Interactive Fiction Communities (with Andrew Plotkin)

Attention Sega nerds! This Nice Bonus episode is for you!During our episode on 90's consoles Mark found out there were so many obscure Sega accessories that they couldn't fit in the episode and deserved their very own spotlight. Please enjoy this Nice Bonus short episode all about them!Sega Consoles

Seatbelts, everyone! This week the Nice Hosts talk vehicles, which apparently means more than just cars. That's good news because none of them know much about cars (hopefully Nice Guest and vehicle specialist, Kris Roberts doesn't notice). So pile on in and buckle up: we're going to talk about the challenges of capturing the feel of a vehicle with video game inputs, what a solid vehicle system needs at a minimum, and the hobbyist racing scene.Vehicle DesignGame DesignProductionProgrammingKris shared a couple photos of his sports car with us.His car, at another angle.Kris Roberts's Website - Kris RobertsSim Racing Streamers

After the supersized meta of this episode, your nice hosts discover (or rediscover in some cases) the joy of part-time work, and contemplate the intricacies of hints for games.Lydia gave this card to Stephen for his graduation party!Gabe Korth was mentioned during the meta, recently found in this Nice Games Jam episode!Repair-ent0:22:45Part-time WorkSpeculative workWikipediaHintChicory: A Colorful TaleWishes Unlimited Games

Your nice hosts have talked a lot over the years about exploitative game design, and this week we brought in an expert on gamification to lay out some of the dark patterns in games that take players' money and time via deceptive framing and UX.https://samliberty.comSam Liberty - MediumSam Liberty - LinkedInDark PatternsGame DesignWhy “Addictive” Gameplay Should Never Be The Goal - Lydia Symchych, ELB LearningHEXAD FrameworkAddiction by Design - Natasha Dow SchüllTiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything - BJ FoggHow to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be - Katy MilkmanHow dating apps weaponized loneliness against their users - Sam Liberty

In this episode, Yuri Lowenthal, prolific actor and Insomniac's Spider-Man, web-crawls into the clubhouse and does whatever a spider can, assuming a spider can talk into a microphone about the art of acting in video games. Mark explores the difference between screen acting and voice acting, Lydia takes comfort in the fact that when you have a team supporting you, you’re not going to mess it up on your own, and Stephen learns that snipping an Achilles tendon is a finishing move.Working with Voice Actors AudioYuri Lowenthal on BlueskyYuri Lowenthal on Instagram - Instagram

Warm weather is on the way and you need to stay hydrated. As a start, take a sip of water every time you hear the phrase "in the 90's." This week we're learning about Interactive Fiction - its history, communities, and transformations over the years - from living archive of the medium, Andrew Plotkin. As a bonus, Stephen discovers that he isn't the only one who is wrong about things! Credit for this episode's extra-thorough show notes goes to Andrew. Thanks, Andrew!Interactive Fiction CommunitiesEventsIRLNarrativeColossal Cave Adventure - William Crowther and Donald Woods, The Interactive Fiction DatabaseThe Visible Zorker: Zork 1Interactive Fiction Competition (ongoing since 1995!) - Interactive Fiction CompetitionInform IF language launched around 1993 (https://www.inform-fiction.org/). You can find the modern version at https://inform7.com/ This allowed people to create games for Infocom’s original Z-machine, which was invented as a proprietary system in 1979 but is now open-source.The modern version of the IF community's FTP site - Interactive Fiction ArchiveInteractive Fiction Technology FoundationNarrascope ConferenceTwine - Chris Klimas, TwineryRise of the Video Game Zinesters - Anna Anthropy, AmazonThe Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman) - Elizabeth Sandifer, Eruditorum PressAndrew's Interactive Fiction and Game recommendations - IFcomp 2025 winners - Type Help - Roottrees are dead - Return of the Obra Dinn - Murder at the Birch Tree Theater

We talk of the old and the new in this episode, where we sort of revisit a long ago discussed topic and bring in a new topic for our (and your) perusal.Lydia, Mark and Dale (not Stephen) finishing Video Game Mayhem...... and Wizard's Tower in record time!Trapped Puzzle RoomsMPS Community EducationLydia's family sewing machine!0:09:39Exhibiting Your Game0:39:39Design InvestigationsReading backwards: Reading against the grainKatherine FirthResearch Degree Insiders

We welcome August Brown back into the clubhouse once more to discuss healthy criticism in the workplace, and how to foster that environment in your spaces.Healthy CriticismProductionHotel Infinity - Studio ChyrNo Hard Feelings - Liz Fosslien & Mollie West Duffy, Portfolio

How is it April? The episodes have been so long lately it feels like it should be more than two months since the hiatus ended. As a countermeasure, the Nice Hosts have another set of roundtable topics to break up your week and retune the time dilation. Stephen tries hard not to talk about fighting games, Lydia ponders the nature of instructions, and everyone talks a lot more about Mario than they thought they would. 0:01:41Characterization Through MechanicsWe talked about characterization in Smash on a previous episode."I’m intrigued by big door."Lewis ChessmenWikipedia0:29:24Tutorials vs. InstructionsThe "tutorial" Lydia encountered at work that inspired this topic.

All of your regular hosts finally make it into the clubhouse again to present to you a roundtable! After a fairly lengthy meta (it's been a long time y'all, but all interesting stuff!), we expose elements of 3D lighting and discuss an internet meme that's maybe relevant for game development.No Kings ProtestsErin Macdonald YouTube Channel - Erin Macdonald, YouTubeGURPS Prime Directive Core Rulebook - Steve Jackson Games0:26.123D LightingWe previously had Mark's friend and colleague Mike on to workshop Ladder Game.Ladder GameUniversal Render Pipeline documentationUnitySG Series Part 1: A Brief (and Incomplete) History of Baked Lighting Representa…MJPThe Danger ZoneReflectors: Your Secret Weapon for Amazing Portrait PhotographyOded WagensteinDigital Photography School0:58.43Menus vs Parkourmenus and parkourimGhostKittyRedditSave Room - Organization PuzzleFractal ProjectsSteam