http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ Gamasutra Blogs Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:01:24 EST en-us scarless@think-services.com (Simon Carless) http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120208/9387/The_Devil_Is_in_the_Details_of_Action_RPGs__Part_One_The_Logistics_of_Loot.php Game Design In this first of several parts aimed at Action RPG design, I examine the use of loot as a motivator. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120208/9387/The_Devil_Is_in_the_Details_of_Action_RPGs__Part_One_The_Logistics_of_Loot.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:27:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BenjaminQuintero/20120208/9390/Xbox_LIVE_Indie_Games_at_it_Again.php Console/PC There has been a lot of buzz (again) around Microsoft's attempts to bury anything under their Dashboard that isn't a Zune or Doritos advertisement. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BenjaminQuintero/20120208/9390/Xbox_LIVE_Indie_Games_at_it_Again.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:02:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TimothyRyan/20120207/8779/Merging_Waterfall_and_SCRUM.php Production,Console/PC How to marry both methods of scheduling and the benefits of doing both http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TimothyRyan/20120207/8779/Merging_Waterfall_and_SCRUM.php Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:15:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MikeArcuri/20120207/9377/Business_Post_Mortem_Wolf_Toss_Prelaunch_Planning__Blended_CAC.php Business,Smartphone/Tablet This post first covers our goals for the game and the promotion budget we set to achieve them. Then it discusses our strategy for standing out in a crowded field and our results. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MikeArcuri/20120207/9377/Business_Post_Mortem_Wolf_Toss_Prelaunch_Planning__Blended_CAC.php Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:56:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WesleyPaugh/20120206/9375/Minmaxing__Is_turnbased_fun_anymore.php Game Design Are turn-based games less fun when a programmer does his best to win? http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WesleyPaugh/20120206/9375/Minmaxing__Is_turnbased_fun_anymore.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:14:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BrentKnowles/20120206/9368/PRICED_TO_DIE.php Business,Indie,Smartphone/Tablet This is a repost from a recent article on my blog that generated some interesting discussion. It discusses app development as well as the new surge in self published fiction. Original post is here: http://blog.brentknowles.com/2012/01/20/priced-to-die http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BrentKnowles/20120206/9368/PRICED_TO_DIE.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:11:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ScottAnderson/20120205/2739/What_happened_with_Shadow_Physics_An_Introduction.php Business,Game Design,Production,Console/PC,Indie First in a series of posts about the development of the cancelled indie game Shadow Physics http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ScottAnderson/20120205/2739/What_happened_with_Shadow_Physics_An_Introduction.php Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:33:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DustinClingman/20120204/9359/Developers_Deserve_Residual_Royalties.php Recent discussions bring the question of royalties existing beyond the current Publisher Studio model. If you are part of a team that creates a massive success, should you continue to benefit once you've moved on from that studio? http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DustinClingman/20120204/9359/Developers_Deserve_Residual_Royalties.php Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:26:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120203/9357/Examining_The_Concept_of_the_quotAntiCoopquot_Experience.php Game Design Is there more to cooperative games then being cooperative? Today's post takes a look at another form of "working together." http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120203/9357/Examining_The_Concept_of_the_quotAntiCoopquot_Experience.php Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:56:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TylerYork/20120202/9353/Sixteen_and_a_half_cents.php Business,Social/Online A recent article about Zynga's customer lifetime value game us some insight into their metrics. Using some back of the napkin math, we calculated that casual social games currently make only sixteen and a half cents per player per month. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TylerYork/20120202/9353/Sixteen_and_a_half_cents.php Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:33:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CraigEllsworth/20120208/9391/Meandering_Ramblings_From_the_Tabletop.php Game Design Wherein I babble about board games and videogames, friends and strangers, roleplaying and abstraction, and ultimately wonder if it's possible to create a single-player board game the way we create single-player videogames. Know any? http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CraigEllsworth/20120208/9391/Meandering_Ramblings_From_the_Tabletop.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:26:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/PatFlannery/20120208/9389/Game_Dev_Therapy_Advice_For_Aspiring_Developers.php Game Design So you want to get started making your own video games, eh? Well there’s a few things that you should know before you dive headfirst into what is a vast and deep ocean of possibilities. Let this article, along with our advice compilation video, guide you. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/PatFlannery/20120208/9389/Game_Dev_Therapy_Advice_For_Aspiring_Developers.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:27:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MariaSifnioti/20120208/9385/Game_Usability_Testing_for_Indies_Its_Easier_than_you_Might_Think_Part_1.php Game Design,Production,Indie,Smartphone/Tablet Tips in doing usability sessions for your mobile game, from our indie studio. This is Part 1 in "Games Usability for Indies" and deals with hardware and software equipment. We give examples from A Clockwork Brain, our most recent game for iOS. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MariaSifnioti/20120208/9385/Game_Usability_Testing_for_Indies_Its_Easier_than_you_Might_Think_Part_1.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GuyRedwood/20120208/9383/What_are_the_top_ten_features_for_mobile_games.php Game Design,Smartphone/Tablet In just over 10 years mobile gaming has gone from Snake II on a Nokia 3310 to a multi-billion dollar industry, but what makes a handset or tablet-based game great? What problems can hinder the experience? Usability experts SimpleUsability found out. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GuyRedwood/20120208/9383/What_are_the_top_ten_features_for_mobile_games.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:37:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EricSchwarz/20120208/9382/A_World_Without_Reckoning.php Game Design,Console/PC Kingdoms of Amalur provides players with a huge world to explore, but its sheer scale comes at a cost to the quality of the experience. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EricSchwarz/20120208/9382/A_World_Without_Reckoning.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:41:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RobLockhart/20120208/9381/Lean_Games.php Game Design An essay on how lean principles might be applied to a particular style of game design and development. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RobLockhart/20120208/9381/Lean_Games.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:30:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CraigEllsworth/20120207/9380/The_Gamers_Paradox_The_Journey_and_the_Destination.php Game Design Our culture often teaches us that games are meant to be won, and the enjoyment in the moment is incidental. If we want games to rise as an art form, we need to reverse that. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CraigEllsworth/20120207/9380/The_Gamers_Paradox_The_Journey_and_the_Destination.php Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:32:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JorgeDiaz/20120206/9379/Understanding_Bad_Habits_in_Game_Design.php Game Design Bad habits are a part of every day life and are developed subconsciously as a result of routine actions. One day I sought out to understand the types of bad habits that are specific to game design. Enlisting the help of my peers this is what I arrived at. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JorgeDiaz/20120206/9379/Understanding_Bad_Habits_in_Game_Design.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:48:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BenSullivan/20120206/9378/Pick_Your_Players_Poison.php Game Design,Console/PC How to handle player failure in games is a topic often written about, and even more often debated at great length. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BenSullivan/20120206/9378/Pick_Your_Players_Poison.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:04:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GregHolsclaw/20120206/9374/Eradicate_Week_16_Game_MapUI_Progression.php Sometimes seeing the progression of the game via snapshots speaks volumes. Here are seven gameplay screenshots spanning the last four months of development (prototype to near final design) on our Eradicate project at Skejo Studios (www.skejo.com). http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GregHolsclaw/20120206/9374/Eradicate_Week_16_Game_MapUI_Progression.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:53:00 EST