This is a conversation with Julian Colbus from DigiTales Interactive, the creators of Lacuna and Between Horizons. We talk about regrets from their last game, how to succeed with story based games and how to make it as an indie game developer.Links to my Guest➤ Lacua on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1364100/Lacuna__A_SciFi_Noir_Adventure/➤ Between Horizons on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1921980/Between_Horizons__A_SciFi_Detective_Adventure/➤ The Great Sassanelli on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2195490/The_Great_Sassanelli__An_Interactive_Novel/➤ Unburied Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1911240994/unburied?lang=de➤ DigiTales Interactive (More Links): https://digitales.games/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro1:01 - Building Without Marketability in Mind2:04 - Making “Detective” Readable at a Glance3:33 - The Market Shift: 2021 vs 20244:24 - 3D vs 2D: Cost, Detail, and Personality6:20 - Modernizing Point-and-Click7:57 - Growing Team and Scope (and Losing Creative Control)12:23 - Elegance Over Features14:24 - Lessons from Cheap Horror Hits: Nail the Hook, Skip the Fluff15:11 - The Essence of Detective Games17:38 - Solution Inputs That Resist Guessing20:33 - “Choices Matter”24:16 - Semi-Open World Detectives: Combinatorial Explosion26:46 - What Makes a Good Story in Games28:00 - Selling Story Games via Setting; Be Oddly Specific34:05 - Design by Committee vs Strong Vision36:57 - Studio History and Team Scaling39:49 - Becoming a Publisher41:26 - New Business Plan: Smaller, Cheaper, More Frequent Releases42:18 - Stepping into Survival Horror (and Why)43:30 - Survival Horror’s Proven Formula and Feel45:20 - Disempowerment and the Illusion of Scarcity49:45 - Next Detective Game52:09 - The Second-Game Slump: Causes and Fixes56:45 - Don’t Make Direct Sequels as an Indie (Most of the Time)01:00:50 - Steam Cross-Promotion: “From the Creators of…”, Bundles, Discounts01:03:59 - Writing Better Dialogue01:10:27 - Make the Story the Gameplay01:14:57 - Hidden Mysteries and Multiple Active Cases01:17:53 - Open-Ended Inputs vs Bespoke Reactions01:21:48 - Dialogue System: Custom Tool, Booleans, and Logs01:29:40 - Make It Obvious: Premise, Key Art, and Core Loop at a Glance01:31:44 - Descriptive Trailers and Demos That Filter Buyers01:36:45 - Screenshot Best Practices01:39:22 - Design for Trailer Moments01:41:36 - Budgets and Team Sizes: Why Mid-Size Struggles01:44:53 - Indie Math: Real Costs and Platform Cuts01:49:29 - Scope Discipline: Focus Saves Money and Quality01:50:25 - Team Composition: Be Selective01:52:31 - Work with Equals or Better; Pragmatic Dev Beats Over-Engineering01:55:42 - Know What’s Possible (and Where AI Helps)01:59:21 - Marketing in the For-You Era: Authenticity and Hooks02:06:09 - Creator Outreach That Works (and Tools to Do It)02:11:30 - Wrap-Up and Plugs: The Great Sassanelli, Socials, UnburiedMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a conversation with Kathrin Radtke from Spellgarden Games, the tiny development team behind Sticky Business and Ritual of Raven. We talk about making successful cozy games, scope, marketing and more.Links to my Guests➤ Sticky Business on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2303350/Sticky_Business/➤ Ritual of Raven on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2066520/Ritual_of_Raven/➤ Spellgarden Website (Social Media links etc): https://spellgardengames.com/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro0:41 - Why People Play Cozy Games2:28 - Cozy Games on Steam: Size and Growth5:06 - What Makes a Game Cozy?7:08 - Spellgarden Origins and Sticky Business in 5 Months10:20 - From Idea Board to 3‑Week Prototype, TikTok Devlogs12:38 - Finding Ideas in Trends, Hobbies, and ASMR14:09 - Designing Stickers with Stickers + Low‑Pressure Creativity17:12 - Steam Page, Viral Tweet, and Finding a Publisher19:51 - TikTok Strategy: Language, Algorithm, Results22:36 - Turning Social Posts into Wishlists24:31 - Why Simple Concepts Market Better27:05 - Smaller, Clearer Projects and When to Share30:05 - Will Spellgarden Stay in Cozy Games?32:05 - Why “Work” Simulators Feel Relaxing34:13 - Designing for Intrinsic Motivation (Not Scores)40:01 - Ritual of the Raven: Automation and Coding43:52 - From Concept to a Big Narrative45:28 - Managing Scope Under Publisher Milestones47:31 - Progression Across Regions, Tutorials, and Pacing49:20 - Marketability vs Vision and What’s Next51:11 - Crafting Ritual’s Art Style with One Artist52:54 - The Pacing Problem in Automation Games55:20 - Making Designs Click and the Cost of Lock‑In59:46 - Advice for Aspiring Cozy Devs and Testing Interest01:03:35 - How They Playtest Cozy and Creative Games01:07:44 - Marketing Cozy Games: Platforms, Demos, Events01:11:04 - Sticky Business DLCs: Why, How, and Backlash01:17:29 - DLCs vs Early Access and Player Expectations01:22:51 - Post-Launch Support and Cozy Recommendations01:26:26 - OutroMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a conversation with Timo Falcke and Zwi Zausch, two of the devs at Toukana Interactive, the developers of Dorfromantik and Star Birds. This is a game dev success story with some theory crafting about how to potentially reproduce an outcome like this.Links to my Guests➤ Star Birds on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2719750/Star_Birds/➤ Dorfromantik on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1455840/Dorfromantik/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro0:35 - Meet Toukana Interactive & Dorfromantik1:28 - Founding the studio and shipping Dorfromantik in a year4:17 - Early Access launch: Next Fest momentum, streamers, and the Steam algorithm7:46 - The itch prototype and Ludum Dare origins8:27 - Expectations vs reality on launch day11:45 - Prototyping many ideas and choosing Dorfromantik16:49 - Building a unique look: trees, outlines, and shader tricks18:44 - Visual inspirations and tips for finding your art style21:31 - Iterating the rules: rotation, edges, lakes, and quests27:15 - Performance war stories: PC instancing to Switch optimization38:07 - Early Access strategy, 1.0 launch, and getting featured41:50 - How Steam featuring works (Steam reps and slots)43:15 - Hiring after success and staying small by design45:52 - Turning Dorfromantik into an award-winning board game53:37 - Why the board game works (campaign, accessibility, depth)57:48 - Partnering with Kurzgesagt and choosing Star Birds01:06:20 - Who did what: Toukana vs Kurzgesagt on Star Birds01:09:41 - Tech art & pipeline: 3D that looks like 2D, procedural asteroids01:14:13 - Designing systems: logistics across asteroids and big economies01:16:07 - No fail-state: keeping it chill and puzzle-like01:19:13 - Scoring without time pressure (and the most hated achievement)01:23:39 - Why Early Access again and the plan for Star Birds01:26:44 - Community feedback, roadmap, and lots more content01:29:53 - Moving launch for Silksong and the pricing debate01:34:10 - Can success be reproduced? Sequel vs new IP01:36:55 - What gets attention now: polish vs recognizable "trash"01:39:00 - Two big levers: Steam visibility vs content creators01:40:56 - Familiarity vs originality and making it readable at a glance01:45:40 - Marketing realities, scope choice, and staying a lean team01:49:49 - Our workflow: prototype, evaluate, refine, decide01:54:04 - Appeal prototyping vs gameplay prototyping01:55:54 - Appeal, player fantasy, define intrigue early01:58:03 - Star Birds' appeal vs Kurzgesagt's high-tension vibe02:01:03 - Narrative vs systems, constraints, and "polish what matters"02:04:40 - Wrap-upMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Cory Darby, a indie games strategist / profissional min-maxer and the co-creator of Click & Conquer, a game that with just 400 hours of work managed to turn over 100K in profits. We talk about how to optimize your Steam launch for maximum visibility and where the indie games industry on Steam is going.Links to my Guest➤ No cost 30-Minute consultation: https://tidycal.com/ckdarby/biz-game-dev➤ Cory on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThornityCo➤ Click and Conquer on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3267900/Click_and_Conquer/➤ Analytics page Cory mentioned for Steam Stats: https://www.gginsights.io/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro1:11 - The 72-hour test: what the dataset shows3:35 - Conversion is king: Steam’s fair-shot test and early thresholds6:56 - Designing for conversion: page, trailer, and pricing8:41 - Launch discounts and price psychology (40% for two weeks)10:35 - The controversial post-launch price drop and “is it sleazy?”13:38 - Pricing pitfalls: overpricing kills and you can’t A/B test15:39 - Are prices trending down? Incremental economics18:32 - When deep discounts backfire on perception20:16 - Tags as targeting: choose the right seed audience24:51 - Appeal and instant connection vs “just make a good game”25:37 - Copy what works, add a twist (Cory’s approach)28:47 - Picking a war theme via asset packs—and the backlash31:57 - Mechanics and pacing by the numbers (Click & Conquer)34:33 - Foot-pedal playtesting and auto-edited feedback37:54 - Scaling with collaborations and purpose-built tools44:58 - Riding trend waves: incrementals, co-op, and shop sims48:42 - Co-op lineage (Lethal Company, etc.) and theme waves like trains50:49 - Plotting by tags and where the data comes from52:27 - Don’t be late: spot waves early (Gavin’s advice)54:31 - Trend-chasing vs passion; blending genres and risk58:28 - Building a 400-hour game: roles, hours, and timeline01:00:37 - Why short projects lower risk and speed learning01:04:31 - After the wave: adjacent bets and using reviews/AI01:09:11 - Find genres with volume but mixed reviews; “Professional min/maxer”01:13:55 - AI is already changing dev: agents as co-devs and toolbuilding01:19:59 - Agents that use computers and play games; the inequality gap01:29:04 - The upside: accessibility and the internet analogy01:31:50 - Hot take: game dev shifts business-first; why AAA struggles01:35:07 - A new model: many small AI-boosted teams (and acquisitions)01:37:33 - Jonas’s stance: avoid AI art, use AI for code/tools; playtesting bottleneck01:41:19 - AI as sounding board: design aid (color theory) and more01:43:16 - “Soulless” vs soul: min-maxing as a creative pursuit01:44:15 - Wrap-upMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Tyler F. Cloutier, co-founder and head of Clockwork Labs, who are building their MMO, Bitcraft Online, entirely in a database. They are making this database available for other developers under the name SpacetimeDB. It's a real time relational database that promises to massively simplify infrastructure required for both applications and games alike, almost like an operating system for the cloud. I'm very on board with their vision. Can it actually hold up? Let's have a look.Links to my Guest➤ SpacetimeDB: https://spacetimedb.com/➤ Bitcraft Online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3454650/BitCraft_Online/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro1:27 - What is SpacetimeDB?7:24 - How SpacetimeDB is different11:06 - Best use cases and limitations15:55 - How it works: modules, reducers, transactions19:34 - Publishing and hot-swapping server code20:21 - Client model: reducers for writes; live queries and permissions25:52 - Scaling and memory28:40 - Per-match databases and the actor model31:21 - Performance: reducer duration, locks vs MVCC, and offloading work37:48 - Starter projects and analytics; community dashboards41:12 - Authentication: OpenID Connect, Spacetime Auth, and Steam46:07 - Platform philosophy: generalized vs specialized51:25 - UGC and user-generated logic55:05 - Origins, team structure, and optimization milestones57:27 - Full history/time travel and postmortems59:14 - Scaling by game type; video calling experiment and event tables01:02:42 - Make it easy & LLM-friendly01:07:48 - Comparing Firebase/Supabase/Vercel; why we built it01:12:09 - Scheduled reducers, tickless servers, and timers as tables01:13:57 - Matchmaking with SpacetimeDB (Underdogs VR, Postgres wire) and libraries01:17:58 - Asynchronous multiplayer and efficiency01:21:53 - Business model: self-hosting, Main Cloud free tier, licensing01:26:48 - Avoiding vendor lock-in (SpatialOS lesson)01:27:28 - BitCraft origins and vision01:32:11 - Learning from veteran reviews; OSRS vs WoW philosophy01:36:12 - Building costs, biggest design challenges, and live updates01:39:43 - Core identity: simulating civilization, community, and expectations01:42:35 - OutroMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Phiomena Schwab, co-founder/CEO of Stray Fawn Studio, the creators of The Wandering Village, Dungeon Clawler, Nimbatus and Niche. She's the head of Stray Fawn's new publishing branch and she co-founded the Swiss Game Hub, a co-working space for game developers. We talk about what it takes to make successful games, community building, early access, publishing and women in game dev.Links to my Guest➤ Bootcamp games: Check out the games and leave a comment https://swissgamehub.itch.io/➤ More learnings from Stray Fawn: https://strayfawnstudio.com/insights/➤ Website: https://strayfawnstudio.com/➤ X: https://x.com/PhilomenaSchwab➤ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/philomenaschwab.bsky.socialListen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro1:17 - Game vs. Marketing3:06 - Early Hits and Studio Formation5:14 - From Hobby Team to Studio6:43 - Community Building & Kickstarter9:31 - EA to 1.0 With Community Push11:16 - Finding First Fans & Adjacent Communities15:55 - The Wandering Village: Fantasy-First19:15 - Rapid Prototyping: Art vs. Gameplay23:32 - Team Alignment & Genre Conventions26:19 - Meaningful “Evil” Choices In Games31:25 - Why Build in Public32:23 - Kickstarter: When to Run or Skip32:29 - 1.0 Bet: Localization, Delays & Beta Iteration35:27 - Shifting to Small Bets36:37 - Small-Project Playbook & Premium Mobile Sim-Ship40:10 - Publishing Arm: Why & What Failed42:18 - Publishing Is Mostly the Game45:00 - Publishers, Funding & Deals46:17 - Selecting Games & Avoiding Pitch Limbo53:05 - What Publishers Evaluate: Demo, Proof & Better vs. Different57:35 - Choosing Genres With Demand59:50 - Bootcamp Validation & Itch Metrics01:02:20 - Swiss Game Hub: 140-Dev Community01:05:17 - Dungeon Clawler: “Claw Machine” Origin & Breakout01:11:04 - Clones, Stolen Assets & Mobile Pitfalls01:13:29 - What’s Next: Small Games, Story & Studio Votes01:15:55 - Small Teams Fit; Brand Risk01:18:49 - YouTube: Niche Passion vs. Mass Appeal01:21:57 - Talking to Players & Moderation01:24:06 - Own Your Audience: Newsletters, Discord & Events01:28:33 - Swiss Game Dev Association & Many Hats01:29:34 - Many Hats & Mental Load01:33:19 - Wandering Village 1.0: Wishlist Conversion & Discounts01:34:20 - Early Access vs. 1.0: Outcomes & Timing01:35:38 - Why 1.0 Underperformed: Consoles, Genre & EA Length01:39:27 - Post-Launch Priorities: Updates, Stretch Goals & Roadmaps01:41:07 - Gender Balance, Role Models & Hiring01:45:06 - Message to Future Women Game Devs01:45:43 - OutroMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Erick Passos from Photon Engine (Exit Games Inc.), a company that provides networking solutions and server architecture for online multiplayer games. I try to understand more about how how online multiplayer works in general and in particular how to use Photon's Quantum and Fusion to develop online games faster.Links to my Guest➤ Photon Engine: https://www.photonengine.com/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro0:17 - The 3 Layers of Multiplayer Tech4:56 - Photon’s Products Across the Stack6:54 - Transport Layers & Steam Relay Limitations8:02 - Fusion vs Quantum + Designing for the Envelope10:36 - Start from the Top: When Transport‑Only Makes Sense (MMOs, Server Logic)15:53 - From PUN to Modern Netcode + Notable Games21:21 - State Replication vs Determinism Explained24:49 - Why Shooters Prefer Client‑Server (Lag Comp, Interest Mgmt)26:11 - Server Build, Shared Mode, and Architecture Clarified28:04 - Anti‑Cheat in Quantum: Replays, Spectators, Server Sim31:49 - Grow Gradually: From Zero Servers to Full Validation34:38 - Under the Hood: Predict‑Rollback, Physics, ECS, AI38:32 - No Ring Buffer: Constant‑Time Rollbacks45:28 - Testing Online, Tooling, and Community46:15 - When to Use Fusion Instead of Quantum50:29 - Performance: Verified vs Predicted, Clamps & Culling52:34 - Bots, Matchmaking Math, and AI Costs56:49 - AI Design: Verified‑Only Planning + Operational Prediction58:02 - Verified‑Only Code Paths & Performance Targets01:01:48 - Time Slicing AI for Stability01:02:52 - RTS in Quantum: Flow Fields, Culling, and Use Cases01:09:19 - Lockstep vs Prediction: Why He Avoids Lockstep01:12:04 - Handling Rollback Spikes with Scheduling Tricks01:13:05 - Auto‑Battlers: Verified‑Only + Snapshot Interpolation01:15:29 - Hidden Info & Simultaneous Decisions; Server‑Gated Commands01:21:35 - Using Quantum Offline? Licensing & Terms01:25:03 - Determinism, ECS, and Quantum’s Hybrid Tables01:29:22 - Could There Be a Deterministic Engine Built on Quantum?01:31:08 - Cross‑Engine Experiments & Engine Integrations01:35:42 - Open Worlds: Fusion Player‑Hosted vs Quantum01:37:10 - Quantum for Open Worlds: Voxels, Persistence, NavMesh, Procgen01:46:08 - Where Engines Stand on Multiplayer (Unreal, Unity, Source)01:51:32 - Pricing: Free 100 CCU and Scaling Costs01:54:45 - Long‑Tail Costs & Keeping Servers Alive01:57:40 - Game Preservation: LAN, Offline, and Local Servers02:04:48 - What’s New: Fusion 2.1, Quantum 3.1, Unreal Betas02:05:55 - First Multiplayer? Start Small and Prototype02:08:12 - Prototyping: Quantum vs Fusion (Shared Mode)02:10:30 - From Prototype to Production: Managing Complexity02:14:11 - What Makes a Multiplayer Hit? Trends vs Design02:16:29 - Fusion’s New Physics Forecasting02:17:47 - Riding vs Making Trends (Landfall’s Streak)02:21:02 - Dogfooding: Prototyping to Improve the Tools02:24:26 - Closing & ThanksMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Youge Wen, aka. "Bearlike", the lead developer of my favorite strategy game Mechabellum, published by Dreamhaven, the publisher and developer founded by Blizzard's Mike Morhaime. We talk about the death spiral for online multiplayer games, game design, balancing for Mechabellum and exchange some advice with each other.Links to my Guest➤ Play Mechabellum on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/669330/Mechabellum/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro0:43 - Jonas on Mechabellum; how it was made?1:13 - Two-person start in 2017; Mahjong/poker prototypes4:53 - No moving units, Go’s influence, fixing Round 1 snowball8:36 - Avoiding RTS snowball: equal income and reborn units11:36 - Unity choice; simple, low-latency networking design16:04 - Should you make a competitive auto-battler? (Don’t)19:26 - Live service pain and the death spiral22:16 - One bad update can kill an indie PvP game25:02 - Balancing philosophy: define goals, fun over variety27:45 - Double red/green: when to nerf (win rate vs pick rate)31:10 - Unit design with spreadsheets; emergent counters & guidelines37:16 - Counters without tags; armor experiments and why they failed41:27 - Tech design, tradeoffs, complexity vs fun; balancing techs46:56 - If you insist on PvP auto-battlers: know your goals49:50 - Technical constraints and scoping to your team52:03 - Monetization and positioning competitive strategy games58:00 - External shocks; start with PvE; Bazaar-style offline PvP01:00:15 - Fewer players and shorter matches to reduce concurrency01:03:37 - Marketing, Early Access pitfalls, Battle Aces; co-op PvP prototype01:08:08 - Managing community negativity and inevitable mistakes01:12:56 - Balancing PvE: ensure tool use; buff enemies, not players01:17:00 - Keeping old versions via Steam branches01:19:23 - PvE/co-op opportunities; Thronefall co-op and saying no01:25:51 - Scoping, minimal art, and fast content pipelines01:26:52 - Meta shifts as side effects01:28:54 - Team size; Out of Hand; art style and marketing lessons01:33:07 - Mechabellum roadmap; armor hopes; expanding the universe01:36:37 - Business reality: support what earns; risk vs reward01:38:07 - Randomness vs determinism: upsets, styles, and info gaps01:45:01 - Designing perceived fairness: RPS illusion and football01:50:23 - Jonas’ next game; staying small; freelancers vs growth01:54:17 - Endless Mode learnings and map persistence idea01:58:10 - Wrap-upMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Huw Millward the creator of Warsim: The Realm of Aslona, an entirely text based asci kingdom simulation game (that was written to a single code file with 700K lines of code).Links to my Guest➤ Play Warsim on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/659540/Warsim_The_Realm_of_Aslona/➤ Dim Parcio (Band): https://www.instagram.com/dimparcioband/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro0:56 - Why WARSIM worked1:52 - From tiny sales to quitting the day job3:09 - Sticking with a "failed" game5:06 - Obsessive Updates10:10 - Procedural Generation and Emergent Stories12:17 - The Throne Room’s Birth17:11 - Roleplaying a ruler: many playstyles20:59 - A 700k-line monolith26:56 - Follow-the-fun workflow, 500 co-designers31:16 - Moving beyond ASCII: new studio, higher stakes33:12 - Text games: should you make them?37:59 - Marketing a game with no graphics42:42 - Word-of-mouth and biggest wins46:39 - Slumbox reveal: city vs wasteland50:18 - Choosing GameMaker over Unity51:46 - Timeline, team, delegation, funding paths55:56 - Life outside dev: band, GDC adventures, merging music and games58:11 - Becoming a “real” game dev and balancing identities01:00:10 - Advice for devs: persistence, build what you love, design smart, community01:04:02 - Proc-gen principles and writing tips01:10:09 - Jonas’ advice for Slumbox01:12:01 - Jonas’ next project and goodbyeMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Johan Grönvall who managed to succeed with his debut game Bopl Battle in some part due to his TikTok and YouTube Shorts strategy, in other parts due to his analytical perspective and going above and beyond to serve a strong vision for his game.Links to my Guest➤ Play Bopl Battle on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1686940/Bopl_Battle/➤ Johan's YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@johangronvall9473/shorts0:00 - Intro0:47 - Why He Quit His Job During The Pandemic1:55 - The Game That Took 6 Years to Make4:41 - Starting By Improving on an Unpopular Game8:22 - The Motivation for Making Games9:36 - The Big Rewrite: Creating His Own Engine in Unity12:52 - What is Lockstep Networking?15:23 - Why Building on Top of Unity Can Be a Mistake18:48 - Coding Unique Physics That Unity Can't Handle23:31 - The Only Marketing That Actually Worked25:50 - How to Create Viral Shorts & TikToks33:32 - How Many Wishlists Do Viral Videos Generate?36:53 - A Genius Strategy for YouTube Content?41:15 - Why the Demo Was Almost a Full Game45:28 - Turning Bugs Into Beloved Features51:30 - The Struggle to Start The Next Project55:52 - The Explore vs. Exploit Dilemma for Creatives59:14 - Chasing "Success" as a Motivator1:03:47 - Why Indie Developers Should Be MORE Ambitious1:10:09 - Succeeding By Doing Everything "Wrong"1:16:33 - You Don't Have to Be a Super Genius to Succeed1:19:33 - How to Avoid Delusion as a Developer1:24:24 - What's More Important: A Fun Game or an Appealing Idea?My game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest René Habermann who is behind games such as Domekeeper and PVKK (Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant), running a games studio called Bippinbits together with his wive. In this conversation we dive into how to validate your game ideas early.Links to my Guest➤ Wishlist PVKK on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2956040/PVKK_Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant/➤ Play Domekeeper on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1637320/Dome_Keeper/➤ Bippinbits Website: https://bippinbits.com/0:00 - Introduction0:50 - Why Indie Games Fail2:05 - The Minimalist Approach to Game Development3:09 - Using Validation Points to Succeed4:10 - Fun vs. Appeal: What's More Important?8:00 - The Crucial Role of "Fantasy" in a Game's Success12:21 - How YouTubers Can Spark a Game's Success17:10 - Can a Game Succeed Without Appealing Visuals?19:39 - Why Did Dome Keeper Work So Well on YouTube?23:08 - Designing for Yourself vs. The Market26:26 - "Make a Game You Enjoy": Good or Bad Advice?32:03 - Using Itch.io and Game Jams to Test Ideas39:05 - Is it Possible to Enjoy the "Tryhard" Approach to Game Dev?43:27 - From a 3-Day Prototype to a Full Game47:37 - The Demo vs. The Announcement: What to Do First?59:10 - What to Do When a Validation Point Fails01:06:17 - The Growth of Bippinbits Studio01:17:30 - Rene's Role in a Growing Studio01:23:18 - The "Mini-Teams" Approach to Scaling01:30:21 - Sharing Profits With The Team01:40:43 - Why Bippinbits Prefers the Godot EngineMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast, today with my guest Benjamin Zuckerer from Cip Soft, the creators of Tibia, an MMO that has been under continuous operation and development for over 30 years. This is an entertaining and educational look behind the curtain of how to make and run online games that last for decades.Links to my Guest➤ Wishlist Persist Online on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082980/Persist_Online/➤ Play Tibia Online: https://www.tibia.com/mmorpg/free-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game.php➤ Jobs at Cip Soft, Germany: https://www.cipsoft.com/de/karriere/stellenangebote 0:00 - Intro1:02 - The Origins of Tibia (1995)3:04 - Pioneering the 'GMUD' Genre4:25 - Tibia's Place in Early MMO History5:37 - Surviving the Dot-Com Bubble8:43 - Inventing the Freemium Model10:44 - The Story Behind the Name 'CipSoft'12:32 - Development Before Modern Tools13:48 - Company Growth & Evolving Roles15:21 - The First Mobile MMORPG & Launch Strategy17:29 - Joining the Games Industry19:13 - The Role of a Product Manager22:58 - The 'Duping' Problem in MMOs28:25 - Team Culture & Security Threats32:50 - Single Player vs. Online Game Development37:28 - Why There Is No Tibia 242:26 - The Struggle for a Second Hit47:08 - The Birth of 'Persist Online'51:12 - From Manager to Maker and Back53:43 - Building the 'Persist Online' Team57:09 - Prototyping & Co-Developing With the Community1:01:45 - How to Listen to Your Players1:07:21 - The Early Access Development Model1:11:00 - The Economics of Free-to-Play1:17:49 - Ethical Monetization1:23:38 - CipSoft & Persist Online Today1:27:53 - 20% Time: Fostering Innovation1:31:04 - Testing 'Persist Online' (Pre-Alpha)1:35:45 - The Challenges of Launching on Steam1:45:28 - 'Persist Online's' Steam Release Strategy1:53:57 - Advice for Indie Online Game Developers2:02:13 - The Exponential Cost of Making Online Games2:11:14 - Why Make Online Games? The Service Model2:17:17 - Engaging Players with a Limited Scope2:22:13 - Outro & Final AdviceMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Gavin Eisenbeisz (Two Star) and your host Jonas Tyroller. In this episode I want to learn how to make wildly successful indie games that go viral a lot.Links to my Guest➤ Wishlist Cuffbust on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592220/CUFFBUST/➤ 2nd Channel (Game Design): @ScientiaLudos ➤ Main Channel: @TwoStarGames0:00 - Intro0:57 - Look Where The Market Is Going4:02 - What Makes For a Viral Game Idea9:05 - Designing For Content Creators15:33 - How Rare Are Million Dollar Game Ideas19:47 - Why High Action Games Are Bad For Retention 26:01 - Creating Brand Recognition31:43 - Mass Content Ability35:36 - When To Scrap Your Idea37:35 - The No-Prototypes Approach41:08 - Using The Trailer To Test Demand44:36 - How Content Creators Line Up To Play Your Game47:28 - Concept vs. Execution | What Matters Most51:18 - Indicators That You're On Track53:31 - Having Your Own YouTube Channel59:14 - Learning and Theory Crafting | Why and How1:04:38 - Gavin About Not Enjoying Game Dev As Much Anymore1:08:40 - Gavin and I Compare Our ApproachesMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ