Podcasts about mohawk games

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Best podcasts about mohawk games

Latest podcast episodes about mohawk games

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 81: Jake Solomon - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2024 193:37


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss his first, failed attempt at XCOM, why 75% does not mean 75%, and how many copies of XCOM he sold at Power Gamer in Glen Burnie, MD. This episode was recorded on April 26, 2023.

The Game Design Round Table
#307 Roundtable with Soren Johnson

The Game Design Round Table

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2024 52:11


Dirk and David are joined by Soren Johnson, friend of the show and founder of Mohawk Games. The trio answers questions and design problems from the community, and follow up on recent episodes. Topics include achievements and collectables, the importance of having an art style, when to innovate and when to fall back on convention, and how to integrate community involvement in the design process.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 80: Jake Solomon - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2023 162:26


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss how much money he had to give back to Accenture, how to animate multiple units at the same time, and why Sid suddenly started golfing so much. This episode was recorded on April 25, 2023.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 79: Trent Kusters - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2023 141:37


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss why Armello has so much output randomness, whether they fudge the odds, and how to turn off a Game-as-a- Service. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 78: Trent Kusters - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 151:12


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss how he faked his way into games journalism, how to sneak risky ideas past licensors, and how to make games feel big. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 77: Cole Wehrle

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2023 188:30


In this episode, Soren interviews tabletop designer Cole Wehrle, best known for his work on Root, Oath, Pax Pamir, and John Company. They discuss whether John Company is satire, how the East India Company was like QWOP, and the importance of German postal rates. This episode was recorded on March 22, 2023.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 76: Tanya Short

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 164:04


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Tanya Short, co-founder of Kitfox Games and best known for her work on Moon Hunters and Boyfriend Dungeon. They discuss why her parents had to get a second phone like, how she accidentally made a roguelike, and whether Moon Hunters should have combat. This episode was recorded on March 23, 2023.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 75: Moonbreaker

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 106:37


In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview veteran game designer Charlie Cleveland, founder of Unknown Worlds and best known for his work on Natural Selection and Subnautica. They discuss why Moonbreaker is the first digital miniatures game, if players would notice if critical hits were removed, and whether the game should have an undo. This episode was recorded on March 19, 2023.

Three Moves Ahead
Three Moves Ahead 589: 'Board Game' vs 'Simulation'-style Strategy Games

Three Moves Ahead

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2023 82:03


It's an all-star panel as Len and Mike Williams are joined by Mohawk Games' and Idle Thumbs' own Soren Johnson and Paradox Tinto's Johan Andersson to chip away at a tricky target: the different design goals between a more "Board Gamey" strategy game like Civilization and the "Simulationist" breed exemplified by Europa Universalis. We discuss what we like and don't like about each one, who the audiences are for each, and how to navigate the significant overlap in those audiences. In the end, maybe it's not as adversarial after all...

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 74: Charlie Cleveland

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2023 194:01


In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview veteran game designer Charlie Cleveland, founder of Unknown Worlds and best known for his work on Natural Selection and Subnautica. They discuss why Charlie Cleveland moved to Cleveland, how he did Kickstarter before Kickstarter, and whether Subnautica was intended to be a survival game. This episode was recorded on March 20, 2022.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 73: Liz England

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2023 177:50


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Liz England, best known for her work on Scribblenauts, Sunset Overdrive, and Watch Dogs: Legion. They discuss how she organized her mom's RPG inventories, what is the boiling point of a lion, and whether system complexity matters if the player can't see it. This episode was recorded on September 17, 2022.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 72: Harvey Smith

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2023 158:58


In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview veteran game designer Harvey Smith, best known for his work on the Deus Ex and Dishonored series. They discuss what TDA stood for at Origin, if Dishonored is just Thief but faster, and why it is sometimes better to be heavy handed. This episode was recorded on March 23, 2022.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 71: Matthew Davis

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2022 170:13


In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Matthew Davis, co-founder of Subset Games and best known for his work on FTL and Into the Breach. They discuss whether FTL is a roguelike, how they resolve conflict at Subset, and whether Soren can convince them to add unlimited undo to Into the Breach. This episode was recorded on Sept 19, 2022.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 70: Justin Ma

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2022 119:42


In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Justin Ma, co-founder of Subset Games and best known for his work on FTL and Into the Breach. They discuss how he bombed his first game industry interview, why the AI in FTL can't behave like a human, and whether Into the Breach should have unlimited undo. This episode was recorded on March 24, 2022.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 69: Designer Notes 69: Chris Delay - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2022 113:31


In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview independent game developer Chris DeLay, co-founder of Introversion Software and best known for his work on Uplink, Darwinia, Defcon, and Prison Architect. They discuss how to play Prison Architect without a prison, why the game needed cutscenes, and how to design an economy when the world is ending. This episode was recorded on March 24, 2022.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 68: Chris DeLay - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2022 173:20


In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview independent game developer Chris DeLay, co-founder of Introversion Software and best known for his work on Uplink, Darwinia, Defcon, and Prison Architect. They discuss why they hid the credits screen for Uplink, who Darwinia's Dr. Sepulveda is based on, and whether you can have too much fun playing Defcon. This episode was recorded on March 22, 2022.

Waypoint Radio
Episode 484 - Interview with Layla and Soren Johnson

Waypoint Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2022 92:01


Rob has invited Layla and Soren Johnson, CEO and Design Director at Mohawk Games respectively, onto Waypoint Radio this week to chat about their time in game dev- from Soren's time at Firaxis as lead designer on Civilization IV and Layla's time in the State Department to transitioning into running their own studio and creating games alongside a dedicated fanbase in early access. They also chat about their 4X game Old World and it's new expansion Heroes of the Aegean, and trying their best to design from different historical perspectives that people might not expect. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 67: Old World

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2022 128:49


In this episode, Tom Chick and Bruce Geryk interview Soren and Leyla Johnson about their new historical 4X, Old World. They discuss whether the Old World timeline really makes sense, how they approach Early Access differently, and why Soren didn't want to give up on the name 10 Crowns.

Strategy Can Be Fun?
Strategy Can Be Fun – Soren Johnson on OLD WORLD

Strategy Can Be Fun?

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 78:23


Today I bring you one of the world's more renowned strategy videogame designers – the designer of Civilization IV, one of the most beloved in the series (probably my favorite one still), and the founder of Mohawk Games, who created Offworld Trading Company, and most recently, Old World. Old World has been out for awhile … Strategy Can Be Fun – Soren Johnson on OLD WORLD Read More »

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 66: Luca Redwood

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 90:09


In this episode, Soren interviews Luca Redwood, the developer of 10000000, You Must Build a Boat, and Photographs. They discuss why 10000000 has no commas, how he makes sure the player never gets unlucky, and why you need to build a boat. This episode was recorded March 18, 2019.

The History Respawned Podcast
Episode 95: Leyla and Soren Johnson on Old World

The History Respawned Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2022 36:27


Bob talks with Leyla and Soren Johnson of Mohawk Games about Old World, History Respawned's History Game of the Year for 2021. Topics include the response to Old World, the historical research that went into the game, Old World's Order System, how Old World fits into the historical 4X genre, and future plans for the game. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 65: Robin Hunicke - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2022 121:46


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Robin Hunicke, co-founder of Funomena and best known for her work on MySims, Boom Blox, and Journey. They discuss why developers overperform their authority in large companies, how they almost accidentally made Journey a competitive game, and why they decided to let thatgamecompany run out of money to ship the game. This episode was recorded December 1, 2021.

development video games designers game development idle thumbs soren johnson boom blox funomena mohawk games robin hunicke designer notes
Designer Notes
Designer Notes 64: Robin Hunicke - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2022 127:26


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Robin Hunicke, co-founder of Funomena and best known for her work on MySims, Boom Blox, and Journey. They discuss why HyperCard was so great, why AI development is game design, and how Steven Spielberg almost made Angry Birds for EA. This episode was recorded March 24, 2018.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 63: Josh Sawyer - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2022 139:02


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran RPG designer Josh Sawyer, best known for his work on Icewind Dale, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity. They discuss the purpose of grinding, the difference between viable and optimal characters, and why RPG players don't welcome rebalancing their games. This episode was recorded March 24, 2018.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 62: Josh Sawyer - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2021 114:16


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran RPG designer Josh Sawyer, best known for his work on Icewind Dale, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity. They discuss how making a website for a tattoo parlor led to his game career, what is the purpose of traps in an RPG, and how much lore is too much lore. This episode was recorded March 24, 2018.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 61: Chet Faliszek

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2021 170:05


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Chet Faliszek, who co-founded Stray Bombay and is best known for his work at Valve on games such as Left 4 Dead and Portal 2. They discuss what shampoo sales have to do with Old Man Murray, why he tests his games in a foreign language, and why game design is easier for co-op games. This episode was recorded August 17, 2021.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 60: Andy Schatz - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2021 105:55


In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Andy Schatz, who founded Pocketwatch Games and is best known for his work on Monaco and Tooth and Tail. This episode was recorded March 23, 2018. They discuss what Monaco and Rashomon have in common, how familiarity with your best players can be more valuable than metrics, and why the flag bearer in Tooth and Tail can't attack.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 59: Andy Schatz - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2021 107:34


In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Andy Schatz, who founded Pocketwatch Games and is best known for his work on Monaco and Tooth and Tail. This episode was recorded March 23, 2018. They discuss how he tried to live out Ultima's virtues, why no one was ever able to rip-off The Sims, and why we both hate click-the-stick.

GDC Podcast
#23 - Strategy Game Hustle and Diversity Overhaul with Mohawk Games

GDC Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2021 62:46


We're joined by game industry power couple SOREN and LEYLA JOHNSON of MOHAWK GAMES who share their experiences in developing and releasing strategy games like OFFWORLD TRADING COMPANY and the new Civilization-meets-Crusader Kings strategy game OLD WORLD. The pair also get candid about DIVERSIFYING their (formerly) homogenous studio.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 58: Rob Daviau - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2021 73:35


In this episode, Soren interviews board game designer Rob Daviau, best known for his work on Risk: Legacy and Pandemic: Legacy. They discuss the criteria for a good Legacy game, how to put just a little PvP in a game without overdoing it, and why he removed his phone number from his website.

Profiles In Success
Citizen Of The World & Mohawk Games | Leyla Johnson

Profiles In Success

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2021 49:51


Leyla Johnson is the CEO of Mohawk Games. The company specializes in historical strategy PC games. Leylas background is quite diverse. She studied journalism, had 2 radio shows, and spent time working at the state department.   Mohawk Games is responsible for some of the most popular PC games in the world including "Old World" and "Off World Trading Company."   On this episode, Leyla shares her journey, how she mistakenly her first opportunity, and the opportunities she discovered while building an international gaming company.   For more on Leyla, please visit: https://mohawkgames.com/   Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!   For more visit: https://profilesinsuccessbook.com/ Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Gamers With Jobs - Conference Call
GWJ Conference Call Episode 768

Gamers With Jobs - Conference Call

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2021 60:03


Games: Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance (PC), A Little to the Left Demo (PC), Spirit Swap Demo (PC), Rocksmith Misadventures. Amanda and Rich are joined by returning guests Leyla and Soren Johnson from Mohawk Games to discuss the release of Old World! To contact us, email call@gamerswithjobs.com! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about, or whatever else is on your mind. Links and Show Notes

Mohawk Games
Episode #10: Leyla Johnson, CEO

Mohawk Games

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2021 62:08


In this episode, you'll meet Leyla Johnson, CEO of Mohawk Games and Creative Director for Old World. Leyla talks about growing up in Lebanon, her love of languages and how she leads the amazing team at her studio.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 57: Rob Daviau - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2021 85:31


In this episode, Soren interviews board game designer Rob Daviau, best known for his work on Risk Legacy and Pandemic Legacy. They discuss bluffing his way through his first game job interview, how he designed Betrayal at House on the Hill without either starting or finishing it, and why Risk Legacy bombed in Germany.

Ancient Office Hours
Special Release - Breaking Boundaries with Leyla Johnson

Ancient Office Hours

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2021 81:02


Leyla Johnson, the CEO of Mohawk Games and a historical strategy games developer, joins Lexie to discuss her path from journalism in Lebanon into gaming, using the Bible to trick her mom into not confiscating her books, potentially using “Old World” to teach history, increasing female representation in the gaming industry and inspiring women to break stereotypes. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week's exciting odyssey! Note: The Ozymandias Project team elected to release this episode during what is normally our off-week to spotlight a powerful woman in response to the recent resurgence of a sexual harasser in the podcasting/entertainment space. This is a content warning regarding sexual harassment. If this subject is triggering in any way, please skip right to the episode itself, beginning at 1:46.You can follow Leyla on twitter, "@LeylaCatJ" and check out her newly released game "Old World" on the Epic Games Store: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/old-world.Learn more about Leyla: https://www.mohawkgames.com/team/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheOzymandiasProject  Get exclusive bonus content (ad free episodes, early releases, and experimental content) on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Habibis
Suhoor Bites #1 - Rami & Leyla Johnson

The Habibis

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2021 7:43


Rami interviews Leyla Johnson, CEO of Mohawk Games.Episode Links:- YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGh1HFeEAmU- Guest: https://twitter.com/LeylaCatJ

Mohawk Games
Episode #3: Soren Johnson, Design Director

Mohawk Games

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2021 67:55


In this episode of the Mohawk Game's Meet the Team series, Rob sits down with Soren Johnson, the founder of Mohawk Games and the Design Director. Soren gets personal.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 56: David Dunham

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2021 114:44


In this episode, Soren interviews independent game designer David Dunham, best known for his work on the narrative strategy games King of Dragon Pass and Six Ages. They are joined by writer and designer Meg Jayanth, best known for her work on 80 Days. The three discuss whether the advisors in Dragon Pass lie to the player, what Six Ages and 80 Days have in common, and whether the anthropomorphic ducks are ducks with human-level intelligence or humans who have been turned into ducks.

development video games game development idle thumbs dragon pass soren johnson mohawk games designer notes david dunham six ages meg jayanth
Three Moves Ahead
Three Moves Ahead 507: Sid Meier's Sid Meier's Memoir

Three Moves Ahead

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2020 73:10


Troy and Rowan are joined by Paradox's Johan Andersson and Mohawk Games' Soren Johnson to discuss the august Sid Meier's recent book, Sid Meier's Memoir.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 55: Meg Jayanth

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2020 183:42


In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Meg Jayanth, the writer on 80 Days. They discuss how fan fiction is similar to modding, if 80 Days is a criticism of the Bioware companion system, and why it’s important to do your work.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 54: Jon Ingold - Part 2

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2020 111:48


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jon Ingold, who co-founded inkle and is best known for his work in interactive fiction, including All Roads, 80 Days, and the Sorcery! series. They discuss how to get the player to trust the designer, why pursuing fairness can take away what is special about a game, and whether packing should be done in real-time.

Moonlight Game Devs
Managing A Strategy Games Company (Old World)

Moonlight Game Devs

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2020 36:05


Leyla Johnson is the CEO of Mohawk Games, a company founded by her husband Soren. The title that they are currently working on is called Old World, available on early access, and is reminiscent of games such as Sid Meier's Civilizations IV, for which her husband was the lead designer.She shared how she transitioned into the games industry by helping her husband design and improve the company's first game, Offworld Trading Company. From there, we discuss the steps it took for them to eventually release Old World, the complications that came up in that time and more.Finally, we chat about games company building and the culture in the industry. Leyla shares how she is actively hoping to create the inclusive climate and culture in her own company, that she would like to see everyone in the industry adopt.The Podcast Episode about Olga of Kiev:https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcmlkaWN1bG91c2hpc3Rvcnk/episode/YmQ2Njk0YzYtNDcwOS0xMWU4LTk5ODMtZWJjYWFmYzA5Nzdl?hl=de&ved=2ahUKEwi_h8DmldHqAhXOzqQKHU8EClQQjrkEegQICxAE&ep=6Get Old World on the Epic Games Store:https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/old-world/homeFollow Leyla:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeylaCatJ- Discord: https://discord.gg/RNTfYZK- Website: https://www.mohawkgames.com/Follow Moonlight Game Devs:- Website: https://moonlightgamedevs.com/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/devs_moonlight- Discord: https://discord.gg/rfcYJJB- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MoonlightGameDevs- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Moonlight-Game-Devs-117297853384521- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrGAw9i5HoaByeiQAV5FaLA

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 53: Jon Ingold - Part 1

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2020 88:44


In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jon Ingold, who co-founded inkle and is best known for his work in interactive fiction, including All Roads, 80 Days, and the Sorcery! series. They discuss why Plundered Hearts is his favorite Infocom game, how being a maths teacher is like being a level designer, and when he realized that parsers were a commercial dead-end.

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 52: Roger Keating

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2020 143:14


In this episode, Bruce Geryk interviews veteran game developer Roger Keating, co-founder of Strategic Studies Group (SSG). Roger is best known for his work on the Warlord series as well as many digital wargames. They discuss what it was like to do pathfinding before A*, how SSG worked from home before it was cool, and how to determine who is a game designer.

eXplorminate
Old World Interview with Soren & Leyla Johnson of Mohawk Games

eXplorminate

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2020 74:22


Rob and Ben had the awesome opportunity to sit down with Soren and Leyla Johnson of Mohawk Games and pick their brains about their newest 4X hit, Old World. Please consider supporting this channel and our site, www.eXplorminate.co, by using the "Creator Tag" EXPLORMINATE on Epic Games Store, or by contributing here: https://www.patreon.com/eXplorminate. if you plan to purchase Old World, please do so here: https://store.epicgames.com/explormin... For a general layout of the interview, see our outline here: OUTLINE: For those that don't know, can you briefly describe Old World? What brought upon the idea of Old World? Was it something you always wanted to make? What lessons from Civ 4 did you learn and what have you done to implement them? Is there something you're unhappy with right now? 1UPT vs Doom Stack: what are your thoughts? Combat in a 4X: why does it generally suck? Tell us more about the events? Leyla, I understand you're writing a lot of them? What was the inspiration for the Orders system? Can you tell us about the AI and what its intentions are? How difficult is it to develop competent AI? What about AI in the late game? Was it the intention to keep games shorter? Plans for future content down the line? You supported Offworld so well, I can imagine new cultures, different geographic zones, etc. Have you played any recent 4X games recently? Any that stand out in general and if so, which ones are pushing the genre forward? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/explorminate/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/explorminate/support

The Crate and Crowbar
Episode 323: Pro-Castration, Anti-Incest

The Crate and Crowbar

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2020


Tom F and Alex are joined by special guests and storied devs Soren Johnson and (at the end) Leyla Johnson – CEO and president of Mohawk Games, respectively – to talk about Old World, an historical, epic strategy game. And polygamy. You can get in on Old World’s Early Access phase via the Epic Games [...]

Gamers With Jobs - Conference Call
GWJ Conference Call Episode 708

Gamers With Jobs - Conference Call

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2020 79:05


Amanda, Sean, and Rich are joined by guests Soren and Leyla Johnson from Mohawk Games to discuss the early access release of OldWorld. Games:  Gears Tactics (PC), Offworld Trading Company (PC), Raft (PC), Cloudpunk (PC), Control (PC), Horizon’s Gate (PC).

eXplorminate
Episode #4: A Deep Dive into eXploration

eXplorminate

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2020 72:40


Join the boys as they dive deep on the eXploration mechanic of 4X games and try to figure out what works, what doesn't, and what could be improved! Outline: The Newsworthy Stuff: Old World, Formerly “10 Crowns”, Formally Announced: Huge news out of Mohawk Games was the announcement of Old World, which was formerly introduced as 10 Crowns. While it plays eXtremely well and has a huge amount of potential, some players have been very open in their dislike for Old World‘s Epic Games Store eXclusivity. Early Access coming SOON! Age of Wonders: Planetfall – Invasions Announced: A full-sized expansion is coming to Planetfall, featuring world events, invasions, and a new race, the Shakarn, a lizard-like alien race bent on revenge! Expect more as we're able to reveal more! Galactic Civilizations 3 v4.0 Dev Diary: We're finally getting information on what v4.0 has in store for us Galactic Civilizations 3 fans! Lots of changes to how the early game will work, planet management, and more! Check the notes! Interstellar: Space Genesis Patched to v1.1.2: Some quality of life improvements and other bug fixes have made it into this quickly-improving game. Speaking of Let's Plays, we've recently got our hands on the upcoming Shadow Empire, a pseudo-4X/Grand Strategy hybrid, and “Battlemode” Ben has been giving it the tutorial series! Alliance of the Sacred Suns v.9.1.2 has dropped: A pretty good summary of the additions can be found right here: Fairly large patch uploaded – .9.1.2. Fixes a bunch of military-related UI and logic issues, and adds some additional functionality. Also rebalances the economy so it doesn't crash so hard early. Check it out! #indiegame#games #gamedev #indiegamedev #unity #gamedevelopment This Episode's Topic: eXploration Why is it so important? Why is it so fun? Good eXamples: Distant Worlds Galactic Civilizations 3 Stellaris Interstellar Space: Genesis --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/explorminate/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/explorminate/support

Dev Game Club
DGC Ep 201: Bonus Interview with Soren Johnson

Dev Game Club

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2020 128:33


Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our Civilization III discussion with an interview with Soren Johnson, Civilization III designer and programmer and head of Mohawk Games. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Podcast breakdown: 0:49 Interview 1:39:20 Break 1:39:54 Feedback Issues covered: surprises on the 200th episode, getting into games, mispronouncing a California city, computer science as a term, figuring out where to work, being into history, getting away from games in college, the troubled history of Civ III, preferring not to do sequels, bad choices at MicroProse, not thinking about walking away from IP, a rights battle, getting Sid Meier to make a Civ game, Brian Reynolds turning away from Civ games, brain drain, a golden opportunity, "the adults had disappeared," evolving into designer-programmer, the beginning of a franchise, switching away from adding proper nouns to the game, incorporating culture as a fountain to establish borders, design ideas that feel like they should have always been there, adding strategic and luxury resources, pushing trade and tension through resources, the advantages of particular historic civilizations and that not being a good fit for Civ, game play coming from map generation, lacking a single AI technique, starting the AI by starting at the beginning of the game, keeping hard-coded values out of the AI, making things data-driven, mod-ability, adapting the AI to changes and iteration in development, whether an AI is "cheating," being careful with how the AI interacts with the player, the intricacy of a naval invasion, how to choose a good city for your invasion and how players subvert that, making small decisions plausible, having no firewall between AI and game data, scaling for difficulty by bonuses and penalties, beating the opponent vs providing behaviors as a challenge, the inherent difficulty of diplomacy, AI as NPC, the negotiating table, AI career beginning when Civ III released, optimizing the fun out of the game, you don't give up anything to trade technologies, limiting what the AI is allowed to do, Civ is a game about math, giving up floating point math, balancing the numbers through Early Access now but patches in the past, being on the frontier of live games, holding the game together via time with the audience, discovering the perfect strategy for asymmetrical games via iteration, re-examining the 4X with his next game, automating as a poor solution, removing unnecessary vestigial stuff, taking away decision-free micromanagement, being afraid of changing mainstays, revisiting your prior design ideas, working like film and being out-of-order vs starting at the beginning, GDC postponement, Irene of Athens, Tim's love for Civ stories, manga and comics, the variety in the Japanese games market, the prevalence of handheld and mobile in the Japanese market, greater variety of games in smaller budgets, the value of common language, Tim's charity pledging. Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Mark Sean Garcia, EA, Knockout Kings, Firaxis, Maxis, Spore, Dragon Age Legends, Mohawk Games, Offworld Trading Company, Adam Saltsman, Designer Notes, Idle Thumbs, Commodore 64, Amiga, Black Isle Entertainment, Avalon Hill, Sid Meier, MicroProse, Brian Reynolds, Spectrum Holobyte, Sid Meier's Gettysburg, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Activision, Infogrammes, Hasbro Interactive, Sid Meier's Dinosaurs, Starcraft, Age of Empires: Age of Kings, Tim Train, Jason Coleman, David Inscore, Railroad Tycoon, Pirates, X-COM, Julian Gollop, Jake Solomon, Jeff Briggs, Bohnanza, Settlers of Catan, Guns Germs and Steel, Warcraft, Paradox Interactive, Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, A Few Acres of Snow, Dominion, Ten Crowns, Empire, Beyond Earth, John Romero, SIGIL, DOOM (1993). Warren Linam-Church, Oedipus, Shakespeare, Johnny Grattan, Maus, PlayStation 2, Mr. Mosquito, Xbox (original), Prey (2017), Batman: Arkham Knight. Next time: Another interview?! Links: Playing to Lose, GDC 2008 Irene of Athens Twitch: brettdouville, instagram:timlongojr, @brett_douville, @timlongojr, and @devgameclub DevGameClub@gmail.com

Designer Notes
Designer Notes 51: Michał Drozdowski and Przemysław Marszał

Designer Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2020 146:11


In this episode, Soren and Leyla Johnson interview Creative Director Michał Drozdowski and Art Director Przemysław Marszał of 11 Bit Studios, best known for their work on This War Of Mine and Frostpunk. They discuss why This War of Mine does not judge the player and why Frostpunk does.