Quest Markers

Quest Markers

A monthly-ish podcast about video games and the stories they tell.

  1. 2월 13일

    EP 40 | From solo dev to studio lead with Archangel Softworks

    Mike from Archangel Softworks joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey and upcoming title, Highway Noir. They delve into what it’s like going from a solo developer to leading a team, managing complexity on larger-scale projects, the importance of prototyping, cohesive art direction, self-doubt, and much more. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Intro  (00:03:15) How Mike got into game development (00:07:00) Mike’s upcoming game, Highway Noir (00:13:10) Being a solo dev vs. being the captain of the freelance ship (00:18:13) Managing responsibilities: coding, admin, art, marketing, music, and more (00:23:15) Party selection: how hiring decisions are made  (00:27:48) Art direction and artistic cohesion  (00:33:15) Prototyping and practice: how experimentation and learning  (00:38:30) What has been the most challenging thing about working on highway Noir  (00:43:50) What has been the most fun? (00:45:50) You’re sitting on the precipice of release, how are you feeling?  (00:47:58) What advice would Mike give his younger self?  (00:50:00) Outro * * * * * * *  FOLLOW US Mike’s socials: https://bsky.app/profile/archangelsoftworks.co.uk  Highway Noir Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3317730/Highway_Noir/  Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠   Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠ Music by Marina Ryan

    52분
  2. 2025. 12. 13.

    EP 37 | From Resident Evil to Star Wars: How Cody Matthew Johnson approaches music making

    Cody Matthew Johnson joins Marina Ryan to talk about his creative process in making video game music. Cody has worked on everything from Resident Evil to Bayonetta, to most recently Star Wars: Outlaws, which landed him a Grammy nomination (congrats, Cody!!!).  They delve into the differences between different music roles, how to balance a project’s needs with our own creative ideas, how limitations can make us more creative, what a great collaboration looks like, imposter syndrome, finding play and gratitude, and more.  Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Intro  (00:05:17) What’s the difference between a composer vs. a songwriter vs. a music producer? (00:15:28) Balancing a project’s needs with bringing our artistry into the music  (00:23:39) What does a good collaborative environment look like? (00:30:40) Creativity and limitations  (00:32:20) What does a great collaboration look like?  (00:37:25) Finding inspiration and flow state   (00:45:47) Imposter syndrome (00:47:08) The inevitable failure that is ahead  (00:48:08) Finding play and gratitude  (00:57:15) What does success mean to Cody?  (01:03:05) What advice would Cody give his younger self?  (01:07:25) Outro * * * * * * *  FOLLOW US Cody’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codymatthewjohnson/  Cody’s Twitter: https://x.com/codymatthewj  Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠   Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠ Music by Marina Ryan

    1시간 8분
  3. 2025. 10. 23.

    EP 35 | How do indie horror games get made?

    Vincent Adinolfi joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of his survival horror game Heartworm. They delve into the inspiration behind the game, Vincent’s development journey, the game’s OST, visual identity, production, accessibility, and so much more. The episode is chock-full of great development and life advice. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Preview (00:00:36) Intro(00:03:28) Vincent’s path: working on his first game(00:04:47) Overview of Heartworm(00:05:53) The development of Heartworm & taking risks(00:09:25) The inspiration behind Heartworm(00:12:17) Heartworm’s creative direction and visual identity(00:15:35) The making of Heartworm’s music(00:30:15) Building in accessibility options(00:33:55) How difficult is it to get fixed camera angles right?(00:36:18) How Heartworm got published(00:40:10) Heartworm’s production (00:45:15) “Done is better than perfect” (vulnerability and finishing things)(00:49:49) Making games is hard(00:52:25) If Vincent could give his younger self a piece of advice…(00:55:48) Outro* * * * * * * FOLLOW USHeartworm on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257030/Heartworm/ Heartworm: https://heartwormgame.com/ Heartworm’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vadinolfi Heartworm’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adinolfi.bsky.social Heartworm’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heartworm.game Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠ Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan

    56분
  4. 2025. 09. 27.

    EP 34 | How do indie studios get funded?

    Rachel Heleva (Akupara Games, Spiral Up Games, Strange Scaffold) joins Marina to talk about her games publishing and development journey.They delve into how game publishers work, what it means to be a game scout, the importance of production, and Rachel gives tons of advice for up-and-coming studios seeking their next publishing deal. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Preview (00:00:22) Intro(00:03:00) Rachel’s path: getting into the industry(00:05:39) What is a games publisher?(00:09:10) What is a games scout?(00:10:40) Rachel’s experiencing helping start a publishing house (00:14:50) What makes an indie studio stand out?(00:18:40) What indicates to a publisher that a studio isn’t ready for funding yet? (00:21:33) What indicates to a publisher that a studio is ready for funding now?(00:24:28) How have Rachel’s production skills helped her in her publishing and scouting work?(00:27:15) How has Rachel’s production experience helped her identify a studio’s ability to deliver on their timelines? (00:32:33) What advice would Rachel give her younger self?(00:34:47) Words of wisdom for studios (00:37:07) Outro(00:37:27) Q&A: How did Rachel first get into her role? (00:39:36) More advice for studios (feedback, playtesting, making games publicly) FOLLOW USRachel’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hlywa.bsky.s... Marina’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marinahascoffeeLive Show on Twitch: ⁠  / marinahascoffee  Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan

    44분

소개

A monthly-ish podcast about video games and the stories they tell.