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What does it take to create experiences customers love, craft campaigns that captivate, and drive measurable results? Insights Unlocked features candid conversations with the builders, creators, and innovators driving some of the world’s most impactful digital transformations. Tailored for marketing, product, UX and CX leaders, each episode delivers actionable insights to help you create customer-first strategies and stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape. Each episode is about 30 minutes long. From optimizing product launches to leveraging AI for smarter workflows, Insights Unlocked is your go-to resource for designing experiences that resonate, drive loyalty, and achieve business results. Guests include influential leaders like Brian Solis, April Dunford, Kate Towsey, Jacob Nielsen, Teresa Torres, and Judd Antin among others, offering their expertise in CX, UX, and innovation. The podcast also highlights strategies and success stories from leading brands such as Verizon, Signet Jewelers, Figma, Microsoft, Tesco Bank, and more. UserTesting leaders and industry experts join as guest hosts, alongside show producer Nathan Isaacs, award-winning journalist and Senior Manager of Content Production at UserTesting. Brought to you by UserTesting, the leader in human insights and proactive customer experience strategies, Insights Unlocked empowers CMOs and marketing teams to craft experiences that drive growth, loyalty, and impact. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes, curated clips and more at usertesting.com/podcast.

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Designer Notes 79: Trent Kusters - Part 2

about a year ago 2:21:37

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In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss why Armello has so much output randomness, whether they fudge the odds, and how to turn off a Game-as-a- Service. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023. Games discussed: Armello, Magic: The Gathering, Solium Infernum, Talisman, Old World, Tharsis, Jumplight Odyssey

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1608 episodes

#Lifestyle #Idle Thumbs #Geekery #Tech #Twin Peaks

Idle Thumbs podcast artwork

Designer Notes 79: Trent Kusters - Part 2

66 subscribers

published about a year ago

Share

MP3•Episode home

Content provided by Idle Thumbs. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Idle Thumbs or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss why Armello has so much output randomness, whether they fudge the odds, and how to turn off a Game-as-a- Service. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023. Games discussed: Armello, Magic: The Gathering, Solium Infernum, Talisman, Old World, Tharsis, Jumplight Odyssey

… continue reading

1608 episodes

#Lifestyle #Idle Thumbs #Geekery #Tech #Twin Peaks

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Idle Thumbs

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1
Three Moves Ahead 630 - Two Point Museum 1:06:20

20 days ago1:06:20

1:06:20

Len, Mike, and Luke dust off their Indy hats and take a close look at Two Point Museum. We discuss how it's such a great fit for the formula Two Point Studios built over their previous two games, how you make a museum game without presenting a tacit endorsement of grave robbing, and why crime never pays.…

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Three Moves Ahead 629 - RTS Shoutcasting and Stormgate 0.3.0 with BeoMulf 1:05:07

5 weeks ago1:05:07

1:05:07

This week, Len sits down with Philip "BeoMulf" Mulford, a professional RTS esports caster. We discuss how you get that gig, how you develop the skills for it, and how it compares to traditional sportscasting. We also dig in a bit to the recent 0.3.0 patch for Stormgate and how the first big graphical refresh, automated control groups, and fully rebindable hotkeys change the experience. NOTE: We found out after the show was recorded that Philip will be handling the main stream for the CHOC tournament on Sunday at https://www.twitch.tv/beomulf. You can find out more at https://playstormgate.com/news/stormgate-for-choc-charity-tournament…

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Three Moves Ahead 628 - Sid Meier's Civilization 7 1:21:27

7 weeks ago1:21:27

1:21:27

Len, Fraser, and Sin gather to try and figure out what the heck happened with Civilization 7. We discuss why it's such a let-down for the legendary series, and whether or not it's just time for civilization to end.

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Three Moves Ahead 627 - Look Ahead to 2025 1:09:33

10 weeks ago1:09:33

1:09:33

Len, Mike, and Nerium gaze down the road ahead at the most interesting and promising strategy games coming out (we hope) in 2025, from the heavy-hitters to some indie oddities. Games Discussed: Civilization 7, Kaiserpunk, Two Point Museum, Tempest Rising, Alliance of the Sacred Suns, Europa Universalis 5, Beyond These Stars, City Tales - Medieval Era, Demonschool, Falling Frontier, Dino Lords, Kingmakers, Menace, Slay the Spire 2…

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Three Moves Ahead 626 - 2024 Wrap-Up 1:03:16

14 weeks ago1:03:16

1:03:16

Len, Mike, and Sin gather 'round to sing the praises of our favorite strategy and tactics games of the year, as well as trying to identify the ever-elusive narrative throughline.

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Three Moves Ahead 625 - Caves of Qud 1:22:20

14 weeks ago1:22:20

1:22:20

Len, Jon, and Mike are joined by Freehold Games' Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat to discuss Caves of Qud. In a world where rogue"lites" and rogue-adjacents have blown up, what is the niche of a true, traditional roguelike? We also dig into the procedural generation of its post-multiple-apocalypses world and dreamlike writing style.…

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Idle Thumbs

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Three Moves Ahead 624 - What Else Are We Playing: November 2024 1:21:47

18 weeks ago1:21:47

1:21:47

Len is joined by Nerium Strom, Mike Williams, and Sin Vega for a round-table of What Else Are We Playing? From weird surreal horror to Factorio and Cities: Skylines 2, it's a chill chat for a chilly month on our production calendar.

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Designer Notes 86: Anton Strenger 3:06:23

22 weeks ago3:06:23

3:06:23

In this episode, Soren interviews Anton Strenger, best known for his work on Civilization 5, Civilization 6, and Beyond Earth. They discuss how he ended up paying Carnegie Mellon so that he could work at Firaxis, why there aren’t many Great People after 1900, and whether Civilization has secretly become a live-service game. This episode was recorded on October 22, 2023. Games discussed: ESPN Extreme Games, Quest for Glory 4, Pokemon series, Suikoden II, Alpha Centauri, Civilization series, Old World, History of the World…

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Three Moves Ahead 623 - Frostpunk 2 1:14:44

25 weeks ago1:14:44

1:14:44

Len is joined by Father Lorris and Sin Vega to discuss Frostpunk 2, the long-awaited sequel to the quintessential survival city-builder. We discuss where it hits and where it misses, with a particular focus on the strengths of the original that it fails to recapture by zooming out further.

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Designer Notes 85: Zach Barth - Part 2 2:30:32

27 weeks ago2:30:32

2:30:32

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he made a game about assembly language, how he guaranteed that Fortune’s Foundation is winnable, and whether he knows how to make fun games. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023. Games discussed: Infinifactory, TIS-100, Counter-Strike, Ricochet, Zortex, Alien Swarm, Shenzhen I/O, Zachtronics Solitaire Collection, Opus Magnum, Exapunks, MOLEK-SYNTEZ, Last Call BBS, Eliza, Mobius Front ‘83, Picross…

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Three Moves Ahead 622 - Tactical Breach Wizards 1:15:38

27 weeks ago1:15:38

1:15:38

Len and Rowan are joined by games writer Kris Lorischild to discuss Tactical Breach Wizards. We discuss how rare it is for a game to be this funny on purposes, as opposed to from the chaotic intersection of procedural systems, how it creates rewarding tactical puzzles with simple ingredients, and... Metal Gear?!…

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Designer Notes 84: Zach Barth - Part 1 2:39:31

31 weeks ago2:39:31

2:39:31

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he never originally wanted to make money on his games, why puzzle games are terrible, and whether he has ever played Minecraft. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023. Games discussed: Duke Nukem, Star Wars: Empire at War, Civilization III, SpaceChem, Infiniminer, Minecraft, The Codex of Alchemical Engineering, Motherload, Civilization IV, Last Call BBS, MOLEK-SYNTEZ, Ironclad Tactics, Opus Magnum, Mobius Front ‘83, Infinifactory…

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Three Moves Ahead 621 - The Return of MicroProse 1:06:51

31 weeks ago1:06:51

1:06:51

Len is joined this week by David Lagettie, CEO of the resurrected MicroProse. We share some of our own MicropProse memories, and discuss what makes a MicroProse game, as well as why David chose this brand to bring back from oblivion.

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Three Moves Ahead 620 - Fined by the Pope (EU5 Megacast 5 Preview) 30:56

32 weeks ago30:56

30:56

This is a free preview of this month's Patreon episode. Check out the extended version at Patreon.com/3ma! Len, Lambert, and FatherLorris continue their ongoing beef with the Holy See while discussing Europa Universalis 5 dev diaries primarily focused on warfare. We're not even doing jokes about how long these are anymore. That's so early 2024. It's just expected at this point. This is our lives now.…

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Three Moves Ahead 619 - Total War: Pharaoh Dynasties 1:22:59

33 weeks ago1:22:59

1:22:59

Len is joined by Aftermath's Luke Plunkett and Dr. Bret Devereaux to discuss Total War: Pharaoh's expansive Dynasties glow-up. We dig into the sources that are and aren't available for Bronze Age warfare, how the latest historical Total War feels now with all the bells and whistles, and whether or not Creative Assembly's grand apology tour might be a sign of things to come, or just a one-off PR move.…

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