Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch

In this episode, we discuss dumb phones, road maps, and learning code. Acquiring a new skill is about unleashing your curiosity rather than fixating on specific frameworks. Whether you’re learning from classes, Youtube videos, or bootcamps, the key is chasing down those “what if” moments! Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: https://youtu.be/...

This week, we talk about the pommel horse, Mario and Sonic, and the next blue ocean. Devs often rush to get in on the ground floor of new trends, hoping to capitalize on their potential before the market becomes saturated. Few succeed, and many more fail due to not understanding the actual market demand. If you’re going to roll the dice, remember that the house (almost) always wins! Support Crashl...

In this episode, we discuss the Crashlands 2 demo, ergonomics, and self-help books. Changing your environment and daily habits can make working towards your goals easier, if you know what tweaks to make. Self-help books can drop some solid wisdom, but they’re only starting points. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashland...

This week, we talk about the Crowdstrike fiasco, Flux’s feet, and AI slops. Today’s digital landscape is a jungle of space-cluttering slop, duplicitous scams, and product-pushing spam. Exciting, right? What a time to be alive! Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: https://youtu.be/yR_Opccn1n4 Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/...

In this episode, we discuss sassy toddlers, short shorts, and boss fights. Boss fights need to hit you right in the feels. You’ve built up the mechanics and the stakes and the story leading up to this moment. Now it’s time for a memorable showdown. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: https://youtu.be/yR_Opccn1n4 Steam Wishlist: https://store...

This week, we talk about naive enthusiasm, maintenance challenges, and process intricacies. Every aspect of game dev boils down to a technical process. Each artistic decision requires integration, and to keep that seamless, you gotta attend to the nitty gritty and understand the processes involved. The magic is in the details, and every pixel counts! Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https:/...

In this episode, we discuss sneak attack, strategic miscalculation, and the integration problem. Making a tree sprite is easy, but making it meaningful in the game is tough. Does it drop resources? How do players interact with it? You can plan all you want, but you’ll only know if it works by playing the game. Ideas are just ideas until they’re fully integrated.  Support Crashlands 2! Official Web...

This week, we talk about the Game Changer, the Google debacle, and general artificial intelligence. Knowing the truth and saying something else is lying. But what if you don’t care what the truth is? What if you don’t even consider it? That’s what we call ”bullshit.” Which is a pretty good descriptor of the state of “AI” these days, come to think of it. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: http...

In this episode, we discuss Steam Nextfest, demo numbers, and the game dev gamut. Some parts of game dev are pure joy, while others, while essential, are a real headache.  The tradeoff of getting to watch a story come to life is sometimes spending the day wrestling with terrain tiles. It’s all part and parcel of being a game developer! Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.ne...

This week, we talk about Palworld, box art, and information transparency. Figuring out how much information to give to players is crucial. Too much information can overwhelm, while too little can frustrate. But strategic secrets create opportunities for players to explore, share, and engage with each other, fostering a community around the game. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www....

In this episode, we discuss time progressions, demo feedback, and friction mechanics. Players are always hollering for the removal of friction mechanics to make gameplay faster and smoother. But those very mechanics are the secret sauce that keeps the game spicy and intriguing! The trick is in finding friction that creates a good player experience.  Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://...

This week, we talk about demo shenanigans, sound design, and player feedback. Seasoned players and newcomers have very different experiences of the same game. When getting feedback, devs need to be careful in their analysis to make sure the adjustments they made actually have the intended effect. Every player’s opinion is valid, but not all opinions are equal! Support Crashlands 2! Official Websit...

Surprise! You’re getting your Coffee with Butterscotch a day early this week because the Crashlands 2 demo is going LIVE! Let’s talk ALL ABOUT IT! We dive into the origins, the journey, and also what’s to come in Crashlands 2. Check out the demo, and let us know your thoughts! Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: https://youtu.be/yR_Opccn1n4...

This week, we talk about corporate shenanigans, studio closures, and shareholder value.  Having a successful game and a great track record doesn’t protect a studio from closing if a corporation’s financial expectations aren’t met, and those expectations are always about maximizing shareholder value. The emphasis on short-term profit over sustainable development? That’s capitalism, baby! Support Cr...

In this episode, we discuss life lessons, game bundles, and constraints. When you first start out in game dev, early projects have more constraints. Your team might have limitations in technical skills or artistic ability or just general knowledge. But constraints aren’t a bad thing! Leaning into and embracing constraints can inject a distinctive style and personality into a game. Support Crashlan...

This week, we talk about the Crashlands 2 demo, Fallout TV, and meaningful dialogue. Engaging in discussion with thoughtful people who hold different views can expand your perspective and deepen your understanding of the world. But make sure the diversity of opinion you’re embracing isn’t just blatantly false or terrible. We’re talking pineapple on pizza here, not basic human rights. Support Crash...

In this episode, we discuss AI News, tech demos, and change management. It’s hard to unlearn old habits and adopt new practices. Resistance is natural when you disrupt the comfort of routine and commit to adaptation. It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that change requires challenge, and progress requires change. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2...

This week, we talk about childhood games, the Game Changer, and DIY podcast setups. You don’t need top of the line audio equipment to get a good audio recording. After all, it’s not about the cost of the setup, it’s how you use it. Decent equipment, proper mic placement, and some sound dampening hacks are all you need to charm a listener's ears. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www....

In this episode, we discuss an unexpected earthquake, Crashlands nostalgia, and keyboard accessibility. Making a game accessible to a global audience isn’t just about localizing the text. Like, have you ever thought about keyboard layouts? Correctly mapping the key presses in a game is critical for making sure nothing gets lost in translation. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bs...

This week, we talk about the Crashlands 2 announcement trailer, now in Chinese! Then we discuss web games and security measures. Platform review processes are like door locks. They won’t stop a skilled hacker from breaking in, but can thwart casual intruders. While dealing with these obstacles can be frustrating on the dev side, the presence of these kinds of security measures can reduce the numbe...

In this episode, we discuss developer preferences, reviews, and opinionated tools. External tools often have a lot of opinions on how, exactly, they should be used, which translates into opinions on how YOU should work. Staking your livelihood on someone else’s opinions is a dangerous gambit. A lot depends on the shareholder profit dictum. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotc...

This week, we talk about live service games, the door problem, and input design. How does a player interact with a game and how does the game interpret player action? This design constraint influences ALL the possible interactions in a game, making control schemes a fundamental pillar in game design. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: https...

In this episode, we discuss ethical hunting, silent crashes, and iterative design. The process of iterative design is more than just tweaking code; it’s about creating a fast feedback loop between trial, error, and debugging. Without good tools, you can’t go fast, and if you can’t go fast, any experiment is going to be costly to do. If you want to boldly go where no one has gone before, you need t...

This week, we talk about achievement design, adapting video games, and robot wars.  In the flood of sponsored content and AI-generated clutter, large language models are now learning from the noise they themselves create. While these AIs are exchanging spam in their echo chamber, we humans can find peace by doing what we do best — creating! Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscot...

In this episode, we discuss localization nuance, trend cycles, and launch horror. Game launches require more than technical preparation; it’s about expecting the unexpected in player behavior and demand. No matter how many simulations you run or scenarios you anticipate, the true test emerges at launch. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: ht...