The Unofficial PopCap PopCast

Isaac and Steve continue to grill and be grilled by Rich Werner, Matt Holmberg and Julie Thomas regarding the nexus of nonsense known as the Two Bells pub. 

Sandwiches are discussed, as are soups, billionaires and Narnia. Pull up a stool and join us!

CHAPTERS

00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Hello and Welcome
01:45  Previously on...
02:27  Duck Hunt
03:52  Pulse of Creativity
07:19  Favorite Item
15:56  Soups
20:57  Covid 
25:07  Pub at Piper's Creek
34:16  We'll Never Be Billionaires
38:59  A Two Bells Memory (or two)
47:00  Narnia
50:48  Cold Spots
52:33  Life After Death
55:38  This Beautiful Thing

Isaac and Steve push Zoom to the limit to babble about the legendary "PopCap South," otherwise known as the Two Bells Pub.

Plants vs. Zombies artists Rich Werner and Matt Holmberg team up with bartending superstar Julie Thomas for an unflinching sprint down memory lane. We dig up old memories of a beloved bar, examine them, and shake our collective heads at the sort of nonsense we used to get up to, all while celebrating a special place that meant so much to so many.

CHAPTERS

00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Hello and Welcome
02:27  Pop a Cap in Yer Ass
03:39  Vechey
04:50  Symbiotic
06:56  Back Tables
09:31  TTP
12:37  Belltown
14:02  Big Fish
16:46  Human Thing
19:22  Irish Noir Gangster
23:05  Some Kind of Disturbance
27:29  Meredith Storm
29:41  Smart Drinkers Drink Water
33:54  Two Bells Movie Night
36:26  Punks and Party Animals
40:05  Evil Disney Witch Ladies
46:31  That Third Place
49:30  Robo Dojo 
52:01  Pure Daylight
52:29  And On That

Steve, Isaac and Ace return for a scorching Part 2 discussion about Magic Powers, Zen Balls, game names, art styles, wild adventures and more Peggle and video game programming nerd stuff than a stick can be shaken at -- all these and more are talked about in this astounding episode. Rejoice!

CHAPTERS

00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Hello and Welcome
01:25  Previously On...
02:15  We Got a Hit On Our Hands
03:57  Magic Powers Need Identities
05:06  Zen Ball
07:39  Pego Mastery
11:28  Controlling the Bucket
13:53  A Game Called Peggle
14:24  Our Peggle's Better
15:53  How To Create A Peggle Level
24:24  White Room
25:13  Walked Out
30:59  An Original Idea
34:39  Art Style - Walter Wilson
39:12  Wild Adventuers and Stories
49:40  GoBit.com
50:10  Basically Burger Shop
54:43  Scoring Systems
56:33  Speedrunning
58:38  Ultra Extreme Grand Master
59:31  Replays
1:00:45  Everything Is Feeling Good
1:02:59  It's Better When Other People Like It

LINKS
Gobit Games
http://gobit.com

Isaac and Steve are hyped to chat with original Peggle programmer Ace "Brian" Rothstein.

Chatstuff includes working for Sierra Online, how Ace and the various PopCap founders met, several unpublished games, and a goodly chunk of a deep deep dive into the glory that is Peggle. Check it out!

CHAPTERS

00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Hello, Greetings and Bonjour
00:50  Ace "Brian" Rothstein
03:39  I Call Myself a Programmer
10:53  Sierra Online
13:53  How I Became Ace
17:46  Early PopCap
21:32  Ready to Join the Good Guys
25:00  Circle Shoot (Zuma)
34:16  Deep Thoughts
37:32  Punch Patrol
42:38  Foxy Poker
44:57  Peggle
54:06  That Fever Moment
1:02:20  The Brilliance of Peggle
1:02:39  Until Next Time

Isaac and Steve circle back to more salty goodness with Producer Matthew Lee Johnston. 

Discover how PvZ2 made the transition to Fremium, what EA CEO John Riccitello said to MLJ, plenty about game jams and indie games inside indie games, Make-a-Wish projects and oh so much more. Tune in... if you dare!

CHAPTERS
00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Greetings and welcome
00:39  Previously on...
03:11  PvZ2 Rapid Iteration Mode
05:32  Time Travel
07:53  Plant Food
11:59  Consumables
13:34  Fremium
16:57  My Kid Had This Great Idea
19:32  "Matt's really kinda f**kin' up, right?"
21:23  Business People Masquerading as Creative People
24:01  Back-stabby Ladder Climbing
27:47  Knock a Muthaf**ker Out
30:22  When 4th and Battery Got Killed
30:32  What Is 4th and Battery
35:41  Allied Star Police
39:18  Pop Camp
43:41  Imperfect Segue
45:30  Positive Mental Attitude
51:08  All Things Become Possible

LINKS
https://getthatpma.com

Isaac and Steve welcome skater, entrepreneur and former PopCap and Plants vs Zombies producer Matthew Lee Johnston to the show. 

Learn what a first day at PopCap was like, discover interwoven webs of perfectly hand-balanced dependencies, attend to the differences between "porting" a game and "adapting" it, and be apprised of the many ways that folks can fail to see eye to eye on the very same adaptation process. All that and a fair bit more on this week's episode of The Unofficial PopCap PopCast!

CHAPTERS
00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Hello, Greetings
00:48  Introducing Matthew Lee Johnston
01:41  Tricked Into Interviewing
07:41  What's a Producer?
10:08  Most Noteworthy Games
12:42  First Day at PopCap
24:07  PvZ Xbox
27:04  Controlling PvZ
30:37  Fundamental Disagreement
38:23  Couch Co-op
41:16  Perfectly Hand-Balanced Dependencies
45:06  Working "with" George Fan
48:55  Plants vs. Zombies 2
56:18  MLJ Part 1 Wrapup

LINKS

PMA Magazine
https://www.getthatpma.com/

Isaac and Steve greet a very special guest: writer and former PopCap Customer Support agent, Dana Sweeney!

Dana dishes dirt on how she got into PopCap, what life in the CS trenches was like, how a manager in Ireland stepped up, how she branched out from Customer Support, why she got one game-related tattoo but not another, and much, much, MUCH more! Oh, and we get a glimpse at a cat! Check it out... if you DARE.

CHAPTERS
00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Welcome and Bonjour
01:02  PopCap Community
02:41  Temping Into PopCap
04:41  Free Games
06:02  Supporting Customers
07:09  Kitty Break - Lovey!
07:37  Bonkers Emails
11:43  Surviving CS
19:40  Career Development
21:16  Stuck in a Role
22:21  Special Memories
23:17  Great Place to be a Nerdy Person
25:49  Double Down
27:39  Undead World
29:03  In a Band
29:59  Tattoos
31:00  PopCorn Dragon
31:41  Cancelling Games
33:39  Shift to Mobile
34:48  Dumped in a Trash Can
36:00  Lust For Tomorrow
40:34  Writing Advice
41:35  Final Thoughts 

LINKS
The Stronghold (Lust for Tomorrow & Trust In Tomorrow)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW4V2YCR

Matt Holmberg and Rich Werner! Two incredible Plants vs Zombies artists continue to blabble about games and more with Isaac & Steve.

Topics include but are not limited to: Conan the Barbarian, fast follows, premium vs. freemium, exploding books, industry dirt, how Rich got the PvZ art job, and what these magical creatures are doing RIGHT NOW. It's inadvisable to miss it, so don't!

CHAPTERS 
00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Bonjour and Greetings
01:37  Influences
11:04  Emotion in Games
20:15  Getting Into PvZ
29:44  Game Names
34:24  Making PvZ
36:18  Premium vs. Freemium
39:54  After PvZ
43:45  Sequels
45:24  PopCap QA
47:47  PvZ Hits (The Video)
53:03  Modern PvZ (PvZ 2026)
58:40  Exiting PopCap
1:07:35  Magical Creatures
1:14:59  Right Now
1:18:03  Until Next Time

LINKS

Gulf Guardian
https://gulfguardian.io

This Book Might Explode (Explodeyworld)
https://explodeyworld.com/

Rich Werner & Matt Holmberg! Two amazing Plants vs Zombies artists join Isaac & Steve to blabble about making games.

We talk art school, teen translation, different paths into gaming, what it's like to work on soullessly empty media tie-ins, how the magic of PNGs make everybody's lives 1000x easier, and oodles of other things! Tune in!

CHAPTERS

00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:19  Greetings
00:33  Early Inspirations
08:45  Getting Into Games
16:46  Interactive Entertainment
22:29  Sprout
29:50  Into PopCap
37:29  PopWar/Prince of Toys
47:18  Jank Animation
48:34  Tools
54:12  FT
55:26  Free Ball
58:27  Next Time: Part 2

Isaac & Steve launch into the legendary game-that-wasn't, Pig Up! Learn awful secrets about how indie games start, develop, show great promise, and get crushingly cancelled!

o0:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast
00:21  Hello
01:12  The Rise and Fall of Pig Up
02:20  Prologue - When Pigs Fly
09:59  Prototype - When Pigs Flap
28:59  Development Heaven - The Rise
45:51  The Apex - The Award
48:42  Development Heck - The Fall
58:02  Crash Landing - Final Score
1:06:11  Next Time

LINKS
Wired article: 
"Pig Up! Facebook Game Just Ruined Your Productivity" 
https://www.wired.com/2011/07/pig-up/