Category: Episodes

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It’s been one year since the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift kicked off the era of consumer-ready VR devices. Twelve months in, what can we say about the opportunities and challenges of this new technology? In this episode we’re discussing the present state and future trajectory of VR with two veterans in the space: Andy Moore and Dr. Kim Voll. Among their many professional accomplishments, Andy and Kim are two of the co-creators of the award-winning HTC Vive game Fantastic Contraption, and experts in both the human and technological dimensions of VR technology. Let’s find out what the next phase of VR’s evolution has in store!

Show Notes

• Official site for Radial Games, Andy and Kim’s independent game studio
• Andy and Kim were part of the team that brought Fantastic Contraption to life on the HTC Vive.

Image credit: Northway Games

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When we think about the challenges of making games we tend to focus on elements of the craft like gameplay design, technical artistry, and engineering. It’s easy to forget the even more fundamental challenge that arches over all of these details: the challenge of leadership. Great leaders amplify the reach and confidence of their teams with communication, respect, and strong purpose; bad leaders can squander strong ideas by allowing chaos to infiltrate the process. So: what makes for a great creative leader? At the 2017 Game Developer’s Conference, respected game designer and studio leader Jesse Schell articulated a striking answer to this question in his talk, “Game Studio Leadership: You Can Do It.” On Episode 19 of Vertical Slice we’re discussing our reactions to Schell’s excellent talk, and deepening our understanding of what it really means to lead a creative team.

Show Notes

• The slides from Jesse Schell’s talk, “Game Studio Leadership: You Can Do It”, are available from the GDC vault.
• Jesse Schell’s professional website
• The Switch’s launch has been a spectacular success for Nintendo. SuperData estimates that approximately 1.5M Switch consoles were sold during the system’s first week.
• The only smudges on the Switch’s launch week have come from reports of hardware defects and build quality issues ranging from dead pixels and de-syncing JoyCons to screens allegedly scratched by the system dock.
• Some creative Switch owners are experimenting with USB-C extension cables and Switch cozies as ways of protecting their screen from any potential dock malfeasance.

Image credit: Sandra Mallinson

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Nobody’s perfect, and most game designs account for our inevitable goofs by offering the player multiple “lives.” Should a flutter in concentration send your hero to an unheroic demise, a quick trip to the continue screen will usually put your mistake to rights. A rare few games and players though have explored a different paradigm: the unforgiving world of “Roguelikes” and permadeath, where losing a character life means erasing all progress and starting from scratch. What happens to game design and player experience when the usual margins of error are removed? And what motivates the people who love playing games with these high-stakes mechanics? Join us on a daring run through the harrowing world of permadeath games on Episode 18 of Vertical Slice.

Show Notes

• Rogue is the 1980 dungeon crawler that forms the inspiration for the Roguelike genre.
• Looking to try a Roguelike for yourself? Some great recent examples of the genre include Darkest Dungeon, Spelunky, and Diablo III’s hardcore mode.
• Man vs. Snake, the true story of two men battling for the world record in Nibbler, is a charming look at an unusual permutation of high-stakes gameplay.

Image credit: Red Hook Studios

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In games, as in any creative discipline, it’s relatively easy to find good creative products, but much harder to find truly great ones. What is it that separates great creative work — and the people who do it — from the rest? In Episode 17 of Vertical Slice, we’re delving into the differences in mindset, focus, and process that differentiate the most vividly inventive creators. Let’s see what we can learn from the best!

Show Notes

• Chris finished Transistor! Six months after we first discussed it, this stylish action RPG remains a favorite of ours.
• Derek is exploring a pastoral English mystery in Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. If you enjoy slower paced narrative games like Firewatch, this one will speak to you.
• Designer Notes’ interview with Amy Hennig provides a fascinating window into the thought processes of a great creative director.

Image credit: Packers4Evar12

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The start of a new year is a great time for reflection, so let’s look ahead to the gaming world of 2017. What are some of the trends, themes, and questions that we think will shape this year’s gaming landscape? We’ll ponder a variety of mysteries, including the future of the Nintendo Switch, the challenges of VR adoption, and even the enigma of HDR. Power up your prognostication and join us for a lively preview of the coming year in games.

Show Notes

• The Nintendo Switch’s launch lineup has been announced and its lack of substantial original content is causing concern.
• Nintendo’s first forays into mobile gaming have been well received, but the company has been surprised by the challenges of free-to-play.
• The Playstation 4 Pro has great specs, but in practice its improvements over the base model are subtle and incremental.
• Assassin’s Creed Unity’s legendary glitches offer an important case in point on the creative and technical risks of annualized franchises.
• Star Citizen has changed game engines and Chris feels the chill winds of doom.

Image credit: Scott Taylor

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Of all the attributes that shape a game’s personality, difficulty is surely one of the most important. Difficulty not only structures the player’s in-game experience, it also defines important pieces of the game’s larger conceptual framing. How do the game’s designers understand their players? How does the player community understand itself in relation to this shared experience? From Plants vs. Zombies to Dark Souls, great games have answered these questions in vastly different ways, telling us much about the psychology of game design along the way. Join us for a close look at these fascinating issues as we tour the landscape of challenge, achievement, and game difficulty.

Show Notes

• Factorio has Chris reaching for his graph paper.
• Hearthstone has Derek reaching for the Advil. Brian Kibler has a good analysis of the current state of Hearthstone’s metagame.
• George Fan’s talk on tutorial design in Plants vs. Zombies is a masterclass in encouraging player engagement.
• Chris Dahlen has an terrific essay on Dark Souls’ elegant use of challenge: “Difficulty isn’t the club the designers bash you with, but the palette with which they paint the experience.”

Image credit: From Software and Bandai Namco

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If you’ve played a game anytime in the last decade, chances are you’ve heard the “ba-boop!” sound that signals the unlocking of an “achievement”: a supplementary goal parallel to a game’s core objectives. Achievements have become an expected part of modern game design, but what can we say about how and why they work? What separates the great achievement structures that keep us striving for 100% from their more forgettable counterparts? Let’s open up the trophy case and see what we can learn about the motivational science and artful design of compelling achievement patterns.

Show Notes

• Mice and Mystics by Plaid Hat Games is a terrific tabletop RPG experience for families and young players.
• Dinosaur Polo Club’s Mini Metro is a strikingly elegant puzzle game inspired by the distinctive art of subway transit system maps.
• Like the gaming equivalent of Pavlov’s dog, a generation of Xbox players will forever associate this unassuming sound effect with the thrill of victory.

Image credit: slgckgc

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The turn-based strategy genre has a rich history, ranging from the storied world of XCOM to fan favorites like Final Fantasy Tactics. Many hardware generations have come and gone since the first of these classic titles, but the genre retains its appeal due to its challenging, consequential gameplay, and the ever-tantalizing prospect of guiding your squad to a perfect tactical victory. This week we’re sitting down with a new member of the turn-based strategy family: Invisible, Inc., by the excellent creative team at Klei Entertainment. Borrowing design cues and conventions from 2012’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Invisible, Inc. evolves its heritage into a stylish espionage sneak-em-up with a unique focus on evasion and misdirection. So what’s it like to be an Invisible agent? Come along with Chris and Derek and find out!

Show Notes

• Derek’s open game creation project, In Development, continues with a new episode on finding inspiration for gameplay design.
• Invisible, Inc. official site
• How Klei Entertainment forged its unique path to success as an admired independent studio
• Rock, Paper, Shotgun reviews Invisible, Inc.: “the best turn-based strategy game to come out in years”

Image credit: Klei Entertainment

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From playing ball to playing with words, the varieties of play that humans engage in are almost limitless. When it comes to games though, only a tiny fraction of that richness is typically represented. How might we broaden the kinds of play that games can embody? Join Chris and Derek for an optimistic exploration of game design and play’s many permutations.

Show Notes

• Dialect is an innovative new game about language from Thorny Games.
• The Game Design Roundtable had an excellent discussion on game design with Thorny Games’ Kathryn Hymes.
• Twenty years on, Pa Rappa the Rapper is still a fresh, inventive experience.

Image credit: Donna Nook

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In 2014 Respawn Entertainment debuted Titanfall: an inventive new entrant in the high-stakes world of AAA first-person shooters. The game won numerous accolades for its fluid dual-mode gameplay, but long-term player engagement ultimately proved disappointing. Two years later Respawn has returned with Titanfall 2: a sequel that takes dead aim at the perceived shortcomings of the original. Packing improved multiplayer depth and a dedicated single-player campaign, does the new iteration have the muscle to compete with the FPS juggernauts? Call in your titan and join the fray as we dive into the gameplay and game design of this hotly anticipated sequel.

Spoiler warning! Campaign spoilers are discussed starting at the 47-minute mark.

Show Notes

• Titanfall 2 official site
• Though Titanfall 1 lacked a dedicated single-player campaign, the story told through its multiplayer missions was suprisingly detailed

Image credit: Electronic Arts