GameMarx Podcast

GameMarx EP77 - Heads Up Displays And In Game UI

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:57:11 GMT

This week we talk about what makes a good HUD and how to communicate game status to the player. We also talk about the effects of the Double Fine Adventure kickstarter, and what Gatekeeper from Apple might become.

Kickstarter of the Week: Code Hero: A Game That Teaches You To Make Games

Show Notes:

AppHub Forums: Recent Dashboard Update
Official Xbox Magazine: Dev: Indie Games channel won't survive the death of the Xbox 360
Destructiod: A countdown for MechWarrior Tactics appears
Official Xbox Magazine: Next Xbox will reportedly have HD touchscreen-traditional controller hybrid
Zeboyd Games: So You Want to Be an Indie Game Developer?
Ars Technica: Mac developers: Gatekeeper is a concern, but still gives power users control
Develop: Zynga MyFarm source code row heading to courts
Destructiod: Ubisoft's PS Vita bullsh*t is truly incredible
Official Xbox Magazine: Epic: There are too many platforms
Destructiod: 'Double Fine Adventure' going DRM-free for PC, Mac, Linux
Develop: Tim Schafer: Console patches cost $40k
The Escapist: JIMQUISITION Welcoming A Digital Future
Develop: Obsidian considers Kickstarter game
Destructiod: Brian Fargo may attempt kickstarting a Wasteland sequel
Develop: Unity CEO backs Kickstarter for gamified dev tool
CodePlex: Windows Phone 7 Ad Rotator

GameMarx EP76 - Decoding Feedback

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:39:57 GMT

This week we discuss Double Fine's crazy successful kickstarter, some other news, and how to handle feedback during game development.

Show Notes:

Develop: XBLIG isn't growing, developer claims
GiantBomb: Blizzard Disputing Valve’s Trademarking of DOTA
D'Arcy from Winnipeg: NES Fanboi’s Dream–Ryu in Super Mario Bros?!
FastCompany: "Words With Friends" Board Game Coming From The Makers Of Scrabble
Develop: Apple ban on counterfeit and clone apps
Develop: VIDEO: Stand-up comedy on Zynga cloning
Kickstarter: Double Fine Adventure
Twitter: @TimJustRaised
The Bottom Feeder: Now You (Yes, You!) Can Design Dungeons and Dragons!!!!!!!
Amazon: A Theory of Fun for Game Design

GameMarx EP75 - Developer Tools

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:02:25 GMT

This week we cover current news, tools every game developer should be using, and what project scope should be for small development team.

Show Notes:

Official Xbox Magazine: Harmonix's CEO top contributor to Stephen Colbert's Super PAC
GiantBomb: Mass Effect 3 Demo Provides Temp XBL Gold Access
Destructoid: Humble Bundle comes to Android (plus PC, Mac, and Linux)
Tested: Windows Phone 8 "Apollo" Features Revealed in Insider Video
Window's Azure Blog: Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games Updates
Gamasutra: Talking Copycats with Zynga's Design Chief
Develop: Triple Town dev sues over 'blatant plagiarism'
Ars Technica: Parcel Gamer wants to share used game profits with publishers
Ars Technica: My life as a cat: an hour with Terry Cavanagh's ChatChat MMO
DIY Gamer: IGN’s Indie Dev Reality Series Returns; Go Lazy 8!

Forum Question: Project scope when you have one developer

Tools Mentioned:

Source Control / Mercurial (Hg): Bitbucket | TortoiseHg | VisualHg
Asset Backup: Dropbox
Project Management / Kanban Board: AgileZen | Trello
Measurement Tools: XNA Timeruler | DirectX PIX | Visual Studio Performance Profiling | XNA Framework Remote Performance Monitor

GameMarx EP74 - Making Your Game Socially Acceptable

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:11:55 GMT

This week we discuss several Microsoft rumors, how Words with Friends beat Scrabulous and what game developers can learn from it.

Show Notes:

GiantBomb: Tiny Tower Devs Suggest Zynga Really, Really Loves Tiny Tower
Develop: Quarrel vs the games industry: Who was right?
Windows Store for developers: Designing the Windows Store user experience
Develop: Rumour: Microsoft to open new Kinect studios
Extra Guy: RUMOR: Microsoft dropping Microsoft points
Develop: Next-gen Xbox chips 'enter production for devs'
The Daily What: Xbox 720 Rumors of the Day
Official Xbox Magazine: Indieverse: How to Add Achievements to Xbox Live Indie Games
XNA Forums: an idea so crazy.....it just might work
Develop: XBLA hits 'record $144 million in revenue for 2011'
Develop: App Store dev payout soars past $4 billion
Fast Company: How Words With Friends Beat Scrabble At Its Own Game

GameMarx EP73 - Level Up Your Game

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:53:18 GMT

This week we discuss current news and using RPG mechanics in your game design.

Show Notes:

Develop: Zynga 'losing $150 on every new paying customer'
Develop: PopCap axes game played by 750,000 people
Destructiod: ESA spent $190,000 to support PIPA lobbyists
Destructiod: Microsoft denies security problems with Xbox Live
MSDN: Visual Studio Achievements
Ben Kane: The Great Porting Adventure: Day 8
Destructiod: AMY dev claims its game is just 'hard' instead of 'crap'
Tested: Compact Alienware X51 Gaming PC Disguises Itself as Console

GameMarx EP72 - Podcast Unlocked

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:05:50 GMT

This week we discuss using achievements in your game, and catch up on a bunch of news missed in recent weeks.

Show Notes:

Destructoid - Xbox Live hacking is a very real problem
Trendy Gamers - Xbox Live Indie Games Now Max Out At 500 MB, Minimum Price Reduced
Armless Octopus - Prices Plummeting for Cthulhu Saves the World, Soulcaster 2, and Other XBLIGs
Trendy Gamers - The Problems With The New Xbox Live Dashboard From The Point Of View Of An Indie Developer
PC gamer - Kinect on PC: more expensive, less useful, still exciting
Develop - iOS and Android 'set to host Xbox Live games'
Moacube - Professional developer’s look at GameMaker
DIY Gamer - Yahtzee Announces Poacher Platformer, Releases Trailer

GameMarx EP71 - 2011 Game Award Show

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:43:53 GMT

This week we honor our favorite (and not so favorite) XBLIG of 2011

GameMarx EP70 - The Clone Wars

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:23:56 GMT

This week we discuss what makes a clone good or bad, Top Indie Games of 2011 from several sites, and the giveaway XBLIG survey results.

Show Notes:

Marcin Draszczuk's Gamedev Blog: Microsoft killed our release
Destructoid: A Better List than Microsoft's "Best of 2011: Indie Games
G4TV: Top Xbox Indie Games of 2011
DIY Gamer: Best Indie Games of 2011: Editors’ Top Picks
VINTAGE VIDEO GAMES TV: My Top 10 Indie Games of 2011

GameMarx EP69 - Merry Podcast Mess

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:39:14 GMT

This week the crew breaks in the new format with a focus on the mechanics behind "Tycoon" style economic simulators such as FarmVille, Game Dev Story, and Tiny Towers. We also talk about the game review process and how indie game developers should approach the game press.

Show Notes:

PC Gamer: Unity 3.5 to be released shortly, Flash support added
Gamasutra: Be Honest, Be Nice: Marketing And PR For Indie Developers
Dylanwolf.com: Kitchen Experiment: Bacon-Infused Vodka
Trendy Gamers: Xbox Live Indie Game of the Year 2011
Extra Credits: Puzzle Games

GameMarx EP68 - Defending Indies with Matthew Leigh

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 20:59:52 GMT

This week Matthew Leigh of Firebase Industries joins the show to talk Orbitron: Revolution, Sunburn, Indie Pricing, and the new Xbox Dashboard.

Firebase Industries: Website | Twitter
Matthew Leigh: Twitter

Show Notes:

Arstechnica: Leadership change could herald Windows 8-powered phones; what's the hurry?
Develop: Rumour: 'Xbox design head replaced'
Shawn Hargreaves Blog: From games to telephones
Develop: Indie developers launch fundraising game bundle
Armless Octopus: Dream.Build.Play 2012 Challenge Includes Windows Phone Games
Indie Gamer Chick: Tales from the Dev Side: Magic Seal Pelts by Ian Stocker

GameMarx EP67 - Dashboard Confessional

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:15:59 GMT

In Mike and Cicelie's absence, Charlie and John from the Chainsaw Buffet Podcast sit in to talk about the new Xbox Dashboard (and what it means to indie games) as well as a lean weak on the New Releases front.

Show Notes:

Giant Bomb: You Must Agree to All of Xbox Live's New Terms of Service
ExtraGuy: Indie devs upset at XBLIG placement in new update
Ben Kane: Xbox Dash Update Holds Out Olive Branch to Indies, Twists Knife
Giant Bomb: Shigeru Miyamoto Changing Roles at Nintendo
Ars Technica: Win 8 app store revealed: more money for devs, beta in late February
Joystiq: New Xbox Dashboard features leave Indie Games in the lurch

GameMarx EP66 - Captain Dubstep: A New Hope

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:29:44 GMT

This week Mike launches Captain Dubstep week, Dylan and Mike talk RockSmith, and we discuss the continued dark and gloomy future for XNA.

Show Notes:

App Hub: Marketing Tips: Get your app or game noticed
Promit's Ventspace: DirectX and XNA Status Report
Develop: Unity 'amazed' as installs triple to 750,000
GiantBomb: Tetris Finally Gains a Subscription Fee
GiantBomb: Notch Steps Down as Lead Developer of Minecraft
Gamasutra: Rev Share: The Potluck of Game Dev
Major Nelson: Xbox 360 records the biggest week in Xbox history

GameMarx EP65 - Opposite Day with Ben Kane

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:38:33 GMT

This week guest Ben Kane of Going Loud Studios joins us to discuss his opposite approach to game marketing, the new Xbox Dashboard, and developers reviewing their own games

Going Loud Studios: Website | Twitter
Ben Kane: Blog | Twitter

Show Notes:

Ben Kane: DLC Quest and the Opposite Approach to Indie Development
Develop: Apple removes Big Fish subscription app from store
Develop: Gamepad support coming to Google Chrome
Major Nelson: Xbox 360 Dashboard update coming December 6th
Ars Technica: Jurassic Park devs tried to game user reviews. Who hasn't?

GameMark EP64 - Adam Spragg in Plain Sight

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:58:10 GMT

Mike wears a tie! Also Adam Spragg joins the show to talk about his new game Hidden in Plain Sight, other game ideas, what makes a good JRPG, review scores, and other industry rumors.

Adam Spragg Games: Blog | Twitter

Show Notes:

PC Gamer: Modern Warfare 3 dev attempts to boost Metacritic score via Twitter
Zeybod Games: The Ultimate JRPG? - The results of an informal survey and some ideas
Gamasutra: In Defense of the Review Score
Dorkly: 7 Reasons You Don't Want To Work in the Video Game Industry
Develop: Unity will not support 'closed' Windows Phone 7
Pocketgamer: Windows Phone will support native code, but only when Windows Phone 8 is released

GameMarx EP63 - Mission Accomplished

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:39:29 GMT

Steve Hurdle of Writings of Mass Deduction joins the show to talk about his year of reviewing one XBLIG a day, and shares some of his favorite lost gems of the service

Writings of Mass Deduction – Website | Twitter

Show Notes:

Ben Kane: DLC Quest and the Opposite Approach to Indie Development
CNET: Zynga to employees: Give back our stock or you'll be fired
Ars Technica: Valve confirms Steam hack: credit cards, personal info may be stolen

GameMarx EP62 - The Humble Badger Show

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:04:53 GMT

This week we cover sales stats for Hypership Out Of Control across Xbox/WP7/iOS, taking ownership of your game's sales, and Mike has a few words on the latest Humble Bundle

Show Notes:

KrisSteele.net: Comparing Hypership Sales Across All Platforms
ArsTechnica: Kinect for Windows SDK going commercial in early 2012
Gamasutra: Building a Better Kickstarter Campaign
TIGSource: Humble Voxatron Debut
GiantBomb: If You Buy Modern Warfare 3 Early, Microsoft Warns Against Playing Online
Gamasutra: XBLIG & Taking Ownership Of Your Own Successes And Failures
Ska Studios: There Is No Honor Here
Tested: The Death of Microsoft's Courier Tablet and the Struggle for Innovation

GameMarx EP61 - Xbox Live Dying Violently

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:16:22 GMT

Alex Jordan of ApthyWorks joins us as we talk about (more) Xbox Live accounts hacked, XBLIG downloads broken for a week, a game for bronies, and more.

ApathyWorks: website | twitter | facebook

Show Notes:

Forums: Windows phone developer account Xbox hacked
GiantBomb: Three Dudes Making Games About Wizards 'n Orbs
Tested: A New Hope for Windows Phone 7: Nokia's Lumia 800 and 710
ArsTechnica: Spacewar!, the first 2D top-down shooter, turns 50
My Littly Pony: Fighting is Magic

GameMarx EP60 - [LOCKED] The Jim Perry Podcast

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

XNA MVP Jim Perry joins the show as we discuss the ongoing Xbox account hacks, the fate of XNA, and other rants.

Mach X Games: Blog | Twitter

GameMarx EP59 - The Developer Legends with Barkers Crest Studios

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Matt Davis joins the show as we discuss open vs closed platforms, The Avatar Legends, and hacked Xbox Live accounts.

Barkers Crest Studio: Website | Twitter

Show Notes:

Delta Engine
Forums: Is an ITIN still required for non-US XBLIG developers?
Ars Technica: Xbox Live users suffering hacked accounts, FIFA 11 and 12purchases
PC Gamer: Valve’s Newell: It’s “ominous” that open platforms are less popular, Apple “wrong” philosophically
Radiangames: Launch Week, Day 2: The History of Radiangames
Broken Toys: A Decade of Camelot
Tested: Rumor: Microsoft Launching Xbox Live Game Streaming Service
The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford
Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster

GameMarx EP58 - The Invasion

podcast@gamemarx.com (GameMarx.com) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

In Mike and Cicelie’s absence, Dylan is joined by Charlie and John from the Chainsaw Buffet Podcast. (Livestream viewers may know them as “friends of Mike, Cicelie, and Dylan who troll chat every week.”) They give an outsiders’ perspective of the XBLIG service and community.

Show Notes