(Part 4) Top products from r/gamegrumps

I think Arin likes The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition and either he or Jon liked Game Feel: A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation.

Personally my favorite game design resource is either Mark Rosewater's design articles or his podcast. I prefer his podcast but both covers most of the same information. MaRo is the lead designer for Magic: The Gathering so a lot of the articles are about MtG specifically or about tabletop games but nearly all the general design podcasts are worthwhile. Most importantly, he has around twenty years of successful (and unsuccessful) design under his belt, so he isn't just talking in vague generalities or theories. He has examples backing up pretty much everything he talks about including, and maybe most importantly, times he thought he was doing the right then and messed up. I think anyone interested in game design should listen to the "Ten Things Every Game Needs" and "20 Lessons" series. You can hear his GDC version of the 20 Lessons here.

*: But the absolute best thing you can read on game design is a gamemaker tutorial. Theory is useless without execution.

It's nuts yeah. We can see reused assets, especially early on, but by the end that's all a bunch of new stuff, and on top of that the level design and story hooks had to all be made, and that's some effort.

The closest we have to a documentary on the development processes are actually the Design Works books. Two exist, one for Dark Souls, one for Dark Souls 2, and they are full of interviews about the development of those games. The DkS1 book is awesome, full of a bunch of information which is fantastic as well as some really insightful concept art. I look over my copy every couple weeks it seems, just because it's really cool and I always learn something new while poking at it. Covers a lot, including Izalith's development problems, the swap of the tutorial boss, etc. The book for DkS2 comes out Feb 9 in English, and I'll be picking it up day one. Through translations and stuff it's already known that had gigantic development problems (swapping directors like, halfway through), so it should be a really interesting read. I don't know of one for Bloodborne, though I know the FuturePress guides should have had interviews and the like in them (The Old Hunters one also has a 'lore bible' of sorts, a primer basically for the fundamentals which should be pretty cool), so that may be the closest we get. I intend to pick those up at the same time I pick up the DkS2 Design Works, and do some binge reading afterward.

Did some research. Found you three options.

1. Samson Meteor Mic This one is probably my least favorite of the three I found but it works. It has a bit of an airy sound to it which may be fixable with a Pop Filter. Works fine for your budget though I don't know how it'll do in your group style. Here's a test if you're curious how it sounds.
   
   
2. Blue Microphones Snowball This one is a bit better. Pop filter recommended.Doesn't sound too shabby though long distances might be a problem. Here's a test for you.
   
   
3. Audio-Technica ATR2500 this one is a step down from what I own. It's also the most expensive though you can buy used or refurbished if you need to. Since this is a condenser mic, it handles distance a lot better and the audio comes out clearer. Out of all of these I recommend this the most. Here's a test if you're unsure.
   
   Hope this helped!
   
   

Get this.

It's cheap, effective, and can be operated either cordlessly OR with the cord. Since mine is almost always plugged in in the bathroom, I like having one that will run straight from the wall as opposed to purely rechargeable ones.

First of all, you'll want to make sure you can grow a dense beard like Barry to get the same look. If so, then just find the length you want, select the appropriate guard, and go over the entire beard to keep it the same length, which is what Barry is doing.

For the parts you don't want bearded, if you've let them grow out a little too much, take off the guard and chop all that stuff off with the unguarded beard trimmer. The unguarded trimmer is also good for edging the beard-nonbeard interface. Use normal blades to get the nonbeard parts smooth; the trimmer is not designed for that.

Finally, be aware that the guarded trimmer will likely cut differently depending on whether you're going with or against the grain of your beard. Basically, it'll probably cut shorter against the grain. Experiment to see how it works out for you.

If you get things the way you want and have the right tools, which I've just mentioned, daily maintenance should be pretty quick.

Just in case anyone's curious about Resident Evil novels (that Barry jokingly came up with), there actually is a pretty decent series by the author S.D. Perry. She adapted RE0-RE3 as well as Code Veronica and two original stories.

I really enjoy them as a fan of the franchise.

Well, since they're getting Sega CD games, Willy Beamish. Never played it, have fond memories of watching walkthroughs of it on YouTube. Plus, used copies are really cheap. Really. Cheap. I'd buy it if my parents let me. Please guys?

I've been hitting the GCN library hard since I got a refurbished one after my Wii broke. I haven't gotten a copy of Sunshine back yet, they're fairly expensive in good shape, but it's on the top of my list to look out for, along with SSBM. And for the record, yes, the Grumps are making me want to play it really, really bad.

Just saying, it's a pretty expensive game.

You should get him this for Christmas:

Maybe He'll enjoy it

TABLE FLIP SUGGESTION

Epic Spell wars.

In the words of the beef "Don't let your dreams be dreams. DO IT!" also make sure Danny and Arin play it too, because...well... just look at the box art.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161768029X

http://puu.sh/4cjC0.png

From:

http://www.amazon.com/Glover-Pc/dp/B00001OX4T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377619927&sr=8-1&keywords=Glover

I am ready for this.

They just need to keep some of these in the office. As a big sweaty guy myself, I keep some of these in my car to wipe down if necessary. Combined with a spare set of clothes in the trunk I can recover from being super gross without too much trouble. Just about the only thing I can't really freshen up much is my hair, but it's usually very short so it isn't much of a problem.

Yep. Well, a comic book

I don't think there's an article, but here's the link to the book's Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/194470907X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_uPzRAbEYYNSXD

No Celeb Apprentice, but there is The Apprentice version. That link mentions some Yahoo Games one, but I only have found a PC one that's on Amazon, and there is one left.

I misread that as "Joke Book", so, here's a joke book by a Jew.

http://www.amazon.com/Isaac-Asimovs-Treasury-Humor-Asimov/dp/B005DIE2VC/

http://www.amazon.com/Asimov-Laughs-Again-Limericks-Anecdotes/dp/0060924489/

It is.

Dude, just buy it on Amazon.

They released the original Star Wars on a two-disc set back in '06. If I had known they were going for this much, I wouldn't have traded mine in last year for the BDs.

EDIT: Ah, it's reasonable used.

It's called Mostly Melancholy. It's here if you want to know more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1690003693