Reading List (September 2017) (Patreon)

I know this is a bit early in the month, but because I can’t yet record any new scripts (this cold has left me sounding like a nightmare goblin from the mucus dimension for the time being - will try again on Monday!), I might as well do some Patreon stuff while I wait.

So, I must apologise for the delay in new videos, and I thank for your patience while I suffer through this illness (no one’s as impatient for me to get back to making stuff as me, I promise you). 

I’ve got two and a half videos written, I just need a bit more time to turn them into, like, things… that you can watch. Will work overtime in October to make up for the delay. 

Oh, and thanks so much for the Q&A questions from earlier in the week. Holy moly there’s a lot of them! I’ll have to figure out the best way to answer them all - perhaps split them up into different topics. I’ll figure something out.

OKAY! Articles! Videos! Links! Let’s go.

How To Play

The DeanBeat: Our Cuphead runneth over - This month, games journalist Dean Takahashi was in the crossfires for publishing an embarrassing video of him screwing up in the upcoming Cuphead. Here's Dean's own reaction to the drama.

Cuphead: It still isn't easy - Here's Super Bunnyhop's take, talking about how games journalism is about more than just reviews, and being good at games isn't an essential skill for the job. My take aligns with George, here.

Zach Gage on Twitter - Indie developer Zach Gage (Ridiculous Fishing, Really Bad Chess), has a take from a designer's point of view, with good lessons for tutorial design.

That Video of that Journalist Failing at Cuphead - And so does Michael O’Reilly (I Wanna Be the Guy). Again, good tutorial stuff here.

Tricks and Tips of Game Design

Games aren’t always fair, the magic lies in making you think they are - Designer Jennifer Scheurle received an incredible response to a Tweet request for hidden game mechanics. Here, she breaks down the best examples.

Game Creation Magic Is More Science Than Smoke and Mirrors - And on Glixel, she wrote about how designers how psychology to make better games, and challenge the notion that games are "cheating" you out of a "fair" experience.

Level With Me

[Video] MedSci | System Shock 2 - A new subscription this month, for The Playing Field - a channel from a recently established level designer. In this extensive video, he breaks down the opening level from System Shock 2.

The making of System Shock 2's best level - Then follow it up with Eurogamer's article on the same level, complete with quotes from level designer Ian Vogel.

Classic Levels Deconstructed: Burnout 3: Takedown’s blistering Alpine track - I didn't know the PlayStation Blog had a level design series! In this one, Criterion shares design secrets for Burnout 3.

[Video | CC] Dishonored 2's Clockwork Mansion: A Marvel of Level Design - This video, from Chadunda, is so well presented! Gah! I definitely need to up my game in future level design videos.

[Video] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's Best Level - HeavyEyed goes in deep on the iconic stealth missions from Modern Warfare. 

Release Window

How to announce a video game in 2017 - This was apparently the month for talking about indie game marketing! There are few people I'd trust on this issue more than (my old colleague!) Mike Rose. He's been killing it in the indie racket, in various places, for years. 

What is "Marketing First" Game Development? - A big piece on marketing, and how it shouldn't be treated separately to the game design itself.

(5 More Tips for) How to Announce a Video Game in 2017 - A follow-up to Mike's post with some additional advice.

The Mysterious World of DIY Indie Marketing - Even more tips, this time as a post mortem, with a focus on making the most of social media networks.

What Makes an Indie Hit?: How to Choose the Right Design - Also, I must always recommend this old post from the making of Crypt of the Necrodancer which is a must-read for indies.

What's the ideal time frame for announcing your release date? - Gamasutra talks to loads of devs to get advice on when to share that all-important date.

Designer Notes

Dev on Dev: The Witness, Obduction Creators Trade Notes - Jonathan Blow talks to Rand Miller about puzzle game design. I wish this was several hundred thousand words longer, to be honest. 

How Sonic the Hedgehog's Biggest Fan Helped Save the Franchise - Christian Whitehead talks Sonic Mania. Some good stuff in there on the nitty gritty of designing good Sonic levels.

[Video] Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Western Ghats Timelapse - Watch a level go from colourful boxes to fully detailed. 

The Making of Fallout: New Vegas: How Obsidian's Underrated Sequel Became a Beloved Classic - Loads of good insight from Obsidian on the making of this game and its best quests. Here's a valuable takeaway:

“Their main rule of thumb, courtesy of Bethesda, was that from any landmark in the world, you had to be able to see at least three other landmarks”

Upgrading the Nemesis system for Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Curious as to where Monolith will be taking the Nemesis system in the new Mordor game? Me too! Which is why I read this with great interest. 

The Art & Visual Language of Ikenfell - Lovely pixel art secrets, with plenty of examples.

Retrospective

[Video | CC] The Souls Retrospective - Part I - Through the Fog - Easy Allies kicks off a new retrospective, this time looking at the Souls series. 

The enduring influence of Metroid - A short and sweet series of indie developers, exploring the allure of the Metroidvania design philosophy. 

Final Boss

[Video | Transcript] Sonic Mania's Clever Boss Fight Twists - Good stuff here on Sonic Mania's wonderful boss fights.

Sonic Mania is a blast, until you reach the bosses - Good stuff here on Sonic Mania's terrible boss fights.

Critical Hit

Why I love video games - Polygon's Chris Plante explains why he endures through bad games. "The average game is an imperfect vessel for a nugget of greatness," he says.

In defense of Mass Effect: Andromeda and other messy games - From the same site, Sophia Park talks about the joy of games that don't quite come together.

Best of the Rest

Hidden Switch game is actually a tribute to former Nintendo president - No, I'm not crying. You're crying! 

The best PC games - How many have you played? 

Videogames’ portrayal of the Holocaust does a disservice to both players and victims - Interesting read, just before two nazi blasters come out. 

[Video | CC] How the song "Undertale" Hits Home | Game Score Fanfare - Matt knocks it out of the park once again. Man, this game has a killer soundtrack. 

[Video | CC] POLYBIUS - The Video Game That Doesn't Exist - A surprisingly riveting documentary about an urban myth (maybe?!)

[Video] The Magic of Animal Crossing - To be honest, I can't remember why I'm recommending this. I saved it to my Reading List, erm,  list right at the beginning of the month. I'm sure it's good!

Not a Game. Not a Game At All

[Video] How Wonder Woman's theme music went from bombastic to smart - Remember that thing about Marvel movies having no themes? That's one area that DC does a better job. 

[Video] Why Don't Movie Poster Names EVER Line Up?! - And now you know. 

[Video | CC] How Computers Compress Text: Huffman Coding and Huffman Trees - Fascinating! Tom's stuff is so good. 

[Video] The Complex Feels of Guardians of the Galaxy v.2 - I haven't even seen this movie but I loved this video. 

[Video] Night of the Living Dead - Horrors of Copyright - How a stupid mistake led to an outbreak of zombie... movies.