Episode 94 - Nature

Ben is joined this week by Star★Vaders developer Eddie for their chosen, dare we say, philosophical word!  Ben gets right down to business asking Eddie questions about the recent kerfuffle surrounding the game engine Unity.  After dispensing with that subject, the hosts move on to nature.  Ben talks about an argument (which to a scientist, is actually a question), and Eddie shares some of the their favorite outdoor activities.  On the subject of games, the hosts discuss Geometric Interactive’s “Cocoon,” Teyon’s “RoboCop: Rogue City,” Maxis’ “Spore,” Niantic Inc.’s “Monster Hunter Now,” Mojang Studios’ “Minecraft” (hold the suspicious stew), Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” and Larian Studios’ “Baldur’s Gate 3.”

 

00:00:20 - Introducing Eddie, the lead game designer for Star★Vaders!  00:01:35 - A window into game development cycles, and Ben shares his software experiences 00:04:39 - Using “paper prototypes” in game development and modeling in Tabletop Simulator  00:07:45 - Ben has a loaded question, and Eddie explains the pros of using Unity 00:10:10 - The proposed Unity fee changes from an independent developer’s perspective 00:12:25 - An abundance of install counting loopholes points to a lack of understanding! 00:14:35 - Developer Innersloth’s install counting concerns, and Unity being “out of touch” 00:16:17 - Shady behavior with the “Terms of Service,” DIY installation counting, and changes 00:21:49 - Ben’s story about changing a perception; can Unity build back the trust of devs? 00:23:04 - A developer poking fun at the Unity situation with “Install Fee Tycoon” 00:24:29 - Finally moving on, the axolotl, and the duality and philosophical nature of… nature 00:27:37 - The Nature of the Canadian, generational identities, and according to “Ox Ford”  00:29:58 - Québécois French, don’t forget the ducks, and connections in day to day life 00:32:41 - Nature vs nurture, more of a question for Eddie the scientist, and being nuanced  00:35:33 - A true escape for Eddie, communing with nature, and growing orchids in AZ 00:37:30 - An introduction to dragon boating, bubble tea, and investigating other biomes 00:41:03 - The awesome canyon, birds are basically dinosaurs, and Eddie describes “Cocoon”  00:44:24 - How Eddie likes his stories, the “no instructions” trend, and indie games research 00:46:53 - The movie RoboCop, practical (horror) effects in films, and “The Thing” prequel 00:49:41 - “Spore,” too many cooks, the AAA studio octopus analogy, and scope creep  00:52:07 - Games as art… a designer’s perspective, and stories we tell through art 00:55:00 - Ben has been hunting and harvesting carcasses in “Monster Hunter Now” 00:57:47 - Minecraft from Mojang Studios DOES hold the record for number of units sold.  00:59:41 - No PvP in Star★Vaders, and a closing question about realistic game ecosystems

 

Keep up to date on the progress of Star★Vaders development at https://star-vaders.com/ ! Be sure to add it to your Steam wishlist… and while your at it, download and play the demo!  https://store.steampowered.com/app/2097570/StarVaders/

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