Hello again! This is a continuation of a series of audio podcasts, featuring myself and other independent developers.
Each episode will feature a different developer, and the format will be more like a sprawling conversation than a formal interview. Topics covered will vary depending on the developer in question, but some of the same topics will pop up with many of the guests. I’ll also interject some of my own opinions and views into the discussion.
Why am I doing this? Personally, I’m very interested in how other developers work. What motivates them? How do they deal with criticism? What do they find meaningful about games? (if anything?) What are the stories behind the development of their projects? I hope to learn a lot, and also help spread more knowledge around.
John Graham is the handsome lumberjack/marketing guy at Wolfire games, and one of the main dudes behind the Humble Indie Bundle.
John talks about how crazy working on behind the scenes on the bundle has been, the origins of Wolfire, speculation on the future Bundles and he also shares some advice about how to get started as an indie game developer.
Developer Name: John Graham
Location: Unknown
Website: http://wolfire.com
Today, the Winnitron 1000 received some coverage in the Wininpeg Free Press. You can read the article here.
Thanks to Melissa Martin for hooking us up. Oddly enough, the article uses a couple of photos by Chrissy – without crediting her. Bwa? Hopefully my posting their photo on this blog will be some kind of revenge. Mwahaha?
I was also just on local CBC Radio talking about the Winnitron 1000!
You can listen to the interview here: (big thanks to Kert for recording it)
Back in 2007 on December 7th, Derek Yu and I released Aquaria. The game is now three (3!) years old.
I’ve been making a series of audio podcast conversations with indie developers, and this seemed to be the perfect time to talk to Derek again. We hadn’t sat down and had a long discussion for a couple of years, so there was a lot to talk about!
We start off by talking about Derek’s Spelunky, what it’s like trying to “run” TIGSource. We talk a bit about how we first met, pretty randomly, to work on I’m O.K. We reflect on some Aquaria memories and lessons we learned, good times and bad times.
Eventually, Derek gets me to spill the beans Marian a bit. Here’s a screenshot I leaked a couple of weeks ago that may factor into the discussion:
This is an epic podcast! It is almost 3.5 hours along, so buckle up and hunker down – or listen in bursts if you prefer. I decided to leave it all unedited, including parts where I lose my voice and a bit where I may unintentionally sound like a pompous ass. (or at least, more so than usual) It’s raw, baby.
I usually feel tired after most podcasts, but after this one I felt extra drained. It’s a strange experience talking to someone that you got to know really well over 2 years again. It’s like being reunited with a missing limb or something. Kind of an emotional, bittersweet thing.
Never Let Go!
Developer Name: Derek Yu
Location: San Francisco, California
Website: http://derekyu.com
The Winnitron is a magical arcade machine that can update its game library over the internet. But it can also upload data – including play times and high scores.
Since the Winnitron was recently featured at a big chip tune party here in Winnipeg, (dubbed “Data Dance”) we were excited to check out the data from the box.
Noel Berry wrote an excellent stat tracking interface, that can generate all kinds of graphics for us. Here’s a pie chart!
Given our promotional video for Canabalt: 2 Player, it’s not too surprising that it topped the charts. My own physicsy shooter TrashPilot came in second. Psysal’s 2 player cooperative game GUN took third.
Oddly enough, there was a couple of older ladies who seemed to only be playing GUN the whole time they were on the ‘tron. Guess they really wanted to rescue that dog!
I’m surprised that 4fourths wasn’t played more, as it’s one of the best co-op games on the box. It might need some reworked intro screens so that people can understand it quicker.
There may be a skew of 2-player games being more popular, and that seems to make sense for events. A lot of couples and groups of friends would approach the machine together.
TrashPilot, Canabalt and Sumo Topplers are all games that automatically restart the match (without requiring user input), so it’s not too surprising that they ended up being replayed more than the others.
The total playtime for the event was 5 hours and 56 minutes. This makes sense, as the machine was set up at 8pm and was played consistently until the event shut down at 2am. The average time for each “play” was 3 minutes. This seems about right. (I would have guessed 5)
It was fun watching people play games that I’d worked on. There’s a “TrashPilot stance” that people enter into, probably because of the way it feels like you’re cranking the ships around and also because of the sheer amount of button mashing required to win.
Take aways: If you’re thinking of developing a Winnitron game, you might want to consider making it 2-player with short, catchy play sessions.
Adam “Atomic” Saltsman put together a new version of Canabalt for the Winnitron – one that lets you run 2 players at the same time! And Kert Gartner made this fantastic trailer for it:
The Winnitron 1000 is a refurbished 80′s arcade machine that plays brand new games created by independent developers. The machine will be travelling to different locations in the city of Winnipeg and beyond. Want to get YOUR game on the WINNITRON? Email Winnitron@InfiniteAmmo.ca!
Where can you find the Winnitron? If you’re in Winnipeg, come by the Lo Pub at 9pm tonight for “Data Dance” – a chip tune party and pop-up arcade! (What’s a pop-up arcade? I have no effing idea, so come by and find out…) The Winnitron will be there among arcade classics and other new games by local developers.
