internet days, as often as I can (be bothered to). I've lost sensible data to disk failures, short circuits, viruses, rootkits even (oh, the things that can happen while browsing for refernce on how to draw human eye-lashes up close!), all that. With game folders, I tend to keep copies of at least five pre-release backups, just to be safe. And I'm still kicking myself for throwing out most of the vast collection of my 1991-1999 doodlings back in 2005 -- thinking "Oh, I don't care for these! I will never draw in my life again! NEVARRR!" (laugh)
And you should invite Ponch. He's your number one fan. And then, next week, the next obvious, natural and logical step would be to invite your Biggest Fan No 2!
Quote from: Fitz on Sun 21/09/2014 18:55:26
And you should invite Ponch. He's your number one fan. And then, next week, the next obvious, natural and logical step would be to invite your Biggest Fan No 2!
I agree that both Ponch and Fitz should be invited and interviewed. I don't follow these podcasts but I'll make sure to listen to the ones where Ponch and Fitz are interviewed.
I'm still waiting for the Icey interview!
Screw the interview, all I want is an hour of Deliverants -- with me, Billy Mac, alongside Bubba and Cletus (laugh)
But first, an episode with Ponch's -- a video podcast special, just so that we could see him gettin' jiggy with it in a cow costume.
I would happily agree to an interview... but only on one condition!
Spoiler
I demand a new installment of Spaceman... In Space! :=
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/cow_chorusline.gif)(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/cow_chorusline.gif)(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/cow_chorusline.gif)
And thus we brought our chances of ever being invited to the show down to zero! (laugh)
Or didn't we?
Episode 56 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_56.mp3)
Ah, there it is! I thought our suggestions of who to invite next made you realize it's time to axe the podcast! (laugh) But your silence on the matter speaks volumes :P
Oh sweet! New podcast! :cheesy:
(http://i.snag.gy/LxZWf.jpg)
@Retro Wolf: I'll stand here and wait patiently in line for my turn if my name is in the cards. :wink:
Another good episode.
(https://warosu.org/data/tg/img/0289/67/1387492215828.gif)
I just saw this tweet which basically sums up what you were talking about in the Podcast.
https://twitter.com/mcfunkypants/status/515910874851475456
I'm gonna try to bear this in mind for my new project, but I'm not really sure how easily it applies to adventure games. In our genre, it's normal to put it together one room or section at a time, so that some bits get finished before you've even started building other parts.
Quote from: Stupot+ on Sun 28/09/2014 02:50:53
I am shocked and appalled that Icey wasn't interviewed in this otherwise riveting episode!!1!
I completely agree, Stu. (nod) ;)
cool intro and thanks for reminding me of my horny parents thank you ppl :-D
what was this all about? OH, wait, i like it anyways ;-D
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 28/09/2014 05:15:00
Quote from: Stupot+ on Sun 28/09/2014 02:50:53
I am shocked and appalled that Icey wasn't interviewed in this otherwise riveting episode!!1!
I completely agree, Stu. (nod) ;)
I couldn't have said it better myself :-D
Quote from: Stupot+ on Sun 28/09/2014 07:48:33
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 28/09/2014 05:15:00
Quote from: Stupot+ on Sun 28/09/2014 02:50:53
I am shocked and appalled that Icey wasn't interviewed in this otherwise riveting episode!!1!
I completely agree, Stu. (nod) ;)
Why do Ben and Grundy continue to ignore their listenership like this?! It's an outrage! Is it time to consider a boycott of the podcast? #CupGate
Woah, Stu. Settle down. I understand that you're upset. We all are. I don't know why GrundlBen have turned their back on us, their loyal audience, but that's no excuse for using words that the spellchecker doesn't recognize (i.e. "listenership"). All we can do is hope that Grundy and Ben will stop doing rails of coke off the rump end of their prostitute pile in their gilded NYC penthouse long enough to realize that their audience is outside with pitchforks and torches (unlit... so far). This can still be resolved peacefully... I hope. ;)
Fifty Seven! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_57.mp3)
Ooh! Downloading (and keeping my fingers crossed that this installment contains an interview with a certain someone!) :=
EDIT: For one, brief, shining moment, I thought a DeliverRants was afoot... But sadly, no. :cry:
Good podcast for me. I just finished my first game recently and I'm having trouble starting something new. Now that I know the time commitment and how unhappy I am with my skills and the finished product. I'm just not sure if it's worth it, I have game ideas but they are more ambitious and I'm haaving a hard time developing my skills and becoming more confident. So I just sit around and do nothing. And then I feel bad for not doing anything so I get anxious and I can't think of what to do when I get anxious and it's just digging a hole. :(
I think my problem is I don't want to do something small/inconsequential. I want something that has a point to it/a vision.
Still not sure what to do but you guys brought up a lot of good questions.
Quote from: Armageddon on Sat 04/10/2014 23:56:42
Good podcast for me. I just finished my first game recently
Not to derail the thread, but where did you put your game? I'd like to take a look.
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 04/10/2014 16:52:00(and keeping my fingers crossed that this installment contains an interview with a certain someone!) :=>
Wouldn't count on in the upcoming episode, either. Given the recent premiere of A Golden Wake, they're pretty much bound to invite Grundislav.
Oh, wait...
;)
Good episode, indeed. I'm having a hard time taking up big projects these days. Gray took me 2 years and 3 months -- and while it didn't feel that long in retrospect, it is a crazy amount of time to plan into the future. So I've only done little things since -- both of them for MAGS. I do enjoy the process, though. Still doing all the things by myself, so when I'm bored with animating, I just skip to writing dialogue or scripting. Same with comics. The one thing I somehow lost passion for is writing prose -- the ideas are there, oh so many ideas, but I'm paralyzed by the thought of just sitting there STARING AT THE SCREEN for hours, tapping away. I wish there were a way to make it feel more organic. Not pen and paper, I'm too chaotic and I want to be able to rewrite things without making too much of a mess. So I'm sitting and waiting for an e-ink typewriter.
Quote from: Fitz on Fri 10/10/2014 20:48:55
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 04/10/2014 16:52:00(and keeping my fingers crossed that this installment contains an interview with a certain someone!) :=>
Wouldn't count on in the upcoming episode, either. Given the recent premiere of A Golden Wake, they're pretty much bound to invite Grundislav.
Are you insinuating that Grundislav would use his connections to land a sweet interview on the most popular AGS podcast on iTunes? Surely he would not abuse the privileges of the Bromance like that! Gosh! Maybe those gamer gate fellows are on to something when they talk about indie devs
sleeping friendshipping their way to top. :=
Quote from: jwalt on Fri 10/10/2014 17:49:26
Quote from: Armageddon on Sat 04/10/2014 23:56:42
Good podcast for me. I just finished my first game recently
Not to derail the thread, but where did you put your game? I'd like to take a look.
It's actually a mod, not a game. But it mods a free to download engine branch. http://www.moddb.com/mods/keys
Quote from: Armageddon on Sat 04/10/2014 23:56:42
Good podcast for me. I just finished my first game recently and I'm having trouble starting something new. Now that I know the time commitment and how unhappy I am with my skills and the finished product. I'm just not sure if it's worth it, I have game ideas but they are more ambitious and I'm haaving a hard time developing my skills and becoming more confident. So I just sit around and do nothing. And then I feel bad for not doing anything so I get anxious and I can't think of what to do when I get anxious and it's just digging a hole. :(
I think my problem is I don't want to do something small/inconsequential. I want something that has a point to it/a vision.
I would say this is the hard part of being a new developer, when your ambition outweighs your ability, but in my experience that really doesn't go away. I still have more ambition than I do skill, and I have to keep that in check all the time, and tell myself to work within acceptable limits, even if it's just a game I'm being paid to do art for. Finding the balance is both hard and necessary, but working within those self-imposed limits can often be a good thing, and force you to make things good in more creative ways than just pure skill. Or something.
Quote from: Fitz on Fri 10/10/2014 20:48:55
So I'm sitting and waiting for an e-ink typewriter.
I want this. :cheesy:
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 13/10/2014 01:42:16I want this. :cheesy:
Sadly, it doesn't seem like there's going to be one anytime soon. E-ink reader's -- oh yes! But why in the world would Amazon add a keyboard to it so that you could use it for writing? Who would ever want that? (roll) As usual, you can count on crafty post-Soviet folks to hack the thing and turn it into a little typewriter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Ufpy7fuaY) -- but it's still far from perfect. I'm afraid we'll see bionic eyes go on sale sooner than we'll get a proper eye-friendly e-ink tablet. Oh well...
Anything can happen on Halloween... (http://t.co/8FPk423dOU)
Could a handsomely produced podcast come out a day early on Halloween?!?! :-D
I enjoyed listening to your last BlueCupTools Podcast 58 about 'A Golden Wake'! :)
I think most of all the dental health message really hit home...
I'm gonna go floss now.
Quote from: Amy on Sat 01/11/2014 03:30:12
I enjoyed listening to your last BlueCupTools Podcast 58 about 'A Golden Wake'! :)
(http://i5.minus.com/ip0TV64dxmJUm.png)
Ben Francisco
You drew me to be more beautiful than I'll ever be in real life. :cheesy:
I enjoy how I'm contorting away in disgust at Ben's blue cup offering :D
Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 02/11/2014 17:14:10
I enjoy how I'm contorting away in disgust at Ben's blue cup offering :D
That's because he looks like he's a smelly homeless person asking if you have any change. He claims he'll use the money to buy a ratty pair of hobo shoes, but we both know he'll just spend it all on sweets for his sweets tin (which is hobo code talk for a half-gallon of cheap chocolate liqueur). :=
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 02/11/2014 23:50:17
That's because he looks like he's a smelly homeless person asking if you have any change.
Ridiculous; I am entirely aware that Grundislav is a Luddite and, as such, cannot tolerate even the notion of change. :=
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sun 02/11/2014 23:53:12
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 02/11/2014 23:50:17
That's because he looks like he's a smelly homeless person asking if you have any change.
Ridiculous; I am entirely aware that Grundislav is a Luddite and, as such, cannot tolerate even the notion of change. :=
:cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:
Episode 59 (http://t.co/24UPkqw0ph)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA
Gilbert Gottfried reads 50 Shades is the most unsexy thing on the internet.
Help! I'm trapped in a games factory! :-D
fun to listen to the new episode of the blue potty tools podcast, it's great how you manage to stay totally focused all the time ;)
New episode! Nice! :cheesy:
I feel the topic of this podcast warrants a revisit with all the off-track toilet talk. :-D
Yamipanda, that made my day (laugh)
Also, Inspector Wadjet sounds like an idea for a Blackwell spin-off! Go go Wadjet Eye!
Quote from: yamipanda on Sun 09/11/2014 12:22:43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA
Gilbert Gottfried reads 50 Shades is the most unsexy thing on the internet.
Oh gosh.
Quote from: Fitz on Mon 10/11/2014 06:45:51
Also, Inspector Wadjet sounds like an idea for a Blackwell spin-off! Go go Wadjet Eye!
I've suggested this to Dave before. He always thinks I'm joking, for some reason.
Inspector Wadjet needs to happen. It will be awesome.
Two games about robots and we never made that joke. I feel ashamed.
Quote from: Armageddon on Mon 10/11/2014 00:53:13
I feel the topic of this podcast warrants a revisit with all the off-track toilet talk. :-D
The Blue Cup Tools Podcast has now become my favorite podcast to listen to on the toilet. Thanks guys! :cheesy:
Episode 60 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_60.mp3)
Yes! I have a long list of podcasts that I listen to regularly, among them good ones like the Giant Bombcast, This American Life, Star Talk Radio + a bunch more, but at the end of the day I get the most excited when I see a new BCT appear on my phone!
Quote from: David Ostman on Sat 15/11/2014 21:24:03
This American Life
I don't listen to this but I have been listening to Serial, which is made by the same people or something. Do you listen to that? It's without doubt my new favourite podcast, just ahead of BCT in second :-P
I started listening to Serial last week and it has been great so far. I'm up to episode 4 so I'm not entirely caught up, but that's some real serious investigative journalism right there that I wish was more common.
Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project is another podcast I enjoy, when they aren't doing consecutive spoilercasts of things I haven't yet watched/read :tongue:
Now I must listen to latest BCT again as I fell asleep listening to it the first time. I only remember some brief talk of Baldur's Gate before descending into oblivion!
Episode 61 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_61.mp3)
(for those relying on this forum thread to get updates)
Ahh good timing. I was about to read, but I'll listen to this instead.
One thing I keep meaning to ask. For all other podcasts I follow, when a new ep comes out, the red blob appears with a 1 in it to say I have one new unplated episode. Only with BCT, this never happens, even though the episode is there when I go in and look at the list. Any ideas why? It's not a problem at all, just a weird quirk.
Hahah thanks, David. You're too quick for me!
Episode 62 (http://t.co/GmnsujZVVE)
What's this? A new episode? Why, Christmas has come early! :cheesy:
Spoiler
Drat! I abducted that hobo and left him in a bathtub full of ice for nothing! :sad:
Oh My :-[ 8-0 Much higher 'cuss-count' than normal! Look out kids (wrong) , Thanks for another Podcast!
Happy New Year!
Episode 63 (http://t.co/73S722OkxZ)
Apologies in advance to MiteWiseacreLives! for the cussing :)
Since you, and especially Ben love DOSgames, I'll just leave this here ;-D
http://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos_games/v2
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 10/01/2015 15:19:55
Hi, happy new year. If you don't mind me asking what was the book on perspective you're reading?
The Art of Perspective by Phil Metzger (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Perspective-Ultimate-Artists-Medium/dp/1581808550/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421079416&sr=8-1&keywords=the+art+of+perspective)
Regarding episode 63 and The Last of Us, I liked the first hour. It's slow, but it sets the world up nicely. I'm all for story in my games. :cool:
The last door is a phenomenal adventure game.
I agree with you on the puzzles. I found them often illogical.
In my opinion, the strongest part is the sound: the music in particular, it's very immersive. In fact, I didn't even play all of the available episodes, since I am too busy listening to the music I copied to my computer. :=
I agree about the music, I thought it was perhaps the strongest element. Graphics are very low res, but functional enough, the writing was quite immersive, I thought, but the music really shone for me.
Episode 64 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_64.mp3)!
A very interesting episode of our favorite podcast (or should I say potcast, Ben?). Damn progress! Case in point: I've grown to really hate the first background for Magenta -- which I was PROUD OF when I first made it. But I've experienced the opposite, too -- thinking I wouldn't be able to top some old artwork. This one (http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/A_Bit_Cheesy/4977638/) I still, seven years later, I consider my best. But I do see flaws in it and room for progress. I've actually looked through some old doodles of mine -- as a part of this thing on fb where you post your old drawing for five consecutive days -- and it was inspiring how much I got right as a kid, despite some obvious flaws, and how much I've developed since.
Regarding the latest episode - well, I've discovered your podcast when it already had almost 50 episodes, so I was a bit behind… However, I've listened to every single one of them chronologically (and now I'm finally able to listen to the current podcasts). Not sure how many obsessive-compulsive people like me there are, but yeah, it happens :)
Fitz: Yeah, this is something terrifying, too - when you draw something great and suddenly you have to try and replicate it and you're not sure how to get it looking that good again. That's terrifying to me, but sometimes I hate that I managed to draw something that I like simply because I can't repeat it. Also, if you're worried that I'm high while podcasting, let me assure than I'm not. I just do lots of walkcycles and don't get much sleep, which has a very similar effect on a person. :=
Calypso Starlight: Make sure you disregard all of the advice I've ever given, then. :cheesy:
You guys brought up the topic of the pot in the podcast yourselves -- and it wasn't the weed, it was the OTHER pot ;) Then again, Francisco's constant giggling is suspiciously similar to symptoms of cannabis use. The only thing missing is paranoia -- along the lines of "David Cage is sabotaging the action adventure genre!", etc.
Oh wait...!
And yeah, Calypso, don't listen to him. He'll tell you all the things he likes in games, you'll do a game with all of that in it -- along with everything he and Grundislav agree is bad game design -- and he'll never play that game ;)
Might do a little BCT marathon, myself, when I get out of surgery and have to lie there for a couple of hours before I go home.
Valid points! Francisco is clearly the high one! :D
Good luck with the surgery!
I'm high on life! :grin:
Good luck with your surgery, Fitz! I hope our dulcet voices help with a speedy recovery.
I'm re-listening one of the old ones every week when you guys take a break from recording, and right now I'm at episode 16, I think. I just hope that one and those up to ep 20 aren't particularly funny. Because laughing will be kinda hard -- if not life-threatening -- with my abs stitched ;)
Here's a new one for you, Fitz!
Episode 65 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_65.mp3)
Episode 64 has really inspired me to take a pencil and start sketching and learn to draw. I understand how perspective work, but my artistic skills are zero right now.
I usually get really involved in a project (like learning to draw) but loose interest with time. If I manage to keep this goal, it will be interesting to see what I can draw in December and compare it with January. :-D
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 31/01/2015 16:56:54
Episode 65 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_65.mp3)
I have a topic request since you asked. :-D
I'm working on an adventure game with no text. All dialogue is handled through little animated pictograms/icons. Needless to say, puzzle design gets a little weird when you're never able to tell the player things directly.
I'd like to hear about your experiences in leading the player and dropping hints in ways other than using text. How do you design environments or place characters or make other choices to point a player towards a puzzle's solution?
I'm not sure how much you can really talk about that, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
You guys are really inspiring to listen to. Makes me want to make another 2D adventure game. :)
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 31/01/2015 16:56:54
Here's a new one for you, Fitz!
Episode 65 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_65.mp3)
:D
I'm yet to listen to the new one, as it's my first time online since Thursday -- but you guys really helped me through the hell of the first night after the surgery. I could barely sleep from the pain, nausea and cold shivers -- so I had a LOT of time :) I think I zoned out a few times, too.
BTW, another topic suggestion: games and girlfriends! There's a thread about it in the forums already about being a husband/father and making/playing games between changing diapers or in those latenight hours when everyone's gone to bed -- but that hardly exhaust the topic. My girlfriend does frown upon my time-absorbing hobbies sometimes, but she's really supportive of my creative side. She even made me a little figurine of Gray. Plus, she IS my official Muse, the inspiration for Magenta (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=50973.0). She truly lived up to the superhero status, by the way: it was her that nursed me back to semi-health over the past weekend.
It'd also be a great opportunity to talk about your favorite gamedev couple -- the Williamses! (laugh)
Mati: GOOD WORK. Drawing with a pencil is lovely, and you can do it almost anywhere (not underwater). My suggestion is to not get too carried away/ambitious at first, just let yourself draw a little thing every day, and you'll soon get into the habit of it.
Jay: Great topic suggestion, we'll definitely take this one on-board!
Armageddon: DO IT.
Fitz: Haha, every single game you play seems to have "Special thanks: Our wives and girlfriends". There's no doubt that it's hard to make time for personal stuff when you're busy busy busy on a game, and hard to make time for games when you're busy busy busy with loved ones. As for talking about the Williams family: tee hee :wink:
Good podcast as always!
You guys mentioned APT, so let me help out. :)
APT uses it's own custom made engine and editor now. The art isn't the bottle neck though, so we can't blame the resolution :)
Answers from a reliable source! Just what we like around here! :cheesy:
Here is Episode 66 (http://t.co/ihndlaYJ4A)!
Thanks for the topic suggestion, Jay Tholen!
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sat 07/02/2015 04:16:26
Answers from a reliable source! Just what we like around here! :cheesy:
So informative! Clearly, this is the most educational podcast on iTunes (take that, "Stuff You Missed in History Class!) :cheesy:
No podcast from the two of us this week, but I did join the guys over on Square Waves FM (http://squarefm.demodulated.com/episode-5-first-loves/) to talk about the first games we played, child labor and the quivering power-squat! :=
Episode 67 (http://t.co/tFulW9I1sA)
Sweet! Thanks, gentlemen! :cheesy:
Hey look, I was on Square Waves FM (http://t.co/JvxQoWb4q3) too! We spend 3 hours talking about all sorts of crap, but mainly bashing master storyteller Roberta Williams.
"Listeners, I know your a bunch of filthy perverts, but it's not all about sex."
ten minutes later
"they should have done a pair of shorts, so when you turn around they're kinda translucent so they can see your chasm."
I painted my BG Blitz entry while listening to this. Actually it took longer to paint it so I listened to this episode twice!
@ben: what's that game you played? With that interesting dithering filter...
Quote from: Weston_Kaunk on Mon 02/03/2015 05:50:07
"Listeners, I know your a bunch of filthy perverts, but it's not all about sex."
ten minutes later
"they should have done a pair of shorts, so when you turn around they're kinda translucent so they can see your chasm."
That's how we know you're a bunch of filthy perverts: you listen to our podcast. :cheesy:
Quote from: selmiak on Mon 02/03/2015 13:54:00
@ben: what's that game you played? With that interesting dithering filter...
Return of the Obra Dinn! (http://dukope.itch.io/return-of-the-obra-dinn)
Oh yeah, that one looks great. I actually knew what game you were talking about, saw some gameplay footage and the imagery and the style was very memorable -- but if you'd randomly mention the title without further detail, I wouldn't have a clue. At best, I'd confuse it with Tir Na Nog or some other exotic/weird sounding title.
It's a bit of an odd name to remember, I think. Seems very cool in this early stage, though.
Hello, nice job on the podcast! I have a topic suggestion (perhaps it's already been covered, haven't listened to them all yet):
Trailers/teasers for adventure games - With trailers playing such an important role nowadays when it comes to presenting new games to the public, it would be nice to hear some thoughts on the challenges that point n click adventure games present, especially those that lack voice packs and exciting action.
Keep up the good work!
Actually I was just discussing the creation of adventure game trailers and how very different they are with someone who was cutting a trailer for a game the other day. Thanks for the suggestion (and nice words!), we'll be sure to discuss it!
Episode 68 (http://t.co/iwlhDqmHJp)!
You haven't played Zak McKraken!?!?
Interesting that you should ask this, as the answer to your query is contained in the latest thrilling episode of the BlueCupTools Podcast! :=
Sixty nine, dudes!! (http://t.co/r0jUfJx1vC)
Good god I'd kill for a Wadjet Eye Dresden game :shocked: I honestly wonder if Jim Butcher would be open to it there's already a ton of comics/roleplay games by fairly small publishers.
I just want to animate Sue...
Speaking of Rob Blanc, Yahtzee recently replayed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlELK_3dGm0) all of them and recorded his thoughts. Very interesting to watch.
Now I'm confused − Prof. Moriarty follows you on Twitter, Grundislav plays all of a sudden LucasFilm games in ScummVM... What does all that mean ???
Quote from: Amélie on Sun 15/03/2015 14:28:22
Now I'm confused − Prof. Moriarty follows you on Twitter, Grundislav plays all of a sudden LucasFilm games in ScummVM... What does all that mean ???
The times and tastes, they are a-changin'...
Cool info on the Yahtzee playthrough, thanks!
As for the Prof. Moriarty thing, I don't think anybody knows what it means at this point. :cheesy:
Quote from: Azure on Sat 14/03/2015 16:06:30
Good god I'd kill for a Wadjet Eye Dresden game :shocked:
This, oh hell yes, this!
Great podcast as always guys - keep the humour in the workplace ;)
Quote from: Sslaxx on Sun 15/03/2015 15:41:24
Quote from: Amélie on Sun 15/03/2015 14:28:22
Now I'm confused − Prof. Moriarty follows you on Twitter, Grundislav plays all of a sudden LucasFilm games in ScummVM... What does all that mean ???
The times and tastes, they are a-changin'...
I haven't got a thread of a clue as to what you could be on about.
You guys should really stop bobbin' around for answers.
@Grundi/Ben Re Episode 68: Why go to GDC? Because damn you can get inspired (at least I was immensely inspired) by many many talks. Let's see for how long!
And congrats on the Moriarty-mention, didn't catch that one on Twitter.
Keep it up guys!
Just got Ep 68 to finally play through, it kept stalling on me last week.
Loom sequel 8-0 :-D
Then I got the rest of the story :~(
Maybe I should go eat a bowl of ice-cream while I finish sobbing....
Sixty nine! Anyway you look at it! Sixty nine!
I've enjoyed the last two episodes immensely (including getting the same fit of laughter as Ben when Dave made that… that sound effect at the end of episode 69). And the episode 68 was wonderfully nostalgic. All in all, great listening material. Thanks, both of you (and Dave, of course)!
Oh well look what we have here Ben!
http://www.gog.com/game/zak_mckracken_and_the_alien_mindbenders
Granted, it's not the original art. But it's still worth playing. :-D
I'm more excited about the fact that they released Outlaws on their store, I always enjoyed that game. :cheesy:
I'm halfway through BCT podcasts and I must say, good work guys! I really appreciate it, have certainly learned a thing or two :) Am I the only one who misses DeliveRANTS?
@Ben, props for pimping Torment and Omikron among others. That forgotten child of David Cage never got enough love.
Quote from: Kasander on Sat 21/03/2015 23:56:27
Am I the only one who misses DeliveRANTS?
No, sir. You are not. I miss DeliveRANTS and Spaceman (In Space). :cry:
Oh yeah, how could I forget Spaceman (In Space)? :D I really appreciated its avant-garde vibe. Moooooo-cho pythonesque, I'd say.
If you're interested in more Spaceman in Space adventures, you can play the fully interactive spin-off game! :cheesy:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=47030.0 (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=47030.0)
Hey, I think I've actually played it a couple years ago! Seems like ages ago. I remember it now, and the voice-overs, that left-right-left-right was brilliant. I remember I got stuck and couldn't finish it;) So what was first, the hen (podcast) or the egg (S(IS)game)?
EDIT: Nevermind, I've checked the dates. The hen was first.
Oh yes, the egg came after we'd finished doing the chicken and poor Ponch was heartbroken. This was our way of easing the pain. :cheesy:
"After we'd finished doing the chicken."
You farm people are all the same :angry:
You played your part in this too. Don't forget that. :wink:
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sun 22/03/2015 05:51:48
Oh yes, the egg came after we'd finished doing the chicken and poor Ponch was heartbroken. This was our way of easing the pain. :cheesy:
I'm still clinging desperately to a tattered shred of hope that you guys will surprise me with a new Spaceman (In Space) installment on of these days... My birthday, perhaps? Or Christmas? Or Arbor Day? I get my hopes up every time there's a new podcast uploaded. One day, my tireless devotion will all be worth it. I just know it! :smiley:
I'm sure he's still somewhere out there (in space). Counting his steps, fixing burnt out stars, examining items in his spacious inventory. The guys just need to channel their collective Force into that cosmic wavelength and I'm sure we'll hear of him again! (nod)
Until then... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcjzHMhBtf0)
No episode for two weeks in a row. :(
I was busy last week and we had some technical difficulties with the recording this week. We should be back next week, and I promise we'll have some very special episodes coming soon!
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 30/03/2015 03:33:44We should be back next week, and I promise we'll have some very special episodes coming soon!
(https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/facebook-like-icon.png)
Topic suggestion: How to handle major changes in the game's elements?
As some may have noticed that I changed Epoch's project name to Tardigrades, it was a very hard decision to make specially that the old name got attention and all the previous promos, logos, articles are still using the old title. So I was thinking, what is the best way you guys think one should handle changes? Whether it's the title, the main character, names, even the art style maybe, story... etc
Thanks :)
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 30/03/2015 03:33:44
We should be back next week, and I promise we'll have some very special episodes coming soon!
Very special? How special? New episodes of Spaceman (In Space) special?! :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:
Episode 70 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_70.mp3)
Promoting your game (thanks loominous for the topic suggestion)
Good topic! I was actually going to ask about how AGS-ers go about promoting their games, how they format their messages, etc. I did reach out to a bunch of people when I released Gray, but I got no response whatsoever. Zilch. Nada. That's pretty much the case for most of my attempts at self-promotion -- and I draw comics and write prose, too -- so it was pretty disheartening. So for Monty -- which is a smaller game, but still a fun little thing, I think -- I didn't even bother writing anyone -- and surely enough, outside AGS, Following Freeware and Elum's Przygodoskop.pl there's pretty much no trace of the game. But I've put way too much effort into Magenta to just leave it like that. And strangely enough, while my conscious efforts at pimping my works tend to go unnoticed, I guess the karma generated by the action goes SOMEWHERE, and Gray did get a few reviews and got featured a few times -- and I do consider myself incredibly lucky. So yeah, I might try and send a few e-mails around -- and try not be all like "Oh, that's not going anywhere...". I'll send one to you, too, Ben :P
Also: I GOT MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST! WOOHOOOO!!!
And for everyone wondering what the connection between bunnies and Easter is - Grundy's right, it is a symbol borrowed from the pagans. But there's more. Pliny, who lived around the same time that Jesus did, believed bunnies to be hermaphrodites -- and, as such, able to self-impregnate. No coitus + babies = immaculate conception!
Logging in from the remote area in Shark Bay to post:
Episode 71 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_71.mp3)
Thanks to AnasAbdin for the topic suggestion!
Hey thanks guys for answering my question ;-D Ben's dad sounds like an awesome funny guy (laugh)
And Wow! Finally someone pronounced my name perfectly and didn't make that stinky pun (laugh) (laugh) :P
I'm glad my internet access helped your gaming Fix Ben304. Next time sir, next time. I expect a Birdemic adventure game next time I see you :)
Since I mostly listen to the podcast while working in the yard, I've fallen way behind over the winter. If I jump back in at the latest episode, will I be be able to understand the complicated plot? Or should I go back and listen to all the episodes I've missed? No spoilers, please.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Wed 22/04/2015 19:10:49
Since I mostly listen to the podcast while working in the yard, I've fallen way behind over the winter. If I jump back in at the latest episode, will I be be able to understand the complicated plot? Or should I go back and listen to all the episodes I've missed? No spoilers, please.
I cannot resist giving you this one!
Spoiler
Snape is murdered by Gandalf in the front room with a manual on brain surgery.
I just want to pop in and say I love this podcast. I've been listening to the ones with subjects that interest me and I'm taking notes (laugh)
Seriously though, you've taught me a lot after half a dozen episodes (that I've listened to so far!) and just listening to your discussions make me think about things in different ways.
Keep up the good work.
A little late this week, but here is Episode 72! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_72.mp3)
Sweeeeeeet.
I replay games a lot. It's like going back to a great movie. There's something new to find each time. The story or world changes every time you look at it. The game ages with you, you know? They also inspire, and make you want to make something just as good or better. Also playing so many bad games can get old, so revisiting what made you inspired is pretty great.
Resident demonologist, at your service, Grundislav! Beelzebub is actually an intentional misspelling. See, Baal Zebul -- Hebrew for "Lord of the Underworld" -- was a deity that was deemed a competition to the emerging cult of Jahweh. So, in order to discredit the deity, they called him "Baal Zevuv" -- lord of the flies.
As for replaying old games -- I don't do that very often. Too many games to play (old and new), too little time. BUT I did replay both Little Big Adventure games last year -- and I got Sam & Max, Monkey Island and Fate of Atlantis on GOG the other week. Funny thing: right around this time 20 years ago was the first time I played Indy -- and it's one game that I've re-played the most, a couple dozen of times. Mainly because, as a newb to the wonders of PC gaming, I wasn't aware of this miraculous thing called "SAVEGAME" -- and so, for about a month or so, I started the game from scratch every single day (laugh)
(http://i.imgur.com/GCowAAO.jpg)
A perfect example of a 3B photo: brilliant, blue, bromantic! 8-) Just downloaded #72!
So is Ben really tall or Grundislav really short?
Or maybe it's just the hair creating an illusion. ;)
That's not Ben, that's Slash from Cups'n'Hammers!
Oh yeah, I remember that band, they had this #1 hit in 1991. Heavy Rain or something.
Oh yeah, and "Knockin' on Baldur's Gate"!
"Paradise sim city" is their song too, isn't it?
I'm 5'6" (1.70 meters) and Ben is 6'3" (1.92 meters) so we make a very visually interesting pair.
Loved the Dragon Sound cameo at the end. :p
:cheesy:
you look like the inventors of the word cool. And judging from the tools, you worked really hard on that! 8-)
Episode 73 (http://t.co/pFk2zmZlY7)!
Working outside your comfort zone.
If I remember correctly, you've discussed impostor syndrome only recently, around ep. 70 or so. This podcast was a nice follow-up. Other than the basic question of "when are you ready?", the issue of specialisation vs. expanding and experimenting is one that's on my mind a lot. I dabble in so many things at once that I don't have the kind of time -- or maybe the ability to focus -- to really master one. I'm ok-ish, and willing to experiment, too look for new ways expression -- but as soon as the thought of going commercial pops up in my head, I freeze in panic. I briefly considered fully fleshing out and extending my current project in order to go commercial. I applied myself to animations to give them more polish, improved my background style... But then I decided the background art is just not good enough, no matter how hard I try. And then, eventually, the complexity -- and clunkiness -- of the code made me think it's just too much to handle. No matter how much I try, it won't be perfect -- and not because I'm a bad coder, but because I'm trying to do something AGS doesn't allow. I love my project, and I'm having tons of fun with it, adding new things as I go along to make it even better -- but I keep thinking it's just not good ENOUGH for a commercial product. I might also be fully consciously shooting myself in the foot with my artistic choices, such as the 16 color palette -- which puts certain limitations on me that I end up resenting. Not to mention I'd probably have a heart attack if a player/buyer reported a game-crashing bug.
As for "thingamajig" -- The first time I heard the word was from my Australian friend, so I actually thought it might be Australian slang.
And Francisco, I sent you that pm prior to listening to the podcast. Didn't think you'd actually remember. Nevertheless, what I said in the message still stands ;)
I want to try some "slice"!
Sounds so tasty ;-D or it could be something painful ??? (Is Grandmother violent at all?)
The bro-mance continues...
Episode 74 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_74.mp3)!
I made an adventure game so short people were telling me it wasn't even an adventure game. :P
Good talk this week. Also I disagree with the LA Noire sentiment. I missed a lot of evidence and even failed cases and it changed quite a lot of dialogue. A lot of stuff changed the second time I played. I think it's a fantastically designed system. Each case is its own self-contained narrative and depending on the way the case turns out it will determine how the first 10ish minutes of the next case is told.
I think my heart is broken... Going to have to cry in the shower for a bit before I can work on my game :~(
I wonder though how you feel about the hard puzzle/easy puzzle/hard puzzle/medium puzzle flow relates to pacing, should you devote a lot of planning time to this (then build the story around that)?
Episode 75 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_75.mp3)!
Endings!
Three years old already, happy anniversary!
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHFIGMiXAAEZNoo.jpg)
Episode 75 was phenominal, by the way. :-D :-* :-D
Episode 76 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_76.mp3)
I've said this before but I'm not really a fan of this obsession with choice in recent adventure games. I'm perfectly happy to play one story if that story is well-written and satisfying. If there are going to be choices then they need to be covert. I'd rather not realise I even had a choice until afterwards, when I'm seeing the consequences. Life is like that. It's full of choices, but rarely are they presented to us in such a contrived binary fashion. We just go about our lives, and even the little unnoticeable choices can cause our lives to take dramatic turns.
Despite having just said all that, my game Power Nap does actually have a choice which affects the end of the game, but you don't know it until you get to the end and are told which ending you got. The game is short enough that the player can try again for the other ending if they really want to, but once the player is aware that the particular choice gives you a particular path or ending, it's no longer worth having the choice at all, in my opinion.
I think you're too worried about what other games are doing. Players are dumb, they don't expect anything from anything. I hate the Telltale stuff because they always highlight every choice, but nothing changes, not one thing other than maybe a single line of dialogue later on or one character vs another. I think Telltale games feel more linear than most adventure games. Give the people the choices you want to give them to have, it's up to you, you are the master.
The Dig was fantastic and my favorite adventure game. The only problem is that ending. The whole game's moral is, reversing death is bad, playing with life is bad, you can't be sure the person coming back is the same consciousness. But then they cop out on the ending and bring everyone back, oh well haha.
Also Dreamfall Chapters is incredibly boring. The UI is awful and unintuitive and walking is slow and dialogue is poorly written. Graphics and character models are wonderful though.
Thanks for the new episode, guys! :kiss:
Interesting episode :)
I find the little choices in games fun.. even if it makes only immediate small results it's entertaining.
Let me definitively settle the debate on the background of Crankosaurus Prime:
Spoiler
One day Ponch, myself, Dr. Wookey and Mandle were sitting in a Texas saloon discussing the development of the game.. it became clear that Crankosaurus needed an underlying theme. Crank's similarities to a bitter crocodile-like game developer is entirely intended, he pursues the Blue Crystals begrudgingly just as a developer makes a game for a paycheck pushing and shoving obstacles rather than creating a clever puzzle-solution. The team unanimously decided Charles Cecil's grumpy ways would be the entire message of the game, we wore large cowboy hats and shot our six shooters into the saloon ceiling.
Sorry Grundislav (nod).
hey kids don't read this next bit it's gonna have a rude word
TAKE THAT MOTHERFUCKER I LOVE BEING RIGHT ABOUT THINGS
okay you can keep reading now
Paying people off to agree with you is a new low, Ben.
...and Bubble Bobble has not one but 3 endings! :-D
Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Sun 21/06/2015 18:54:04
Let me definitively settle the debate on the background of Crankosaurus Prime:
Spoiler
One day Ponch, myself, Dr. Wookey and Mandle were sitting in a Texas saloon discussing the development of the game.. it became clear that Crankosaurus needed an underlying theme. Crank's similarities to a bitter crocodile-like game developer is entirely intended, he pursues the Blue Crystals begrudgingly just as a developer makes a game for a paycheck pushing and shoving obstacles rather than creating a clever puzzle-solution. The team unanimously decided Charles Cecil's grumpy ways would be the entire message of the game, we wore large cowboy hats and shot our six shooters into the saloon ceiling.
At last the truth comes out! Finally. I was so tired of living a lie. :=
Quote from: Ponch on Mon 22/06/2015 01:29:23
Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Sun 21/06/2015 18:54:04
Let me definitively settle the debate on the background of Crankosaurus Prime:
Spoiler
One day Ponch, myself, Dr. Wookey and Mandle were sitting in a Texas saloon discussing the development of the game.. it became clear that Crankosaurus needed an underlying theme. Crank's similarities to a bitter crocodile-like game developer is entirely intended, he pursues the Blue Crystals begrudgingly just as a developer makes a game for a paycheck pushing and shoving obstacles rather than creating a clever puzzle-solution. The team unanimously decided Charles Cecil's grumpy ways would be the entire message of the game, we wore large cowboy hats and shot our six shooters into the saloon ceiling.
At last the truth comes out! Finally. I was so tired of living a lie. :=
Isn't it just great how the Blue Cup Tools podcast not only brings us entertainment but healing as well.
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 22/06/2015 00:07:07
Paying people off to agree with you is a new low, Ben.
Well, everyone but Grundislav (wrong)
True. But this is Grundy we're talking about. Word on the street it that Grumpislav doesn't actually play AGS games. He just pretends to because AGS is what all the cool kids are into these days. :cool:
Episode 77 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_77.mp3)
Hi Ben and Grundy, I have been listening to this podcast and I'd like to share my opinion on the controversial topic about how some people claim that Gone Home and similar games are not games, but walking simulators. Also, that thing about Lucas Arts setting rules for adventure games, that the character shouldn't ever die is actually quite alike to that problem that Gone Home and Dear Esther have.
It is because certain games set standards. Adventure games were never popular enough to set standards, instead those were action and arcade games. Games like Super Mario, Doom and others. I don't belong to the generation who played these games, so this was a bit difficult for me to understand, but - it is the successful hits that shape the views of people to what they like and they consider fun.
Today flashy, action games, with a lot of things happening are fun.
Now, with Minecraft being a big hit, and affecting the new generation of gamers, it will set new standards. Sandbox games, or games where creativity and imagination are mechanics of the game will be what is considered fun. (I recommend this video by Extra Credits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K8G6BFg1Wk)
But then again there is the obvious thing that there are people who grew up with specific types of games. There are people who didn't play those flashy games, but adventure games instead, so we have this community. So, I think, the reason why those games like Gone Home are put aside as just "walking simulators" is mostly because there is not enough people that have played these kind of games, and people are just not ready to accept new things.
It's all kind of complicated, I could be terribly wrong.
I love Gone Home and I think it's fun. Also it makes me sad when people try to put games/art into boxes. Just let stuff stand on it's own you know?
Also while I really hate The Walking Dead and all the new Telltale games (besides Puzzle Agent) I don't get what you mean by you can make a bad decision and have to go back and change it. Maybe if it's your goal to get a certain outcome, sure. But the joy people seem to find in those games is that they have to live with their choices no matter what, it's a roleplaying experience for them.
I think the problem with death in adventure games is that there's no consequences. The room reloads and you try again. Whereas in an RPG you maybe lose a ton of random loot. Or in an FPS you lose your progress and have to kill a bunch of enemies again even after an almost perfect run where you died at the end. But an adventure game relies on immersion and for the story to feel good and have weight there needs to be consequences for characters. You dying and reloading isn't frustrating, it just breaks the immersion.
Thanks for the "Fridge Follies" plug, guys! :cheesy:
Quote from: Armageddon on Sun 28/06/2015 05:55:10
Also it makes me sad when people try to put games/art into boxes. Just let stuff stand on it's own you know?
The intent is not really compartmentalization, more the grouping of like pieces in order to analyze and compare different approaches to the medium, and also differences within similar takes on an approach.
No new episode this week, but you can listen to me talking about game soundtracks over on the Square Waves FM (http://squarefm.demodulated.com/episode-24-earful/) podcast.
1) Browse forums instead of working (it's the American way)
2) See a new update from Grumpislav in the CupCast thread
3) Become uncontrollably excited
4) Run out of the workplace screaming "I have to go home! My cat is on fire!!"
5) Drive home at top speed, honking horn, swerving wildly, ignoring all stoplights and yield signs.
6) Slide into driveway, leave the engine running and the door open, no time to waste!
7) Enter house through broken window (house keys are still dangling in the ignition of the car)
8) Sprint through house, knocking over furniture and leaving bits of glass from broken kitchen window in my wake.
9) Fire up computer. Click this thread to download the new CupCast...
10) Horrible, unspeakable disappointment. :cry:
Are you saying I'm not good enough for you, Ponch? :~(
better, it feels like you are talking 90% of this other person's podcast :-D
Quote from: Grundislav on Tue 14/07/2015 05:56:52
Are you saying I'm not good enough for you, Ponch? :~(
You've never played a Barn Runner game. I think you know the answer. ;)
Also, podcast soon plz kthxbai. (nod)
Episode 78 (http://t.co/Ub7Ru3lHC9)
You're welcome, Ponch :=
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 25/07/2015 15:25:56
Episode 78 (http://t.co/Ub7Ru3lHC9)
You're welcome, Ponch :=
Excellent! Downloading now! I hope Ben talks about his massive firearms collection again! :cheesy:
Maybe I did! Who can tell what I say with that accent? :=
Re: Podcast 78 and the scurrilous accusation that cows are not party animals...
Spoiler
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Cow_Party.gif)(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Cow_Party.gif)(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Cow_Party.gif)
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Cow_Party.gif)(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Cow_Party.gif)(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Cow_Party.gif)
Though, for the record, I was home and ready for bed by 10:53 pm. :embarrassed:
Holy heck! It's almost like a two-episode combo!
As luck would have it, I replayed Fate of Atlantis just the other week, as well -- and agree about the Atlantis part. It's downright depressive: the color scheme, the music, navigating back and forth and back again between the samey rooms, all while dodging the nazis... What it was was one long key puzzle, which is my least favorite thing in adventure games (though, strangely enough, getting the stone keys' arrangement right was fun). Granted, in a game about an archeologist there's obviously going to be a lot of exploring to be done in dark depressive places -- but I liked the action and human interactions so much more.
Same reason why City was probably my last encounter with the Arkham franchise. It's just so dreary -- and so brown. And you can never just waltz in through the front door. No, you go round the back and sneak in through the basement window. And just when you think your caution gave you some advantage -- someone pulls a barrel of V out of their ass and kicks your butt. Paraphrasing the famous catchphrase -- "I'M BUTTMAN!" And those underground ruins... and sewers... Ugh... I love Batman -- but I guess I'll stick to the comics.
I guess what ultimately ruined "tomb raiding" for me was Far Cry 3 -- which was an insanely fun game as long as it let me play outdoors. But there's this dude that holds your friend captive and he'll let him go only if you get him this one thing from the ruins... and then this other thing... and another... "Oh, thanks! But I changed my mind and decided to kill you and your friend."
So now I stick to colorful games with lots of human interactions and dialogue -- such as Hotline Miami (laugh)
As it happens, I've been thinking about the lead character in my next game. This conversation has inspired me to really think more about his background and motivations. As a result, I've actually managed to solve an issue about the basic storyline that had been bothering me. So by thinking properly about how my character fits into the world and, specially, why he gets to be in the role of protagonist and ultimately a hero, I've managed to make the story better and avoid some terrible clichés. So thanks :-)
So I was bored, had a random idea, and decided to make this little musical tribute to the podcast based on the Steven Universe theme. I am so sorry.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57502026/bluecuptools.mp3
Quote from: Amayirot Akago on Tue 28/07/2015 09:46:04
So I was bored, had a random idea, and decided to make this little musical tribute to the podcast based on the Steven Universe theme. I am so sorry.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57502026/bluecuptools.mp3
This should be played at the end of the next podcast ;-D
I second that! If everyone casually did something like this when they're bored, the world would be so much more awesome.
Quote from: Fitz on Tue 28/07/2015 15:19:50
I second that! If everyone casually did something like this when they're bored, the world would be so much more awesome.
That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me :D Thanks.
@Amayirot Akago: that's an awesome tune!
@beecityunderscorepodcast:
thanks for your insights on this interesting topic. Imho characters should either just ramble, and then very long until you realize, that's not important, you have nothing important to say. If they are important to the plot transport the info you need to solve a puzzle or know what item(combination) they want in twitter length and let them have some ramble topics too. To give them character and not just a use for that puzzle. don't hide clues in long sentences. Spit out that clue, make it cryptic if you want to paralyze the player and then ramble around it in the next sentence.
shardlight sounds more and more intersting. I won't be surprised by that mother npc anymore, but I was wondering if they have some magic in that world. Do they pay with glowing shards that are shardlights? Will you throw some urianium flavoured shards into the box for the game? As collectables or to pay for milk in that world. I don't know. But I'd be interested in your opinions on stuff in the box besides the disc. maps, copy protection, that one item that saves the world cast in plastic or marble, other gameworld enhancing stuff... but this is probably not a podcasty topic in 2015, more like for a nostalgia podcast :P
Episode 79 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_79.mp3)
A new episode? Can this be? :shocked:
Yay, you're back :D And yay, my silly song got played! Thanks guys, glad you liked it :=
Thanks for the shout-out and the article link. Interesting read. I wish it were that simple to get the rights to adapt an IP today.
To be fair, it was an incredibly odd (and dishonest, heh) method of getting them! But it seemed to have worked. I wonder what the hell a themed restaurant adapted from that IP would even be like...
I've noticed the font is comic sans for a while now.
A new episode? What madness is this?!? :cheesy:
Episode 80 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_80.mp3)!
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 03/10/2015 15:56:35
Episode 80 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_80.mp3)!
To the Ponchmobile! :cheesy:
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/RacingCow.gif)
A good episode!
However I think developers have moved away from puzzle-heavy, inventory-dense game designs for quite some time now. Most of the recent big titles have featured mostly cinematics, cut-scenes and a focus on atmosphere and characterisation.
I played Walking Dead and was surprised to see that most of the gameplay was reduced to making decisions such as answering yes or no every now and then, which in the end turned out not to alter the game very much anyways. But players thought it was a great adventure game, so that's what people want these days - to never get stuck.
I don't want to get stuck anymore. Not for any extended period of time, at least. There was a time when I felt like I had all the time in the world, but today with a family and work, every second feels precious, and whenever I'm stuck in a game I feel as if that time is somehow wasted, and I start to get stressed out about that lost time that I could have used on... not being stuck.
That said, puzzles were never the main attraction for me strangely enough. I always enjoyed the storytelling, the graphics, the dialogues, the settings and atmosphere more, so I think on a personal level I feel as if the games of today are more geared towards David of today :)
I kinda hate that I agree with you, David. I want lots of challenging puzzles and interesting uses of inventory, but I have that same problem with time! I can only spend so much time on a game, I start cheating if I'm stuck for ten minutes, then I feel shame :-[
I think the answer might lie in medium difficulty puzzles and crap loads of interactivity, things to look at and interact with (also a pleasant distraction when stuck).
Good podcast, I still love the batmobile (hate it when they turn it into a tank) and I think the Arkham games are kinda just glorious button mashers.
Episode 81 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_81.mp3)!
Oh happy day! :-D
Man, you're on top of things! :-D
I have a podcast app that's very on top of things ;)
Episode 82 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_82.mp3)
I beat you, David Ostman! :=
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 31/10/2015 17:00:31
Episode 82 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_82.mp3)
I beat you, David Ostman! :=
What with?
Sweet! A Halloween treat! :cool:
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 31/10/2015 17:00:31
Episode 82 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_82.mp3)
I beat you, David Ostman! :=
NoooooooooooooooOOoooOoooooooooo! 8-0
Quote from: Sslaxx on Sat 31/10/2015 17:09:49
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 31/10/2015 17:00:31
Episode 82 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_82.mp3)
I beat you, David Ostman! :=
What with?
Twice I've posted the new episode here before Grundislav did :-D
Episode 83 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_83.mp3)!
Haha you beat me again!
Grundislav, I love you man, but the movies are terrible at representing Superman, and it annoys whenever someone is like "oh, Superman is boring because he's perfect" because of that. Watch the 90's cartoon series, or hell, just the episode "The Late Mr. Kent". It shows like nothing else how Superman is more than just the perfect hero that everyone thinks he is.
That aside, another smashing episode with some thought-provoking discussions :) Always fun to hear from Dave.
Quote from: Amayirot Akago on Sun 22/11/2015 11:47:12
That aside, another smashing episode with some thought-provoking discussions :) Always fun to hear from Dave.
Agreed, Dave is great...
Spoiler
But still waiting patiently for the Icey interview :P
Today's discussion added a few more points to the long list of what I do completely wrong :P Basically, every issue you talk about is something I'm guilty of -- and proud of that (laugh)
Good show -- and Dave's always fun to listen to. Akago is right, though. Many superheroes are easy to dismiss as uninteresting. For instance, I had my reservations about Ant-Man -- and it turned out to be a fun flick. But it does take some imagination to do these superheroes justice, especially the biggest names. I pray for someone to realize Spider-Man would do best as a tv series.
Great listen, there! It's always enlightening to hear from the AGS vets.
On the topic of audience expectations of adventure games, and the stereotype that p-n-c adventures are generally a series of silly puzzles- I do tend to agree with Grundislav that the gaming market of the pre-2000's had a very different set of expectations of games. Games were things that had "gameplay", that you blew $20 at at the arcade after homework (or while skipping homework), were centerpieces for sleepovers, and mom made eggs and waffles the next day when you woke up at 11:00 PM cause you were binging on that Final Fantasy RPG or swearing at each other over Golden Eye, or getting the shit scared out of you by Resident Evil.
Games were things you played. Games were for fun. Being too much a gamer "nerd" was generally frowned upon and could get you swirlied.
If you wanted a serious story you read a book. Or watched a movie, maybe. That was just the cultural millieu of the time, at least I saw it.
It's true that a lot of the adventure games had great storylines, and a lot of players played for the stories, but by and large they were story LINES. The armature set up that the designers put the "meat" on, the meat being the gameplay.
It seems to me to be a recent development that games exist as delivery mechanisms for stories. It's telling there are adventure games nowadays that get labeled, by both creators and players, as "interactive novels", "visual novels" or "interactive fiction". Point-And-Click Adventures PERIOD. Dropping the "game". This wasn't a thing 20, 30 years ago, as far as I know.
It would seem an outgrowth of the ubiquity of gaming, and computers in general, such that staring at screens hitting buttons all the time is not something you get swirlied for, but everyone from prom queens to jocks to successful businessmen/women and even novelists and filmmakers do to exist in modern civilization. (William Gibson would call it the "eversion of cyberspace").
It's not Warner Brothers, Marvel, the President or the Pope who has the most subscribers, the guy with 10 billion views is Pewdiepie, a guy who makes his living letting other people watch him play games.
So you have this mass migration to the world of games, where all the eyeballs and the billions (what is it, a hundred billion industry worldwide?) and it's only natural that a large percentage of these are people who are not into "gameplay" but love story, are writers and directors, and want to push games in that direction. So we get a lot of focus on story, story, story.
How can we tell a better story? How can we develop believable characters? Why don't certain games make me care about the characters?
I honestly couldn't have given less of a shit, and I'm guessing most people don't either, about the story of Super Mario. Fantastic game. I don't need to know how Mario is a down-on-his-luck Italian plumber who always dreamt of opening a spaghetti place, has a crush on a high town WASP debutante who loves pink, and is on a journey of self discovery in the sewers after being laid off during the Reaganomics-era downsizing. I jump on the angry vampire-mushroom thingies and throw turtle shells at Little-Shop-Of-Horrors plants and all that other Jap-Gonzo-shit that goes on in Mario because the *gameplay* is fun as hell. I don't need to care why the characters are doing the things they are doing because it is just fun to do the things. This is a turn-key argument for a whole lot of games.
Now, I say all this being a writer, as well as a game-maker. I love stories. I enter that story competition thing on the AGS forums every chance I get. I am a recovering sci-fi writer-holic.
I don't want games to not take story seriously, at all. I chose adventure games and AGS in particular, BECAUSE it lends itself to storytelling, and the audience seems more literate than the average genre. I loved every single Wadjet Eye game I can get my hands on, and can only hope to aspire to that level of quality storytelling in a game some day.
Still, I understand where the point-and-click adventure naysayers and complainers are coming from.
It's possible to just start calling all of these games "interactive visual novels", or "interactive films", but there's a reason we don't, and I think it has at least something to do with the branding that the term "game" still carries. Like you want to move products on Steam, and Steam sells "games". People type into Google and look for hashtags with "games", "adventure games", "point and click adventure games". PC Gamer and Rock-Paper-Shotgun reviews "games".
The branding, and the baggage. Like that multi-millionairess widower aunt that is a real controlling bitch who criticizes your silly indie films but who you need to butter up and beg for funding every time. Gaming is a cruel mistress.
This is getting really long, so I will now stop. :)
Thanks for the great podcast and good luck with Shardlight, etc!
Quote from: SilverSpook on Sun 22/11/2015 23:57:53
It seems to me to be a recent development that games exist as delivery mechanisms for stories. It's telling there are adventure games nowadays that get labeled, by both creators and players, as "interactive novels", "visual novels" or "interactive fiction". Point-And-Click Adventures PERIOD. Dropping the "game". This wasn't a thing 20, 30 years ago, as far as I know.
You may be interested to hear about some of the stuff happening back in the 80s that mirrors some of the "modern" notions we're so enamored with today. Infocom was particularly focused on the narrative aspect of computer games; see The Implementor's Creed (http://web.mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2000/infocom/creed.html) written by Stu Galley back in 1985 and see how lofty his goals are there. See Portal: A Computer Novel (http://www.mobygames.com/game/portal) which was released the very next year for a project which is literally a novel that you "play" (for a certain definition of the term). I finished it earlier this year and can promise you it's more like a "virtual novel" than I'd ever imagined would come out of 1986 - in fact it's so much like a novel that Rob Swigart would later convert the entire game into book form. See Alter Ego (http://www.mobygames.com/game/alter-ego) for another 1986 title that steps beyond being "A game" and becomes a simulation of the narrative of a person's lifetime, with outcomes entirely decided as consequences driven by player choices. We talk about choice and consequence all the time, but rarely do you see a game so purely driven by these considerations as Alter Ego is.
So, yes, while some of these developments are "fresh" in feeling, there was incredible levels of focus on this sort of thing 30 years ago - it's just that sometimes we don't hear so much about them. Definitely worth looking at to be inspired by just how ambitious some of these designers were before I was even born.
Edit: Also, while Infocom definitely had a range of descriptions for their products, including "Computerized Fantasy Simulations" and "Prose Adventure", they were also using the term "Interactive Fiction" back in the 1980s (http://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/18183-a-mind-forever-voyaging-atari-st-front-cover.jpg).
Thanks for the tips, ThreeOhFour, I will definitely check out those Infocom game. I don't claim any guru-hood or encyclopedic knowledge of gaming history, and I'm from Hawaii which has a very J-oriented geek culture, embedded in a heavily Americanized mainstream. Adventure games never got quite as big as in places like the UK, certainly not when I was at the age to be able to handle them. (I got my NES at 5). Story-wise, I was all about the Fallout(s), and Deus Ex, and I kind of circled back through the college and post-college years to the modern point-n-clicks, the LucasArts and Sierras.
I do remember interactive fiction being a hot thing at a certain point during the honeymoon phase of the "amazing computer" in the 80's. Around the time of virtual reality and the Power Glove as I recall.
I should clarify that of the games mentioned/linked to there, only A Mind Forever Voyaging is by Infocom - I threw in titles by other folks to show that it wasn't just one group that thought this way, it was an element seen in numerous works by numerous people. But yeah, if you missed out on that era, there's plenty of wealth to be found in the works of the time.
Ooh I haven't played any of those games, I shall add them to my list. I also think back then there was a concept that games were something to 'beat', and therefore to beat them they needed challenges. I also suspect there was a massive D&D influence there with designers viewing themselves as DMs with consumers as players, can you 'win' the scenario. I think there's been a shift to completing games as opposed to beating them.
Except, perhaps, in the case of Don Woods and Colossal Cave Adventure, in which case he totally completed it. :=
Episode 84! (https://t.co/f4EtBJBfRD)
I could listen to them whole day! Especially during long drawing sessions. Thank you both.
As with all creative people, you never know what a person's like. And, whether in real life or online, you can never tell if what you see in public is the real thing or just a persona. Phil Fish comes to mind. And just today I bumped into a bona fide psycho. So my newest game got featured the other day, which is a mixed blessing -- lots of love, but then lots of people who I'm just not on the same page with. But this guy... Comes in, all up in arms... Prefaces his speech with the equivalent of "Prepare to be crushed, unworthy!" -- and proceeds to bash my game from top to bottom, all while portraying himself as a hard-working, introspective, ever self-improving arteest and the voice of the unfairly shunned. "It's ppl like you but not limited to you who steal the limelight from the rest of us", he goes on. I was actually going to pity the guy, it sucks when you're thirteen and you make your first game and nobody notices. But a quick look at his portfolio revealed that he: 1. is probably in his twenties or older (that, or it's his dad doing the voice-overs); 2. cranks out flash games one after another, 27 and counting, in a matter of weeks, and 3. his last one got featured not five weeks ago AND let's-played by PewDiePie. How much MORE limelight can one actually physically take? (laugh)
I'd be inclined to think it's just a clever strategy to get noticed. His newest game premiered just around the time mine was featured -- so what better way to draw attention to yourself than make a scene in the comment section of the hottest game of the day? ;) But then he goes: "The tutorial should be idiot proof. I got stuck on it." Funniest example of unintened self-deprecation since that chick at a grocery store I heard yell at her kid "Shut up, you little SON OF A BITCH!!!"
Oh, and then there was this one guy who first encouraged the listeners of his show to not be shy and send in their little games -- and then, a couple weeks later, went on a twenty-minute long tirade about how he just doesn't feel like playinh AGS games (laugh) And that other one, who's been planning to, for three years (roll) Fortunately, both seem more self-aware than the other guy :)
LOL, that's quiet the post, Fitz! Where did your game get featured, was this at a show or like on a forum? Fish sounds like a tool, and not the loveable Blue-Cup variety.. too bad people making free games on their own free time are robbing him of glory :~( Magenta eats flash games for brunch! (because I assume she likes to sleep in...)
It's now "game of the week/weekend/three days/till-CROS-finds-something-else" on GameJolt (http://gamejolt.com/). And I tend to talk a lot, so that post is actually pretty tame length-wise :)
Oh, and just to clarify, Phil Fish wasn't the troll I talked about. He's weird, but talented, I actually liked Fez -- a bit flawed, but a beautiful thing, nonetheless. That dude today was just some random guy.
Wheee! A fresh batch of podcastery!
And since you asked, Grundy...
Spoiler
From Judas Priest's "Diamonds and Rust"
Now I see you standing with brown leaves all around and snow in your hair
Now we're smiling out the window of the crummy hotel over Washington Square
Our breath comes in white clouds, mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me we both could've died then and there
:cool:
Episode 85 (https://t.co/dAoLMddzR8)
Man, the front page sure is out of date...
I request a podcast about designing/organizing a world building document. :-D
You mention you wish Square Peniks made another game, there just was one! ;)
But wait a couple days, going to release a more playable and gooder version.
Great podcast, I also think the Double Fine documentary is good and am looking foreword to Shardlight (no doubt the work of an embarrassed crocodile!)
Another good podcast, guys. Happy Merriment to you and awaiting your return next year. :smiley:
Great work and thanks for the assortment of pro-tips, Francisco and Ben!
I must say I feel Ben's pain in trying to make the switch from 320x240 to 640x360 or what the new resolution is. Although not all THAT sorry since I am working in AGS 3.4 at 1360x768 :P
As for playing more DOS games, I've been trudging through System Shock but the 30+ key assortment is proving too 1337 for me. I do plan to do the yearly Christmas vacay runthrough of Doom, though!
Happy New Year, here's Episode 86 (https://t.co/0rSMqZqcY7)!
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Y_U_No_See_StarWars.PNG)
Seriously. I have to go lie down for a while.
I DID! I saw Empire and Jedi!
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Y_U_No_See_StarWars_2.PNG)
Episode 87 (https://t.co/4SefGtKvQu)!
Yays :)
I was one of those bad puzzle makers, and then Blue Cup Tools cured my cancer!
I personally throw games out the window nowadays if I get stuck for more than about 5 minutes. Also, if I leave a game and come back to it like two days later, due to work / RL overload, I hate it when some key piece of information had been given JUST before the last save game. Especially if that piece of information is of the, "The current mission objective is X" variety.
Oh Goodness Croc! that's a throw back
Hey, just had a thought, has anyone played with using ags to make a language teaching game? Like your character is dropped in a room and has to help someone speaking a completely different language, they're speaking fluently and gesturing at you to grab them something to fix the door panel. When you figure out what they're gesturing too and give it too them the word they've been using gets subtitles added to it and it's added to your inventory of words you can use. If you bring other objects to the person they'll teach you that word as well. Slowly building subtitles for the player underneath the foreign language that's always subtitled and voiced. You could have it in the first or second world war and have it be a soldier or someone escaping/avoiding captivity, it'd be an interesting premise as far as educational games go. And the stress of needing to communicate would add a nice tension over the regular timed "escape room/find trigger" game play. The game could make the sentence structures and words get increasingly difficult as the scenarios of avoiding the enemy get more intense(like your helper is too stressed to think of simple instructions for you to figure out, could add a difficulty setting where the closer you get to running out of time the helper could yell simpler instructions, words you already know to give you hints), with lulls of just gathering supplies and learning fun words.
Language/Educational games possible podcast topic.
Episode 88 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_88.mp3)
that was a fun and interesting episode.
You mean if I had been the person to drunk dial Ben on Skype, I would be the one at the heart of the greatest AGS bromance of all time instead of Grundislav? Oh! What a fool I was! Curse my high alcohol tolerance and dislike of talking to other people! :=
You'll always be in my caramel milk, though, Ponch. :=
In the next episode, you guys should get into a really big fight argument to increase listener counts. :)
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 08/02/2016 04:23:22
You'll always be in my caramel milk, though, Ponch. :=
<3I'm also available in several other delicious flavors.
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/All_The_Flavors_Of_A_Cow.png)
Apparently, I'm incredibly tasty! :cool:
Quote from: SilverSpook on Mon 08/02/2016 04:27:07
In the next episode, you guys should get into a really big fight argument to increase listener counts. :)
Yes! Bare knuckle brawling to determine the winner! :cheesy:
They only have a few flavours at my local store, but they're all good!
Patience, Ben! I'm just one cow! I can only fill the bottles so fast! :=
(http://i.imgur.com/CVZf2k8.png)
And don't even ask where the dark chocolate comes from! :shocked:
Why is the bottom right teat blood? :(
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY BOTTLES I HAVE TO FILL EVERY DAY? IT'S A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE STRAIN! >:(
The one above that is pus. Take a rest, Ponch, for crying out loud.
That's actually Mountain Dew, which is easily mistaken for pus, Stu. :wink:
And how can I take a rest when interest in my special flavorings is now at an all time high! Strike while the iron is hot, sir! I have to grunt and strain and fill as many bottles as I can while I'm trending on the forums! :=
#ThatAuthenticPonchTaste
What hath god wrought? :cry::undecided::=
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Tue 09/02/2016 03:30:17
What hath god wrought! :cheesy: :grin: :cool:
#All_The_Flavors_Of_A_Cow
Fixed that for you. :=
Episode 89! (https://t.co/7DuvpwU3ol)
Ben, you are welcome.
Grundy, did you seriously eat an entire pizza by yourself? In one sitting or over a couple of days? I'm feeling bloated just thinking about it! :shocked:
Two sittings. Lunch and dinner. It was a medium, though.
"Shardlight" next Tuesday? Yassss! :cheesy:
And don't worry, Grundy, no hard feelings. So many games, so little time... I've promised myself to play through my AGS backlog after finishing my latest game -- and I ended up either staying away from the puter entirely or playing Hotline Miami 2 till I don't even notice the blood anymore (wrong)
Hello guys,
I listen to your ramblings every once in a while to improve my english and I really like it. Thanks to you, I've learnt words such as "prototyping" and "crooked crocodile".
Maybe you'd like to talk about pixel art in a future episode. How to get the most out of tiny resolutions?
Quote"Shardlight" next Tuesday? Yassss!
Indeed :-D
Episode 90 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_90.mp3)!
AKA "When Will Ben Update the Thread?"
Yes, damn you two for getting me into Disco Zoo! Damn you to Hades! :=
Another good episode. :cheesy:
Episode 91 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_91.mp3)
Spaceman in space?! Did someone say something about Spaceman in Space?!? :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:
Also, I don't care for steampunk, but here's a game with that setting that I enjoyed: Clockwork Tales.
Interesting insights. Wrote down some personal notes while listening. Good stuff!
So perhaps the lesson is, "Don't do anything too original, until you've got the market cornered, or you have massively wealthy or well-connected angel investors / relatives and can afford to lose money."
I definitely struggle with degree of genrefication and what hashtags I'm going to tack on to Neofeud when shooting tweets out, put in the synopsis. If you go too genre, you risk blending into the herd, but at least some people might actually take a look at your thing cause it has the word 'cyberpunk' or 'steampunk' or 'it's like Monkey Island but on Mars' or something people recognize. If you go really original, try to be an auteur and do some setting or something never done before, you either have to have CRAZY good and massive marketing and distribution to ensure that it's played by more than a handful of roarin 20's wonks, or professional economists, who *happen* to also be adventure gamers. And, the game has to be mindblowingly, literally *mindblowingly* good. You have to blow people's brain matter out of it's current configuration, and restructure their noodle to account for this brand new "Way of doing things". You do that, and people fall in love with it, you sell like crazy, become a phenomenon, a legend, get asked to all the important events, lifetime achievement awards, etc.. That's how William Gibson *created* the entire genre of cyberpunk, by blowing everyone's mind with Neuromancer, winning the Triple Crown of the Hugo, Phillip K Dick, and Nebula awards. Then Shadowrun borrowed the nuyen, the mohawks trenchcoats and 'hackboxes' and said, 'it's cyberpunk, but with elves!'
If you meet those requirements, maybe you pull a John Romero. Doom was insanely good, and ID software got the word out, and the next year, the entire genre of 1st person shooter became a thing, with copycats turning out left and right. Now you can tag stuff with, "First-person shooter, demons" or whatever and at least some people will find and play your thing. It won't be as good as Doom, but they just want more of that awesome thing they had when they were 14 or whatever. If it IS actually a good game, and does something new, that's a bonus!
Now, if you don't want to be rich and famous and have a gulfstream and all that, and you are trying to run a stable small business as an indie game dev, it seems that you would want to think like a grocery store. You want a steady supply chain bringing in nice, recognizable tomatoes. Maybe those are your nice orangey post-apocalyptic games. If your post-apocalyptic tomato is not recognizably post-apocalyptic (weird green color) then it might actually *taste* good, and it's just an heirloom, but when people are in your market, they're going to buy all the nice orangey, nuclear-apocalypse with dirt and rust and rag-swaddled protagonist tomatoes. The green and purple tomatoes might not get sold, and you need that money to keep the lights on. Then you have your nice dark, maybe a little blue-ish cyberpunk eggplants. If it's not too dark and black helicopters and missing the trenchcoats, people might leave those pale eggplants in the eggplant pile, "Wait... something is wrong with this eggplant. This cyberpunk doesn't have enough mohawks and post-industrial angsty programmers!"
In Richard K. Morgan's Market Forces the central premise of the book, which essentially involves corporate street-war where it's legal to speed, fire missiles at other cars, etc. only becomes legal because the son of someone really, really rich and important does it in a totally glorious, Fast-n-Furious way, and then what was illegal and frowned upon becomes not only legal but an entire sport and multi-billion dollar industry.
This translates, in a way, to anything that has to do with entertainment, especially in music, gaming and film. You've got to play by the genre rules, unless you're either totally awesome or totally rich or related to Warren Buffet.
Episode 92 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_92.mp3)
i have the sudden urge to have a "weirdest, most obscure videos" off, but i'm also worried about what bizarro corners of the internet we'd end up in.
VR and spaceships dog-fighting and you love Wing Commander, Ben you need to check out Star Citizen by Chris Roberts (nod) .. in about 2yrs maybe... Damn, I never come here anymore because of my obsession with SC. Am I the only one?
I'm with Francisco in the tired adventure game references and in-jokes. It's not so much the 4th-wall-breaking that I have a problem with, just the fact that it's almost never as funny as intended. I rarely laugh anymore; I just sigh and tut. So much "comedy" now relies on the audience simply 'getting' the joke, and not actually considering if the joke is funny, or even a joke at all. (Just look at Big Bang Theory).
Regarding achievements, I'm mostly with Ben, I think. Steam-style achievements do nothing for me. Give me unlockable content anytime. Maybe the next WEG game should have the dev commentary unlockable upon completing the game, or something. I loved the unlocked artwork at the end of Shardlight and wished there was more. Much more rewarding that being given a pop-up for trying some random action. Trying every combination (aka Brute-forcing) often means you are stuck, which is the opposite of achievement anyway.
Yeah I found Dog Mendonca (demo and final game) pretty disappointing for the same reasons you did, Grundislav and Ben - but then, I didn't back the KickStarter for the game. I backed Dog to support Godot. That's come a long way since the days of the KickStarter. So for me, there's been a positive result from that, even if the actual product itself was lacking.
Agree 100% about self-referencing jokes in adventure games, or other 4th-wall-breaking shenanigans. Not only is it poor game design, because you implement something you know is flawed and hope it's forgiven if you just acknowledge the flaw, but it's also lazy comedy writing because it's basically the same joke over and over again with slight variations.
Third, it ruins immersion because of said 4th-wall breaking.
Comedy is super hard, and really funny games are exceptionally rare gems today. The problem is that too many people think they're funny - based on feedback by parents and drinking buddies - and aren't proven wrong by a broader, objective audience before it's too late - and also because when comedy isn't funny it's just aggressively worthless, as opposed to e.g. suspense, which can mostly be endured just fine even if you're not biting your nails all the time.
Whispered World and its ilk annoy me so greatly in their attempts at humour it makes my soul decay. It's lengthy, repetitious and poorly delivered. Granted, I've only ever seen let's plays of them.
I agree that it's super hard to do well. I also think drama is super hard to do well. I don't believe that something being super hard should mean we dissuade people from trying it.
Some of my favourite jokes in classic adventure games involve breaking the fourth wall. Just because I haven't seen it done well in quite a while doesn't mean I don't think it's worth trying.
I don't value immersion very highly in comedy, nowhere near as much as I do in drama. Some of my favourite comics break immersion for comedy, I refer you again to Stewart Lee. Maybe you don't think he's funny, but that's fine. As always, comedy is very specific to an individual.
As always, execution matters as much as concept.
Point is: I think most people are getting upset at specific poorly implemented examples, of which there are many, but as a result of this are saying the entire concept is without worth. That is what I disagree with.
(http://i.imgur.com/rsjOLNf.jpg)
I don't know if criticizing something equals dissuading someone from doing something. Everything works if it's done well.
There are examples of really good 4th wall breaking in both literature and film, but mostly, I'd guess, in a more surrealist, Kaufman-esque kind of setting/story. If you want to have a discussion about the boundaries between reality and fiction, or a kind of layer-upon-layer type of storytelling, be my guest. I love meta or 'mise en abyme' stuff of various genres, e.g. House of Leaves and Being John Malkovich.
I guess I just find the comedy aspect of it heavily dated. I remember in the childhood of AGS, lots and lots of games tried to be funny (because early trendsetters like Larry Vales and Rob Blanc actually were funny (the game would tell Larry Vales stuff like "you can't interact with that x, it's as feature-less as you, Larry)) but then far too many games were made that had characters telling the player to stop clicking on them, or to joke about how big their pockets must be to hold so much inventory, or "if this was a Sierra game..." etc etc.
It was funny in Spaceballs where everybody would suddenly look into the camera, but yeah, dated is the word that pops up for me.
If I sounded harsh I certainly didn't mean to dissuade anyone from having a go at being funny - my point was just that comedy that isn't funny is kind of a pain in the arse, whereas other genres tend to be more endurable even if they're not perfectly executed.
That's entirely fair - I took your 100% agreement to be an agreement with Francisco's imploring designers to stay away from it. If we can agree that it depends entirely on sensitivity to the strengths and weaknesses of the specific approach (or any) then I don't think it needs much more discussion. I entirely agree that when a thing is overdone it's tiresome, and that comedy that I don't personally find funny turns me off a game (or film, or anything) instantly. I just felt like I was seeing (especially in my discussion with Francisco) a blanket refusal to accept potential in the form, and misread your agreement as supportive of that!
Maybe I was a bit too passionate in the discussion, but I don't really think it should never EVER be done. The thing is, there are tropes, and it's very easy to be lazy and rely on those dated tropes. Trying something new and refreshing is more than welcome, I just have yet to see it.
I think Grundislav is spot on with the overuse of the tropes, as someone guilty of it at times.
It's a lot easier to make some random reference, knowing someone will smile cause you dropped that name. Harder to say or do something new or meaningful with the reference. I'd say the difference is (to use a dated 90's business term) 'value added'. "What are you adding that's new?" Something like Kung Fury is pretty much 99.9% trope, but at least the jokes it makes about them are kind of 'fresh'. (Rotten Tomatoes thinks so anyway, haha.)
"Hackerman" is inspired by 80's nerd fashion and action movie "pretend-hacking" tropes, but he is a unique creation. As opposed to just ripping the 'Only Way To Win Is Not To Play' scene or quote directly from War Games, dropping it into some random scene in your thing where it makes no sense, and hoping someone will wink and chuckle, "Cause, cause WAR GAMES! LOL!" Then tropes just become grating.
I also agree that if you're going to make fun of something like, "Adventure Games have terrible forced puzzles" and then the game is full of terrible forced puzzles, that is the worst. It's like someone complaining about climate change and then commuting in a monster truck-Hummer.
I don't mind tropes at all, after all you can divide all good fiction into one selection of tropes or another and the most riveting entertainment out there follows true and tried concepts, but excel in presentation and delivery. A well done storytelling is a well done storytelling regardless of it being on tvtropes.org or not. Again, most of the time it seems the developers are not working well with the resources they have at hand or are too inexperienced or not skilled yet to deliver.
As for comedy. Wow, that's a difficult one. Different people find so many different things funny and I have probably only laughed a handful of times, like not more than five times, for real playing a game. Sure, I chuckle once in a while at something that's meant to be funny and give the game a genuine smile in recognition, but true comedy in a game? No, that's a rare, rare thing to me, and that's why I never play comedy adventure games anymore. Not just because the humour is lost on me, but also because it's just not my thing in an adventure game. They get too goofy and silly, too forced, and that's not for me at all. Give me drama, thriller, smart dialogue, good atmosphere and character development and I'll squee like a fangirlboy.
That's interesting, David -- as I'm the opposite. I love cheesy comedy, puns and fourth-wallers. But am I really easy to please as an adventure gamer? Not quite. See, what really makes or breaks the game for me are the puzzles. I'm definitely not a fan of logical puzzles serving as a more elaborate key/door puzzle. Machinarium was such an unrewarding chore for me that I was not the least bit excited about the new Samorost (and still haven't gotten around to playing Botanicula). Same with The Witness. But proper, story-driven adventure games still have those, too, especially the serious ones. That -- and the dreaded "fix the electrical device" puzzle. Uurrrghh... "Oh hey, there's a broken machine. Looks easy, I just need to replace this bit. But wait, where do I get one?" 3-30 minutes, three miles east and 5 favors later I manage to find it -- but surprise: it's missing a part. Depending on how far in the game you encounter the puzzle, you might also then need to take care of the the power supply. *shudders* It might be because I work around computers and industrial machines all day, I listen to them wheezing, clonking day in, day out, and oh do they love to spite me. But I hated those machine puzzles in Fate of Atlantis 20 years ago, too. For me THAT is a tired trope. And, to my horror, it's still a thing.
Is not everything in contemporary storytelling able to be categorized into a collection of 'tropes'? I've yet to see anything that cannot be deconstructed and shown as a series of standard motifs and devices.
Arguments that are against poor execution, rather than the form itself, are naturally acceptable, but saying 'relying on tropes' is akin to saying 'relying on devices and motifs' which is the backbone of all creative work. It seems as though 'trope' is conflated with 'cliché', which is incorrect.
Hair splitting aside, one of my favourite things is when a creative person introduces me to a clichéd idea in a manner which subverts my expectation. I agree that it's rare, which is possibly what makes it as exciting as it is. I'm saying, like others, 'If you're going to do it, do it well, and try to be original', which is about as condescending and uninstructive as I could be with my advice. Nobody tries to avoid doing things well unless we're making Oceanspirit Dennis projects again (and even then people perverted that disastrously and beautifully by making decent games with the character, which was most upsetting and wonderful).
Alright, this is slightly beside my point about self-referencing jokes in adventure games, but anyways:
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 25/04/2016 01:48:11
Arguments that are against poor execution, rather than the form itself, are naturally acceptable, but saying 'relying on tropes' is akin to saying 'relying on devices and motifs' which is the backbone of all creative work. It seems as though 'trope' is conflated with 'cliché', which is incorrect.
Hm.
I'd say tropes and clichés both refer to stuff that's been done so many times it's readily recognisable (unless you get your definition from TVtropes.com, in which case 'trope' means every little single thing that has ever been said or written in any work of fiction), with the difference that 'cliché' bears a distinctly negative connotation, whereas 'trope' sounds more neutral. But whatever demotes a trope into a cliché is kind of subjective, so yeah, this is borderlining hairsplitting.
I think it's perfectly valid to say that your game or story or whatever shouldn't
rely entirely on tropes - arguing the oppposite, and saying that every story can be deconstructed into tropes - is like saying all books fundamentally consist of words and letters, so therefore nothing can ever be original.
That's different to saying that stories
can't have tropes - now that would be a bit snobbish. Most great stories share basic story elements.
Anyhow, if my first criticism was interpreted as a direct jab at Gibbous, then apologies to Mr Underhill. I guess I assumed that the "I'm supposed to bother you, this is an adventure game" comment was more of a demo gimmick than an indication of what most of the gameplay will look like. In that case, the demo and project over all looks so stellar I think he'll survive that piece of honest feedback.
I got my definition from a dictionary several years ago when I first heard the term - and it defined 'trope' as the use of figurative language. The fact that TVTropes is devoted to breaking media down into its component motifs seemed to support this definition. I since see the word use everywhere to mean 'cliché', but to me it seems as though we've a perfectly good word for that already.
I agree that 'cliché' has a negative connotation, but here we were directly referring to an apparent overuse of something and suggesting it's overdone has a negative connotation anyway.
Sorry for derailing everything entirely again.
Perhaps we should do a podcast on the use of established techniques and motifs as opposed to 'being original' seeing as there's much interest in this discussion.
EDIT: I wish to point out that I am in no way opposed to criticism of any element in any game, I just feel it should be more specific than "Don't ever do this again, I am bored of it!"
I know that "Trope" and "Cliché" mean different things, but I have no idea how they're different, so I just use them as synonyms. I should really look into how they differ.
None the less, I agree with ThreeOhFour. It seems wrong to criticize something just because it's overdone. After all, I prefer humorous adventure games, and tend to avoid the more serious ones. Humour and adventure games, tend to go hand in hand for me. I can't imagine one without the other. So hearing so many people say that humour should practically be abandoned altogether in adventure games because it's overdone, is a little jarring.
What you should be criticizing, is whether or not something is being done simply because everyone else is doing it. For example, almost every adventure game nowadays has to include a forced reference to Monkey Island. Even Tales of Monkey Island included a forced reference to Monkey Island! THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!! And yet it happened.
If you're doing something simply because everyone else is doing it. You're sacrificing originality for a pitiful attempt at gaining more popularity. Unless of course you're doing it to make fun of everyone else doing it. In which case you're making a parody. But you get what I mean.
Interesting... first time I hear/read the word "trope" so at the moment it means literally nothing in my mind. (laugh)
Still interesting subject. I've come to expect the character to wink at the player once in a while, but don't expect it to be a constant though. As I write my game I often do have the tendency to do that, specially when writing the "look" command... More often than not, I choose to ignore that instinct (I hope) and just go for the indirect approach.
Episode 93 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_93.mp3)
NES Robin Hood prince of thieves was sweet! Have much more respect for you now Grundislav :) fighting massive pigs is the best...
Watching Gravity Falls made me really think about map and room design.
(http://markmak.deviantart.com/art/Gravity-Falls-Map-330330850)
simple effective layout with enough detail in the scaled down versions to still show the character of the town.
Also when backgrounds indicate where walking off the corners lead to like where everything is kinda signposted, in the corners you'd have stairs or a little sign, or the image of the building off in the distance with just enough for you to keep your bearings of where you were or how to get to what room.
I kinda want to make a maze where in the maze the farther along you get the closer a tower in the background appears, like every 3 or so correct turn it looks a little closer. With little logic puzzles and riddles along the way.
Great show guys!
So I think the take away is that, 'Everything, including the rule of 3rds and Chekhov's Gun is just another tool in the toolkit: each used when appropriate, in moderation, and to the end of producing a great game.'
Welcome to the internet, where everything is either a panacea or the Black Death, depending on which side of the polarized flame war you are on, to the end of producing rage-induced-virality, eyeball time, clickthroughs, and useless, self-obsessed, blowhard individuals.
Game Over. Insert Coin. :)
JK I like the concept of the rule of 3rds though I have never actually used it myself. I did like the part where Ben was ranting on how no matter how perfect your composition of your background is, it's gonna get thrown off when characters show up. And how the minute details that eat away at you as an artist or designer, like the slightly-too-blue backlight shading on a bookcase or something, how that stuff in all likelihood will never be noticed by players. Learning how to put the brush or the pen down and be ok with things is a hard skill to learn! Especially for someone with OCD or APD (Anal Perfectionist Disorder).
Episode 94 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_94.mp3)
This needs a BUMP!
Thanks for the podcast :)
So Grundi, you did the most the art for A Golden Wake? I thought Ben was involved.. If I don't have twitter does it mean I don't get to see any WIP's from Po-Dicky?
Yep, I did all the art for A Golden Wake. And for now, Twitter's the only place I've been posting stuff.
Francisco, what's the reason for keeping your character animations in 320x200 when you're increasing the overall resolution of "Poe Dickens"?
Mainly because I don't feel comfortable working with the smaller pixels of 640x400 native resolution.
Episode 95 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_95.mp3)
Nice podcast gents.
I think often that swearing and other vulgar stuff is just jarring and pulls me out of the game when it's overdone. More often than not it seems so forced, light sprinkles of this stuff is plenty I don't play games to be shocked I do it for fun.
Pixel wieners and foul language. A shockingly saucy podcast, gentlemen! :=
Interesting stuff. An awareness of your audience's sensibilities is important. It's easy to say no one should have to censor themselves but I'm aware that when people are paying for the end product, this has to be a consideration.
But here's my thing. I do find it a shame that we can't play around with bad taste as much these days. We're constantly censoring ourselves, not because we think
we've gone a step too far, but because we're worried that
other people might think we've gone a step too far (and the consequences of that these days could cost you a few Twitter friends, to say the least). That's a shame. If
you aren't offended by something but you're aware others might be, does that make you a bad person? No. It makes you a very conscientious person. It's a shame the potentially offended parties can't have the same kind of respect and acceptance that, just sometimes, bad taste makes good art, before jumping onto social media to exclaim their outrage.
Regarding some of Amy Wellard's actions.
Spoiler
The dropping of the air con unit onto the guard's head was a pretty brutal move on her part. The death and animation itself was awesome. My reaction was a physical recoiling in my chair and a kind of part giggle-part oooooohhhh sound. But when I thought about it, I was like 'what did that poor guy do, other than his job. There might be a kid somewhere who's dad won't be coming home from work tonight because he's had his head squashed. It didn't really do much to make me like Amy. I felt her situation hadn't quite reached the point where brutally murdering someone was an appropriate solution to her problem. Maybe there was an alternative solution I'm not aware of. If not, maybe there could have been.
Stu: I've been thinking about this a lot, and there's a couple of points I've considered.
The first is that I think I don't mind "bad taste" as long as it's clear that in the context of the game it's not being promoted as a positive thing. For example, I cannot stand Leisure Suit Larry 5, because when I play it I feel like the people who made it are the ones making the awful jokes. This is probably because everybody in the world is in on the jokes, they all feel like this is how they always act.
One the other hand, I
love Beavis & Butt-head in Virtual Stupidity, and I think that's because it's written to show "Look at these two misfits in a world full of more ordinary people, see how messed up they are."
Showing them being these awful people is funny to me, because it's clear that everybody else around them (well, not everybody, of course, but the majority) are more in line with how I feel about the world. When I play Beavis & Butt-head, I get the feeling that the two main characters are the sexists, the problematic people. When I play Leisure Suit Larry 5, I get the feeling that it's Al Lowe himself. Doesn't mean this is the truth, it's just how I feel.
With regards to the thing about Amy, I totally agree:
Spoiler
Didn't think about that until John Walker mentioned it in his review, at which point I instantly regretted the fact that we put that in the game instead of a more cunning solution. I think we missed it because we were focused on making the game interesting rather than staying true to the character, especially considering the difficulty she has ending someone's life at the beginning of the game.
Funnily enough, when Dave first showed me the ending of Blackwell Deception it was written slightly differently, and I pointed out to him "You realize that Rosa's murdering someone here? This doesn't feel like Rosa". By that point I knew her well enough, over the course of several games, that I knew that such a thing felt totally wrong for her character, and Dave agreed and adjusted it. I guess we didn't know Amy well enough at the point at which that part was written into the game to understand why it was a problem.
Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Sun 15/05/2016 21:37:53
I think often that swearing and other vulgar stuff is just jarring and pulls me out of the game when it's overdone. More often than not it seems so forced, light sprinkles of this stuff is plenty I don't play games to be shocked I do it for fun.
So definitely true. The best example I can think of is the Thief series. In Thief 4, they stopped using the made up swear words (like Taffer) that had been prominent in the series up to that point, and started to use real swear words, it suddenly destroyed the charm of the series. Not only that, but the sheer quantity of swearing, kind of ruined the immersion for me as well.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Mon 16/05/2016 10:31:23
Showing them being these awful people is funny to me, because it's clear that everybody else around them (well, not everybody, of course, but the majority) are more in line with how I feel about the world. When I play Beavis & Butt-head, I get the feeling that the two main characters are the sexists, the problematic people. When I play Leisure Suit Larry 5, I get the feeling that it's Al Lowe himself. Doesn't mean this is the truth, it's just how I feel.
While I've never played Leisure Suit Larry 5 or Beavis & Butt-head in Virtual Stupidity (the latter of which is on my to-play list) I do completely agree with you here.
As a matter of fact, I think what you described, is what makes or breaks anything comedy related for me.
Regarding Amy:
Spoiler
I feel the same way. I realized after it was pointed out that my focus was on designing a cool puzzle(indirectly controlling the raven) rather than consideration for her actions and how they worked in relation to her character. If I could go back and redo it, I'd change it so she finds a more non-violent solution.
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 16/05/2016 15:26:49
Regarding Amy:
Spoiler
I feel the same way. I realized after it was pointed out that my focus was on designing a cool puzzle(indirectly controlling the raven) rather than consideration for her actions and how they worked in relation to her character. If I could go back and redo it, I'd change it so she finds a more non-violent solution.
Spoiler
Yeah, to be fair that was a cool sequence, and using the bird to help you was a great touch. In fact, the raven/Reaper side of things was by far my favourite part of the game. Maybe if she had even just knocked the guy out, it might have been a bit more believable.
You guys going to do any podcasts while Ben's in the Big Apple? Maybe go interview Bt!
Episode 96 (https://t.co/rzRhedFEqq)
But what color socks is Ben wearing? How am I supposed to assemble this life-size mosaic on my living room wall made entirely out of Trix puffs and Fruit Loop rings if I don't have all the pertinent details?! :angry:
I'm afraid to reach a point where I can't AGS without listening to your podcasts :-[
Topic suggestion :)
I'm constantly trying to improve backgrounds, animations.. etc.
This is done whether by changing colors, lighting, camera position or even by replacing the whole background. You know when you look at your old games you always feel you could have done things better. Well, since many of us work alone on their projects, the time span gets long enough to look at old parts of our projects and feel we must do improvements. Do you think there is a limit to this? Is it OCD-esh?
Thanks guys!
Episode 97 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_97.mp3)
Thanks for covering my suggestion :)
I can't explain how much I respect both of you and what you do.
Great 'cast! That was an enlightening bit on the point about game development, choosing what to redo and what to let go of before calling the game 'finished'.
Here's a question if you feel like answering it on your podcast: If you had the resources to fund your own small team (say 3-7 full time employees for a year) and had full creative direction of the game, no strings attached, what would you work on and why?
Quote from: SilverSpook on Thu 07/07/2016 07:51:13
Here's a question if you feel like answering it on your podcast: If you had the resources to fund your own small team (say 3-7 full time employees for a year) and had full creative direction of the game, no strings attached, what would you work on and why?
Besides Spaceman (In Space): Remastered, obviously. :=
Is it bad that I would actually want to see that? :-D
So, we're going to be doing some special episodes leading up to #100, and I'd like to ask you, the listeners, for some input.
Have you got any questions for either Ben or me about our lives/careers? Post them here, and don't be afraid to go as crazy as you want. Nothing is off limits!
Here are my important questions:
1) How much does Grundy weigh?
2) What is Ben's shoe size? (In freedom units, please, none of that flash-in-the-pan metric stuff)
3) Who would win in a no-holds-barred thumb wrestling contest?
4) Which of you loves your mom more?
These questions have kept me awake at night since the beginning of the podcast.
What are some of your favorite movies/shows/bands/artists/non-adventure games/adventure games and why?
What were your favorite AGS projects to work on in the past?
Which IP would you want to make into an adventure game?
What were the hardest parts of some of your previous AGS projects and how did you overcome them?
Would you take me out to dinner sometime? :=
EDIT: One more before I forget: where did the name Grundislav come from?
Well:
- Are there any frustrations about the AGS community? Because no community is perfect - we all have our disagreements and bad apples, after all.
- Have you ever been bitten by issues like licenses? Thinking "Oh, I want to use this" in a game (be it a module, or an idea or anything) and then finding out something about it (like a license) that makes it impossible to use would be frustrating.
- What's the hardest scene that you ever wrote/designed/played, emotionally speaking? The stuff that's been hard to complete because it was hard on your emotions.
- What would make you switch from AGS? What would you like to come along tomorrow to make you go "Let's use this instead!"...
How much glue could a dairy farmer chuck if a rubber chicken could chuck cows?
Not to cross-post, but perhaps you could talk a bit about some of the decisions that have gone into naming your games (as per this post) (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=53716.msg636539057#msg636539057).
Okay, my question is about group projects...
1) We are a bunch of introverts with regards to our AGS projects. Which means they can take years to complete. (Honestly, Ben is a serious exception to the rule.) I have to ask, how does one make the leap to a group production and what challenges does it entail?
2) Obviously a key aspect of a group production is successful recruitment, but in my experience recruitment works for narrowly defined requests, but it doesn't cut development time by 75%. For me, so far, it has only made the difference between music that truly fits a scene vs. Kevin MacLeod's work at incompetech.com.
3) Finally, since I'm convinced it makes a huge impact, any insights into the differences in group efforts between commercial vs. free projects?
- Cogliostro
Ninety-eight (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_98.mp3)
99 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_99.mp3)
I think I may have been one of the people who said Shartlight. If so, I'm sorry :-\
However, I also said I had a massive shard-on for the game. That's a complement, right? \:grin:/
Hi Grundislav and Ben ThreeOhFour,
I discovered the BlueCupTools podcast just about a week ago and whenever I hear your voice Ben, I can't help but see you as Simon Amstell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VvQITlm-Vc). So you can't ever reveal your appearance or it will be a very confusing experience for me.
Also its sad you guys stopped doing deliverance, the one about switching layer and undoing in PS made me laugh hysterically through tears of pain. If I visited Adobe HQ wearing a dynamite belt every time that happened to me, by now, there would be no Silicon Valley just a muddy mass extinction meteor impact crater.
Anyway, I thought it to be of the utmost importance to share these thoughts with you. Looking forward to 100. Thanks and keep it up!
Quote from: Stupot+ on Mon 01/08/2016 01:11:28
I think I may have been one of the people who said Shartlight. If so, I'm sorry :-\
I don't want to seem like a massively humorless arse with my rejection of that bastardization; I'm light-hearted enough to see the funny side in it, I just reject it as a legitimate criticism of the name, and there were some people who treated it as thus! No need to worry about actually offending me or anything! :cheesy:
Quote from: LameNick on Sun 07/08/2016 20:42:42
I discovered the BlueCupTools podcast just about a week ago and whenever I hear your voice Ben, I can't help but see you as Simon Amstell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VvQITlm-Vc). So you can't ever reveal your appearance or it will be a very confusing experience for me.
Whether or not I look anything like Simon Amstell is up to your imagination, but I'm definitely a fan of his work and will accept this as my new imagined appearance with grace. :=
Good one.
The thing with naming your game is that it's kind of hard to give general advice about it; it's one of those things that you know it's right when you hear it. Also, it seems that games with really generic titles, like Total War or Final Fantasy, don't seem to suffer immensely for being unoriginal, and weird and non-descriptive ones also generally are fine, so I'm not sure how important titles are anyway. Is there a way to ascertain that a game would have sold better had it had a better title? Not sure.
As you said, the change from God's Algorithm to Whispers of a Machine is a pretty big change, but it was like a bandaid that had to ripped off quickly - the longer we'd hesitate, the harder would it be to change it. In terms of actual title power - originality etc - the former might be stronger, but it also is less relevant to the actual game, so, yeah.
The trick to subtly include the title - or a reference to it - in your game can be cool, but sometimes it can come across as clichéd and forced. I loved the title "Gemini Rue" until there was this dialogue snippet along the lines of "he doesn't have to live this life of rue any longer", which seemed utterly shoe-horned in and a bit cheesy. It just doesn't seem like a thing you'd say unless you really wanted to use that exact word.
I'm extremely satisfied with the title The Samaritan Paradox, to the point that it might be the best aspect of the game - too good for the game, almost. Awww.
A Golden Wake is a superb title, in every way. Shardlight slightly less so, because it struck me as pretty apparent from the outset that the shards were basically painted as cool lighting effects (the kind of lighting Ben is known to use in his art), and they might not be essential enough to the game to be the basis of its title. But that's just my two cents.
Looking forward to the big 100!
Hey man, just got around to this episode 99 that should mean 100 is ready to go, right?
BTW Toque-Babylon is basically my life, so don't forget old Mite when your mocking Canada..
I think you should name your game 'Hard Raven', it is very much Poe-Dickens and it is also a terrible name that won't be found on another IP, totally safe.
Can you guys pls update the list on the first page,the last one was on 82. ;)
Not sure if you guys have covered any of this topic yet since I haven't listen to all of them but here's some suggestions for #100:
:) Where do you guys see yourself in the next 5-10 years,any big plans or dreams?
8-) There are a lot of indie games these days,too many games so little time.What are your thoughts on making a game standout from the rest.
:-\ I have always found that my puzzles is either too simple,cliche or boring and when I try to fix it,it's too convoluted or you could say not
"Realism" enough.How do you find a middle ground.
:-D Is there any books that you have read that was inspirational for your "Adventure game making" that you'd recommend to us.It could be about
drawing background or maybe how to think about puzzles,anything.
Episode 100 is finally here! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_100.mp3)
Thanks to all who submitted questions, and sorry to Yitcomics whose questions I didn't see in time!
Thanks for doing this for 100 episodes. Yay for the 100! :-D
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 15/10/2016 16:06:16
Episode 100 is finally here! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_100.mp3)
Thanks to all who submitted questions, and sorry to Yitcomics whose questions I didn't see in time!
Aww man....oh well ;). I'm gonna go listen to episode 100# right away.
Awesome! Thanks for answering all the questions; that's a lot of work!
RE: What would you do with a larger team / budget -- makes sense! And I hope Grundislav gets that string quartet* for Lamplight. That was one of my favorite things about Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. I'd probably buy the game just for the soundtrack!
*Bonus points if you get The Kronos Quartet.
Thanks for a fun episode :)
Am I the special guest you've been trying to get on the show (again)?
Because in that case I might have missed the pm. And the facebook message. And the email.
Thanks everybody, and thanks for sticking with us for so long! Hooray for Arcanum, and yes, one of the games I recommended Grundi check out when he was preparing to make LC.
Andail: We should totally get you on again to talk about your new project, doing graphics in higher resolutions and the like!
What the heck! Ep 100?? Man you guys need to put proper dates and junk on your podcasts so it will alert on teh eye-foans...
Now to listen :)
Excellent episode! Shocked to hear that Ben's gigantism puts Grundy at such a disadvantage in feats of physical strength. :P
Looking forward to the next episode and the annual updating of the title of this thread. :=
One Oh Won (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_101.mp3)
I was expecting an episode purely on Steven Wilson ;)
I wasn't expecting to learn that Ben is cruel to children who can't afford nice Halloween costumes. :=
Totally cool to reminisce about those old games ;-D
Ben I think you will be proud of me to hear I've started playing Earthbound SNES (Wii U is awesome for old games because it's also a great handheld) such great 90s Japanese humour!
Battletoads is great two player fun, spent so much time playing that with my brother, came close but never finished, also Double Dragon 2 which I've just started playing with my son.
Anywho, loved the pod cast and appreciate the bit of Chris Roberts trivia :-D he probably has several Ferraris now that he is the uber-king of crowd funding.
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 13/11/2016 13:19:40
I wasn't expecting to learn that Ben is cruel to children who can't afford nice Halloween costumes. :=
Neither were those children. :=
Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Tue 15/11/2016 19:32:01
Ben I think you will be proud of me to hear I've started playing Earthbound SNES (Wii U is awesome for old games because it's also a great handheld) such great 90s Japanese humour!
I have
always been proud of you. :cheesy:
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Wed 16/11/2016 01:54:03
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 13/11/2016 13:19:40
I wasn't expecting to learn that Ben is cruel to children who can't afford nice Halloween costumes. :=
Neither were those children. :=
Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Tue 15/11/2016 19:32:01
Ben I think you will be proud of me to hear I've started playing Earthbound SNES (Wii U is awesome for old games because it's also a great handheld) such great 90s Japanese humour!
I have always been proud of you. :cheesy:
Oh that's so nice of you to say 304 :-[
(Now to begin pursuing the approval of Grundi...
shill
shill
shill
shill
shill)
Eh, I'm, pretty easy to please :D
One Oh Two (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_102.mp3)
:cheesy:
Been a long time listener to this podcast and I just realized I don't think I ever came on here to thank you guys for it. I think everyone on here can relate to how important it is to have something fun to listen to and get motivated by when working on your game. This podcast is a blast to work to, and it wasn't on just one occasion that I had a game design revelation that made me either take out or put something into Gibbous because of it. Very grateful to you guys for taking the time to do this, I appreciate every single one of them.
I still can't wrap my head around Ben animating walk cycles straightforward though, that sounds crazy and I've gotta try it someday! :)
If you updated the title or labeled the podcasts properly on iTunes that would be giving in at this point, wouldn't it?
Keep up the good fight brothers!
It's a new year! Here's Episode 103 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_103.mp3)
Happy 2017! We're back and talking about studying art for inspiration and education.
Great podcast guys, now where's that blog so I can see the pretty pictures?
(I don't think a semblance of composition would hurt my work at this point)
Blog! (http://ben304.blogspot.com.au/)
Ongoing Full Throttle scenery studies! (https://twitter.com/i/moments/821086210344960001) (these will be eventually be compiled into a full sized PDF on the blog, which will be easier to read, but for now you can get them here)
Episode 104 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_104.mp3)
Pete Coolguy aka Pesty aka Amberle Johnson joins us to talk about our favorite adventure games, rare collectibles, and circus sweaters!
Wow I have never listened to any of these. Seems I have a lot of catching up to do.
Quote from: Buckethead on Sat 04/02/2017 15:38:11
Wow I have never listened to any of these. Seems I have a lot of catching up to do.
Same here, currently I'm up to episode 10. So much to catch up on. :-D
Best episode 82 yet!!1!1!1!!1!!
So great, I think Cool Guy Pete needs to return to the forums, great taste princess tomatoe (never did beat it, something about a prison I think)
Grundi, Guybrush only became a nerd when they restyled him for Curse.
Episode 105 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_105.mp3)
A Post-GDC Wrap Up and general catching up.
and.. yay! :)
I know you guys hate every AGS'r evaaar, but can you please date or number or wahtever it takes to make it so a new episode will appear as such when you upload it (I use the Podcasts app for my IPhone).. It's unnecessarily difficult to find new shows :~( Chris Jones would have wanted it that way.
I do enjoy your show! AND I finished A Golden Wake [you owe me Grundi]
I do update it, and I see the new episode on the podcast app. Not sure why you wouldn't be able to see it!
My podcast app has similar issues with the BlueCup Tools Podcast. While every other podcast in my app will list how many unlistened to episodes are available and the date of the most recent one, BlueCup Tools shows the most recent episode as being from Dec 31, 2000. I never know when there is a new episode available unless I scroll to the bottom of the episode list in the app or see a post in this thread. Not that big a deal of course but you might be interested in correcting it.
May have been drinking a little last night :-[
But exactly what Quintaros said ^^ is my experience.
Yeah, I have the exact same issue. The newest ine is usually at the top but not always. I simetimes have to go digging for it. And I never get s notification for new episodes despite playing around with all different combinations of settings.
I'll see if I can figure out what's going on. If anyone knows anything about RSS feeds, please let me know!
Episode 106 (http://grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_106.mp3)
Adventure legend Brian Moriarty joins us for a chat, and yes, we ask him about LOOM.
You bastards you killed the Backseat designers!!
You better have some good jokes about pedophilia and genitalia for me next time or!!!
tic...tac..
Episode 107 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_107.mp3)
Difficulty/challenges in adventure games.
Now that's an interesting theme!
"The challenge of designing puzzles that are challenging is the challenge in itself!" :-D (@40:25)
also Ben's idea that having a complex puzzle spread out over a huge area is not very engaging is something I totally understand. But it is cool if you need some things from the various places and these things all can be solved by solving puzzles at that one place and finally all the treasures from the different places combine to solve the uber riddle. Sometimes it could make sense to have the fishing rod needed at the seashore and not at the mountainlake where you actually need it. this needs good balance.
Quote from: selmiak on Sun 21/05/2017 22:50:53
Now that's an interesting theme!
"The challenge of designing puzzles that are challenging is the challenge in itself!" :-D (@40:25)
Sounds like this is the podcast I've been waiting for, gonna listen to it right away. :-D
Quote from: selmiak on Sun 21/05/2017 22:50:53
also Ben's idea that having a complex puzzle spread out over a huge area is not very engaging is something I totally understand. But it is cool if you need some things from the various places and these things all can be solved by solving puzzles at that one place and finally all the treasures from the different places combine to solve the uber riddle. Sometimes it could make sense to have the fishing rod needed at the seashore and not at the mountainlake where you actually need it. this needs good balance.
Yeah, I definitely think it's very satisfying to bring elements from one place to another place and use those to bypass a big obstacle. The problem - for me - is when it's not super clear that something is the big obstacle, and I think that's the primary challenge, wasting a long time on that without realizing there are another 3 obstacles I should be focusing on instead, I think! As you say, it all needs balance.
Fun episode, but I really enjoyed the "what have you been playing lately" part, so my vote goes to bringing it back :)
If I may suggest a topic of discussion, I think readability would make for an interesting podcast. And by that I mean stuff from signposting and visually clue-ing the player to actual visual readability, using contrasts, balance of textures and details... Basically what is needed to communicate with the player in a clear and aesthetically pleasing fashion. Just a thought :) Keep them coming, gentlemen!
I recently started listening to the podcast starting from episode 100 (I think I tried the first episode once, but... let's just say it's come a long way since then), and find it funny how every other episode you say something like "Oh, if people are still listening after [however many] episodes, they know what to expect". As if you have absolutely no expectation of picking up new listeners ever. 8-)
Anyway, I really like how intense you are about games and art.
Episode 108 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_108.mp3)
It's our 5 year podcasting anniversary! A discussion about readability and spotlighting in background composition (thanks for the suggestion Mr Underhill)
Five years! Hooray! I hope they finally read the fan letter I sent them on April 7, 2017 (hint hint)! :=
I'm catching up on old episodes, and I find it interesting how Ben goes off when talking about timers (Episode 90), but a couple of episodes later when Francisco condemns overuse of adventure-game in-jokes and breaking the fourth wall, suddenly we shouldn't generalize or tell people not to make a game a certain way, and it's all about whether it's done well or not. :-D
Personally I lean towards Francisco's side in both arguments: I think that if it's fair and well-thought-out, there's nothing wrong with having timers in adventure games, and that there are a number of examples of games and puzzles that use them well. (In fact, Ben's favorite puzzle, Guybrush stuck underwater with the idol, is a timed puzzle: after ten minutes you die. On the other hand, I do NOT agree that it's an adventure game in-joke. It's just a slightly absurdist lateral-thinking puzzle, since the idol obviously isn't heavy enough to keep you underwater, and you picked it up before â€" if we want to rationalize it at all, we can say the reason Guybrush can't just drag it after him is that it's stuck in the mud.) I also don't think action sequences in adventure games are necessarily a problem â€" though like Ben with mazes I think I'm in a minority there, and they are admittedly
rarely done well.
However, Ben's point about trying to find some more organic way to create tension and urgency is also valid. I don't think a timer should be bolted on to try to impose urgency without changing anything else in the design. If you do a timer (particularly a deadly one), it should ideally be as part of some major gameplay mechanic and central to the game.
The game that comes to mind that really convinces me that timers have a place, though, is
The Longest Journey, where on a couple of occasions you're fighting monsters (I think one's a witch and one's a shark, but it's been a while) and supposedly in danger of your life. However, since the game has no deaths and there's no timer, the tension Ragnar was trying to build felt completely fake â€" you can just walk away from the game in the middle of the fight, get a snack, come back and they'll still be tussling without anything having changed. It's ridiculous. It doesn't matter how character-based your writing is if the gameplay undermines it, and urgency is fundamentally incompatible with just faffing about indefinitely.
Going back to genre in-jokes and breaking the fourth wall, I think that although you
can do fun examples of them, they're seldom done well and there are way too many of them in too many games where they don't belong. "Don't make adventure game jokes in adventure games!" should certainly not be an absolute rule, but it's pretty good advice to most game makers. I forget: do you talk about
Thimbleweed Park in one of the later episodes?
Neither of us has yet played Thimbleweed Park, but you can be sure we'll talk about it when we do!
Well, as I'm sure you've heard, they patched it to add a "turn off annoying in-jokes" setting (or something like that), which I believe is even set to true by default. When you do play it, I think you should turn it off, to experience it in its full original glory. Or at least Ben should, to see if it changes his mind at all.
I think the main reason I was so quick to caution Francisco against designing with timers is because two of the sections that frustrated me the most in A Golden Wake (The bakery granny and the airshow bit) frustrated me because of their use of timers in a way that didn't feel very fair, so I was most likely heavily biased against them because I was speaking directly to him. It makes me think that using timers is very hard to balance well, and that basing a whole game around them would be a balancing nightmare. Even more so than usual with games.
I certainly think it's important to not generalise when it comes to timers, mazes, deaths and action sequences. I only have to think of Fate of Atlantis, which used all four of these and still feels very enjoyable to play - perhaps even because of these elements, in some cases, though I accept that many dislike parts in Atlantis - to be convinced.
What I do think is important, though, is that players be notified of this stuff so that they can save their game appropriately, or even rely on autosaves to counter them (as we use in WEG), and make it obvious that "This is why you failed". A friend had to retry that granny bakery puzzle about 20 times because he'd clicked on the right thing, but just as the timer was expiring, so he thought he'd clicked the wrong thing. He then tried every other weird combination before coming back to it, in frustration, and solving the section.
As for Thimbleweed Park, I watched someone play a little bit of it - up to the Sheriff-a-rena-a-whoo chap. I was mostly surprised that it has even more fourth wall breaking jokes than Monkey Island does. I haven't started it myself, though, because various friends of mine have had incredibly negative reactions to playing the game, especially the ending, and so I've not been in a rush to try it too much for myself. It's one of those games that seems to be quite divisive, though, as I also know several friends who've thought its brand of humour is pure genius. :smiley:
I haven't got around to actually playing A Golden Wake myself yet (although I'm one of those 17 people who were really excited over a game about 1920s Florida land speculation), though it's definitely on my list; in my ongoing efforts to catch up on the last five or so years of adventure games, I just finished Gone Home (cool concept, wish there was a bit more story to carry it through the second half), and AGW or Technobabylon is probably my next one.
Clearly a good timer puzzle/mechanic requires careful design and implementation. And I was entirely on your side when Francisco started talking about limiting saves to avoid save-scumming. That to me smacks of taking something that isn't working, and instead of fixing it, just propping it up with another bad design decision. (Of course, in brainstorming there are bound to be some bad ideas along the way, and I didn't get the impression that it was more than a passing thought.)
I'm glad you brought up Fate of Atlantis, since that was one of the games that came to mind as a counterexample wrt action sequences. Not that the fight mechanic is all that brilliant, but I feel strongly that the inclusion of fighting (as well as car racing, flying, that mine cart-ish bit on the Atlantis drill vehicle, and other mini-games) helps to set the tone of the game. It gives it an epic feel and at least gestures towards its blockbuster movie origins. Even if you don't consider these sequences all that successful in isolation (personally I think several of them are pretty cool, and always appreciate the variety in gameplay), I think it demonstrates that the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of the parts. Conquests of the Longbow is another good example: is the target shooting a great gameplay element in its own right? Not really. But would it be a good idea to cut it and leave you with a Robin Hood game without any bow-and-arrow action? Absolutely not.
To me, Thimbleweed Park was really interesting, almost as much for the things it did wrong as for the things it did right â€" and there are some major entries on both sides of the ledger. I guess the split in reactions is understandable in that light, but I'm surprised at how extreme opinions are on both ends.
I believe Francisco has fixed the airshow puzzle in AGW somewhat, after we all complained, so hopefully you play it and think "What on earth was he grumbling about?" :cheesy:
I agree that action stuff definitely helps certain games work. Indy, Conquests of Camelot/The Longbow, Quests for Glory, Full Throttle and the like have both narratives and character that almost demand action sequences of the script. Sometimes it's okay to do clever things within the existing mechanics, such as with insult swordfighting, but actiony sequences are definitely worthwhile, too. We have things along these lines in both Technobabylon and Shardlight - to varying degrees of success, probably - and I think some of this comes down to the "adventure" part of the genre - it's fun for danger to be dangerous.
I also completely understand when players complain about the action in, well, all of those mentioned before. It's clearly not everybody's cup of tea. Nothing is. Especially limiting saves to prevent save scumming. :=
I have fixed the airshow puzzle, but the update hasn't been pushed yet, so the only place it exists is on my hard drive and Dropbox currently.
In any case, I do believe timers are generally a bad idea, but in dangerous situations it makes sense if they're there, but generous. And yeah, limiting saves is not a good idea either.
Quote from: Grundislav on Wed 14/06/2017 15:36:32
In any case, I do believe timers are generally a bad idea, but in dangerous situations it makes sense if they're there, but generous. And yeah, limiting saves is not a good idea either.
Agreed, I think a good example of a timer done right is on Broken Sword 2, out on the docks when you knock on the door. If you don't solve the puzzle in time, you get shot in the face. It makes you feel the urgency, and you're also unlikely to fail.
A good example of a timer done wrong is on Broken Sword 1... I think we all know which one I'm talking about.
Ah hell! I wrote a long post and then my browser crashed. Oh well, here's an even longer version!
I've now caught up on the last 40 or so episodes of the podcast, and it's been weird to have your voices in my head pretty much constantly for weeks on end. Thanks for the shoutout in #108, ha ha.
Since you asked for topic suggestions, a couple of things came to mind while listening:
Community interaction: You interact with other (indie) game devs in all sorts of ways (online and at conventions, meetups...), and with the broader adventure game community through a number of different channels (the podcast, blogging, articles on various gaming sites, this forum, via Twitter...). How has that affected you and your work? Why do you do it and what do you get out of it (examples)? Are there some communication channels you consider particularly important for particular purposes? Is it possible to generalize about what the different overlapping communities you are part of are like?
On the other side, what are the drawbacks and pitfalls? Have you experienced difficulties? When is it just a waste of time? Are there some dynamics or tendencies in some communities or on some communication channels that you consider problematic or at least unhelpful? "Gamer culture" is sometimes accused of being "toxic" â€" and some people feel that way about the AGS Forums; do you agree at all, regarding any community you've been a part of?
How has your experience changed, for better and worse, as you've become better known? And what advice would you give to other game makers (both hobbyists and those seeking to make a career) about engaging with different communities?
Mazes: You have different opinions about them, but it would be interesting to hear a more extended analysis/critique of them, and what makes them good or bad. To me it's an interesting question in particular because there's a huge variety within what we call adventure game "mazes": Ones that are consistent and can be mapped vs. ones that just teleport you around at random and eventually spit you back out (or kill you) unless you know the trick. Ones where there's some trick or strategy to find the right path (even though you can brute-force it if you have the patience) vs. ones that are just a matter of exhaustive exploration. Ones that offer in-game automapping vs. ones that don't. Ones that offer some other gameplay mechanic within the maze vs. ones where you just have to find your way through. Ones that are procedurally generated vs. ones that are pre-designed and static. Big mazes vs. small mazes. Repetitive mazes (where you often literally cannot tell one room from another) vs. varied mazes. Mazes with a whole lot of different camera perspectives: 3rd person fixed orientation room-by-room (easy to map) vs. 3rd person varying orientation room-by-room vs. 1st person vs. top-down (local view) vs. top-down/high-camera segment-view (like in Fate of Atlantis where you can see a quarter of the map at a time, or Conquests of the Longbow in the garden maze) vs. full view of the entire thing (usually only meaningful if there's some other gameplay involved, like a chase) vs. "hidden pathways" (like the "maze of doors" that connect in unpredictable ways), vs. no doubt others I've forgotten. Then there are "deserts": large regions where you can walk anywhere but have to locate some particular place. And for mazes with clues/tricks, there are different common types: following someone, constructing some kind of compass/guide, following clues from a song/poem/headstone/recipe, noticing some subtle hint on each screen...
How do factors such as these interact to make for a good or a bad maze? And even if your maze is good, are mazes just so hated now that you can't get away with them?
When does your game world become a maze, anyway? Can you connect screens in complex ways without turning it into a maze?
Finally got a chance to catch up with the latest CupCast and I was thrilled by the return of one of my favorite segments (not my most favorite, you know, but pretty close to the top of the list). Well done, gentlemen! :cheesy:
Also, EVERYBODY loves mazes! :=
Woah, 5 years, congrats! Monday workout adventure game podcast it is :)
Don't ever update that thread title, you gorgeous man! ;)
Whoops, I had friended Francisco on facebook before listening to the ep. where he says he only friends people he personally knows. Sorry! I guess now I have to meet y'all in person at some point :)
Great episode. I'm just in the middle of designing some hotspot-light backgrounds where the focus is less on exploring and more on dialog, and was just pondering the level of detail that should go into it. I was initially going to keep everything really sparse so as not to distract from the conversations, but Ben highlighted some aspects that I hadn't thought about, so I made a note to at some point consider the opposite. This is what I really enjoy about the podcast - a lot of the time Ben and Francisco say exactly what I think about an issue, but sometimes it will be the flip side that hadn't occured to me. And that's one of the main reasons I love this podcast. That and the constant giggling :)
Looking forward to the next one!
Episode 109 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_109.mp3)
Jacob Janerka, creator of Paradigm, joins us to talk game design and the challenges of your first release.
Episode 110 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_110.mp3)
MAZES!
Woohoo!
I've been catching up on even older episodes, including a couple where you already talked about some of the maze-things I mentioned. Also, I never realized the color of my trees was such a topic of conversation... 8-)
I got the impression from ep. 109 that Ben has now played Thimbleweed Park (but who can tell now that you don't spend an hour talking about everything you've played every episode?), so here's another topic idea based on that:
Changing a game after release. TP has had at least two major patches since its initial release that change some major elements of the gameplay experience (one reduces the number of in-jokes, one of the most common review criticisms, and another adds the ability for the different playable characters to talk to each other). Obviously patches and DLC are routine in other genres, and some AGS games have changed significantly between e.g. the MAGS version and a later release, but what does it mean for adventure game makers and players when the version that was released and reviewed initially is no longer representative of the game as it is now?
Bumpity bump...
OK, I now want dramatic readings of all my forum posts. Thanks!
Listening to an old episode (#56, I think), I noticed something relevant to my other topic suggestion. You addressed one pitfall of the AGS community: accepting the community's (freeware) standards and becoming a bit naive about what's required of a commercial release. (Vice versa, I'd argue that the rise of commercial AGS games is in danger of putting the threshold too high for newbies.)
I also had another topic idea: When to give up. You've talked about the skills needed to finish a game, you've talked about cutting stuff that isn't working, and you've occasionally mentioned games you never finished. But how do you know when it's time to walk away from a project? (Either your own projects or collaborations.)
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 08/07/2017 14:12:55
Episode 110 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_110.mp3)
MAZES!
Hooray! :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:
Aaah, I thought there was a new one already. Waitiiiing :)
Quote from: BlueCupTools Twitter, 2 days agoTaking another week off because @ben_304 has a wee cough! Back soon :)
Episode 111 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_111.mp3)
Community relations!
Nice one man...men...! Some good advice there. I need to settle on issues of time rather than talent myself. Anyway, now, about Ben Jordan...
Yay, another dramatic reading! My paranoia instantly makes me wonder whether I was the bore who kept going on about Ben Jordan...
Regarding negative experiences on the AGS forums, it's probably something moderators see a lot more of, since we get the complaints. I didn't mean to suggest it has anything to do with "toxic gamer culture" â€" it's hard to generalize over what gets people upset, it's really individual (and often unpredictable). But you see people talking crap about the forums elsewhere on the internet as well, usually about us being too cliquish and standoffish, and you touched on it being intimidating. It's hard to tell from the inside what creates that impression (sure, with Mittens and other meetups, IRC etc. we're probably more tightly knit than many other online communities), and I don't remember feeling that way myself when I first joined the forums.
I've almost finished listening through the backlog of episodes, so there aren't going to be as many topic suggestions from me going forward. (Since it's listening to the podcast that tends to inspire topic ideas.) However, how about... ?
The future evolution of adventure games. You're both working on games that to some extent move away from traditional inventory-puzzle-based adventure gameplay, and many of the biggest titles these days do the same. Why do you want to work on "less traditional" games? Have adventure games finally got past being stuck in the 1990s? Does that mean puzzles are outdated? Are there other genre conventions we could stand to lose? What should a modern adventure game play like, today or five years from now?
RE: No one to talk to about first person shooters: I started out gaming, and game dev, in first person shooters, and only recently immigrated to point-and-click country. :) (Made Half Life 1, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Deus Ex mods, etc.) I play all of Doom 1 and Doom 2 at least once a year.
Episode 112 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_112.mp3)
Knowing when to give up.
Enjoyed listening to this one. I much prefer it without the long 'what have you been playing' segment.
Knowing when to give up has rarely been a problem for me because I generally tend to have already given up before it has even become a question.
There was one project I'd been stubbornly calling 'active' even though I hardly made any progress but despite it being fairly far through production and despite getting some help with some animations I officially have up on it because I just didnt like it any more. It was quite liberating really.
Nice discussion! Glad you "digressed" onto some more general reflections towards the end â€" I thought those were the most interesting aspects.
You argued that one good reason to give up (at least if you're doing it as a hobby) is if it's no longer fun. But I remember you saying in earlier episodes that at some point every project you've worked on has become a chore; you burn out, lose faith in it or can no longer appreciate the things that drew you to it in the first place. It seems like that's something you just have to power through if you're going to finish anything.
Is it reasonable to expect every step in game development to be fun in its own right, or are there some things you just have to do because they have to be done? I mean, even if you like downhill skiing (to take another hobby) you probably don't enjoy standing in line for the ski lift, but it's just an (almost) unavoidable part of the experience: You have to put up with a bit of boredom to get the overall enjoyment. Unless you absolutely can't stand the unenjoyable part, it's probably not a good reason to give up on an otherwise fun and rewarding activity.
Good luck with the publishers, Grundislav! Hope it all works out soon.
Also, moderators can edit the thread title, if you want to bypass Ben's inaction.
Quote from: Snarky on Mon 04/09/2017 09:46:14
Also, moderators can edit the thread title, if you want to bypass Ben's inaction.
Long live the PODCATS!
Quote from: ClickClickClick on Mon 04/09/2017 11:27:00
Quote from: Snarky on Mon 04/09/2017 09:46:14
Also, moderators can edit the thread title, if you want to bypass Ben's inaction.
Long live the PODCATS!
Woah!!! No way. Am I the only one who has never even noticed that since it was changed 4 years ago? Incredible.
Yay, lots of old-time forum nostalgia in these past few episodes!
Drinking game: Take a sip every time Ben says "you know"
...die of alcohol poisoning in that last episode ;) Nice stuff though, interesting discussion!
Sorry for the false hope, BCT-fans. I'm just bumping the thread to suggest another topic: Toolchains, debugging, and how to test a game in development.
When you're making a game, you often need to run it for testing/debugging purposes, e.g. to check that an animation looks right, or to test that an interaction you just scripted works, try to figure out why a bug is happening, etc. AGS has some simple debugging features built in (e.g. a debugger with breakpoints, teleport to a certain room, ...), and there are other tools and modules designed to help during development (like Monsieur OUXX's brand new Breakpoints/DisplayGUI module, or the SpeechCenter plugin to create voice acting scripts). I seem to remember seeing a devstream that showed a little control panel to adjust the positions of animations in-game (though I'm not sure how it was exported/saved). Do you use any of these? Do you implement any features of your own to assist you during the development, like ways to bypass certain puzzles? Are there any tools/features you're missing that could make your life easier?
I'm working on a game right now that has a bunch of randomness to it, and I'm thinking that for testing I'll need some way to bypass and control the results directly, so I don't have to try something ~100 times to check that the thing with 1% chance works correctly. Stuff like that.
Similarly, are there particular apps outside of AGS that you rely on to make your games, and do you benefit from particular tricks, shortcuts, plugins or macros in those apps?
Ah! A new post! Surely there's a new podcast! :cheesy: :cheesy:
Quote from: Snarky on Sun 15/10/2017 09:23:15
Sorry for the false hope, BCT-fans.
oh... :sad: :sad:
Good topic suggestions, though. I don't know about GrundlBen, but I load all my games with debug codes to make my life (and the lives of my playtesters) easier. :cool: Just remember to disable them before you make the game available to the rest of the world.
Hey, a new episode!
Episode 113 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_113.mp3)
Taking different approaches.
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 09/12/2017 13:55:55
Hey, a new episode!
Episode 113 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_113.mp3)
Taking different approaches.
Cool. Is it on iTunes yet? I can't see it.
Holy Snickerdoodle! A Podcast!!!
Quote from: Snarky on Sun 10/12/2017 09:19:32
Quote from: Stupot on Sat 09/12/2017 22:29:29
Cool. Is it on iTunes yet? I can't see it.
+1
+2
why can I only get 10kB/s download from your site?
And A Golden Wake was good, people are just now realizing that (maybe), I think back on it very fondly like Inherit the Earth
Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Wed 13/12/2017 04:22:42
Holy Snickerdoodle! A Podcast!!!
Sweet biscuits, you're right! And just in time for Christmas!
No new episode, but checking in to say the issue with iTunes is fixed and episode 113 should now appear there!
Episode 114 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_114.mp3)
Beta testing. Thanks to Jean Baptiste for the suggestion!
w00t! :cheesy:
Two episodes! It's like an 80's chewing gum commercial 8-0 Double my pleasure double my fun!
Great podcast, and thanks for the shoutout! I'm glad my little podcast time-saving trick was of some assistance. :)
On the testing subject, I did have a hard time getting the level of feedback I needed to get Neofeud polished up in time for release, just using volunteers. I ended up finding one particularly good professional tester who was also a fan of point-and-clicks as well as my game. I ended up just paying a bit up front and a small revenue share, but in the end, it was totally worth it as he crushed countless bugs with literally almost a hundred pages of extremely detailed reports. Platform-port / Windows Update related bugs aside, I can still count on one or maybe two hands the number of bugs that have reported by players since. They are very few and far between, and saved me a lot of potential negative Steam reviews due to major-showstopping issues on launch. So if you're an indie short on budget, I'd recommend getting at least one pro, or very proficient tester, especially one who specializes in point-and-click or adventure games, especially if you're worried if your game hasn't had enough testing and there might be some time-bombs hidden in there.
Anyway, my two cents!
Looking forward to Lamplight City and Unavowed!
Episode 115 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_115.mp3)
Complex protagonists vs story non-linearity: why you can't have both (or can you?) Also, why are adventure game protagonists such assholes?
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 10/02/2018 16:04:30
Also, why are adventure game protagonists such assholes?
I haven't listened yet but I'd also add ‘why are NPCs always such assholes?' too. Seriously they are always so unhelpful. And the only reason for making an NPC unhelpful is so that you can insert a puzzle to either circumvent the unhelpful asshole or to Make said asshole more helpful.
damn you and your The Witness Podcast! I bought it in the christmas sale and after hearing talk about it more and more now I started it and I#m just blown away from how much you can do with these small puzzle games :) And I just bruteforced my way through the 4 hedge mazes. I could understand the solution to the first maze after solving it but the others were just every possible combination :) And now I'm stuck in the treehouses with all these sun symbols... :D
and hearing you talk about other adv game characters while playing the whitness is also great, makes me wonder how the protagonist in the witness even looks like, you can't even see your own reflection in the water. There is no witness of the witness so to say. He probably looks something like king graham, his shadow has this same hat (or really weird hair).
(https://i.imgur.com/gkCeEdO.jpg)
I remember Brian in Runaway 1 has at least one serious asshole moment where he futzes around with a laser and makes a poor museum employee accidentally destroy a priceless historical artifact. That's probably around the time where I lost all sympathy for him.
Quote from: Stupot on Sun 11/02/2018 00:46:34
I haven't listened yet but I'd also add ‘why are NPCs always such assholes?' too. Seriously they are always so unhelpful.
I feel this comes back down to the basic idea that that often NPCs aren't really characters present for any real purpose than for either comic relief, to antagonize and build drama in some way, or to be an obstacle of some sort - all of which can lead to characters being unpleasant to deal with.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Sun 11/02/2018 18:32:59
Quote from: Stupot on Sun 11/02/2018 00:46:34
I haven't listened yet but I'd also add ‘why are NPCs always such assholes?' too. Seriously they are always so unhelpful.
I feel this comes back down to the basic idea that that often NPCs aren't really characters present for any real purpose than for either comic relief, to antagonize and build drama in some way, or to be an obstacle of some sort - all of which can lead to characters being unpleasant to deal with.
I always thought NPCS were there to provide hints and point you in the right direction.
They do tend to be assholes though. :-\
Neat topics in the last two episodes! In 114, hurtful comments aside ( ;) ), you even briefly address my earlier topic suggestion (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=46193.msg636565537#msg636565537) about changing a game after release.
As for well-developed protagonists in non-linear games, the one that comes to mind immediately is Tex Murphy in The Pandora Directive. Tex is far from a blank slate, but the game allows you to play with different styles, letting him turn into a noir anti-hero, a hardboiled detective with integrity, or a straight-up good guy.
I think the key to making it work is to (1) place the character at a turning point where you believe the decision might genuinely go either way, e.g. setting up a dilemma or conflict between two of your character's core values, and (2) make sure both outcomes tell meaningful stories with satisfying character arcs. The big decision in The Shivah feels like that to me: in my mind the dark path is the "canon" outcome, mainly because it felt like a better fit with the genre and tone of the game, and I really believe Rabbi Stone could go either way on that subway platform, but I suspect most players assume the good ending is the official one.
Good stuff, gents! Enjoyed these. It's funny how I agree with Ben that Guybrush is a non-character, but he's still loveable and relatable as all heck (Dominic Armato might have something to do with that in CoMI, though).
I don't remember if this has been discussed on the podcast before or not, but world-building would make for a pretty juicy topic, especially if you take into account decisions like going for a real-world location versus fantasy versus Sci-Fi versus steampunk etc.
Looking forward to the next one!
I had a thought about Guybrush. First, I'm not sure I agree that he's not a character just because he's not a very deep or well-defined character. I think he does have some personality, even if it's just a kind of blithely positive can-do spirit mixed with mild snark.
My thought, though, was that Guybrush's role in the games is actually more as a sidekick. More specifically, he's your (the player's) sidekick: the guy with the wisecracks and comic relief pratfalls while you go about the serious business of solving puzzles and so on. I think that's actually a quite ingenious piece of design.
Episode 116 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_116.mp3)
All about self care.
Man. I've missed two episodes, you guys gotta look at how the podcast looks on the iPhone app. Maybe it's my fault for using an iPhone :-\
wow, interesting topic! Sooooomehow I feel even worse and more depressive after hearing this. damned, I hope you don't know these black days when you don't make it out of bed and can't sleep either. Then even the internet sucks and you find something great and instead of celebrating it accordingly you destroy it with some sick shit and feel sorry, all while on of your best friends announces he wants to drink himself to death and even more often uses meth (which he hid for a long time) and stops eating and just drinks the whole day and brabbles annoying and sick shit and you can watch him lose all his brainz and know you have to either go crazy with feeling sorry or let go. man, this is eating me up and sooooo distracting from gamedev and art after all! feels a lot like fight club irl and I wish this to noone! thanks for this episode, really helpful advice there, thanks for reading this.
p.s. I don't do meth! probably the worst you can do to relax...!
Episode 117 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_117.mp3)
Making changes to your game after release.
Another great podcast ;-D These past few have really hit it out of the park. The one about self care came at a pretty important time for me, has definitely made a positive impact on my working working process. Thanks guys! <3
Episode 118 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_118.mp3)
The importance of good sound design.
Ah Cliff Racers... such bastards!
M'dudes, just a quick request, if at all possible: could you upload these to something streaming like soundcloud? Already twice I've accidentally started an episode from the beginning and mixcloud on mobile will only let me skip 5 secs at a time. Soundcloud is a pretty good place for people to organically discover the podcast,so it would be a win-win. Anyway, thanks for continuing to do these, they're great.
Hey, it's been a while, but we're back!
Episode 119 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_119.mp3)
Game jams!
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 23/06/2018 15:34:58
Hey, it's been a while, but we're back!
Episode 119 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_119.mp3)
Game jams!
Thanks for existing! Always love to hear what you guys talk about.
interesting listen!
@304: any chance you recorded that wrong textured dancing character model hilarity? :-D
As entertaining as ever. I would have liked to hear about some good games from the last Adventure Jam though since Grundislav was a judge*. The only ones that you mention are your own creations or some well-known AAA titles.
*Just to clarify, I didn't take part.
Good Luck on finishing Unavowed and Lamplight City.
I only just judged the games this past Saturday, one day after recording the podcast! Besides, since the results won't be announced until the 30th, I didn't think it would be fair to talk about them prematurely. Maybe we should have held off on doing the episode, or maybe we can do a followup next time.
wait, you can sort the jam games by rank on the gamejolt page, what does this mean?
I'm back and catching up on old episodes. New episode soon-ish? :kiss:
We've both been extremely busy the past several months. Maybe once Lamplight City is out :D
WE'RE ALIVE!
Episode 120 (http://grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_120.mp3)
Catching up on the last six months.
Like.
I hope you have some more time on your hands to record another podcast over the holidays or the next months.
So much nostalgia when Semi-Charmed Life starts, nostalgia for BLUECUPTOOLS! Great to have another episode, takes me back to the early days of developing Guard Duty ;D
Eh, we knew you'd be working, and expected you to be a bit stressed. :P
Well yay for this! :)
Hooray! :cheesy:
Episode 121 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_121.mp3)
Do we finally feel free of limitations to make the games we want to make?
Quote from: Grundislav on Sat 16/03/2019 12:00:06
Do we finally feel free of limitations to make the games we want to make?
Tonight: On Bluecup Confessions! :cheesy:
Edit: Ben was in America and couldn't be bothered to drop by my apartment? But I made a pot roast and everything! :~(
I almost gave up on you lovely gentlemen.
One of my most favourite episode 82's ever!
Here's another Episode 82!
Episode 122 (http://grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_122.mp3)
Ben regales us with his thoughts and experiences attending his very first GDC.
Hey hey, it's Episode 123 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_123.mp3)!
Revisiting basic knowledge that's easy to forget, as well as way too much information about kitsch artist Jeff Koons.
I just stopped by to see what's going on, and what a nice surprise :)
I think you need to find a way to date your episodes on iTunes like everyone else, then we might get notifications for new episodes.
You should also give us a link to this Adventure Stream you speak of...
Always great when you do another episode. The post by me that you mention is here (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=55434.msg636574424#msg636574424), for anyone interested. It is weird how an artist's "personality" remains recognizable despite immense improvement and different techniques, styles and points of reference.
nice listen as always. but whyyyy didn't you make the outro like 4 seconds longer, 1:23:41 is far less great than 1:23:45 for episode 123 :P
Oh wow, I got mentioned in the BCT! 8-0
Great episode as always, guys :)
I just discovered your podcast two or three months ago and got addicted, listened to all the episodes from the beginning while at work. Very motivating and inspiring, glad you're still keeping it up.
You guys ask for topic suggestions sometimes, so I thought of one which maybe you haven't covered, unless I'm forgetting: How important is it for puzzles to be original? Like I imagine a lot of puzzles end up being repeated from other games just by coincidence, but some are probably unknowingly repeated by subconscious influence. For a big and/or commercial project, is there a way to search and find out if a particular puzzle idea has been done before? Or is it ok to consciously copy puzzles from other games as long as you switch it up in an interesting way?
Episode 124 (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_124.mp3)!
Yeah, we're still alive.
Stayin' alive? Good idea, guys!
\o/ w00t! \o/
Nice episode, hope you keep them up more regularly! I can't believe it took 124 episodes to discover Ben's true identity (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/a/ac/Telly-Triangle.jpg)
Cool episode
It's BlueCupTools day!
Only… Are you actually publishing/announcing/pushing/whatever-it-is-you-have-to-do the episode in your podcast? (Something about an RSS feed, no?) It's not showing up in my podcast app.
My goodness, I thought you two had left this world behind
Wait, not on iTunes? ???
Happy holidays from Blue Cup Tools!
Here's Episode 125! (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_125.mp3)
Awesome. Thanks! (http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Roger_Santa.png)
Thanks guys, still don’t understand why you haven’t responded to any of my fan mail yet.. spent so much time cutting up those magazines...
Today marks 10 years since we began the podcast.
Here is the final episode: Episode 126 (http://grundislavgames.com/podcast/BCT_126.mp3)
Thanks for listening, especially Ponch.
Thanks to everybody who joined in with the fun over the years, we had a great time! :=
Woah! It's back!
How can one piece of news be both great and really sad at the same time?
Oh wow I didn't even know this was a thing until just now. Well, I guess I have all the old episodes to listen to! Great work.
Really sad to hear this is the final episode! Discovered and listened to all the old episodes from the start during a personal rough spot last year, and it was both an inspiration and a really great comfort to hear you chat about the ags community/game design/everything else. You will be missed!
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Y_U_KThxBai.PNG)
Thanks for the years of free entertainment (and for making your upload schedule it's own kind of exciting puzzle := )
Thanks Grundi and Ben for your (ten!) years of service. For a long time, BCT was my only source of intelligent conversation about adventure game design and development. The show eventually (pretty directly) led to me quitting my career and starting work on commercial AGS titles many moons ago. The adventure game landscape is different now than it was in 2012 when the show got off the ground, and I hope you're proud that you're partly responsible for re-shaping it over the years!
Quote from: Ponch on Sun 12/06/2022 16:10:57
(http://www.barnrunner.com/pics/misc/Y_U_KThxBai.PNG)
Thanks for the years of free entertainment (and for making your upload schedule it's own kind of exciting puzzle := )
Man. I had forgotten about this image. I don't know how. And now I may never forget it ever again.
Thank you.
Listening to this episode reminded me how stimulating and inspirational it is to listen to you talk about adventure game design questions. It makes me, at least, want to try the design methods you propose, test the limits of your analysis, and argue with your conclusions. It gives me ideas I want to explore and names of games I want to play.
It was great to have you back for one final episode, but I'll really miss the podcast.
Quote from: ThreeOhFour on Tue 14/06/2022 13:10:58
Man. I had forgotten about this image. I don't know how. And now I may never forget it ever again.
I had to dig through an old stack of CD-RWs to find the original. That's how old that picture is! :cheesy:
Great topic for the final episode. I'm already rethinking an inventory puzzle on a game I'm currently working on. Thanks for that, CupCast team. You are already missed.
Thanks for all the podcasting, boys. I'm pretty sure I listened to every episode.
I just became aware of this podcast and started listening from episode 1. It really is a pleasent distraction for when I walk to work and you two make entertaining podcast hosts! :-) Too bad the latest episode is the last, but I am glad there is so many episodes to listen to.
I used to listen to the podcast from time to time during my commute and unfortunately realized this week that the links to all episodes were now dead. I was wondering if they've been archived somewhere by someone by any chance?
This also got me to finally register on the forum after lurking for a long time. So "hi everyone"! :)
What a shame! I've archived all episodes here for posterity:
https://archive.org/details/bluecuptools
Quote from: Jean-Pascal on Sun 13/11/2022 04:41:56I used to listen to the podcast from time to time during my commute and unfortunately realized this week that the links to all episodes were now dead. I was wondering if they've been archived somewhere by someone by any chance?
This also got me to finally register on the forum after lurking for a long time. So "hi everyone"! :)