Dev Game Club

In this second episode discussing Final Fantasy IX, Tim believes he has fallen into an alternate reality where a whole different RPG genre has flourished (also known as: actual reality). Much of our discussion turns on the themes of the story and also turning to the tactical battles. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: From first battle with Beatrix to Black Mage Village Podcast breakdown: 0:30       Intro 3:20       Segment 1: game play discussion 33:56     Break 1 34:15     Segment 2: themes and story 1:15:08  Break 2 1:15:28  Next time/outro Issues covered: In Memoriam Clarence Johnson, overlevelling and grinding, min/maxing, JRPG vocabulary vs Western RPGs, unskippable cutscenes summoning Eidolons in FF VIII, Active Time Battling and tactics, auto battles, inventory management, how big is this game, merging of multiple modes of play, one-off moments ("taking time to dance"), economy and personality of emotes, Noh a

Turning to our third game, Dev Game Club goes to Japan with the new remastered re-release of Final Fantasy IX on PC. We establish the context for the series both in relation to other FF titles and discuss it in context of its release year of 2000 before turning to talk about what's going on in the beginning of the game. Plus, it's Tim's first time with a JRPG, so we talk about the genre itself a bit too. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: In theory, up through the first battle with Beatrix in Burmecia. Podcast breakdown: 0:35      Podcast intro 1:55      Intro to and context for FF9 28:31    Break 28:48    Beginning part of the game 1:14:39 Break 1:14:56 Next time Issues covered: games context for 2000, backwards compatibility to PS1 and the IO controller, the hosts' console histories, time warp/alternate reality, Tim's preconceived notions of JRPGs, random encounters (pro and con), balancing Western RPGs, reading ran

In the fifth and final installment discussing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, we talk to Janos Flösser, the founding Managing Director of IO Interactive and ultimately the Chief Creative Officer for Europe for Square Enix. Podcast breakdown: 0:22      Intro 1:27      Interview part 1 31:52    Break 32:20    Interview part 2 1:11:24 Break 1:11:45 Next time Issues covered: Janos's history and establishment of IO Interactive, Scandinavian demo scene, prototype investment to seek publisher and advance royalty funding, character first, "we humans mess up everything... but we keep going," cloning, tone and themes, Eastern European dictatorship, orphans, virtual revenge, iconic design in mannerisms and feel, what makes stories matter, ultimate conflict between humans, epic scope, how people play, voluntary/outside of life/fantasy, character and genre, processing power at the time, interaction between characters, MDA framework, building technology, character identification, replayable design, reflection of the player in

In this fourth episode of discussing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin on Dev Game Club, we wrap up our play-through, and then turn to a discussion of what we feel are the game's pillars, discuss iterating on a series, and announce both a guest and our next game! Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: Temple City Ambush Death Of Hannelore Terminal Hospitality St. Petersburg Revisited Redemption At Gontranno Podcast breakdown: 0:24        Intro 4:38        Segment 1: Discussion of final five levels 1:00:45   Break 1:01:26   Segment 2: Pillars, series iteration, guest, next game Issues covered: professional vs silent assassin rating, level clockwork vs more open plans, limitations on character models, padding for length and content, voice acting and the strength of the LucasArts voice department, voice talent in European vs Japanese games, evolution of localization, Brett's personal story arc with Hitman 2, cinematic set-up and pr

In this third episode of discussing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin on Dev Game Club, we talk about the next six missions in the game in-depth, spending some time talking about stereotypes and controversy surrounding the game. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played:Basement KillingGraveyard ShiftThe Jacuzzi JobMurder At The BazaarMotorcade InterceptionTunnel Rat Podcast breakdown:0:33      Intro1:40      Segment 1: First three levels this episode54:28    Break 154:37    Segment 2: Other three levels this episode1:31:58 Break 21:32:21 Final Segment: Next time, Brett's meta-story Issues covered: stereotyping (target and gender), controversy, mission briefing videos, the uses of laundry chutes, playing the map and visualizing scripting vs emergent behaviors, map symbology, imagining the perfect playthrough, the silly potato chip maze -- the uncanny valley of the world itself, a difference between movie and game environments, games

In this second episode of discussing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin on Dev Game Club, we talk about the next six missions in the game in-depth, touching mostly on different approaches to the same material but also discussing the ups and downs in our opinion. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played:Tubeway TorpedoInvitation to a PartyTracking HayamotoHidden ValleyAt the GatesShogun Showdown Podcast breakdown:0:30 Intro1:55 Tubeway Torpedo and Invitation to a Party42:34 Break 142:50 Tracking Hayamoto through Shogun Showdown1:16:32 Break 21:17:05 Next time, design thoughts about procedural generation Issues covered: The value of planted caches in the game and of definitive statements, the limits of scripting (whether or not intentional), intentional use of lighting as a mechanic, tension and inflection of musical score, the balance and appeal of the game's systems vs its scripting, the thin hotspot, presence or absence of cutscenes

In this second series of the Dev Game Club, we talk about the relevance and place in history of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, talk a bit about its stealth contemporaries and its descendants, before diving into the first few missions of the game. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: Gontranno Sanctuary Anathema St. Petersburg Stakeout Kirov Park Meeting   Podcast breakdown: 0:33       Intro 2:11       Hitman 2: Silent Assassin relevance, history, context 32:11     Break 1 32:35     The first four missions 1:21:10  Break 2 1:21:32  Story expectations, what we’re playing, next time   Issues covered: Hitman episodic reboot, play style and discovery, stealth genre, handling of action and sandboxes in other stealth games, punishment for failure in genre, lethality and non-lethality, available rankings of playstyle, disguises, the game landscape in 2002, story stage-setting (Hitman: Codename 47 recap), technical stuff, character

This week, the Dev Game Club podcast welcomes special guest Ken Levine, founder of Irrational Games and designer/writer of System Shock 2! Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Podcast breakdown:0:33      Intro1:50      Early days of SS2 and Irrational31:33    Break 131:57    SS2 World-building, design, future1:17:16 Break 21:17:29 Quick note about next episode Issues covered: "Shock" prototype, Looking Glass relationship and Ken's early career there, Irrational Games beginning, business structure, imagining your audience and what you'd like to make, fingering .plan files, emergence and immersion, simulation, persistent world, personal ownership of experience, engine strengths and weaknesses, making fish stew, the benefits of constraints and happy accidents, polish, sense of place, naturalism in a science fiction setting, making the most of minimalism, turning a weakness into a strength, economical design, race track design/nooks and cra

In this fourth beta edition episode of Dev Game Club, we continue to examine System Shock 2, finishing what remains of the game. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Note: Though this is the fourth and final episode about our playing the game, we will have a special guest for episode 5! Having already started spoiling story stuff in Episode 3, we continue to do so here. If you're playing along, you may want to finish the game first and come back to the podcast after you have. Sections played:Rickenbacker 1 & 2The Body of the ManyWhere Am I? Podcast breakdown:0:35      Intro1:38      End of playthrough48:06    Break 148:49    Pillars and takeaways1:11:42 Break 21:12:12 Next time, what we're playing, next game Issues covered: psi combos, puzzle-y nature of sections, ammo starvation, red ninjas, end-game difficulty, egg hunt, audio occlusion, lack of maps through end of game, gravity inversion, Tim's narrow escape, Shodan giveth and Sh

In this third beta edition of Dev Game Club, we continue to examine System Shock 2, moving through the rest of Hydroponics, then through Ops and Recreation (Decks 4 and 5). Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Note: This is the first episode where we'll spoil story stuff, so be warned if you're playing along. There's a big beat at the beginning of Ops that we discuss in detail in particular. I'll leave particulars out of the show notes. Sections played:Hydroponics A/DOps (Deck 4)Recreation (Deck 5) Podcast breakdown:0:20 Intro1:50 Discussion begins58:32 Break58:52 What next, what we're playing, production note Issues covered: elevator directions, level play order and support for order of play, grouping of skill stations, player empowerment vs. simulated spaces, progressive strangeness of levels, spiders and bees, skill costs, psionics strategy, marines strategy, depth vs. breadth, energy weaponry, loot tables, systems interaction/recycl

In this second beta edition of Dev Game Club, we continue to examine System Shock 2, moving through R&D and ultimately into Hydroponics B/C. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: R&DCargo BaysEngineering Control/Engine Core Hydroponics B/C Podcast breakdown:0:36   Intro1:15   Discussion of SS2 begins (with level persistence)55:22 Break55:43 What we're playing/next time Issues covered: level data persistence, navigation cues or lack thereof, lack of clarity to certain interactions, not focusing the player, health buffs and de-buffs, inversion of RPG skill-ups, using the environment to kill your foes, the world continuing while you interact with inventory and HUD, Brett's biggest scare in games, monkey terror, enemy introductions, emergence and player agency, exploitability of AI, do sleeping robots notice you?, cargo section as stealth, quantum entanglement reconstruction tank expert use Games, people, and influen

In this inaugural beta edition of Dev Game Club, we talk about the relevance of System Shock 2, its precedents and antecedents, and cover the first couple of hours of the game. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Show notes: DGC Ep 1 Sections played: Opening area, tutorial, character customization area, von Braun Med/Sci and Crew Quarters. Podcast breakdown:0:00:33 - Reason behind 'cast0:02:27 - History of hosts0:05:00 - Expected 'cast layout0:07:55 - History of System Shock 20:29:05 - Break 10:29:25 - Talk about beginning parts of SS2 in depth1:24:14 - Break 21:24:34 - What we're playing, plans for next episode Brett & Tim Common History: Star Wars Starfighter, Star Wars Jedi Starfighter, Star Wars Republic Commando. Brett History: Fallout 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4 Tim History: X-Wing v TIE Fighter, Mysteries of the Sith, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Tomb Raider 2013, Halo 5. Games, people, and influences mentioned or discus