GWJ Conference Call Episode 130
The Dishwasher, BattleForge, Legend of Zork, Dinner With GWJ, Your Emails and more!
(An Appreciative 47.5 megs, 1:22:58)
This week the crew talks about which gaming industry luminaries they'd like to have dinner with. Somehow, William Shatner squeaks onto the list anyways. If you want to submit a question or comment call in to our voicemail line at (612) 284-4563.
To contact us, email ! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined. You can also submit a question or comment call in to our voicemail line at (612) 284-4563!
Links
Legends of Zork
BattleForge
The Dishwasher
Steam Community
Music Credits:
Intro/Outtro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks
"Anxious Tedium" - Ouranos OST (Tom Quinn) - www.citadel-studios.com - 0:32:26
"The Way Your Journey Ends" Tom Quinn - www.citadel-studios.com - 0:55:26
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And a variation for the commenters... Which GWJ celebrity would you like to have dinner with?
I'd have dinner with Cory, mainly cause I get the impression he's close to my age =P
XBL | Steam
I will open one of my six mouths, and sing the song that ends the Earth. - Penny Arcade
I didn't enjoy it. It went from lap
I'd love to sit down and chat with Gabe Newell from Valve, for a few reasons. It'd be great to hear about the development of the Half-Life series, Left4Dead and the other great games that Valve has developed over the years. But Valve also seems to have been one of the first developers to really understand the value of the fan community, and is continuing to foster young developers, and I think there could be an interesting conversation in relation to that. Finally, he was the driving force behind Steam, the first really successful digital distribution system, and I'm sure he'd have some visionary ideas about where the future will take us in that regard.
Ever tried to get him on the show?
Can someone explain to me why the Dishwasher is worth paying for? I know this is a rather standard criticism of downloadable games, but the Dishwasher always seemed like a prettied up free flash game.
Oh, and because the internet must always correct, Civ IV is four years old (okay, three and a half).
Eezy_Bordone wrote:
Eurogamer did a pretty good review of it. The Viewtiful Joe comparisons are pretty spot on in a lot of ways, and all the more impressive considering The Dishwasher was an independent effort.
Before you can respond to this though, you must collect 12 donkey rectums. - Pyroman[FO] deflating all arguments.
Reportage - go figure.
I'd second Elysium's pick of Tim Schafer. That would have to be a fascinating conversation.
EDIT: also Rand and Robyn Miller. Touché.
XBL Gamertag: Minarchist | Steam ID: Minarchist
Bullion Cube wrote:Podunk wrote:
But...William Shatner...was in...three Star Trek games...and an adaptation of...Tekwar.
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
"Something bad happens, A-Team is hired, things go wrong, plan comes together, fools are pitied and sh*t blows up. The end." - Mystic Violet
Twitter
Class.
Twitter |Steam |Raptr |Gamertag
In response to Elysium asking about why someone would buy a DSi: respectfully, it sounded like you missed Rob's point. (Disclaimer: I'm not Rob.) I think he was saying that he'd be interested in buying a DSi in order to play the sort of games that can be made with the technology on that platform. That is, what games can you make on a portable gaming system with a touchscreen, a camera, a microphone, and so forth; there hasn't really been another platform with those technical abilities, particularly not one that's so mainstream, and so they open up interesting and new design space for developers to play in. Similarly, part of the interest in the Wii initially came from simple curiosity about what developers might do with motion control and IR pointing. The potential innovations from the technology seem to be the main draw here.
trueheart78 wrote:
If you want some game we can kick other websites asses with, I'd suggest Left 4 Dead. We have a pretty regular Goodjer contingent of at least 1-2 8 person games every night.
"This is where our industry is right now: not sure what the hell we're doing, or why, or for whom -- but we're doing it with all of our technical skill and artistic talent and conviction." - Simon Carless
I would talk with John Carmack. Sure, you've had him on the show, but he seems like a very smart guy who really knows what he's talking about, beyond the merely technical side but of course encompassing it.
Feeank wrote:
I'd have dinner with Jonathan Blow or Jason Rohrer.
I wouldn't be interested in speaking with Jonathan Blow about Braid so much, and I doubt he'd answer any of my questions anyway, but rather I'd prefer to dwell on his lectures. I feel that he has done some very deep thinking about video games, and I'd love to have a conversation about some of his ideas.
As to Jason Rohrer, I don't know that I've played a single one of his games that I really enjoyed, but I would love to know what he's thinking and what he's trying to accomplish when he creates these games. Like Jonathan Blow, he seems to have done a lot of thinking about games, and I'm curious to hear his thoughts. Also, he's a vegan, and we could swap recipes.
trueheart78 wrote:
Sid Meier, simply because of the wide gamut of games he's done over the years, from simulations to strategy games.
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
"Something bad happens, A-Team is hired, things go wrong, plan comes together, fools are pitied and sh*t blows up. The end." - Mystic Violet
Twitter
With regards to your response to voicemail #1:
Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction is a PS3 platformer.
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is the downloadable X360 game that lets you build crazy vehicles.
Ratchet & Clank: Nuts & Bolts doesn't exist.
EDIT: Oh, and one person you didn't mention who I think I would want to talk to would be Jordan Mechner. The Prince of Persia series has its own fascinating history, but The Last Express would actually be the game I'd want to hear him talk about.
Steam ID: Ravenlock
XBL / GFWL Gamertag: Ravenlock80
Wii System Code: 3019 1654 2730 1955
If I could only pick one, I would probably say Tim Schaefer but since he's already been taken, I have to say Denis Dyack. Love the man or hate him, there is absolutely no denying his rabid passion for the industry he's in. He and his team maybe stumbled with their last game but he's been around a long time and has a substantial track record developing good titles. He really believes games are art and goes so far as to have his team study things like Flow Engagement Theory to really get into the psychological ways to improve them. I think a conversation with him where he isn't talking to the press and doesn't feel he has to justify anything or refute fanboyism would be very different than the persona we saw from him leading up to the launch of Too Human.
"We're taught from a young age how to dodge rock hard objects moving at incredible rates of speed while simultaneously beating folks half to death with sticks. We do this for fun." -kung fu grip
http://blog.digital-lifeline.ca
Dyack is a great choice, and on I wish I had thought of.
A couple I didn't mention on the show but who were on my list:
Gabe Newell
Raph Koster
I felt -- I feel -- that Shawn, Rob and Julian were making out with the game, and as their friend I felt it was important to point out that they were making out with an ugly chick. - Cory Banks, keeping it real
To correct your correction, Nuts & Bolts is a full retail X360 release; it's the original Banjo Kazooie that is downloadable through XBLA.
And I actually haven't listened to the podcast yet, but Warren Spector would be my choice. Not only has he helped create some of the most compelling PC games I've ever played, but he also has some history with pen-and-paper RPGs as well, which has always been kind of intriguing.
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If I could have dinner with any of the GWJ crew it would be Cory and Elysium.
I think it would be a very entertaining and enjoyable dinner.
I would love to harass Erik Wolpaw and Chet Faliszek about Old Man Murray and why they don't quit their cushy jobs at Valve and return to Old Man Murray.
Since no one has mentioned him, I'll pick Nolan Bushnell (cofounder of Atari) for an off-the-record interview. It would interesting to find out what things inspired him to create Pong and the Atari 2600 and hear stories about the process of developing and marketing them.
I'd also like to echo that voicemail caller who gave some love to Elysium. Being a fellow cynic myself, I can confidently say that he is my favorite GWJ cast member too.
In fact, I like him as the podcast's host more than Certis. Please don't ban me.
Steam ID
"Eat a ballsack!" - Cory
"Mass Effect 2 doesn’t ask you to come in so much as it attaches hooks of pleasure to your eyeballs and drags you through the door by your faceholes!" - Elysium
I quit!
Before you can respond to this though, you must collect 12 donkey rectums. - Pyroman[FO] deflating all arguments.
Don't feel bad. I'll have dinner with you, Certis.
trueheart78 wrote:
Getting kinda lonely during bachelor week, Chief?
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
"Something bad happens, A-Team is hired, things go wrong, plan comes together, fools are pitied and sh*t blows up. The end." - Mystic Violet
Twitter
Mmmmmm. Pity dinner.
Before you can respond to this though, you must collect 12 donkey rectums. - Pyroman[FO] deflating all arguments.
If calling it a pity dinner is what it takes to get you to buy me dinner, I'm okay with that.
trueheart78 wrote:
Please make the Peggle-love stop...please?!
@#$%#$^*@# GameSpy. -Gaald
Can you reverse the earth's orbit?
Fashion -> L4D2
stupidhaiku wrote: SteamYonder wrote:
Obviously, dinner with Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk would be my first choice. Aside from BioWare being my favourite developer, and apparently being awesome bosses, they always seem genuinely passionate about what they're doing and I think they could easily be engaging as I geeked out completely. Also, I would want to know what their mothers thought when they first told them that they were quitting their jobs as professional doctors to invest all their money into a company making AD&D computer games. Sheer rage, I bet.
Clint Hocking would be a secondary choice. He's also extremely passionate about what he does and seems to have the makings of being known as a visionary game maker on par with the likes of Levine, Newell, Wright, etc.
As for the GWJ member, obviously the choice would be Certis. He's witty, handsome and intelligent, so I think we would have a lot in common with each other. Of course, he also knows a lot about video games. Finally, over dessert, we could discuss how awesome The Witcher is and how stupid everyone else on the podcast is for not being cool enough to like it.
I would think the first rule of PR is to ignore forum people, because they vacillate between crazy and liar. - Elysium
http://www.daniellecorsetto.com/archive.php?today=666&comic=666
It's SFW but on a NSFW topic...
My and Tboon's podcast: The Easy Button
IRC Pearls of Wisdom:
Bacon is a goodjer in your pants.
"This is where our industry is right now: not sure what the hell we're doing, or why, or for whom -- but we're doing it with all of our technical skill and artistic talent and conviction." - Simon Carless
You're on your bachelor week and I'm newly single. Grab a WestJet flight to Ottawa and you, me, Stylez, Dysplastic, Chumpy and Kuddles can go boozing.
"We're taught from a young age how to dodge rock hard objects moving at incredible rates of speed while simultaneously beating folks half to death with sticks. We do this for fun." -kung fu grip
http://blog.digital-lifeline.ca