Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch

This week, we talk about beach funerals, clock shenanigans, and evaluating feedback. If you don’t understand why you’re doing something, you’re not engaging in best practices. In relationships, in the perception of time, and in understanding details. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Context is EVERYTHING. Questions answered (abbreviated): Jumpylumpa Leapylow: On average how many takes...

In this episode, we discuss That One Game, invisible walls, and 30-dimensional space. When you’re trying to navigate unfamiliar territory, it’s useful to have a map. But you have to remember that the map is not the world; it’s a representation of multiple dimensions collapsed down to only two. Not only should you try to understand the thing you’re looking at, but you also need to understand HOW yo...

This week, we talk about portable gaming, snow melt, and the low hanging fruit of web hacking. When the only problems you’re trying to solve are the ones that you created, it’s difficult to innovate. Your framework is stuck in what already exists, not what could be. There’s a difference between positioning yourself to win and positioning yourself to not lose. Questions answered (abbreviated): chal...

In this episode, we discuss time travel messaging, UX problems, and a lifestyle lens. Whatever you measure is what you optimize for, and like all decisions, that choice has consequences. If you don’t design for something, you might find yourself fighting against it instead. Whether you pay it now or later, the cost comes due. The goal is to be able to look at your future self and say “You’re welco...

This week, we talk about nubless ears, the Andon Cord, and exploration. Productivity and efficiency are two separate concepts with a lot of overlap. What long term things are being sacrificed when the focus is solely on producing in the short term? What short term things are overlooked when it’s always the longview? There’s a cautionary tale in there somewhere about trees and planting them. Give i...

In this episode, we discuss snow folly, changing the game, and deliberate barriers. While we tend to put a lot of effort into eliminating obstacles, sometimes you want them in place. In those scenarios, as with the opposite, the barriers should be designed deliberately to serve the purpose you want them for. Otherwise, you’ll be jumping the worst kind of hurdles – arbitrary ones. Questions answere...

It’s a question episode this week, and we talk about illusory standardization, survivorship bias, and FOMO ad spend. Conformation may be necessary to make certain things easier, but is it possible to have conformation without harm? If you could name yourself whatever you wanted without fear of people being jerks, what would you name yourself? Would it still be Steve? Questions answered (abbreviate...

In this episode, we discuss inertia, indices, and inflation. As we already know, measurements are, at best, approximations of the thing you actually want to measure. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use a blunt instrument when that’s all you have. Sometimes an out-of-the-box solution still requires you to look in to the toolbox, ya know? To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subsc...

This week, we talk about seasons, toxic game dev industry bingo, and golden parachutes. The industry has gotten quite a shake-up with certain parties throwing unfathomable amounts of money around. What does this mean for game devs and consumers? Tune in for some lightly stunned speculation. To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1Lx...

In this episode, we discuss the space in space, beat frequencies of randomness, psychological overhead, and celebrate the launch of Crashlands+ onto Apple Arcade. We’ve been hard at work building THE FABRICATOR, so let’s talk about it – cold sweats, horrifying realizations, worry counters, and all! Punching into a new weight class requires a little bit of perspective. No questions this time, but t...

This week, we talk about inconspicuous consumption, selfism, and hierarchy. The people most aware of the problems that need to be solved are the ones that are confronted by those problems. Weird, right? The thing to remember is this: we’re all connected and we’re on the same side. Oh, and there’s a twist! Questions answered (abbreviated): Beekie Boppaboop: EXOK recently published a blog post talki...

In this episode, we discuss what we said was going to happen, what actually happened, and what might happen this year. 2021’s moniker was “Dunk on everyone” – what should 2022’s call to action be? We’ve got some ideas, but we want to hear your suggestions! Submit your taglines at https://podcast.bscotch.net To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podca...

This week, we talk about shoulds vs ises, mutual definitions, and sizing batches. It’s a listener question episode as we approach the end of the year! Integration is the hardest step in any process because that’s where (mis)communication happens. If you think things are perfect, you’re not looking closely enough. Remember, it’s not about the amount of time. It’s about the quality of that time. Que...

In this episode, we discuss rulesets, speculative hype bubbles, and the churn. New problems need new solutions, but we don’t really want to go in the other direction because, let’s face it, there are enough problems already without manufacturing more. Sometimes we’ll be lucky and sometimes we won’t. You just gotta hang in there, do your best, and survive. Questions answered (abbreviated): challosi...

This week, we talk about geographical time, SaaSes, and human fuel. There are solutions for every kind of problem out there. Some of them are better than others, but nothing off the shelf is going to be perfect for your needs. Introspect, explore the space. And as always, ask yourself what something is for. If the answer is solely “to support a capitalist dystopia,” maaaaaybe reconsider. Questions...

In this episode, we discuss the camouflage technique, lie laughing, and terrorawe. So, numbers. Computers are good at numbers, but when you’re computing things at the scale of space, computers run out of them pretty quickly. And reinventing numbers is not exactly a weekend project, ya know? That’s before we even touch on the fact that the Earth is liquid and spacetime is mindbending. Questions ans...

This week, we talk about enunciation bears, context management, and sleep-related soapboxes. There’s a difference between how you’re “supposed to” do things and what you should actually do. Because, as it turns out, everyone’s needs are different, and there’s no singular solution that will solve the same problem for each person. Since we never had a Lifehacks/Brainhacks class in school, guess we’l...

In this episode, we discuss the hingey part of the hinge, sidegrading, and plaguemask carabiners. Everything is stupid and stupidly designed. Which might be horrifying to think about on the surface, but it means that nothing needs to be permanent. We can design things better. Otherwise, we’ll just be stuck with a gate that doesn’t open and a dumpster fire at our backs. Questions answered (abbrevia...

This week, we talk about goblin engineering, gravitational pockets, and bottlenecks. Bottlenecks come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a hotkey list. Sometimes it’s a one-dimensional key press. Sometimes it’s unidirectional vision. If bottlenecks are inevitable, where’s the best place for the bottleneck to be? We didn’t get to questions this week, but get your queries into the queue for Qu...

In this episode, we discuss bear-d feeders, money laundering schemes, and tooling. Tooling can solve a lot of problems, but it can’t really do anything about malice. That’s something you’ve got to figure out on your own. Have you considered putting it on the blockchain? After all, we truly live in the future. Questions answered (abbreviated): Beekie Boppaboop: If you had to work together to write...

Hi, Shenanites! This week, we talk about keeping your sneezes in, gamifying games, and educational frameworks. Not frameworks that are educational, but the frameworks through which we’re educated. The specifics don’t matter in the general case, except where they really, really do. Like they say, “I’ve got 99 problems, and pedagogy is most of them.” That’s how it goes, right? Questions answered (ab...

Hello, Shenanites! In this episode, we discuss the great resignation, break points, and hooks and kickers. If someone doesn’t want the thing that you’re selling, instead of blaming that person, maybe you should reexamine your product and how you’re selling it. This goes for both game marketing and service industry jobs in late stage capitalism! Questions answered (abbreviated): Flyhoppie Axerompa:...

Heya, Shenanites! This week, we talk about Big Birdbath, the cube rule of food, and the intersection of fancy and impractical. You know what’s at the middle of that intersection? Kid gloves and shoes with absolutely no traction. I guess when you get rich enough, it doesn’t matter if you can walk across the floor of your own volition. That plus spherical burgers are further evidence that the elite...

Hi, Shenanites! In this episode, we discuss invisible maps, convenience vs. security, and corporate fiefdoms. Spooky season is off to a great start with a good portion of the invisible network that runs our lives going down for several hours. I mean, the internet isn’t even a thing so much as it’s a thing between things. Although, when you’re made up of several loosely interconnected unstable part...

Salutations, Shenanites! This week, we talk about 3n+1 sequences, perverse incentives, and competence tiers. You can’t build a healthy team when someone is making it all about them. Long-term success requires thinking collectively. But don’t let the failures of collective action prevent you from taking individual action. Your choices have impact. They still matter. Questions answered: None! We got...