GameDev Breakdown

Joshua Johnson, CTO of TREE Industries and development lead on Ultimate Disc Golf, calls in to discuss the game's progress, Epic's impressive new cloud-based human model generator, Quest 2 development, working with your partner--it's almost Valentine's Day, after all--and more. Support our sponsors This show was brought to you in part by Silen Media! Silen Media knows game audio, and they’re ready to connect with you about your work-in-progress! You can book a free game audio strategy session at SilenMedia.com/booking. Show Notes You can check out Joshua Johnson and TREE Industries' work on Ultimate Disc Golf in the Steam store or at UltimateDiscGolfGame.com. TREE Industries posts news and updates under @TREE_Industries on Twitter. You can read more about the Unreal Engine MetaHuman system at UnrealEngine.com. If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter!  Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice  Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeW

The team behind Terraria cancels its Stadia release over Google's lazy account bans, CD Projekt Red's servers are compromised in a targeted cyber attack, and CodeWritePlay goes viral! Show Notes To learn more about Google losing Terraria for Stadia, you can read more here on CodeWritePlay. You can also read up on the cyber attack situation unfolding at CD Projekt Red. If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter!  Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice  Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla  Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com  Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/support

A new patent granted to Warner Bros. has many asking why patents are issued in the game industry at all. We’ll look at the Nemesis system controversy, the potential value of patents in games, and how to sidestep patent trouble in your own endeavors. Support our sponsors Silen Media knows game audio, and they’re ready to connect with you about your work-in-progress! You can book a free game audio strategy session at SilenMedia.com/booking. Show Notes To learn about the WB Games nemesis system patent, check out Jon Ryan’s write-up for IGN, WB Games' Nemesis System Patent Was Approved This Week After Multiple Attempt You can find a deep-dive into Bethesda’s lawsuit against Warner Bros. over similarities between Fallout Shelter and Westworld here at CodeWritePlay. Julia Alexander covered the Bethesda/Warner Bros. settlement in an article titled Warner Bros., Bethesda settle lawsuit over Westworld mobile game for The Verge. PatentArcade.com has a long history of commenting and reporting on IP law news in the game

Do you know who wrote the last gaming article you read? Do you know how or why they wrote it? In this episode, you'll hear about a trend certain outlets have adopted that are raising major ethics concerns from outside the gaming community (this time) and what you need to look out for when browsing the news. Show Notes On paid media council programs Rolling Stone seeks 'thought leaders' willing to pay $2,000 to write for them by Archie Bland for The Guardian We Turned Down a Monthly Forbes.com Column. Here’s Why. by Saul Hafenbredl for C. Blohm & Associates Examples of paid media council gaming-related posts at Forbes How community-based video games came to dominate the market It's 2000 again: why the next gaming innovation cycle could follow the same path as the internet Video games are standing in for physical world experiences during social distancing The cloud is playing games Game on: as 5g deployments speed up so will cloud gaming There are many more If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown

A popular studio's future is in question amid allegations of inappropriate behavior stemming from the highest levels of management. We discuss what's being reported and examine everyone's responsibility to identify and help change this pattern in the workplace. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. Show links Scavengers Studio creative director accused of belittling, screaming at, groping employees, Rebekah Valentine for GamesIndustry.biz Scavengers Studio suspends creative director after harassment allegations, Steven Messner for PC Gamer Official statement by Scavengers Studio If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the pod

An alternative philosophy to consider when projects and other collaborations break down, and a look at how Hasbro took a collection of imperfect classics and made them new. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/support

Alien Scumbags designer and developer, James Ross, calls in to discuss his game's early success and some of the unique ways he's involved community members in the project. We also age ourselves with talk of floppy disks and Game Maker version 1.0. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. Show links Alien Scumbags on Steam MonsterFingerGames.com James on Twitter If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: ht

For a change of pace, we go back and follow up on a set of previous news stories to see where things ended up. Topics include LEGO and Unity, the Playdate, EA's FIFA loot boxes, and Moore... Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. Show notes LEGO x Unity episode of Bits N' Bricks https://www.brickfanatics.com/bits-n-bricks-podcast-episode-5-focuses-on-lego-fan-power/ Getting started with Love2D https://love2d.org/wiki/Getting_Started GB Studio (called "Game Boy Studio" in the episode) https://www.gbstudio.dev/ SuperData Research report: 2020 in Review https://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/2020-year-in-review EA is finally acting on the loot box ban in the Netherlands https:

We've endured the nightmares of 2020 and grabbed every small victory possible along the way. Time to regroup and look ahead. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. Show notes While this show was mostly an informal chat, I mentioned the inspiration of the fantastic industry author Morgan Ramsay whose books you can (and should) find at MorganRamsay.com. If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/g

We close out allllll that Virtual Indie Games Expo 2020 coverage with the creative minds behind the upcoming roguelike platformer CreatorCrate and the asymmetric VR game--that is, co-op between a headset wearer and their smartphone-equipped teammates--Operation Armstrong. To find out more about the first Virtual Indie Games Expo, visit https://indiegamesexpo.com/. Our thanks to the organizers for access to the event. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. CreatorCrate links  CreatorCrate.net CreatorCrate on Steam CreatorCrate on YouTube Operation Armstrong links Operation Armstrong on Steam Operation Armstrong Discord server If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for

The party never stops in this episode as the designers behind the card-based drinking game Last Call for Alcohol and the Jackbox-style party game Assimilate! call in to discuss promoting physical games at a distance, design conventions for unusual experiences, and more. To find out more about the first Virtual Indie Games Expo, visit https://indiegamesexpo.com/. Our thanks to the organizers for access to the event. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. Last Call for Alcohol links Knightmare Games on Twitter Knightmare Games on Itch Knightmare Games Discord server Assimilate! links Friendship is Fun (website) Assimilate! on Steam Assimilate! on Twitter If you enjoy GameDev

Following their appearances at Virtual Indie Games Expo 2020, the designers behind the Crumbs and Clash of the Genres board games call in to discuss inspiration, pandemic survival, and in one case, getting cut off on Fox News. To find out more about the first Virtual Indie Games Expo, visit https://indiegamesexpo.com/. Our thanks to the organizers for access to the event. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. Crumbs links Tidbit Games (Website) Tidbit Games Discord server Clash of the Genres links Clash of the Genres (Website) Clash of the Genres Discord Server Clash Game Night on Twitch If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subsc

Following their exhibits at Virtual Indie Games Expo 2020, creators behind GunDrill and the TeamJumpers games discuss indie life, platform release strategies, navigating game engine options, dealing with negativity, and more. To find out more about the first Virtual Indie Games Expo, visit https://indiegamesexpo.com/. Our thanks to the organizers for access to the event. Support our sponsors This show was sponsored by Appfigures! Appfigures is all about giving game makers the tools they need to reduce risk and get more downloads. To find out more, head to https://appfigures.com/on/GameDevBreakdown to try Appfigures for free. if you like it, use our special code GDB3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months. GunDrill links https://twitter.com/GunDrill_ @Brian_Mowat @Cogh_ TeamJumpers links TeamJumpers 2: New Reality on Steam https://www.youtube.com/expogamerdev https://twitter.com/imperfectstudio https://twitter.com/Sandii_Spoofs https://twitter.com/Notamegalosaur If y

Following their exhibits at Virtual Indie Games Expo 2020, creators from Laser Beams & Particle Streams Software, Inc. share details on the upcoming 4X/RTS/Space flight sim, Rank: Warmaster and Ryan S. Peterson tells us about his upcoming platform brawler, Altercation. To find out more about the first Virtual Indie Games Expo, visit https://indiegamesexpo.com/. Our thanks to the organizers for access to the event. Rank: Warmaster links RankWarmaster.com Laser Beams & Particle Streams Software, Inc. at GameJolt  RankWarmaster's Discord server Kathleen's art - http://www.titaniummelon.com/ Altercation links https://linktr.ee/AltercationGame If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/game

In this episode of the GameDev Breakdown podcast, Ryan Engle calls in to explain how he started as a soloist with an augmented reality putting prototype and wound up leading a team through the development of the definitive virtual reality Topgolf experience. Episode links Topgolf with Pro Putt at the Oculus store Ryan Engle on Twitter TopGolf.com If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/support

EA has scooped up Codemasters at great cost. Germany is investigating Facebook over potentially anticompetitive practices in handling the Quest 2. Players are seeking--and receiving--refunds for Cyberpunk 2077, and it only gets weirder from here. Episode news stories https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-12-14-ea-agrees-USD1-2-billion-acquisition-of-codemasters EA will purchase Codemasters to the tune of over $1.2 billion. The companies say this will allow them to "dominate the racing category." Codemasters makes fantastic racing games, but there's plenty of competition left in town. Here's hoping EA acts in their best interests. https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/12/facebook-oculus-account-linking-being-investigated-by-german-regulators/ Facebook's mandatory account linking on Quest 2 is under investigation in Germany. You may remember Germany briefly halted device sales over the summer, and even that wasn't the beginning of the country's distrust of Facebook. Many developers have also cried foul, but is it

We wrap up the console development series with a look at Sony PlayStation hardware, the development programs they run, interesting funding initiatives, and an unusual story about how Sony delisted a previous podcast guest. If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/support

TREE Industries CTO, Joshua Johnson, gives an inside look at one of the disc golf community's most anticipated titles, Ultimate Disc Golf. We talk indie development business, the challenges of using all-purpose physics engines for very specific applications, and more. Show topics https://ultimatediscgolfgame.com/ Ultimate Disc Golf is an upcoming disc golf game from TREE Industries. The game has been profiled on the UDisc blog and elsewhere around the sport's community and is currently finishing Alpha testing. https://www.tree.industries/ TREE Industries is a St. Louis-based tech start-up doing work in the fields of AI, machine learning, games, AR/VR, and more. https://www.svsports.com/info/beginners-disc-golf-guide Disc golf is a sport played on a course--not much unlike golf--but with the objective of throwing a disc into a basket with hanging chains in as few throws as possible. Many municipal parks, universities, and other accessible properties have free courses on which to play. Many popular YouTube chan

Versus CEO and Co-Founder, John Vitti, calls in to discuss the early success of Versus Game, designing around human nature, players as designers, and we speculate about our chances against the eventual rise of the machines. Show Topics John’s background How Versus works Gaming during covid Prediction and human nature Working with celebs and influencers Lessons in entrepreneurship and scaling John's Links VersusGame.com Versus on YouTube If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter!  Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice  Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla  Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gamedevbreakdown/support

Over the weekend, Todd presented virtually to students, indies, and other industry folks at GameDev Camp 2020 to present insight gathered through interviews conducted throughout the last year. This episode recaps the event and includes the full audio of the presentation. Speakers featured in the presentation include: Mingaile Striaukaitė, Communications Manager, Tag of Joy David Jagneaux, Editor, UploadVR Robert Hubert, Development Director, AGOG Entertainment Salvatore Pane, Writer, Retromania Wrestling Clinton Keith, Author, Agile Game Development Banks Boutte, Co-Founder, KitBash3d Jason Lee, Chief Creative Officer, Pixelmatic See the full video presentation at YouTube https://youtu.be/mzCHwRM_kb8 If you enjoy GameDev Breakdown Sign up for our free game dev newsletter! Subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice Follow us on Twitter: @GameDevPod, @CodeWritePlay, @Mechatodzilla Check show notes and articles at CodeWritePlay.com Join us on Discord! --