Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch

This week, we talk about sleep science, meaningful death, and cultivating self-compassion.  It’s common to doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud in your work life. But thinking “It’s only a matter of time before people realize I’m not that good at what I do” will only make you doubt every action you take. Being honest about what you know and don’t know is crucial for clarity, but should come...

In this episode, we discuss Thor’s Bifrost, gravity indifferent walls, and designed experiences. How do you construct a unique player experience and actually deliver that intended experience using the tools you have? Do you create a procedurally generated world or intervene and do it yourself? Well, that depends on the scale of the game and what kinds of story moments you want the player to have!...

This week, we talk about captive audiences, synchronized teams, and the no code revolution.  As tools get better and require less expertise to use, a whole new world is opening up to people who didn't have access before. The problem is when you run into the limitations of the tool you're using -- anything the tool can't do, you can't do. You want the shortest learning curve with the most design ex...

In this episode, we discuss sacrificial lambs, interface crash testing, and bumper savings. Building tools to automate repetitive tasks not only saves time in the long run but also helps with frustration management. Creating an enjoyable work environment and prioritizing the work experience are ridiculously important if you want to deliver your goods real good. 😉 00:00 Intro 00:53 Thanks to our s...

This week, we talk about optimal stickiness, quest concepts, and brain sharing. Pair programming is like piloting a Jaeger. Drifting off each other’s brain powers makes the process of extra-dimensional creature conjuring easier and quicker. Warning! So much brain power in one place may result in brain pain. Proceed with caution! 00:00 Intro 01:22 Thanks to our supporters! ( https://moneygrab.bscot...

This week, we talk about voice software, creating a shared experience, and game sequels. Context is everything: yelling at computer screens in an open office setting is rude whereas yelling in your home studio with voice software is sorcery! Do what you must to make work fun and easier, or DON'T. We aren't your supervisors! 00:00 Intro 00:51 Thanks to our supporters! ( https://moneygrab.bscotch.ne...

In this episode, we discuss breakfast, intent vs balance, and survivorship bias. Game design is about finding the balance between the emotion you want to deliver and the experience the player feels. The important thing is not to focus on what the experience should be, but to tune into what the actual experience is. 00:00 Intro 03:17 Thanks to our supporters! ( https://moneygrab.bscotch.net ) Quest...

This week, we talk about doing cat stuff, microdefects, and context specificity. Workflow is about smoothing the path between Knowing and Done, so the Doing needs to be as easy as possible. Solving one problem can create other problems, but hey, you can’t find opportunities without a little chaos. This week’s podcast is sponsored by Favro! It’s our workflow management tool of choice because we do...

In this episode, we discuss ankles, Newton’s third law, and high leverage experiential time spend. Everything we look at is through the lens of survivorship bias. After all, what we see is what’s already happened; you don’t see the things that don’t happen. But something not happening can be as impactful as the thing that happened. To get the whole picture, you have to look at what you’re leaving...

This week, we talk about what we did during our Bscotch summer break! Mostly, V Rising, Hench, and Crashlands 2. (That last one might sound like a work thing, but hey, you aren’t our supervisor.) What nails it? What whiffs it? After all, your disliking something doesn’t make that thing bad. Sometimes things aren’t to your taste, and that’s okay! The real question is, does The Thing do The Thing it...

In this episode, we discuss the secret to cooking, overcoming tedium, and frustration thresholds. During the course of your work, you’ll run into small things that are annoying. You might even run into some of them repeatedly. But those things aren’t IN the way; they ARE the way. So why not work on making the way better? When everyone around you is in the same pot of hot water, you need a new frog...

This week, we talk about meeting your adventure quota, experienced goods, and cinematic feels. When you’re making a sequel, there are a lot of expectations to manage. While you need the excitement, concern can absolutely kill, so there’s a delicate balance to strike. How do you make something that’s the same but completely different at the same time?  00:00 Intro 00:45 Thanks to our supporters! 02...

In this episode, we discuss optimal temperature ranges, the Diablo to QWOP scale, and bizarrely wholesome reading experiences. You don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen, but what about not enough cooks? Or enough strawbs? Or any sugar? How are you supposed to have your cake and eat it too if you can only make cookies? 00:00 Intro 03:20 Thanks to our supporters! 03:28 For Honor, Ubisoft Montreal...

This week, we talk about context shifts, the homework model, and vague help. It’s easy to feel like small incremental progress is worthless, but that’s an issue with perception rather than with reality. If you’re flailing around and generally overwhelmed and stuck, it’s time to take a step back and reexamine your context and your priorities. Those things can change without your noticing, and when...

In this episode, we discuss no scope game dev, independent levers, and readability. You’ve gotta think in the short term to survive, but the long term to succeed. Making that mental shift is hard when the world doesn’t want you to do it. But if something that used to take you a minute now only takes a second, you’ve stolen some time back from the void. 00:00 Intro 00:53 Thanks to our supporters! 0...

This week, we talk about social feedback loops, scalability, and having better problems. Change creates change, and you wanna be thinking about those changes at least two layers deep. Otherwise you might wake up one day to copious amounts of minor splash damage or be left wondering how a tunnel has stymied your spaceship. 00:52 Thanks to our supporters! 03:45 Podcast behind-the-scenes update 06:03...

In this episode, we discuss difficulty tuning, balance, and noises. When you’re designing an experience, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not just about your design – it’s about where your design meets each individual person. There’s no point in punishing the whole class because you’re afraid one person might cheat. Questions answered (abbreviated): Beekie Boppaboop: Do y’all have any musi...

This week, we talk about charlatans, circular definitions, and bunnywool. We revisit the idea of “You just gotta get in there.” If all you have are questions, getting in there is about figuring out some answers. HOW you do that looks different for different people for different goals. As it turns out, bunnywool isn’t one size fits all. Questions answered (abbreviated): TimConceivable: In the US, t...

In this episode, we discuss layers on layers on layers. It’s more useful to think of most things in terms of levels – of accessibility, of interaction, of knowledge. When you’re designing, design with those things in mind so that you can engage different people in different ways. That’s how you move beyond one note sweets to more satisfying desserts. (Though we still wouldn’t necessarily say no to...

This week, we talk about DVD choices, inkblot movies, and shutting out the world. When you’re exploring a paradigm shift, a big part of that upfront investment is learning and creating new processes. Skills and concepts might be transferable, and the mechanical parts can be reproduced, but the thing that’s going to take time is developing context fluency. Remember though, if you don’t disrupt your...

In this episode, we discuss secrets, knowledge mastery, and buffing pawns. Gameplay loops keep players engaged, but it’s all too easy to only think about mechanical loops. Providing various levels of engagement allows players to meet the game at different breadths and depths. And when things change, make sure they can cascade. Questions answered (abbreviated): Mimmabip Gourkee: How do you balance...

This week, we talk about hidden information, player choice, and doing less. Things are often different than what you think they’re going to be, and that’s okay! But if you mistake activity for progress, you’ve fallen into a guaranteed trap. The discovery of the things you shouldn’t do might just be the most valuable discovery of all. Questions answered (abbreviated): RoninGameDev: Is LevelHead's f...

In this episode, we discuss more fan poking, feeding the beast, and reframing productivity. We had our quarterly review, and it was, as usual, illuminating! Productivity isn’t just about making stuff, and having more stuff isn’t always better. Sure, you could walk from NY to LA and feel like you’re making progress the entire time, but is that the best way to get to LA? No questions this week, but...

This week, we talk about the nightmare of incentives, design arms race, and price. Despite what economists tell you, you can’t assume a can opener. Or a spherical cow for that matter. And certainly not a can opener that can open a spherical cow. Pricing signals much more than just the price to the consumer, and supply/demand curves are more shapes than you think. Questions answered (abbreviated):...

In this episode, we discuss opinion bludgeons, resource allocation, and quality time. By now, you know that we like to answer questions with questions. Context is important and you should always know why! In the long term, reducing cognitive load is the name of the game – everything else is a trap. Questions answered (abbreviated): JohnFlavin: Do you track your time? If so, how do you do it (tools...