Stefan Sain Lopuszanski ➡️ Spiel Essen

Says not Pillars of the Earth though?

Are all these things still true 6+ months later?

Reserved tables for Unpub at PAX Unplugged are now on sale! 

unpub.org/paxunplugged

(1/2) 🧵 Mortdog Dev Podcast Update #TFT >>>

AUG 19 - Until further notice, there will be no more Walk the Dog episodes.

I do want to say that anyone who watched even a single episode, I appreciate the hell out of you. This felt like the best way for me

Most experts acknowledge that a takeover by artificial intelligence is coming for the video game industry within the next five years, and executives have already started preparing to restructure their companies in anticipation. After all, it was one of the first sectors to deploy A.I. programming in the 1980s, with the four ghosts who chase Pac-Man each responding differently to the player's real-time movements.

This is an insane thing to write about game development. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/a...

A lot of people come into the games industry and pretty soon develop a cynical attitude that the industry is largely run by business guys who don't know a thing about video games. It's only after a few years and some seniority that you realize that those guys don't know shit about business either.

And the reason I'm so against meta progression in general is because it is a form of cognitive manipulation. It makes people play more than they would without it. That's why most live service games do it. It doesn't necessarily make for a better experience. Just more addictive.

Many do love meta progression, but at least they should have more options to disable it or auto-unlock it. For accessibility too.

To me grinding should be optional, especially as people become more time crunched IRL.

Ofc the genre mismatch is there, but that's secondary imo.

And I did mention the difficulty settings, but they are very poorly implemented in Civ. Overall it was the biggest factor for me to dislike it, especially because the previous entries worked fine without it.

Meta progression to me feels like a crutch design. Binding vs Rogue Legacy highlights that.

YouTube video by Game Maker's Toolkit (Retired) Should Roguelikes Have Persistent Upgrades? | Game Maker's Toolkit

I understand the pattern, I'm just not a fan of it. GMTK's original (and now unlisted video) talked about it but he felt it was too opinion based so he re-did it.

Some rogue-lites skirt around it with options to disable it or auto-unlock stuff. That's a better solve to me.

youtu.be/eXEQ8VBqXBY

I disagree. Unlocking options I could see an argument for, but unlocking pure power results in an inverted difficulty curve. You learn & get better at the game while also gaining power. Maybe if the difficulty settings mattered much, but the AI is horrible. I don't like mistaking power for skill.

Yeah, some content is locked behind playing games to get them. And it is power too. Just a very weird design choice.

The meta stuff was what broke it for me. Get that out of a Civilization game that locks content and reduces exploration and discovery.

The Ages I liked but I get why others were not a fan.

Most Civ games need an expansion to feel good anyway... The console focus hurt it too.

I just stumbled upon a note comparing all 3 of us as looking very similar from 14 years ago... (bringing me to this post when I was trying to find an image of you two together). Really sad he died and so young too.

Funny how you just need to break some angles to turn kitchen environment into a spaceship.

The No Kings protest was massive! Historic turnout across the country. Shoutout to all the cities and towns that showed up in force:

@charliebrooker.bsky.social : Is there any chance you can get @netflix.com to release Bandersnatch somehow? Online only, a freebie to entice Netflix viewers, or even to just archive it? It is very close to my heart being a game dev named Stefan also struggling with mental health issues. Thanks. <3

Nice! And that many from @caseyyano.bsky.social ? Impressive! (Where is Anthony?)

Wouldn't you need more fingers and/or ultra clear skin with a hint of bloom?

As a game dev studying and working on an auto-battler, these videos are one of the highlights of my day. I'm so glad @riotmortdog.bsky.social does these despite it being for a niche audience. Much respect for one of the most passionate and dedicated devs I've ever seen!

One of my favorites. Wish there were more "ah-ha" moment / "it was here the whole time" games. I've been going through lots of them recently like Tunic, Void Stranger, Witness, Fez, and more. But always looking for suggestions on what to play next.

I reached out to them years ago, but I guess they didn't want to relive the trauma and wanted to put the past behind them.

Sign the Petition Netflix Just Deleted Bandersnatch - Help Preserve This Cultural and Interactive Landmark

If you care about this issue too there's a petition you can sign.

www.change.org/p/netflix-ju...

Netflix removed Bandersnatch, an interactive Black Mirror show about a game designer named Stefan who struggles with mental health issues (hits close to home).

I canceled my ~13 year @netflix.com subscription because of it. Removing media, especially ones where you own the IP, is not okay.

There's a lot not even talked about in that video that I've heard from direct sources back in the day and again at GDC over the years. It is pretty bad.

The things I've heard about him behind the scenes too... Lots not even covered in that video... 😬

In yesterday's episode we included a review of Dungeon Crawl Classics. It has since come to our attention that Goodman Games is supporting a publisher that has repeatedly expressed hate. We oppose this decision and withdraw any recommendations for DCC. Please do not support GG or Judges Guild.

Ra?... One of my favorites!

The Road to Summerfall - Part 3

I haven't talked a lot about the two years I spent at Beamdog (between 2016 and 2018) mainly because, well, ultimately nothing came of it. I worked on two projects, both of which ended up cancelled. Still, I think the time I spent there was ultimately worthwhile.

Awesome! I remember campaigning for Bernie all day on my birthday exactly 9 years ago today. What only could have been...