User:Thijshijsijsjss/Gossamery/Designer Notes - Revision history

Thijshijsijsjss: Add whitespace for consistency

2025-05-19T06:50:55Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:50, 19 May 2025
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	===Episode 87-88: Caroline Marchal===		===Episode 87 - 88: Caroline Marchal===
	* listen to it here: [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-1 part 1], [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-2 part 2]		* listen to it here: [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-1 part 1], [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-2 part 2]
	* listened to on April 19 (part 1) and May 19 (part 2) 2025		* listened to on April 19 (part 1) and May 19 (part 2) 2025

Thijshijsijsjss: Add year

2025-05-19T06:41:24Z

Add year

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:41, 19 May 2025
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	===Episode 87-88: Caroline Marchal===		===Episode 87-88: Caroline Marchal===
	* listen to it here: [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-1 part 1], [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-2 part 2]		* listen to it here: [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-1 part 1], [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-2 part 2]
	* listened to on April 19 (part 1) and May 19 (part 2)		* listened to on April 19 (part 1) and May 19 (part 2) 2025

	Discusses coming to games from poetry, games as episodic tv and as cinema, branching narratives ''Heavy Rain'' and ''As Dusk Falls''.		Discusses coming to games from poetry, games as episodic tv and as cinema, branching narratives ''Heavy Rain'' and ''As Dusk Falls''.

Thijshijsijsjss: Add section for caroline marchal episode

2025-05-19T06:41:07Z

Add section for caroline marchal episode

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:41, 19 May 2025
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	\|[[File:Shenzhen-io-manual-page.png\|255px\|thumb\|Manual page from Shenzhen I/O]]		\|[[File:Shenzhen-io-manual-page.png\|255px\|thumb\|Manual page from Shenzhen I/O]]
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			===Episode 87-88: Caroline Marchal===
			* listen to it here: [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-1 part 1], [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/caroline-marchal-part-2 part 2]
			* listened to on April 19 (part 1) and May 19 (part 2)

			Discusses coming to games from poetry, games as episodic tv and as cinema, branching narratives ''Heavy Rain'' and ''As Dusk Falls''.

			Some interesting notes:
			* how (important is it) to communicate that there is branching? Interviewer Johnson notes that for ''Heavy Rain'', he felt like he experienced some odd event in the story and only then came back to replay to see if it was actually a branching narrative. I recently had a similar experience playing ''Signs of the Sojourner'' -- only in the final 'chapter' did I realize there were different endings. (Though in ''Signs of the Sojourner'', choices are obfuscated by an rng-based card system)
			* balancing the distribution of people choosing certain branches: maybe 50/50 is not desirable. A positive end will be seen as the 'true ending' and will make people inclined to chase that, they might think 'did I make the right decision'.

Thijshijsijsjss: Add some (non-final) words on ep84/85

2024-10-15T14:33:57Z

Add some (non-final) words on ep84/85

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:33, 15 October 2024
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	* Listen to it [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/zach-barth-part-1 here (part 1)] and [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/zach-barth-part-2 here (part 2)]		* Listen to it [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/zach-barth-part-1 here (part 1)] and [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/zach-barth-part-2 here (part 2)]

	~~modding~~, ~~opensourcing game code~~		Zach Barthes is a game designer known for founding [https://zachtronics.itch.io/zach-like Zachtronics], who are in turn known for games like SpaceChem, TIS-100, Infinifactory and Shenzhen I/O. These are all 'puzzle games', though Zach barth would stress that they really aren't: they are constraint games with an infinite solution space.

	~~manuals~~, ~~tutorials~~, ''[...] ~~an aesthetic experience that I thought would've disappeared at this point''~~ (~~timestamp~~)		Barth, I find, is a very nice person to hear talk. He's very clearly passionate about the games he makes, and he's quick to acknowledge his shortcomings as a designer. This is funny, as he did put out a book on game design: [https://www.zachtronics.com/zach-like/ ZACH-LIKE] (more so a compilation of behind-the-scenes documents from Zachtronics). I really like the worksheets that are used to design the puzzles.

	Shenzhen I/O's manual ~~and its contribution to the narrative~~ ([https://github.com/JonathanLemke/shenzhen-io-translate/blob/master/SHENZHEN%20IO%20Manual%20(English).pdf here on GitHub)]		In this episode, Johnson and Barth talk about modding, open sourcing game code and, cruacially, manuals. Zach jokingly states it's a way for them to avoid tutorialising their games. However, there seems to be more to it. For example, Shenzhen I/O's manual ([https://github.com/JonathanLemke/shenzhen-io-translate/blob/master/SHENZHEN%20IO%20Manual%20(English).pdf here on GitHub)]) is diegetic, contributing to the narrative (it even starts with a visa application form). Such a tone can really lift a manual from a chore to an extension of the experience (similar to [[User:Thijshijsijsjss/Gossamery/KTaNE\|KTaNE's]]). Johnson calls this:

			<blockquote>
			[...] an aesthetic experience that I thought would've disappeared at this point
			</blockquote>

			{\|align=center
			\|[[File:Zach-like-spacechem-worksheet.png\|250px\|thumb\|SpaceChem puzzle worksheet]]
			\|[[File:Shenzhen-io-manual-page.png\|255px\|thumb\|Manual page from Shenzhen I/O]]
			\|}

Thijshijsijsjss: Create section for zach barthes interview with sparse notes

2024-10-15T13:46:10Z

Create section for zach barthes interview with sparse notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:46, 15 October 2024
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	I've listened to many episodes of this podcast. I find it is a great place for finding new insights, getting inspired, and grounding the game making experience. Here, I will highlight some key episodes for me.		I've listened to many episodes of this podcast. I find it is a great place for finding new insights, getting inspired, and grounding the game making experience. Here, I will highlight some key episodes for me.

			===Episode 84 - 85: Zach Barth===
			* Listened to: October 2024
			* Listen to it [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/zach-barth-part-1 here (part 1)] and [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/zach-barth-part-2 here (part 2)]

			modding, opensourcing game code

			manuals, tutorials, ''[...] an aesthetic experience that I thought would've disappeared at this point'' (timestamp)

			Shenzhen I/O's manual and its contribution to the narrative ([https://github.com/JonathanLemke/shenzhen-io-translate/blob/master/SHENZHEN%20IO%20Manual%20(English).pdf here on GitHub)]

Thijshijsijsjss: Create page with short intro

2024-10-15T13:33:00Z

Create page with short intro

New page

* Listen to it [https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes here]

Designer Notes is 'a podcast on why we make' in which Soren Johnson (known for being the lead designer on Civilisation IV at Firaxis and founding indie studio Mohawk Games) interviews various people from the games industry.

I've listened to many episodes of this podcast. I find it is a great place for finding new insights, getting inspired, and grounding the game making experience. Here, I will highlight some key episodes for me.