Roundtable

  • Theming vs. Aesthetics
  • Parries
#361

It’s hot in the clubhouse and hot in Ellen’s greenhouse this week, so your hosts are eager to crunch through some discussion.

2024.08.22
 
  • Targeting Multiple Platforms
  • Spirit Island Spirits
#359

We face complexity head-on this episode with two topics that will get your neurons firing. Mark walks through considerations involved with publishing a game to multiple platforms.

2024.08.08
 
  • Familiarity
  • Pacing Mechanics
#357

In this episode, Stephen gets excited about Summer Games Done Quick, reveals some Doctor Who spoilers, and then is shocked that Flappy Dragon has more dragons.

2024.07.25
 
  • Creative Direction
  • Time Management
#355

Time is money, friend! Okay, not always. Sometimes time is a puzzle involving many interlocking responsibilities.

2024.07.11
 
  • Code Libraries
  • Game Overs
#353

This week, your nice hosts talk about code that isn't yours and ask about the natural conclusion of the narrative. Mark is handy, Ellen kinda wants to add a note, and Stephen is grounded.

2024.06.27
 
  • Pivoting
  • Working on Multiple Projects
#351

This episode recounts each guests' recent project - Stephen is developing a new spirit for Spirit Island, Ellen is getting into music, and Mark talks at length about his car.

2024.06.13
 
  • King Making
  • Thinky Bits (Off-Screen Gameplay)
#347

In the episode, Mark, Ellen, and Stephen talk local events, including (don’t worry everyone’s fine) a fire in the clubhouse’s building, construction, and the games they are playing, so if you are just here for the topics, go ahead and sk

2024.05.16
 
  • South by Southwest 2024
  • Player Friction
#345

In this more games-adjacent episode, Mark recounts his experiences at the South by Southwest conference this year!

2024.05.02
 
  • Partnering Up
  • Control Flow
#339

It's our first roundtable of the year! And did you know that Minneapolis is "partnered up" with Saint Paul? Stephen's not sure what either of these topics have to do with game development, but don't worry—we get there.

2024.03.22
 
  • Debug Functionality
  • Polish
#333

Your nice hosts start this episode with some personal updates, and (spoiler) it does not "go quick" as planned, then take on two really fascinating production topics.

2023.11.30
 
  • Polymorphism
  • Save Scumming
#328

In this week's episode, Mark teaches us to cast polymorph, a 4th level transmutation spell. Just kidding! But Mark does put his high INT score to work helping us understand polymorphism, a useful feature of object-oriented programming.

2023.10.27
 
  • Composition over Inheritance
  • Elegance
#326

In this episode, the team gets back to all the regular reasons to complain about Unity. Stephen makes a pun, and Ellen searches for elegance through the power of internet research.
 

2023.10.12
 
  • Completionism
  • Educating Intuition
#323

Mark is back from Toronto, and guest host Holly Harrison is back in the clubhouse! Holly completes a topic, Stephen likes that part, and Ellen reads half a book.

2023.09.28
 
  • Grind
  • Emphasizing Uniqueness
#320

This week, Stephen and Ellen catch up with Mark about his (and Dale's) trip to GenCon. There is a happy minor Glom update, and then it's down to business. What's grind? What purpose does it serve, and what are the mechanics of it?

2023.09.02
 
  • Cheating, Part 3
  • Putting the Real World in Games
#318

We return to the topic of cheating for the third (and final, maybe?) time this week!

2023.08.17