How to make a game, with Auroch Digital

In our final episode of the season, Matt and Tomas peek back into the past of Warhammer – the origins, the evolution, and its impact on tabletop gaming as we know it.  They also talk about our highly anticipated upcoming title, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and how the studio's love for the franchise fed into an authentic Retro Warhammer game.  So pack up your chainsword, load up your Boltgun, and get ready to jump in – Blood for the Blood God!    Show notes  For a little more info on Boltgun, you can check out this IGN review, visit Focus' website, and Wishlist the game on Steam or console now!  

Resident Audio Designer and impeccable podcast host Matthew Walker leads this episode, revealing the secrets behind the game audio design pipeline and Brewmaster's perfect pour. We discuss the importance of early audio integration and collaboration with other game development disciplines, the advantages of a rapid feedback loop, and how in-person production workshops have helped him flourish.    Show Notes Did Brewmaster pique your interest? You can purchase it on Steam and on console now!    

Today we gather colleagues Hannah Corcoran, Freddie Jones, Toby Draper and Aaron Parsons together to share their experiences with one of our core pillars of work at Auroch Digital – game porting and publishing.  We talk about the process of working with indie devs to bring their game from PC to console platforms like Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation, as well as mobile, or even taking a mobile game and bringing it to PC!    Show Notes  The games we port and publish are games we love to play and that we want to share with more gamers, and we do so in a fair way for us, the devs and the players at home.  If you're a developer and want to chat to us about partnering with us on a porting project – get in touch!   If you want to see some of our porting work, you can check out Megaquarium and The Colonists on our website.  

Today we step into the Psychology of creating a video game, in a whistle stop tour led by our resident neuroscientist, Jess. They describe the psychology behind art, music and colour within videogames, and why gaming can be so important for our mental health.   *content warning* mild discussion of struggling with mental health    Show notes  Thanks for tuning in to an episode that's close to our hearts (and brains) here at Auroch Digital. If you'd like to read a little more about the content discussed in today's episode, you can check out our blog post.    At Auroch we take mental health as seriously as physical health, supporting colleagues who need time off for their wellbeing, and accommodating for therapy and counselling sessions.  We're an anti-crunch studio too, and this is built into our production approach for each project to protect the wellbeing of our employees.  If you'd like to join the team at Auroch, or the wider Sumo group, you can check out the company jobs page here!  

We're entering the dawn of a new age in role playing games – or at least, so we at Auroch Digital believe. RPG enthusiasts Peter Willington and Lucy Cook join hosts Matt, Jess and Tom for this episode. They contemplate the idea of an RPG renaissance, that RPGs and TTRPGs are stronger and more varied than ever, and that now is the perfect time to invest in the wealth of joy and fun that RPGs have to offer.    Show Notes  Thanks to the Grognard podcast for giving us a great model to start this show off with

We're back with fresh insights into the dos and don'ts of interviews within the games industry, led by our Studio Director Tomas Rawlings. Having conducted over 100 interviews, Tom is on hand to answer burning questions such as ‘do I need a portfolio?' and ‘what should I wear?', as well as suggest what you in turn can ask your prospective employers.    Show Notes    We're currently hiring for various roles at Auroch Digital, so head on over to our website and check out what we have available.   If you'd like to find out more about what it's like to work with us, you can check out our previous podcast episodes.    

How To Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital is back with another season! This teaser episode takes you on a rundown of all that season 8 has to offer - we can't wait to have you back in the studio with us.   Show Notes

It's our last episode of season 7, and what an episode to finish on! We welcome guest David Rock, AKA granitepenguin, to a conversation between Matt, Tomas and Jess about his journey with Steve Jackson Games' Ogre. David details how he started as a dear fan of the TTRPG and our digital adaptation for PC, and tells us of his experience as being a Line Editor at Steve Jackson Games. Tomas and David talk deep-strategy, and Jess and Matt remark on how incredible a journey it is to be a community member who ends up working on the very game you love. Show Notes Did Ogre pique your interest? You can purchase it on Steam now Be sure to look through Steve Jackson Games' expansive games catalogue too, for anything else you may be interested in playing!

For this episode we bring to you a fascinating 1-1 session between our Studio Director, Tomas Rawlings, and Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games. They talk about the origins of Ogre, the wargame centred on immensely powerful giant cybernetic tanks, and Steve Jackson remarks on the journey of bringing Ogre to the LastGameboard, a digital platform that transcends the realm between digital and physical boardgames.  Show Notes Did Ogre pique your interest? You can purchase it on Steam now Check out the Last Gameboard too, where we have brought Ogre and our other title, Mars Horizon: Blast Off! to a hybrid digital space. Be sure to look through Steve Jackson Games' expansive games catalogue too, for anything else you may be interested in playing!

Join hosts Tomas, Matt and Jess in this episode that focuses on Climate Change in Games Development. With guests Dr Benjamin Abraham and Steven Webb, we explore why it is the Games Industry is a key component in the movement against climate change. We ask what a sustainable future for the industry looks like with Ben, discuss games like our own Dark Future: Blood Red States and how they're used as a storytelling tool to host the conversation around climate change, and talk to Steven about Sumo Group's Carbon Neutral by 2025 pledge. Our colours may be orange, but our heart is very much green here at Auroch Digital.  Show Notes Find out more about each of the people, programmes, and resources mentioned in the show: The British Peatland Restoration Programme  Playing for the Planet Ark2030  Dr Benjamin Abraham and a link to his upcoming book 'Digital Games After Climate Change'  Sumo group Environmental, Social and Governance ESG | Sumo (sumogroupplc.com)  UKIE Green Games Guide  Joshua Aslan (2020) Climate change implications of gaming products and services, DOI: 10.15126/thesis.00853729    For the games discussed in the episode, why not check out Coconut Sunshine and Dark Future: Blood Red States?  

Let us take you back to the dawn of Games Workshop's infamous Warhammer 40,000. In this episode we are joined by Studio Director Dr Tomas Rawlings, who takes us through in immeasurable detail the 1st edition of 40K and his continuing journey as a passionate player of a franchise that has spanned over 30 years going from strength to strength. We ask what is it about 40K's design that makes it both so effective as a product, and enjoyable as player. Recommended (but not essential): your own miniatures to paint as you listen in.   Show Notes Please do check out Games Workshop's official site to check out the latest products, including starter kits if you're looking to get into 40K!  

Grab your best headphones and settle in, because we'd like you to join us in taking a look back at Auroch Digital's musical catalogue. We break down three of the tracks from the Mars Horizon soundtrack, really unpacking what music can make us think and feel, and how that plays such a vital part in video game design. We also discuss what the audio development pipeline is like in the studio, and Matt offers some excellent tips on how to get into video game audio and sound design - this episode really is music to our ears! Show Notes For the soundtracks discussed in today's episode: Mars Horizon Soundtrack Dark Future: Blood Red States Soundtrack  Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics Soundtrack  For the other excellent videos and features to check out on today's content: When Matt met Tom, Red Wasp appear on VGM Awesome Dark Future Audio Design Explainer  Dark Future OST featured in ‘Warhammer for Your Ears' 

Today we're (virtually) opening the doors of the studio and inviting you in to see what working at Auroch is like now we've adapted to COVID-19. Ever wondered what a Studio Director's Day looks like? Or how to manage your own community as a Games Studio? We discuss this and more with our colleagues at Auroch Digital, and explain why we are now a largely remote-working studio. Show Notes Did Brewmaster pique your interest? You can Wishlist it on Steam now Check out our porting work on Megaquarium and The Colonists too, and the mentorship scheme Hannah and Ladell both took part in prior to joining Auroch: Limit Break Curious to see more of our guests? You can check out their personal socials here: Peter Willington Oliwia Janczewska Hannah Corcoran Ladell Smith 

Season 7 of How To Make Video Game with Auroch Digital is back! This teaser trailer runs through the epic line-up we have in store for you this season, so tune in and get ready for all that 2022 has to offer. Show Notes

Happiness comes in many forms, especially when it comes to video games. So what is it that video games do that can help you feel happy, and is there anything that connects the games that make us feel this way? We also take a look at non-violent video games, the rise of these through indie games and the sheer variety of gameplay mechanics you can have that are non-violent. James Batchelor, compiler of Non-Violent Game Of The Day and UK Editor of GamesIndustry.biz, joins Jem, Matt, and Peter for a joy-filled discussion about all of this and more. Show notes NVGOTD on tumblr NVGOTD on Twitter James Batchelor at GamesIndustry.biz James Batchelor on Twitter Check out our own non-violent games

Hosts Jemima and Matt are joined by another incredible guest in this weeks episode. Sword fighting expert Fran talks to us about weapons in video games. Which games do it well? Which games do it badly? What is most important to get right when showing the complexities and brutality of using weapons? We look at The Witcher, Mount & Blade, Nidhogg, Skyrim, For Honor, and more. Games discussed in this episode Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord - Medieval Combat Simulator & RPG Intro to the game - 0.00 - 0.30 Tournament fight - 3.00 - 4.21 Siege fight using spear, throwing weapons, and sword - 13.19 - 14.30 For Honor - Medieval Action Melee game  Intro to the game - 0.00 - 0.30 Two handed sword fight vs AI 1.53 - 2.12 Fight vs other player 0.50 - 1.25 Skyrim - Action RPG, wizards, dragons, classic Sword and shield combat 2 handed sword and then 2 handed axe combat  10.35 - 11.00 Nidhogg - side-scrolling two-player fighting video game, with fencing Fencing vs AI 0.42 -  1.08 Fencing player vs player  21.24 - 21.40 The Witcher 3 - Action RPG - The best one ever Sword fight vs NPCs - gorey watch out!  Mordhau - multiplayer medieval fighting PVP game Game intro -  0.00 - 0.30 Rapier fighting Fighting with hammer Show notes Want to know more? Fran's new podcast By the Sword looks at the modern study of the ancient art of swordplay Want to try your hand at sword play in real life? Find a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) club near you For our UK listeners By the Sword.net is for HEMA events for women and NBs in the UK run by Fran The School of the Sword is Fran's HEMA school so you can learn along with our guest

It's the final episode of our 3 part Mars Horizon special with amazing guests from the UK Space Agency! Jem, Matt, and Tom are joined by Paul Smith, Robotic Exploration Programme Manager

It's the second episode of our 3 part Mars Horizon special with amazing guests from the UK Space Agency! This week Jem, Matt, and Tom are joined by Dr Alice Bunn, International Director at at UK Space Agency. Dr. Bunn explains how space agencies co-operate and collaborate, why this is so important, and how space exploration affects our daily lives. We talk about how this collaboration will help us get to Mars. We also discuss how you can interact with other space agencies in Mars Horizon and how we show their collaborative, and sometimes competitive, relationships in our game. Show notes Watch Dr. Alice Bunns TED talk on diplomacy in space Global Space Congress: An Interview with Dr. Alice Bunn Follow the UK Space Agency on Twitter Pre-order and Wishlist Mars Horizon

It's the first episode of our 3 part Mars Horizon special with 3 amazing guests from the UK Space Agency! Jem, Matt, and Tom are joined this week by Libby Jackson, Human Exploration Programme Manager at UK Space Agency. We delve into the real jobs at space agencies that informed the making of Mars Horizon. Libby shares her experiences with us including shadowing a flight director at NASA Johnson Space Centre, talking about what its like working in Mission Control during a launch, and what its like working with Tim Peake! She also rates the accuracy of Mars Horizon, and shares her advice about a career in space

Have you ever wanted to be a streamer? Or wondered what it is like doing it as your job? Want some great tips to get started? We're here to help! In this episode of the Auroch Digital podcast Jem and Matt are joined by streamers Grimsevers and Sizzsarz to talk about all things streaming! They share their expertise and experiences, as well as loads of great tips about building communities, finding your voice, and the best equipment to use. Show notes Sizzsarz Twitch Sizzsarz Twitter Grimsevers Twitch Grimsevers Twitter

Season 6 gets off to a great start with our preview of the first ever Steam Digital Tabletop Fest! Auroch Digital  will celebrate games that cross between physical and digital, will make its debut October 21st thru 26th. Hosts Matt and Jem are joined by CEO Tomas Rawlings and the newest member of the marketing team Allie to talk about their work in setting up this awesome event. Hear about the exciting panels and talks we've got planned, the benefits of a digital event like this, and how you go about organising something this epic! We also hear from some of the participants of the festival, including: Asmodee, Grey Alien Games, and Precinct Omega. They tell us why they are taking part and what it means to them.    Show notes Digital Tabletop Fest hub Digital Tabletop Fest Steam announcement Asmodee Digital Precinct Omega Grey Alien Games

Marketing and community manager Jemima Crow is joined by Peter and Matt to talk about animal simulation in games. They start by looking at how breeding and caring for animals translates to game design. They then focus on how animal behaviour affects player interaction and the future of animal simulation. Please rate the podcast and spread the word! Show notes Video games are creating smarter animals Survival Game About Genetics Is Cute But Cruel Planet Zoo will feature “the most realistic animals in any game” Video games offer clues to help curb animal disease outbreaks Ecosystem on Steam

We had some extra special guests in this bonus podcast episode - The Oliver twins! Mike, Jem, and Matt chat to the creators of Dizzy and games industry legends who are the most Prolific 8-bit videogame developers ever! Tune in to hear behind the scenes development stories and to get advice about starting your own career in gaming. Please note, this episode was recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Auroch Digital team is all working from home to save lives, as are the Oliver Twins. Show notes Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy - 1991 Guinness world records Oliver twins official site

In the beginning there was a monitor. A monitor with a black screen. Then, someone made some specs of light and behold - a starfield. From there Space games have gone from strength to strength. In this episode Producer and QA manager Mike Daw takes Matt and Jem on a tour of some of the most important Space games that have been made - including suggestions from the Auroch Digital Discord! Show notes SpaceWar (play online) Space Invaders – 30th Anniversary Developer Interview

Producer and QA manager Mike Daw joins Jem and Matt with an update for Auroch Digital's current game in development Mars Horizon! Find out how the game has changed following the alpha and get some teasers about all the awesome stuff that's coming up. This was recorded before we announced our publisher and the beta. The beta is live right now and you can join in by signing up here: Mars Horizon betaSign ups close May 1st 4pm BST, and the beta ends May 4th 9am GMT. Show notes Make sure to wishlist Mars horizon! Mars Horizon: BLAST OFF! find out more about the game and grab yourself a copy! Hear more about what it's like working for a Space agency in this podcast episode with special guest Andrew Kuh of the UK Space Agency

Using the live-action Ghostbusters movies as leverage, Jem and Matt are joined by Creative Producer Peter Willington to chat and tour through the many Ghostbusters video games that have graced gaming systems since 1984 - from first game, to VR, to 2019’s ‘remaster’ of the 2009 AAA release. All in the runup to 2020’s ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’. Show notes Ghostbusters 2020 teaser Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer 1 Ghostheads Kickstarter Documentary Ghostbusters: The Video Game Ghostbusters in Ad campaigns - QuickBooks - Halifax Interdimensional Crossrip IDW Comics Series’

What is a typical day at a game development studio like? It's busy, hectic, but lots of fun. In this weeks episode you can find out what a day in the life of Auroch Digital is like as we work together to make games. Please note, this episode was recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our daily lives are currently very different from this, but we are still working hard to make great games. The Auroch Digital team is all staying home to save lives but we hope we can get back to this one day❤️ Show notes Want to get into the games industry? Check out our blog post with tips and advice to help you. Check out our store, we currently have some items on sale!  If this is of interest, also check out past episodes; ‘What is it like working for an independent developer?’ (S1 E3) and ‘Setting up a company and a history lesson’ (S1 E1)

Auroch Digital CEO Tomas Rawlings joins Jem and Matt to talk about some of the games that Games Workshop made that were not Warhammer titles and how we came to turn some of those into video games. Show notes Get Chainsaw Warrrior t-shirt Grab our non-Warhammer titles in The Totally Radical Auroch Digital 80s Gaming Bundle Tomas's letter from Games Workshop (in 1989) Grognard Files Talisman

In this magical episode Marketing and community manager Jemima Crow leads the way, joined by Pete and Matt, to chat about video game adaptations featuring the world of Harry Potter. They look at how the many Harry Potter games both do justice to and fail their source material.  Show notes Minecraft School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Gameplay Trailer  Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Is The Best Live-Action Video Game Adaptation Ever Harry Potter open-world RPG leak  Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 interview: ‘We made dark films fun’  PS1 Hagrid 

Auroch Digital CEO Tomas Rawlings and Creative producer Peter Willington join Jem and Matt to chat about democracy in gaming - both as a topic games are made about and as a thing within a game system itself. Vote with your ears and have a listen! Show notes Get our card game, Elections, on sale! & Vote Cthulhu!  Democracy 3 Greek Debt Crisis  Brenda Romero’s 2013 talk at Games for Change Tomas’s talk at TEDx Houses of Parliament, 2013 on games and democracy.

Episode 5 and the last episode in Season 4! Hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) talk with Design Director Tomas Rawlings on the brief history of Cthulhu games. Where they came from and how they've developed over the years. This will also be host Matt Davies last episode #sadface However, fear not we'll be back with a brand new season in the near future! So make sure you've filled in our survey and got your thoughts down on where we go next! Show notes

Episode 4 continues our adventure across the galaxy! Hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) talk about the visit Auroch Digital made to ESA as well as talking. To the Designer on Mars Horizon - Matt Bone. Find out about the challenges involved in getting the gameplay just right and how to balance the reality and complexity of space travel with game design - all while keeping it authentic!  Show notes

Episode 3 and this one is out of this world! In the fourth season of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) talk about the visit Auroch Digital made to ESA to show off Mars Horizon to ACTUAL rocket engineers and scientists with Design Director Tomas Rawlings.  We also have some great interviews with the staff of ESA and their thoughts on running a space agency and the challenge of converting that into a video game. Show notes

It's Episode 2 and this time we are getting aquatic! In the fourth season of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) chat with Megaquariums developer Tim Wicksteed about the motivations for making the game and how you make marine management fun. Show notes

We're back! Its the fourth season of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital is here and we have Tomas Rawlings and Peter Willington joining hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) as we talk about games that haven't been made. Good ideas we've had, why they never saw the light of day and everything else in between. Show notes

To celebrate the launch of Dark Future: Blood Red States (out now on Steam!) we were delighted to welcome onto the podcast James Swallow to talk to us. James Swallow is a BAFTA-nominated scriptwriter and the award-winning New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author. He's worked on such IPs as Star Trek, Warhammer 40k, Dr Who as well as writing Jade Dragon in the Dark Future novels. We chat with him about the history of Dark Future, the works he added to the world and what he's been up too since! Show notes

It's finally here Dark Future: Blood Red States is now live and available to buy! So what better way to celebrate than to talk to the people who have been working on the game! You can find the previous episodes in the show notes, but in this episode, we speak with Ellie and Jack, Programmers on the game and Sam Chester, Lead Programmer and Aaron Ashbrooke, Lead Designer. Show notes

We are agonisingly close to the release of Dark Future: Blood Red States and so what better time to talk about the actual game? We welcome Tomas Rawlings (Design Director) and Peter Willington (Producer) to the episode to talk about the development of the game from its humble origins to what it is today. A must listen for all aspiring Game Devs Show notes

In Episode 2 of Season 3 of the series, we are looking at our upcoming game Dark Future: Blood Red States, and in this episode, we look at the board game our game is based on. Show Notes

We are back for Season 3 and in this series, we are looking at our upcoming game Dark Future: Blood Red States. Show Notes

In time-honoured podcast tradition, it's time for a clip show to look back on Season 1 and 2 of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital. We'll be back with Season 3 and a closer look at Dark Future: Blood Red States, which you can grab here. Show notes

In the fourth episode of this season we take a deep dive into one of our earlier games, Chainsaw Warrior, and its follow up Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night. We speak with Tomas Rawlings and Steve Martin about the original game, its creation and a connection between Freudian theories of the mind... genuinely!  Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes:

In the third episode of this season we go back to the Global Games Jam hosted at the Bristol VR Lab. Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes:

We are back for season 2 of 'How to make a video game, with Auroch Digital' In the second episode of this season we talk about the Kickstarter campaign that is currently running. Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes:

We are back for season 2 of 'How to make a video game, with Auroch Digital' In the first episode of this season we taking the mics out to the Global Games Jam hosted at the Bristol VR Lab. Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes:

How to make a video game with Auroch Digital - Episode 5 In our fifth episode hosts Matt Davies and Matt Walker continue talking to Tomas Rawlings, Design Director, on a potted history of turn-based tactical strategy games. In Part 2 we look at thing modern day of the genre, what we have done and where next! Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes

How to make a video game with Auroch Digital - Episode 4 In our fourth episode hosts Matt Davies and Matt Walker talk to Tomas Rawlings, Design Director, on a potted history of turn-based tactical strategy games. Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes

How to make a video game with Auroch Digital - Episode 3 We've started a new series of podcasts looking at the ins-and-outs of making a video game. In our third episode hosts Matt Davies and Matt Walker talk to Nina Collins, Production Manager, about working life in an independent studio and what the benefits are compared to other companies! Show links

How to make a video game with Auroch Digital - Episode 2 We start a new series of podcasts looking at the ins and outs of making a video game. In our second episode hosts Matt Davies and Matt Walker talk to Peter Willington, Creative Producer, about the difference between a video game and a product. As Peter alluded to... we are working on a new project called War Strider - if you subscribe to our newsletter... you'll be the first to know 

How to make a video game with Auroch Digital - Episode 1 We start a new series of podcasts looking at the ins and outs of making a video game. In our first episode hosts Matt Davies and Matt Walker talk to Tomas Rawlings, Design and Production Director, on the reasons for setting up the company, the history of the organisation and some learning he's done along the way. Want to read the article Tom mentions? Find out more here

In this episode we get into the detail of the game, Adam Carter-Groves (Designer) and Tomas Rawling (Design Director) are on hand to talk about a number of topics. What does the player get to do in game? How do they interact with the setting around them? We learn more about the momentum mechanic, how players can use it to the best of their ability and also talk about the shopping list of World War 2 action avaliable to the player. Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is available on Steam.  Show notes