Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch

In this episode, we discuss sassy toddlers, short shorts, and boss fights. Boss fights need to hit you right in the feels. You’ve built up the mechanics and the stakes and the story leading up to thi…

This week, we talk about naive enthusiasm, maintenance challenges, and process intricacies. Every aspect of game dev boils down to a technical process. Each artistic decision requires integration, an…

In this episode, we discuss sneak attack, strategic miscalculation, and the integration problem. Making a tree sprite is easy, but making it meaningful in the game is tough. Does it drop resources? H…

This week, we talk about the Game Changer, the Google debacle, and general artificial intelligence. Knowing the truth and saying something else is lying. But what if you don’t care what the truth is?…

In this episode, we discuss Steam Nextfest, demo numbers, and the game dev gamut. Some parts of game dev are pure joy, while others, while essential, are a real headache.  The tradeoff of getting to …

This week, we talk about Palworld, box art, and information transparency. Figuring out how much information to give to players is crucial. Too much information can overwhelm, while too little can fru…

In this episode, we discuss time progressions, demo feedback, and friction mechanics. Players are always hollering for the removal of friction mechanics to make gameplay faster and smoother. But thos…

This week, we talk about demo shenanigans, sound design, and player feedback. Seasoned players and newcomers have very different experiences of the same game. When getting feedback, devs need to be c…

Surprise! You’re getting your Coffee with Butterscotch a day early this week because the Crashlands 2 demo is going LIVE! Let’s talk ALL ABOUT IT! We dive into the origins, the journey, and also what…

This week, we talk about corporate shenanigans, studio closures, and shareholder value.  Having a successful game and a great track record doesn’t protect a studio from closing if a corporation’s fin…

In this episode, we discuss life lessons, game bundles, and constraints. When you first start out in game dev, early projects have more constraints. Your team might have limitations in technical skil…

This week, we talk about the Crashlands 2 demo, Fallout TV, and meaningful dialogue. Engaging in discussion with thoughtful people who hold different views can expand your perspective and deepen your…

In this episode, we discuss AI News, tech demos, and change management. It’s hard to unlearn old habits and adopt new practices. Resistance is natural when you disrupt the comfort of routine and comm…

This week, we talk about childhood games, the Game Changer, and DIY podcast setups. You don’t need top of the line audio equipment to get a good audio recording. After all, it’s not about the cost of…

In this episode, we discuss an unexpected earthquake, Crashlands nostalgia, and keyboard accessibility. Making a game accessible to a global audience isn’t just about localizing the text. Like, have …

This week, we talk about the Crashlands 2 announcement trailer, now in Chinese! Then we discuss web games and security measures. Platform review processes are like door locks. They won’t stop a skill…

In this episode, we discuss developer preferences, reviews, and opinionated tools. External tools often have a lot of opinions on how, exactly, they should be used, which translates into opinions on …

This week, we talk about live service games, the door problem, and input design. How does a player interact with a game and how does the game interpret player action? This design constraint influence…

In this episode, we discuss ethical hunting, silent crashes, and iterative design. The process of iterative design is more than just tweaking code; it’s about creating a fast feedback loop between tr…

This week, we talk about achievement design, adapting video games, and robot wars. 

In the flood of sponsored content and AI-generated clutter, large language models are now learning from the noise th…