The Debug Log

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater;

Had a game but couldn't beat her;

He got a GameShark in the mail,;

And then he beat it very well!

We all know them very well. Hell, sometimes when pushed against a wall (or die one too many times while playing GoldenEye 007), we become them. Cheaters. There are countless reasons as to 'why' people cheat, as well as 'how,' and in this episode the hosts touch on a few of them. During the show, Zack, Eduardo, Ryan, Obinna, and Andrew really zero-in on a developer's approach on how to handle cheaters in games.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send us any questions or comments to: [email protected]

In this episode the fellas sit down and talk about best practices for maintaining motivation for your project during the game development life cycle. No matter where you may find yourself in your game dev career, whether you're brand new to game development or a seasoned vet, this episode is sure to leave you with a few nuggets of wisdom that you can apply.

Cheers for tuning in this week and we hope that you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any emails with comments, questions, and concerns about maintaining motivation in game dev, to: [email protected]

Increasing player acquisition, retention, and optimizing development time are three of the top priorities for most game developers. In this episode we bring you a solution to help you solve the aforementioned problems, in addition to allow you to save player's progress in the cloud and make your game multiplayer. It sounds great, right? Well, it is.

This week we are talking about Google Play Services. This extremely useful suite of services allow you to have global and social leaderboards in your game, and make it easier for players to invite their friends to play. It also offers a very straightforward way to create challenges and quests that will keep players engaged and coming back for more. In this episode we not only explain Google Play Services’ features and benefits, we take it a step further, and talk about some of the game design decisions that you will have to make when integrating these services into your game.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send us any questions or comments to: [email protected]

The holy grail for any iOS game developer is have their game featured on the front page of the App Store. Whether it's in a coveted "Best of.." spot or as a deeper cut in a creative sub-category, App Store attention converts to downloads. Downloads convert to dollars. It's not a coincidence that the most successful games in App Store history have all been heavily featured.

This week on the show we talk about an incredible reddit post we found by Amir Rajan, the developer of the iOS port of "A Dark Room". In the post, Rajan lays out a step-by-step guide to help give your game the best chance for being featured in the iOS App Store. I know iOS might be a bad word for some of you, but fear not; Rajan's post, and this episode, are chocked full of so much great, general game development advice that you might not be able to handle it.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send us any questions or comments to: [email protected]

That's right folks, it's time for another edition of "Rapid-Fire Roundup". This week Eduardo gives us the skinny on Unity's in-development input system, Zack dives deep into the differences between two of his favorite games, Obinna tells all about the latest in pizza ordering AI technology, and finally Andrew wraps up the discussion with a collection of stories including one about a game jam on a train. All that and more on this episode of The Debug Log.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any stories you want to hear us cover in the next "Rapid-Fire Roundup", to: [email protected]

Getting a job in the game development industry is a dream for many people, a challenge for others, and a fulfilled goal for some lucky ones. This episode is about helping you get the job that you are looking for and to help you become a game developer. This time the team gives tips, do’s and don’ts that will help you master a job interview in the game development industry. Of course, we speak from our experience, there is no formula that you can follow to get a job. However, there are many best practices that can help you through the interview process. Thanks to Ryan and Obinna, we were able to speak not only from the point of view of the interviewee, but also from an interviewer stand point so, check out The Debug Log Episode 29.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any emails with comments, questions, and concerns about game dev interviews, to: [email protected]

Introducing first... from the rich, ruby red corner. Weighing in at $1.5+ million dollars. He hails from the beautiful, but volatile Silicon Valley. With over 52 published games, five top grossing, and only seven defeats! He IS the former heavyweight champion of the world, TRIPLE-A GAME DEVELOPMENT!

In the broke, blue corner. Weighing in at $200 and a gift card to GameStop. Hailing from a hot, two-car garage in the middle of nowhere. With a pixel perfect game in its alpha stages, a monthly subscription to Lynda.com, and a successful Kickstarter in the works! He IS the challenger, a.k.a Señor Success, a.k.a the Voice of the People... INDIE GAME DEVELOPMENT!

Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

In this episode, the guys sit down and discuss the pros and cons to both AAA and Indie game development. There are a lot of great nuggets strewn throughout the discussion, so we're sure you will enjoy!

Bugs?!?! Ewwwww, gross! It's no secret that most people are not overly fond of bugs. If bugs happen to invade your home you can always call the Orkin Man, if they invade your game, however, you have to take care of them yourself.

Debugging is something every developer has to come to terms with. From the beginning of a project to well after the game is released, debugging is something we do almost everyday. The Debug Crew does it so much, in fact, that it even inspired the name of this podcast. On today's episode we break down what a bug actually is, the tools you'll need to take them on, and best practices that'll make your debugging process as efficient as possible.

Cheers to you for tuning in to this week's episode and we hope that you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any emails with comments, questions, or concerns about game design documents or the game design process, to: [email protected]

Ahhh GDC. A magical time where game developers gather from across the land to share their ideas, innovations, and a few drinks. Or perhaps several drinks. In the year of VR it has been a noteworthy conference. Join us as we discuss the interesting news from Unity and the rest of the game industry.

If you'd like us to discuss something in particular in the coming month, send us an email at: [email protected] and we will be sure to work it into our next episode of Rapid-Fire Roundup.

Game of the Week:

Her Story - Sam Barlow

You’ve sent letters! You’ve emailed! You’ve snail-mailed! You’ve smoke-signaled for it! You’ve asked, and we’ve delivered! Actually, you did none of the above… but we are adding a brand new podcast segment entitled, “Rapid-Fire Roundup” where the hosts collect a handful of the latest game dev articles as well as questions from the TDL and game development community at large and talk shop.

What’s the latest in Unity’s newest patch? What are the must-attend game developer conferences this year? What VR/AR headset should I invest in? These are some of the rapid fire discussions you can expect to happen during this brand new segment.

If you’d like us to discuss something in particular in the coming month, send us an email at: [email protected] and we will be sure to work it into our next episode of Roundtable Rapid Fire.

Game of the Week:

SUPERHOT – SUPERHOT Team