The Assembly Line Podcast 2017 Compo Coverage

Hey hey friends,

I usually only post when I have some un-solvable problem (torches anyone?), but if you want some 2017 Compo coverage please feel free to PM me or Kevin/KHan Games here (or elsewhere). We're hoping to do some Compo coverage, so please PM. Programmers, artists, musicians, testers, you name it! And if your English is not perfect, please trust that it is 110% charming . Looking at you Nathan and Nicloas!

And no, I do not have a Compo entry, but that is not because I do not think that this is important. I just like ten year projects, that's all. Thanks Tepples, Tokumaru, and Memblers for teaching me what I know (and being patient to see the results)!

Beau
AKA SoleGooseProductions aka SoleGoose aka TheAssemblyLine aka NESHERO27 aka HappilyUnfulfilledDreams...

Can't wait to hear it! Message sent....

I don't get it, are you advertising a podcast or inviting people in it? I'm in either way

Definitely not advertising! Most certainly inviting . KHan Games and I started a podcast dedicated to NES homebrews a few months back, called The Assembly Line: An NES Homebrew Podcast, and we have been covering a game an episode or so. We also touch on some theory, community happenings, and we try and get some interviews with folks in and around the community when possible. We had Brad/NESHomebrew/WhatULive4 on a few months ago to talk about what goes into organizing the Compo, and for an upcoming one I was hoping to do a special format episode dedicated to the event, featuring quicker interviews and more general coverage. If we end up with enough content I may split it across two episodes.

I guess I really did not explain that too well in the OP, but that was partially because I did not want it to seem that I was promoting it in any way. We do this for fun, and because we feel that what we do as a community is important. Despite neither of us ever entering, the Compo is a neat yearly event that showcases what is happening, and it gets people involved and releasing things in an exciting way. I was going to contact individuals who had started threads in the subforum here via PM, several of whom I know are listeners, but I also know that there are usually entries that come in right at the deadline with little warning or talk of the development phase, so figured that this might reach them better.

Since these will not be full length showcases of a single game, like we usually do, the questions will be more targeted to the entries. Just to get the wheels spinning, things like: a brief description of the gameplay, why the project was chosen, what was learned along the way, how might it develop in the future, development anecdotes/tales, stories of collaboration, what you might have done differently in hindsight, etc. it is pretty broad, but narrower than our usual approach. For me the act of homebrewing is just as interesting as the final result, and the goal is to give games a face (well, voice) that people can connect with. Why is what you're doing important, why should people care, that type of thing. Hopefully it gets people playing what you've created too, as they become intrigued by what you have to share. When someone is confronted with the giant menu that is Action 53 vol. ____, it is easy to get lost or give a game a few minutes and move on, never realizing that there was much more to it.

Sounds great - If I get my entry finished in time for the compo I'm definitely up for this.

This is no longer the case.

::goes to hide for another 9 years::

Whoa, was that a KHan spotting?

Just to let everyone know, we are still looking to chat with anyone who is willing, but some life things have come up. I think... think, that I have contacted everyone who expressed interest to let them know about the delay. If anyone else is interested however, that means that it is not too late! Not that it ever was, but you know .

For anyone who wants to hear interviews with the Compo submission devs, Part 1 of our coverage of the event is out now. It covers Robo Ninja Climb, Gruniozerca 2, Jammin' Honey, and Project Blue. We also talk with Brad Bateman about the formation and history of the Compo, and feature various musical tracks from the entries.

This is only part 1 too. The next episode will cover the rest (sorry for the delay!). Thanks again to everyone who was able to come on and talk with us, we really enjoyed it and had a good time with ye all.

Great episode, guys! Whole lot of interviews and it is really interesting to hear the entrants describe their work.

Part 2 of our Compo coverage is out! It features interviews with Tomas, Pubby, Kevin, Zutano, and INL, in addition to some general conversation and commentary by Kevin and I. A very special thanks to everyone who took the time to be on, let us play their music, and provided us with info about their projects. Apologies to FrankenGraphics for not being able to use a lot of the material that she provided, but we'll work it into something in the future I am sure. Looking forward to next year, though I am not sure if we'll be doing five hours of coverage next time around. Might have gone overboard .

Thanks for the new episode! I love listening to this while working on the projects, keeps me both focused and motivated. Plus it's so interesting to hear people talk about their work, that's something you don't get in a modest post.

Also.. what a monster episode! 3 hours!

Here's an idea, if you're open to suggestions. Have you considered making a music driver episode? I think the regulars here are well aware of several available options (pubby's constant cycle engine, famitracker, famitone, pently, ggsound, in no particular order) but they might be out of the spotlight for a broader audience, newcomers, and the NA crowd, yet all these options give the composers and game designers different means to express themselves that might be interesting for everyone ranging from curious to shopping for a way to implement music short of writing your own routines. It's a pretty special situation to be writing music for a homebrew, as opposed to writing chiptunes in general - both aesthetically, and technically, and might make for a good subtheme, maybe.