New Level Cap Podcast

Episode 29 (Recorded on July 22)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

Send your questions here: https://forms.gle/5UN3AHay437FkDE28

“Inspiration in Design”

Summary:

What inspires you? Brad and Marco bring in Julian for a talk about what influences affect our game design and world building. What things did we take from to make the world of Indines? What are the state of our current game projects? All these and more in this episode!

When we design, our influences are often numerous. For example, the World of Indines itself drew a decent chunk from properties like Final Fantasy, Fullmetal Alchemist, and even Harry Potter!

Inspiration, whether we like it or not, is often the impetus we have when entering any creative endeavor.

It is therefore important to be aware of one's possible sources of inspiration; not only to have a "reserve" of cool ideas, but also to avoid simply copying what already exists.

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 28 (Recorded on July 17)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

Send your questions here: https://forms.gle/5UN3AHay437FkDE28

“Reads VS Logic”

Summary:

Brad and Marco discuss the concepts of reading and logic in the context of fighting games, especially our games: EXCEED and BattleCON. Is one better than the other? Listen to this episode and find out!

Reads-based players are often characterized by playing moves after guessing what the opponent’s move is. The point is that they play on mix-ups and capitalize on opponents being predictable.

Logic-based players don’t have time for those things. They play the best card in the correct situation. They tend to like overly safe moves and “punish” people for not playing “optimally.”

It’s an understanding of your player and your game. Reads VS Logic might not be the paradigms your game revolves around, but the mere identification of the paradigms in your game is important.

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 27 (Recorded on July 10)Pre-order Empyreal: https://tinyurl.com/BuyEmpyrealEmpyreal Video: https://youtu.be/giFNjBpqiGw

Send your questions here: https://forms.gle/5UN3AHay437FkDE28

“Empyreal Discussion”

Summary:

Marco and Brad bring on Trey, designer of Empyreal, to talk about the game's current status and when it's shipping. Listen to this episode for fun, weird board game pitches, and Marco constantly calling people the wrong name!

Empyreal's factory proof came in and it looks great. You can watch Brad and Trey unpack it here: https://youtu.be/x5PzHnl0vdo

Empyreal should be hitting your doorstep by October, based on our estimates.

There were some decently major gameplay changes made to Empyreal in the last update (such as preventing you from building your 3rd row until the 2nd row is finished). These were done to facilitate a better and more fun game experience.

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 26 (Recorded on July 2)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

Send your questions here: https://forms.gle/5UN3AHay437FkDE28

“Lore Mailbag”

Summary:

Marco brings in lore master Julian to answer some of your hot-baked lore questions! We discuss the "core principles" of the World of Indines and get to the hard-hitting questions such as "Who would win in a fight between Greyheart, Malephaise, or Batman with infinite prep time?"

As a world, Indines tends to bring focus on a character's individuality. Each character is unique and has their own stories to tell.

In line with this, Indines also highlights that one's alignment or virtue is a choice one makes. There's no such thing as an "evil" race. Individuals are good or bad based on their actions. Everyone can be redeemed, but everyone can fall, too!

This brings us to the last point. Characters aren't static. They evolve and change, much like real people do. The annoying snot-nosed bratty character in one game could easily be the "wise sage" a few games down the line.

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 25 (Recorded on June 25)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

“Development Burnout”

Summary:

Marco and Brad answer a listener question about burnout. What is burnout and how is it "plaguing" our modern world today? How does it apply to the work of game development? What are the things we can do to help deal with and avoid it? All these and more on this episode!

Burnout is something that anyone who has worked will understand. Frustrations and stress build up to the point where you no longer feel like continuing.

In our work, this often comes during the development phase, where a lot of work is put into constant iteration and the testing of said iterations.

Ultimately, it's important to remember that work, even game-related, isn't all there is to life. A balanced, healthy lifestyle can help avoid burnout. However, should you actually need help dealing with it, there is absolutely no shame in seeking help from a medical professional.

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 24 (Recorded on June 17)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

“Design & Development”

Summary:

Marco and Brad try out something new. In this episode, we answer a fan-submitted question about design & development. How does the development process affect a game's design/concept? Does a design get shaped by the development process? Find out by listening!

In short, one of the main reasons behind development is to help iron-out the game's design.

Many of our playtesters will be able to tell you that some things in our games exist primarily because they found/pioneered an emergent strategy that was kept by the development team.

While this can be good, a lack of clarity can lead to a lot of confusion and lost direction.

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 23 (Recorded on June 12)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

“Licensing Expo”

Summary:

Brad’s back from Licensing Expo! Marco’s here to ask all the hot-baked questions about what happened. Who did they talk to? What’s a Licensing Expo? What happens there? Will we make Trolls EXCEED? Find out by listening!

Licensing Expo is an event where brand-owners talk to manufacturers.

Given that we’re in the board gaming space, things can be quite tough, considering that most brand-owners expect you to produce a large number of units.

We talked to a lot of brands, including Konami, the Rubik’s Cube people, Dark Horse, and more!

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 22 (Recorded on April 16)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

“Future Development”

Summary:

Brad and Marco go to a simpler time, where our podcast was more about updates and us rambling about Level 99 Games for a bit. In this episode, we discuss EXCEED licenses, future game development, as well as our hopes for some Level 99 Games products.

EXCEED is going to be receiving yearly releases with each release being around 12-14 characters.

To help with this, we've also begun creating dev tools to help in creating and balancing our games, including an EXCEED card interaction simulator.

We're excited for the future of Level 99 Games, including Pixel Tactics Adventure, our new EXCEED Seasons, and much more!

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Episode 21 (Recorded on May 28)OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3aDISCORD LINK (ORGANIZED PLAY): https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

“BattleCON Rules Talk”

Summary:

Brad and Marco give you a sneak peek into the things we're doing for BattleCON Unleashed. This includes exciting fixes and clarifications to the rules and graphic design of the game. Plus, listen to find out how trying to create the "final" version of a game can be challenging, but rewarding!

Given that this is a good chance for us to do so, we're doing a wording and templating pass across most, if not all, BattleCON's cards.

The goal of these changes are mostly to improve the game's clarity and consistency. We want you to not have to wonder about how an effect resolves, so that you can get back to playing ASAP.

We're standardized a lot of the wording and have included new Keywords that are just more intuitive. For example, "move directly" is now called "Teleport", easily conveying the type of movement it actually is!

This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!

You can also just visit our page on some popular podcasting apps: Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify.

Music provided by Wesley Slover

Join our Discord (for Organized Play) here: https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj

OFFICIAL Newsletter: https://lvl99games.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=04f7e7faf4142bab287bb1d50&id=089a873e3a

Summary:

Marco brings in lore extraordinaire, Julian, to talk about the importance of stories in games as well as the challenges behind bringing the lore of BattleCON together. Ever wondered who'd make a great buddy cop duo? How about the nature of jeans in Indines? Listen to find out!

-Story can provide context, reward, and investment in a game. Making sure you have an interesting and engaging story is key to getting players into your game.

-BattleCON Unleashed and the grand chronicle have led to the need for the scattered Indines lore to finally be collected. There's a lot of things, and not everything will "make the cut" so to speak.

-There's a lot of things we never expected or even realized, including small tidbits like a large number of our characters being actually fan-made!

All images belong to their rightful owners and we do not claim ownership over them!

VISIT THE LEVEL 99 GAMES WEBSITE FOR MORE COOL CONTENT: https://www.level99games.com/

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