Soren Johnson

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).

Thanks, please let me know if you hear any more.

Our Steam release sale ends at 1pm ET today! http://store.steampowered.com/app/271240/

In this episode, Bruce Geryk interviews Soren Johnson about his new economic RTS, Offworld Trading Company. They discuss how exploring a black map is one of gaming’s greatest hits, why the hardest part of designing Offworld was ending the game, and why Early Access games shouldn’t have QA. Also, listen to hear Soren correctly pronounce timbre! Games Discussed: Offworld Trading Company, StarCraft, Age of Empires 2, Railroad Tycoon, M.U.L.E., Belter https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/offworld-trading-company-1

ha, that sums up our goals pretty well!

I'd recommend trying to beat the Daily Challenge before trying MP because it uses the same settings (more or less).

So, I recorded playthroughs of all of the Practice Games, along with general commentary on how to play, if you guys are interested:

Yes, you should switch to the regular version.

So, the release version is actually available to the public early using these instructions: http://offworldtradingcompany.gamepedia.com/Next_version please let me know if you see anything weird!

In this episode, Soren interviews game designer Ananda Gupta, best known as the co-designer of Twilight Struggle and the lead designer of XCOM: Enemy Within. They discuss why DC has no fort in For the People, whether Labyrinth's neocon design is intentional, and should Twilight Struggle use dice to resolve conflicts. They also assume quite incorrectly that Command & Conquer: Generals was released before 9/11. Who knew?!? Games Discussed: Lode Runner, Ancient Art of War, Diplomacy, Risk series, Paths of Glory, Twilight Struggle, History of the World, Labyrinth, A Distant Plain, Sept. 12th, Civ 3: Conquests, A Force More Powerful, X-COM, XCOM https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/ananda-gupta

We have a release date - April 28th! http://www.mohawkgames.com/2016/04/07/release-date-april-28th-2016/

In this episode, Adam Saltsman interviews Tyriq Plummer, who is the artist, designer, and programmer behind the roguelike platformer Catacomb Kids. They discuss why a game should let you eat your severed arm, how items can be adjectives instead of verbs, and how to design a deep game when you don't see the bottom yet. Games Discussed: Lonely Hated Rock, Powder, Spelunky, Catacomb Kids, Cibele https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/tyriq-plummer