A Game Dev Podcast With Jonas Tyroller

tyrollerjonas

A game dev podcast for (aspiring) indie game developers, hosted by a "professional". (I am behind the Steam titles Thronefall, ISLANDERS, and Will You Snail.) Because I don’t rely on the show for income, the vibe is relaxed with minimal monetization. We focus on hands-on indie development and occasionally branch into broader game-dev topics. Episodes are also available in video on YouTube.

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  1. 4일 전

    Making a Competitive Strategy Game Survive

    This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Youge Wen, aka. "Bearlike", the lead developer of my favorite strategy game Mechabellum, published by Dreamhaven, the publisher and developer founded by Blizzard's Mike Morhaime. We talk about the death spiral for online multiplayer games, game design, balancing for Mechabellum and exchange some advice with each other. Links to my Guest ➤ Play Mechabellum on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/669330/Mechabellum/ Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): ➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/ 0:00 - Intro 0:43 - Jonas on Mechabellum; how it was made? 1:13 - Two-person start in 2017; Mahjong/poker prototypes 4:53 - No moving units, Go’s influence, fixing Round 1 snowball 8:36 - Avoiding RTS snowball: equal income and reborn units 11:36 - Unity choice; simple, low-latency networking design 16:04 - Should you make a competitive auto-battler? (Don’t) 19:26 - Live service pain and the death spiral 22:16 - One bad update can kill an indie PvP game 25:02 - Balancing philosophy: define goals, fun over variety 27:45 - Double red/green: when to nerf (win rate vs pick rate) 31:10 - Unit design with spreadsheets; emergent counters & guidelines 37:16 - Counters without tags; armor experiments and why they failed 41:27 - Tech design, tradeoffs, complexity vs fun; balancing techs 46:56 - If you insist on PvP auto-battlers: know your goals 49:50 - Technical constraints and scoping to your team 52:03 - Monetization and positioning competitive strategy games 58:00 - External shocks; start with PvE; Bazaar-style offline PvP 01:00:15 - Fewer players and shorter matches to reduce concurrency 01:03:37 - Marketing, Early Access pitfalls, Battle Aces; co-op PvP prototype 01:08:08 - Managing community negativity and inevitable mistakes 01:12:56 - Balancing PvE: ensure tool use; buff enemies, not players 01:17:00 - Keeping old versions via Steam branches 01:19:23 - PvE/co-op opportunities; Thronefall co-op and saying no 01:25:51 - Scoping, minimal art, and fast content pipelines 01:26:52 - Meta shifts as side effects 01:28:54 - Team size; Out of Hand; art style and marketing lessons 01:33:07 - Mechabellum roadmap; armor hopes; expanding the universe 01:36:37 - Business reality: support what earns; risk vs reward 01:38:07 - Randomness vs determinism: upsets, styles, and info gaps 01:45:01 - Designing perceived fairness: RPS illusion and football 01:50:23 - Jonas’ next game; staying small; freelancers vs growth 01:54:17 - Endless Mode learnings and map persistence idea 01:58:10 - Wrap-up My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

    1시간 59분

  2. 8월 22일

    How A Text-Only Game Became A Steam Hit

    This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Huw Millward the creator of Warsim: The Realm of Aslona, an entirely text based asci kingdom simulation game (that was written to a single code file with 700K lines of code). Links to my Guest ➤ Play Warsim on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/659540/Warsim_The_Realm_of_Aslona/ ➤ Dim Parcio (Band): https://www.instagram.com/dimparcioband/ Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): ➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/ 0:00 - Intro 0:56 - Why WARSIM worked 1:52 - From tiny sales to quitting the day job 3:09 - Sticking with a "failed" game 5:06 - Obsessive Updates 10:10 - Procedural Generation and Emergent Stories 12:17 - The Throne Room’s Birth 17:11 - Roleplaying a ruler: many playstyles 20:59 - A 700k-line monolith 26:56 - Follow-the-fun workflow, 500 co-designers 31:16 - Moving beyond ASCII: new studio, higher stakes 33:12 - Text games: should you make them? 37:59 - Marketing a game with no graphics 42:42 - Word-of-mouth and biggest wins 46:39 - Slumbox reveal: city vs wasteland 50:18 - Choosing GameMaker over Unity 51:46 - Timeline, team, delegation, funding paths 55:56 - Life outside dev: band, GDC adventures, merging music and games 58:11 - Becoming a “real” game dev and balancing identities 01:00:10 - Advice for devs: persistence, build what you love, design smart, community 01:04:02 - Proc-gen principles and writing tips 01:10:09 - Jonas’ advice for Slumbox 01:12:01 - Jonas’ next project and goodbye My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

    1시간 14분

  3. 8월 14일

    TikTok and Shorts Are Insane for Indie Devs

    This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Johan Grönvall who managed to succeed with his debut game Bopl Battle in some part due to his TikTok and YouTube Shorts strategy, in other parts due to his analytical perspective and going above and beyond to serve a strong vision for his game. Links to my Guest ➤ Play Bopl Battle on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1686940/Bopl_Battle/ ➤ Johan's YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@johangronvall9473/shorts 0:00 - Intro 0:47 - Why He Quit His Job During The Pandemic 1:55 - The Game That Took 6 Years to Make 4:41 - Starting By Improving on an Unpopular Game 8:22 - The Motivation for Making Games 9:36 - The Big Rewrite: Creating His Own Engine in Unity 12:52 - What is Lockstep Networking? 15:23 - Why Building on Top of Unity Can Be a Mistake 18:48 - Coding Unique Physics That Unity Can't Handle 23:31 - The Only Marketing That Actually Worked 25:50 - How to Create Viral Shorts & TikToks 33:32 - How Many Wishlists Do Viral Videos Generate? 36:53 - A Genius Strategy for YouTube Content? 41:15 - Why the Demo Was Almost a Full Game 45:28 - Turning Bugs Into Beloved Features 51:30 - The Struggle to Start The Next Project 55:52 - The Explore vs. Exploit Dilemma for Creatives 59:14 - Chasing "Success" as a Motivator 1:03:47 - Why Indie Developers Should Be MORE Ambitious 1:10:09 - Succeeding By Doing Everything "Wrong" 1:16:33 - You Don't Have to Be a Super Genius to Succeed 1:19:33 - How to Avoid Delusion as a Developer 1:24:24 - What's More Important: A Fun Game or an Appealing Idea? My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

    1시간 26분

  4. 8월 7일

    Test Your Game’s Potential in Just 3 Days

    This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest René Habermann who is behind games such as Domekeeper and PVKK (Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant), running a games studio called Bippinbits together with his wive. In this conversation we dive into how to validate your game ideas early. Links to my Guest ➤ Wishlist PVKK on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2956040/PVKK_Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant/ ➤ Play Domekeeper on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1637320/Dome_Keeper/ ➤ Bippinbits Website: https://bippinbits.com/ 0:00 - Introduction 0:50 - Why Indie Games Fail 2:05 - The Minimalist Approach to Game Development 3:09 - Using Validation Points to Succeed 4:10 - Fun vs. Appeal: What's More Important? 8:00 - The Crucial Role of "Fantasy" in a Game's Success 12:21 - How YouTubers Can Spark a Game's Success 17:10 - Can a Game Succeed Without Appealing Visuals? 19:39 - Why Did Dome Keeper Work So Well on YouTube? 23:08 - Designing for Yourself vs. The Market 26:26 - "Make a Game You Enjoy": Good or Bad Advice? 32:03 - Using Itch.io and Game Jams to Test Ideas 39:05 - Is it Possible to Enjoy the "Tryhard" Approach to Game Dev? 43:27 - From a 3-Day Prototype to a Full Game 47:37 - The Demo vs. The Announcement: What to Do First? 59:10 - What to Do When a Validation Point Fails 01:06:17 - The Growth of Bippinbits Studio 01:17:30 - Rene's Role in a Growing Studio 01:23:18 - The "Mini-Teams" Approach to Scaling 01:30:21 - Sharing Profits With The Team 01:40:43 - Why Bippinbits Prefers the Godot Engine My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

    1시간 47분

  5. 7월 31일

    Make An Online Game That Lasts 30 Years

    This is a Game Dev Podcast, today with my guest Benjamin Zuckerer from Cip Soft, the creators of Tibia, an MMO that has been under continuous operation and development for over 30 years. This is an entertaining and educational look behind the curtain of how to make and run online games that last for decades. Links to my Guest ➤ Wishlist Persist Online on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082980/Persist_Online/ ➤ Play Tibia Online: https://www.tibia.com/mmorpg/free-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game.php ➤ Jobs at Cip Soft, Germany: https://www.cipsoft.com/de/karriere/stellenangebote 0:00 - Intro 1:02 - The Origins of Tibia (1995) 3:04 - Pioneering the 'GMUD' Genre 4:25 - Tibia's Place in Early MMO History 5:37 - Surviving the Dot-Com Bubble 8:43 - Inventing the Freemium Model 10:44 - The Story Behind the Name 'CipSoft' 12:32 - Development Before Modern Tools 13:48 - Company Growth & Evolving Roles 15:21 - The First Mobile MMORPG & Launch Strategy 17:29 - Joining the Games Industry 19:13 - The Role of a Product Manager 22:58 - The 'Duping' Problem in MMOs 28:25 - Team Culture & Security Threats 32:50 - Single Player vs. Online Game Development 37:28 - Why There Is No Tibia 2 42:26 - The Struggle for a Second Hit 47:08 - The Birth of 'Persist Online' 51:12 - From Manager to Maker and Back 53:43 - Building the 'Persist Online' Team 57:09 - Prototyping & Co-Developing With the Community 1:01:45 - How to Listen to Your Players 1:07:21 - The Early Access Development Model 1:11:00 - The Economics of Free-to-Play 1:17:49 - Ethical Monetization 1:23:38 - CipSoft & Persist Online Today 1:27:53 - 20% Time: Fostering Innovation 1:31:04 - Testing 'Persist Online' (Pre-Alpha) 1:35:45 - The Challenges of Launching on Steam 1:45:28 - 'Persist Online's' Steam Release Strategy 1:53:57 - Advice for Indie Online Game Developers 2:02:13 - The Exponential Cost of Making Online Games 2:11:14 - Why Make Online Games? The Service Model 2:17:17 - Engaging Players with a Limited Scope 2:22:13 - Outro & Final Advice My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

    2시간 24분

  6. 7월 20일

    Make Your Indie Game Go Viral

    This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Gavin Eisenbeisz (Two Star) and your host Jonas Tyroller. In this episode I want to learn how to make wildly successful indie games that go viral a lot. Links to my Guest ➤ Wishlist Cuffbust on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592220/CUFFBUST/ ➤ 2nd Channel (Game Design): @ScientiaLudos ➤ Main Channel: @TwoStarGames 0:00 - Intro 0:57 - Look Where The Market Is Going 4:02 - What Makes For a Viral Game Idea 9:05 - Designing For Content Creators 15:33 - How Rare Are Million Dollar Game Ideas 19:47 - Why High Action Games Are Bad For Retention 26:01 - Creating Brand Recognition 31:43 - Mass Content Ability 35:36 - When To Scrap Your Idea 37:35 - The No-Prototypes Approach 41:08 - Using The Trailer To Test Demand 44:36 - How Content Creators Line Up To Play Your Game 47:28 - Concept vs. Execution | What Matters Most 51:18 - Indicators That You're On Track 53:31 - Having Your Own YouTube Channel 59:14 - Learning and Theory Crafting | Why and How 1:04:38 - Gavin About Not Enjoying Game Dev As Much Anymore 1:08:40 - Gavin and I Compare Our Approaches My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

    1시간 17분
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A game dev podcast for (aspiring) indie game developers, hosted by a "professional". (I am behind the Steam titles Thronefall, ISLANDERS, and Will You Snail.) Because I don’t rely on the show for income, the vibe is relaxed with minimal monetization. We focus on hands-on indie development and occasionally branch into broader game-dev topics. Episodes are also available in video on YouTube.

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