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Thanks, everyone!

Arjon: my minions are still in the process of acquiring the necessary skills -- but once they're done, the mass-produced fluffy aliens will FLOOD THIS PLANET and OVERLOAD IT WITH CUTENESS!!!!

Thank you -- and a happy Bloomsday to Wogoat, as well

Ding-ding-ding!!! That is corrrrrrect! I figured she'd be a dead give-away, this being her only role in a game (I think).

Warmer, much warmer. Almost there, actually. Right building, wrong door, so to speak.

Not even close Need more hints? Date? More pics?

Oh, all right. Even though you might actually know this one from GOG, or this one, because it's pretty. But fine, you anglocentric xenophobes, here ya go

OK, fine, it's... SKAUT KWATERMASTER

So what do I do now? Pick a new picture for someone to guess?

Too easy, since I'm Polish, too -- and actually owned both the original version and the enhanced CD version -- so I'll let others guess

I liked the part about the audience's expectations about the endings in games. I think any sort ongoing series -- be it games, movies, books, tv series -- has people predicting what's next, and in the long run, how it'll all come to an end. As the series progresses, they get attached to their visions so much that the authors' way might cause disappointment and/or outrage. Case in point: Mass Effect 3. Harry Potter. Or, to take a few examples from TV this year, Dexter and How I Met Your Mother. Wasn't it Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author" that argued the story doesn't belong to the author anymore once they realse it to the public? I'd usually advocate the creator's freedom -- but that HIMYM ending was so horrid, pointless and illogical that I seriously question their competence

Also, I listened to #43 tonight -- and I'm with you, Grundy, Photoshop 6 FTW, it's been my tool of choice since 2002

Fun as always, I enjoyed the part about voice acting in particular. Grundy's crazy voices were all so effortless -- though Ben's impression of Sadwick might've been the highpoint of the podcast. One thing I noticed, though, is that Grundy's audio seems MUCH quieter than Ben's -- so it's hard to balance the volume, especially in a non-neutral environment, such as when I'm out walking.

The thing is, making any big project -- whatever it may be -- takes time. A LOT of time. I've done all sorts of creative stuff over the past ten years. I wrote dozens of stories, then books, ranging from some 200 to 600 pages. I drew comics (a longer story, a page every two weeks), then comic strips (three strips a week, with an ensemble cast and no real story) -- and every time I take up something new, I'm utterly terrified. It's like standing at the foot of a mountain and looking up at the top. It's going to take a lot of time and energy, and it'll take a million steps -- including stops, detours, tripping and falling down -- to get there. So naturally, the fear is paralyzing. But then comes a day I just know I need to do it, and I take the first step, then another, and then I just keep plodding on, one step at a time -- looking down at the ground in front of me, not at the mountain top far away. I try to enjoy the now: the process itself, not just reaching some distant goal. I like to spend some time polishing some bit of artwork -- regardless of how small or irrelevant -- not worrying about time or schedules. If there's a character I like writing for, I'll spent some extra time amusing myself writing some dialogue for them. Anything fun, humorous. I like learning new small things, too, like audio-editing, sound effects or voice-overs.

With all that in mind, there'll still be times when I hate what I'm doing. There will be days when I'm out of ideas for comics, or when I'm tired/cranky and I can't focus on anything, not to mention sit there for 4+ hours doing just one thing. And I do get what Armageddon means. I got so exhausted with one of my webcomics that even though I left it with an open ending, intending to get back to it at some point, it's been five years and I never have. Not going to unless I find an easier, less demanding style -- because the artwork got almost photo-realistic at some point, and while it looked pretty nifty, it took all of my free time after work and weekends. There just has to be a balance between the effort involved and the enjoyment you get out of it. There's no point in maintaining a hobby that you hate every step of the way and you feel like you've chased yourself in a corner. Most of us have our day jobs for that

They sort of did. There mentioned a handful of things you should consider when designing a game -- including alternative mechanics for obtaining information, other than talking to everyone. You also shouldn't start a game with the word "physicist"

It's also not very far-fetched to assume alcohol is a vital part of the creative process.

It's astounding that you've managed to basically record the show -- AND actually remained coherent throughout. One of my favorite episodes, for sure, very interesting.

I'm really enjoying these, just the kind of thing to lie back and listen to on a lazy evening Was it the last one that mentioned Primordia? Because seriously, maybe I'm tonedeaf, but Crispin sounded so much like Grundislav sometimes!

Dziekowac!

Also, happy birthday, Chicky!

Thanks, Tabby! Yes, here's to a year full of fun and creativity

The alien in my avatar might make me look distant and aloof. That's not true. I'm a very cheerful person