Soren Johnson

Designer Notes 35: Manveer Heir In this episode, Adam Saltsman interviews independent game developer Manveer Heir, best known for his work on the Mass Effect franchise. They discuss the sunken cost fallacy and game development, why Mass Effect 3 would be a bad first game for a new developer, and when a game designer is like a baseball player and when it’s like a trauma surgeon. Games discussed: Rise of Legends, Wolfenstein, Mass Effect series, No Man’s Sky Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

In this episode, Soren Johnson interviews veteran game designer Amy Hennig, best known for her work on the Legacy of Kain and Uncharted series. They discuss what happened in 1977, how to make a platformer about Michael Jordan, and whether women are now being scared away from game development the way she was from the film industry. In true adventure game fashion, we end on a cliffhanger! Games Discussed: ELIZA, Sea Wolf, Combat, Dungeons and Dragons, Zork, Electrocop, Bard’s Tale 4, Desert Strike, Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City, the Legacy of Kain series, Jak 3 https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/amy-hennig

Designer Notes 34: Tyler Sigman - Part 2 In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Tyler Sigman, best known as the designer of HOARD and Darkest Dungeon. They discuss how whether it makes sense to hide game data in the age of wikis, if Darkest Dungeon is too punishing or too forgiving, and what happened with the Corpse and the Hound. Games discussed: NITRO, Darkest Dungeon Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Designer Notes 32: Asher Vollmer In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Asher Vollmer, best known as the designer of Puzzlejuice and Threes. They discuss why paper prototypes don’t always translate well into video games, whether a game should take up 100% of your brain, and how he feels about the Threes clone 2048. Games discussed: The Secret of Monkey Island, Leisure Suit Larry, Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, Active Worlds, Furcadia, The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom, Semi-Automatic, Puzzlejuice, Tiny Wings, Threes, 2048, Guildlings Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Thanks for the kind words... and good luck!

In this episode, Soren interviews Brad Muir, who is a designer/programmer at Double Fine. He was a programmer on Psychonauts, the lead designer of Brutal Legend, and the project leader on Iron Brigade. Brad is currently leading the development of Massive Chalice, a tactical strategy game now available on Steam Early Access. They discuss trying to make peace with narrative-based games, why consoles (and not tablets) are the future of Lords Managements, what it's like pitching ideas to publishers, and why Brad worked at Raven for 89 days. Games Discussed: Spec Ops: The Line, The Walking Dead, Crusader Kings 2, Hunt the Wumpus, The Legend of Zelda, Brutal Legend, Alter Echo, Psychonauts, XCOM, Massive Chalice, Trenched/Iron Brigade https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/brad-muir

In this episode, Bruce Geryk interviews veteran wargame designer Mark Herman, former CEO of Victory Games and best known for pioneering card-driven wargames with We The People. They discuss designing games for less than $100 per week, why he couldn't release a game because Saddam Hussein might play it, and how Magic the Gathering helped him create a new genre. Games Discussed: Chess, Battle of the Bulge, October War, The Next War, MechWar 2, Gulf Strike, Desert Shield, We The People, For The People, Empire of the Sun, Churchill https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/mark-herman

Yeah, we kind of screwed up the audio on this one. We'll do our best not to let it happen again! (It's always hard to know what to do after a bad recording - I came close to binning this episode but thought it was not quite so bad after Hermes cleaned it up...)

Designer Notes 31: Margaret Robertson In this episode, Adam Saltsman interviews Margaret Robertson, Game Director at PlayDots. Margaret is known for her pioneering work at Hide & Seek and as editor-in-chief at EDGE magazine. They discuss how to make a game about death, whether a game should make you good at lying, and why making a game about dots can be rewarding. Games discussed: Dots, Two Dots, Boardgame Remix Kit, Dream of Your Life, Would Anyone Miss You, Werewolf, Dots & Co, Puzzlescript Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

In this episode, Adam Saltsman interviews independent game developer Lucas Pope, best known for the immigration officer simulation Papers Please. They discuss how Naughty Dog taught him to mercilessly cut features, why it might be a good thing if Obra Dinn is bad, and how Adam has time to do these interviews. Games discussed: Malice, Gearhead Garage, Papers Please, The Republia Times, Return of the Obra Dinn https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/lucas-pope

Designer Notes 30: Steve Gaynor - Part 2 In this episode, Soren interviews Steve Gaynor, co-founder of The Fullbright Company and best known for his work on BioShock 2, Minerva’s Den, and Gone Home. They discuss whether audio diaries need to make sense, why the Gone Home family is made up of barefoot vampires who hate showers, and why Fullbright made Tacoma. Games discussed: Minerva’s Den, Bioshock Infinite, Gone Home, Tacoma, Sleep No More, Firewatch, Her Story Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game designer George Fan, who is best known as the creator of Insaniquarium and Plants vs Zombies. They discuss why he learned to program instead of just focusing on art, how most Diablo monster design is a variation of kill-me-first, and why Plants vs. Zombies wasn’t Fish vs. Aliens. Games discussed: Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., Are You Dumb?, Wrath of the Gopher, Magic: The Gathering, Bomberman, Risky Planet, Insaniquarium, Diablo 3, Plants vs Zombies, Octogeddon https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/george-fan

FWIW, I just reconstructed the GDC talk referenced on this podcast from the slides and the audio because it was never actually filmed. Feel free to argue about whether WoW is a game about evolution again!

In this episode, Soren Johnson interviews legendary game designer Sid Meier, best known for designing Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, and Civilization. They discuss what game Sid wishes he designed, how to determine if a prototype should be turned into a game, and why we need a Zombie civilization. Games discussed: Civilization Revolution, CivWorld, Ace Patrol, Starships, Tetris, SimCity, Seven Cities of Gold https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/sid-meier-part-4

In this episode, Soren Johnson interviews legendary game designer Sid Meier, best known for designing Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, and Civilization. They discuss why dinosaurs need to have ranged attacks, how deals go down on the SimGolf course, and if Civ games have an ideal length. Games discussed: CPU Bach, Magic: The Gathering, Hearthstone, Gettysburg, Dinosaurs, SimGolf, Pirates!, Railroads!, Civilization Revolution https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/sid-meier-part-3

In this episode, Adam Saltsman interviews indie game developer Nina Freeman, who is best known for her personal vignette games How Do You Do It?, Freshman Year, and the upcoming Cibele. She is currently working at Fullbright as a level designer on the upcoming game Tacoma. They discuss why all VR games are about sitting in chairs, how a background in poetry influences her work, and how to write about your own personal flaws in a game. Games Discussed: How Do You Do It?, Cibele, Digital: A Love Story, Gone Home, Dys4ia, MMOs, Final Fantasy 10 https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/nina-freeman

In this episode, Soren Johnson interviews legendary game designer Sid Meier, best known for designing Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, and Civilization. They discuss how Sid’s stealth fighter was more interesting than the real one, whether XCOM violates the Covert Action rule, and when the world was ready for hexes. Games Discussed: Covert Action, Railroad Tycoon, SimCity, F-19 Stealth Fighter, Civilization, Empire https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/sid-meier-part-2

In this episode, Soren Johnson interviews legendary game designer Sid Meier, best known for designing Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, and Civilization. They discuss using the Ayatollah Khomeini as an enemy, how Strike Eagle differentiated itself from Flight Simulator, and why the torpedo doesn’t go where the player aims it in Silent Service. Games discussed: Pong, Floyd of the Jungle, Strike Eagle, Silent Service, Seven Cities of Gold, Pirates! https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/sid-meier-part-1

In this episode, Soren Johnson interviews veteran game designer Amy Hennig, best known for her work on the Legacy of Kain and Uncharted series. They discuss what elements from film can’t work in games, how many hours she averaged per week working on the Uncharted series, and how to capture great acting performance for video games. Games Discussed: The Uncharted series, The Last of Us https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/amy-hennig-part-2

Is there a video of that? I still don't know what she was talking about!

In this episode, Soren interviews Westwood Studio co-founder Louis Castle. They discuss why early video game artists were also great at Etch-a-Sketch, why Dune 2 was not Dune 1, how Boom Blox was almost Angry Birds, and why narrative games can’t end on a negative. Games discussed: Temple of Apshai, The Mars Saga, Command & Conquer, Monopoly, Dune 2, Eye of the Beholder, Blade Runner, Boom Blox, LMNO, The Battle for Middle-Earth https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/louis-castle

In this episode, Adam Saltsman interviews independent game developer Liz Ryerson, known for experimental games like Problem Attic. They discuss whether we should ever make players uncomfortable, why horror games have more freedom to try unconventional design, and whether Twitter is a game. Games discussed: the Civilization series, Overland, Problem Attic, Train, Papers Please, PRY https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/liz-ryerson

Yeah, they recorded this session before Adam even knew about the podcast. I think it was originally intended for a book, which might be why it's a little different from the normal format.

I feel bad about that too. Part of the problem is that my group of game dev contacts (not to mention the games I am familiar with so that I can ask good questions about) are on the strategy game side... which is not where female game designers tend to end up. Would like to improve the balance, however!

I didn't realize until going through the interview, but I think it's clear that Westwood is absolutely unparalleled in breadth of game development (meaning being willing to make almost any type of game).