Michael Brough

Michael Brough

@smestorp.bsky.social

good wizard

2,162 Followers 329 Following 236 Posts Joined Oct 2023
1 day ago
Preview
GDC Thoughts and Prayers - Meredith Gran I’m home! Let’s see if I can zero in on the stuff I really wanna say. I was up for an award I was sure I wouldn’t win. I did not write an acceptance

I'm home and I've written a bit on my blog about post-GDC feelings:

meredithgran.com/gdc-thoughts...

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2 weeks ago

A machine is more blameless, more sinless even than any animal. It has no intentions whatsoever but our own.

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2 weeks ago
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👾‼️ Play the highly anticipated 868-BACK demo in Steam Next Fest - AVAILABLE NOW!

Your mission: dismantle capitalism one computer server at a time.

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3 weeks ago
Preview
The Secret Lives of Games: All Systems Brough - Kompendium We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), and Harry Lee Shang Lun (Earthrise One) for the third title in our year of All Systems Brough...

All Systems Brough - Kompendium

Doug is joined by @droqen.bsky.social, @ellaguro.bsky.social, and @leeshanglun.com to discuss the 3rd game in our yearlong coverage of @smestorp.bsky.social's work.

A compendium of 9(??) 1v1 games!

secretlives.games/all-systems-...

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1 month ago
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👾 ANNOUNCING 868-BACK!
Dismantle capitalism one server at a time in this computer-hacking strategy roguelike game by Michael Brough!

Play the free demo in Steam Next Fest on Feb. 23rd!
Wishlist on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/...

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1 month ago

*rings dinner bell* yall come eat
Can't wait till you read the non social headline

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1 month ago
Preview
Kompendium This is an album of nine 2-player local-multiplayer games: Exuberant Struggle , March Eternal , Ora et Labora , Twilight Beacon , Capricio...

In prep for the podcast, I just played @smestorp.bsky.social's KOMPENDIUM again for the first time in ~13 years.

omfg it's sooooooo good. Sorry roguelikers, but I'm convinced that this is Michael's best game.

Must-play collection of 9+ 1v1 games.
mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/komp...

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1 month ago
Preview
The Secret Lives of Games: All Systems Brough - Vertex Dispenser We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Darius Kazemi (Tiny Subversions, Harvard Applied Social Media Lab), and Tara Macalister (mathematician, composer) to discuss Vertex Disp...

All Systems Brough - Vertex Dispenser

Rob and Andy are joined by @droqen.bsky.social, @tinysubversions.bsky.social, and Tara Macalister to discuss the second game in our yearlong coverage of @smestorp.bsky.social's work.

secretlives.games/all-systems-...

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1 month ago
YouTube
868-Hack Announcement Trailer YouTube video by GameSpot Trailers

Listening to the 868-HACK episode of @secretlivesofgames.bsky.social where Doug recommends the 2015 release trailer which I’d never seen and oh wow 🤣❤️ youtu.be/PRTSoVxxElQ?... @smestorp.bsky.social 👏👏👏

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1 month ago

oh man i can try again, i do not understand why it isn’t there now i did all the things

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2 months ago

it‘s absolutely 3d, you have to line up from the side view and the top view to shoot a target and it’s super confusing moving on 3 axes in 2 different views

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2 months ago

it's "internet meme language" for reminisce about a thing from your childhood

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2 months ago
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE
FLIGHTMARE: THE ULTIMATE EXPEDITION INTO HORROR
STARRING PETER ADAMS
COPYRIGHT 1984
PRESS THE SPACE BAR TO BEGIN LINED UP WITH MOTORCYCLE GET THOSE SLIME FACED HALF WITS DOCK WITH BLIMP

post a game you remember playing that nobody else remembers

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3 months ago

One thing you will never think after reading a great book or listening to a great album or seeing a great piece of art is, “I’m really glad this person remained cautious while they were making this and guarded against being perceived as weird.”

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2 months ago

point is reducing interface complexity by not having too many controls, so no (but maybe they have aoe attacks or something that can affect diagonal tiles without extra inputs)

enemies don't have inputs so they can do whatever

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2 months ago

enemies move freely on diagonals, player orthogonal-only

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2 months ago

i miss those libraries of aotearoa, they're pretty very good

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2 months ago
Preview
Cinco Paus by Michael Brough Available for Windows, macOS

ATTENTION BSKY: in celebration of Cinco Paus Day's Eve, please message me if you'd like a free copy of the best game ever made. :)

smestorp.itch.io/cinco-paus

Also TSLOG are doing an amazing series of podcasts on Michael's games:
eggplant.show

PLEASE REPOST! OR RE-SKEET! WHATEVER IT'S CALLED!! :)

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2 months ago
Two panel image

Top panel is a door, the hero, an enemy, and a chest right next to each other. This is labeled "GAME"

Bottom panel is the same except large empty spaces have been placed between the hero, the enemy, and the chest. This is labeled "GAME (open world)"
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2 months ago
White sweatshirt with 50 magic sigils from the game cinco paus drawn on it White sweatshirt with 50 magic sigils from the game cinco paus drawn on it Drawing in progress of White sweatshirt with 50 magic sigils from the game cinco paus

I made myself a Cinco Paus shirt. Fifty magic sigils 🤘🤘

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2 months ago
Preview
The Secret Lives of Games: All Systems Brough - 868-HACK We're joined by Shawn Alexander Allen (Beatdown City Survivors), Cole Wehrle (Root), and Drew Wehrle (Pax Pamir) to discuss the first title in our year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: ...

All Systems Brough - 868-HACK

Nick, Doug, Rob, Sarah, and Andy are joined by @shawndoublea.bsky.social, @colewehrle.bsky.social, and @wehrlegig.games to discuss the first game in our yearlong series covering @smestorp.bsky.social's work.

secretlives.games/all-systems-...

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2 months ago

right?
* get clippy to fill in ten thousand generic npc barks to make a game, incidentally destroy a swathe of land
* get michael to make a game that doesn’t even need that shit

oh no i can’t choose

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2 months ago

how are guys saying it costs hundreds of millions to make a game, in broad daylight, largely unchallenged. eeeeeverything is cheaper to do than it's ever been. these dipshits who happen to have $300m they're too dumb to spend well would be annihilated overnight if indies could ever access a mil

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2 months ago

we’re indie game dads and that’s what counts

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3 months ago

Caves of Qud update: poured warm static on my dog, it turned into a dromad trader that comes with guards and items. They are all my dog, the whole trade party and merchandise. I convinced my dog to sell me my dog for free while my dog, my dog, my dog and my dog were standing guard.

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2 months ago

professional is for when they're paying you :)

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3 months ago
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3 months ago

So, “Order of the Sinking Star” by Thekla was just announced, which takes several small free games (two of which are mine) and gives them a major graphical upgrade and mashes up their rulesets. I haven’t been very involved but it’s a great concept and looks cool.

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3 months ago
Preview
868-HACK on Steam You are a computer hacker. You steal precious data while the world sleeps.

One week left until the recording of our 868-HACK episode, the first installment of All Systems Brough, a year-long (monthly) exploration of the work of @smestorp.bsky.social.

It’s not too late to play along with us!

store.steampowered.com/app/274700/8...

apps.apple.com/us/app/868-h...

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