[Dev Talk] Nubby's Number Factory with Ethan Anderson

Sean and Alon welcome game designer and artistic soul Ethan Anderson to discuss his pachinko-esque number-go-up 'em up, Nubby's Number Factory!

Clock into the number factory to hear how Ethan designs to encourage player intent and how he balances said intent with chance. Plus! Drop the ball and discover the game's inspirations, from Rube Goldberg to Kid Pix to quotas in a bagel shop. And finally, what makes a game evergreen?

Follow Ethan at:

• Discord: https://discord.com/invite/KygdTUKTvE
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mogdogblog
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mogdogblog.bsky.social
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mogdogblog

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:32 - Numbers guys

00:03:05 - “The next Balatro”

00:08:43 - Randomness, chance, intent, and viability of runs

00:19:07 - When do you stop? And evergreen games

00:27:01 - The juice

00:31:58 - Circle of trust

00:35:13 - Growth of the game

00:39:56 - Visual aesthetic

00:47:32 - Pulling from real life

00:50:16 - The music and being territorial

00:58:13 - How to stay focused and how to rest

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SHOW NOTES

• Nubby's Number Factory: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3191030/Nubbys_Number_Factory/
• [Now Playing] Nubby's Number Factory & Luck be a Landlord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkvbL3JnLlw
• AngelFire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelfire
• Balatro: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/
• The Binding of Isaac: https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/
• Cookie Clicker: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1454400/Cookie_Clicker/
• Counter-Strike 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/
• GeoCities: https://www.cameronsworld.net/
• Kid Pix: https://kidpix.app/
• Luck be a Landlord: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/
• Slay the Spire: https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/

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WIDE FLANK LINKS

• Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ
• Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank
• The rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank