6. Breaking the Pattern (with Casey Muratori) Jonathan Blow 2024-06-07 | Casey and Jon continue their discussion of the origins of Braid: its final mechanics, the ending, structural pattern breaks, and the "biggest mistake" in the game!Why are there puzzle pieces in the game? Where did the idea of the slow-down ring come from? How did Paula Abdul inspire the game?Braid, Anniversary Edition has launched! You can pick it up on Steam (store.steampowered.com/app/499180/Braid_Anniversary_Edition ), PlayStation (playstation.com/en-us/games/braid-anniversary-edition ), Nintendo Switch (nintendo.com/us/store/products/braid-anniversary-edition-switch ), Xbox (xbox.com/en-US/games/store/braid-anniversary-edition/BXR1FQZPCDMV ), or play it via Netflix on iOS (apps.apple.com/ph/app/braid-anniversary-edition/id6450126747 ) or Android (play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netflix.NGP.BraidAnniversaryEdition )!Host: Jonathan BlowGuest: Casey MuratoriProducer: Jason BrissonEditor: Will TorbettIntro Song: "Downstream" by Shira Kammen (based on "O son do ar" by Bieito Romero and "Borrela d'Aragon" by Eric Montbel)Chapters:00:00 - Cold open00:39 - Intro01:14 - World 5 concept07:58 - World 6 concept15:04 - Endgame21:29 - Framing the story24:16 - Opening screen26:37 - Design of the house29:59 - Individualizing collectibles34:43 - Breaking the pattern37:28 - Epilogue39:02 - World 2's puzzle44:47 - Biggest mistake48:40 - Pattern break analogies57:51 - Outro/credits
5. Experimental Gameplay (with Marc ten Bosch) Jonathan Blow 2024-05-31 | This week's guest interviewer is Marc ten Bosch, an independent developer known for Miegakure, a 4D puzzle-platforming game. Jon and Marc have presented together at IndieCade and NYU Game Center and are working together on Thekla's next puzzle game. Here, the two discuss the puzzle design philosophy of Braid: minimalism, pattern breaks, literary influences, and more. Next: the ramifications of the game's rewind mechanic—both as a way to correct difficulty in execution but also providing advanced puzzle-solving techniques.Braid, Anniversary Edition is out now! Buy it on platforms of your choice: Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series, iOS (for Netflix subscribers), Android (for Netflix subscribers).00:00 - Open00:35 - Intro02:02 - Project management03:31 - Braid's indirect storytelling07:41 - Bidirectional time16:24 - Experimental gameplay20:40 - Breadth vs. depth29:51 - Exploration process39:41 - Minimalism43:43 - Original "The Pit" design50:19 - Combining mechanics58:32 - Awkwardness of designing World 201:02:23 - Why puzzle pieces?01:09:26 - Phase as a mathematical concept01:13:38 - Pausing time completely
4. Being Particular About Design (with Casey Muratori) Jonathan Blow 2024-05-18 | Jon and Casey continue their discussion about the early design of Braid: specifically how Jon arrived at the design identity of Braid, and how developer design perspectives affect the player experience.Braid, Anniversary Edition has launched! You can pick it up on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, or play it via Netflix on mobile devices—maybe the one you're using now!Host: Jonathan BlowGuest: Casey MuratoriProducer: Jason BrissonEditor: Will TorbettIntro Song: "Downstream" by Shira Kammen (based on "O son do ar" by Bieito Romero and "Borrela d'Aragon" by Eric Montbel)00:00 - Cold Open00:43 - Intro02:08 - Designing the back half of Braid06:07 - Getting done on time12:13 - Regularity of design14:59 - T = Y19:49 - Turn-based Braid23:38 - Potential to kinetic energy27:30 - The "a-ha" moment33:36 - A matrix of mechanics39:23 - Screenwriting analogy46:42 - The subconscious mind52:00 - Competing with AAA01:03:42 - Jump parameters01:09:35 - Ease of execution01:15:59 - "A priori" design01:22:54 - Not an action game01:29:32 - Outro/credits
3. Starting the Art (with David Hellman and Frank Cifaldi) Jonathan Blow 2024-05-10 | Braid's lead visual artist David Hellman (davidhellman.tumblr.com) is interviewed by Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation (gamehistory.org) about getting started on Braid: David's background and artistic process. We start by discussing David's webcomic "A Lesson Is Learned But the Damage Is Irreversible" (alessonislearned.com), which inspired Braid in more ways than one. Braid, Anniversary Edition releases on May 14, 2024. Pre-order it now on Steam (store.steampowered.com/app/499180/Braid_Anniversary_Edition), or stay tuned to play it via Netflix on mobile devices—maybe the one you're using now!0:00 - Cold Open00:37 - Jon Intro01:47 - David's Discomfort with Success05:18 - The Webcomic "A Lesson Is Learned..."10:45 - An Act of Creation13:42 - Visual Themes17:58 - Designing the Cloud Cannons19:49 - Prototype Designs21:45 - Defining Tim25:40 - Rabbits26:35 - The "Messy Process" of Art31:09 - Personal Games34:48 - First Impressions of Braid38:11 - Painting Technique40:35 - Outro/Credits
2. Getting the Game Going (with Casey Muratori) Jonathan Blow 2024-05-03 | Braid, Anniversary Edition is a massive update to the classic puzzle-platformer Braid, now featuring over 15 hours of developer commentary. This podcast provides another way of digging into the history and development of Braid by presenting the full commentary interviews, complete with details not found in the game.00:00 - Cold Open00:25 - Intro02:35 - Booting Up Cold11:45 - Programmer Art21:11 - Rewind as a Cornerstone23:37 - Leap of Faith29:05 - A Rough Prototype Test33:33 - Original World 137:03 - Programming Rewind45:22 - Story vs. Game51:21 - Defining "Art Game"01:04:08 - "Trinity" as an Influence01:12:05 - Fan Fiction01:14:47 - Things Left Unsaid01:31:46 - Outro/Credits
1. The Origins of Braid (with Casey Muratori) Jonathan Blow 2024-04-26 | Braid, Anniversary Edition is a massive update to the classic puzzle-platformer Braid, now featuring over 15 hours of developer commentary. This podcast provides another way of digging into the history and development of Braid by presenting the full commentary interviews, complete with details not found in the game.00:00 - Cold Open00:22 - Intro01:15 - Literary Inspirations08:34 - Translating from Prose to Code12:45 - Mailing List Conversation16:43 - Brian Moriarty's Lecture18:59 - Vacation Brainstorm20:08 - Why a 2D Platformer?21:22 - Developer Secrecy25:43 - Seriously, Why a 2D Platformer?33:10 - Outro/Credits
Discussion with Casey Muratori about how easy precedence is... Jonathan Blow 2024-01-26 | A discussion with Casey Muratori about how easy precedence is... -- Watch live at twitch.tv/j_blow
Braid, Anniversary Edition trailer: full version Jonathan Blow 2023-11-10 | Braid Anniversary is coming out on April 30, 2024.http://braid-game.com
Braid, Anniversary Edition trailer: short version Jonathan Blow 2023-11-10 | Braid Anniversary is coming out on April 30, 2024.http://braid-game.com
Weekend Project: Color Animation Editor (part 4, tired late at night edition) Jonathan Blow 2023-06-15 | ...
Treemap Viewer, part 7 The Last Jonathan Blow 2023-05-15 | Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at twitch.tv/j_blow
Treemap Viewer, part 6 Jonathan Blow 2023-05-15 | Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at twitch.tv/j_blow
Treemap Viewer, part 4 Jonathan Blow 2023-05-15 | In which we hook the treemap viewer up to a real program.
Treemap Viewer, part 5 Jonathan Blow 2023-05-15 | Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at twitch.tv/j_blow
Treemap Viewer, part 3 Jonathan Blow 2023-05-15 | Further work on the treemap viewer, including a terrible slog when I was very weaksauce about debugging some arithmetic.00:00:00 Beginning.3:19:48 The Bug Slog3:50:55 Chat Noticed the Dumb Bug (Finally!)3:53:22 It Works!
Improving Invaders, Part 4 Jonathan Blow 2023-05-13 | Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at twitch.tv/j_blow
Improving Invaders (part 1) Jonathan Blow 2023-05-09 | I decided to improve 'invaders' a bit. Part 1 of 4!
Programming Language Beta Q&A, April 2023 Jonathan Blow 2023-05-09 | Questions and Answers for those in the programming language beta.
Programming Language Beta Q&A, January 2023 Jonathan Blow 2023-01-29 | Sorry about the poor resolution and audio; don't have my full setup yet! -- Watch live at twitch.tv/j_blow
Game Engine Programming: Animation File Format, part 1. Jonathan Blow 2022-01-19 | We start making a new, better animation file format for the new game.
Game Engine Programming: A Simple Package Format Jonathan Blow 2022-01-18 | We design and implement a package format suitable for large programs with lots of data.
Design Discussion with Casey Muratori, #2 Jonathan Blow 2021-02-23 | I talk with Casey about visual differences between gameplay elements.
Q&A with Programming Language Beta Users Jonathan Blow 2020-12-06 | 0:00 Introduction2:20 Roadmap for the next few Beta releases3:30 Upcoming module handling improvements18:53 Upcoming default metaprogram improvements23:40 Start of the Beta user Q&A25:50 I can see that you can change the allocator on a context by changing an allocator (a function) and allocation_data. For allocators that allow individual allocations to be returned how do you specify the equivalent of free() to the context? Or don't you?31:14 How do you configure the compiler to build a Jai library for use on Android/ARM64?33:53 What made you shrink the compiler team back to just yourself?43:46 How are you feeling about how the beta is progressing? Do you have an idea of how many more times you want to expand the closed beta, or roughly when it might go into open?46:43 Would you prefer us to report bugs asap, or wait and bundle up a few at a time?47:46 I like the monorepo/project approach for modularity, does it conflict with your earlier statement that compilers/languages are underspecified in many regards? Should metaprogramming fill all those gaps?50:09 Why not closures? What are the alternatives to closures? What can we do in the language that is equivalent to what closures provide?56:34 You often talk about how syntax is not definite right now, is there anything that you are seriously considering changing in the future?58:58 As with standard modules, could there be standard metaprogram modules, which could be included to enhance build processes and such, for instance to impose common house rules1:01:31 The question of what is standard library vs external stuff keeps coming up; how are you aiming to delineate it? Would a "batteries included" approach covering most of the everyday stuff not provide a reasonable amount of value? Relatedly, "Basic" is a bad name for a module, as it's fairly arbitrary and different from one person to another what counts as "Basic"1:05:56 Are there plans to add build-in support for code hotloading for running executable?1:07:24 I have a big change for the built-in hotloader module that fixes its totally broken linux part but these fixes need to change the API slightly. Do you want such bigger changes for built-in modules?1:15:00 You mentioned that struct literals are new which explains some of my issue but what are your current thoughts on allowing non-constant values for struct literals?1:19:00 I couldn't find classic C-style for loops anywhere in the docs, did I miss something?1:19:43 Have you thought at all about array-programming?1:20:11 Currently, a 'for' loop over an explicit range (e.g. 0..3) disallows use of 'it_index'. Would you consider allowing this in the future? This would reduce friction when, upon code maintenance, the explicit range is replaced with an array whose index needs to be tracked1:20:57 Can we get a `sockets` (or `Networking` module)? Seems like it should be in standard library1:21:32 Currently, the single underscore, _, can be used as a variable (like in C). Do you intend for this behavior to endure, or are there plans to change it to function as a blank identifier like in Go?1:22:40 Are minor contributions to the existing documentation (like typo fixes and small content additions) welcome?1:23:59 To align a big team on a project it proved useful to me to restrict certain features of the language. I understand that I should write a meta-program to fail on features I want to restrict.1:24:55 Patrick had a question a couple days ago about trying to modify parameters to functions in a function, in external libraries this is possible but within a Jai program it's not. This confused me a lot early on as well. Perhaps this could be clarified in the how_to's (pass in a pointer...)1:27:28 Something slightly confusing is dependencies between metaprograms. When two metaprograms share common namespace that they might both want to change you might get a dependency that doesn't really exist.1:29:56 Are there any long-term plans about documentation, in terms of format and scope? I really like the current how_tos. But I imagine there is a large amount of work to do with documenting the distributed modules and language features. Maybe more people could help out with that?1:33:14 What plans do you have for extending the procedure/declaration notes stuff? Specifically, I work on a team of ~20 people and issue tracking/project management tools like Jira which are separate to the code are a pain, maybe there's a way the language/metaprogram can help?1:37:59 Do you see any places in the type system where things could be added to make robust parallel programming easier?1:40:05 Any plans to move the temporary allocator to the context so we can change the way it works if we want to?(YouTube won't let us paste the rest of this index, short version may come later).
Design Discussion with Casey Muratori Jonathan Blow 2020-12-03 | Casey was working on a new game, for which he had done the basic programming, but hadn't yet started on any real design. He wanted to talk about how to do game design, and this is what ensued.At some point I referred to Frank Lantz's "Immersive Fallacy" rant, which you can find here: youtube.com/watch?v=6JzNt1bSk_UThe volume is a little wacky since Casey was quiet on the recording; I went in and hand-boosted his volume in many places, but not everywhere.
Making a big change without breaking the program. Jonathan Blow 2020-11-30 | I wanted to change the way bytecode instructions are stored in the compiler. This is a potentially scary change because it affects many different systems. Here I show an example of how to do this kind of thing without breaking everything and making a hard-to-debug mess.
Talk: Video Games and the Future of Education Jonathan Blow 2020-07-20 | A 90-minute speech about how to improve education using video games -- how to actually do it, in contrast to what is currently being tried. Followed by a Q&A session.
How 3D video games do graphics. Jonathan Blow 2020-06-03 | We had a fun 3-hour discussion covering some of the basics of how a video game draws pixels on the screen, when it's a 3D renderer. There's a lot more to know than this, but it's a start!
Discussion: Puzzle Game Movement Systems, with Sean Barrett. Jonathan Blow 2020-04-13 | This is a re-upload (the original version was missing 45 minutes from the end!)
Programming Discussion: Speed, w/ special guest Sean Barrett Jonathan Blow 2020-04-06 | A conversation with Sean Barrett about various topics, at least somewhat centered around writing fast code and compilers.
Q&A: Making Programming Language Parsers, etc Jonathan Blow 2020-03-30 | This is the Q&A that happened after the discussion at youtube.com/watch?v=MnctEW1oL-E .
Discussion: Making Programming Language Parsers, etc (Q&A is in separate video). Jonathan Blow 2020-03-30 | This is the main discussion part. Q&A follows at youtube.com/watch?v=lcF-HzlFYKE .
Discussion: Animation, Language Design, Understandable Code, Productivity Jonathan Blow 2020-03-24 | Co-starring Casey Muratori. Topics: Animation Programming, Language Design, What makes code more or less understandable, Techniques for being a productive programmer.
