When is video game lore good? When is it bad? This week, the Triple Click gang talks about Skyrim books, Elden Ring item descriptions, Destiny guns, and all the other delectable morsels of plot that exist underneath the stories of video games. 

One More Thing:

Kirk: Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Maddy: Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Jason: Eiyuden Chronicles

LINKS:

Mossbag’s Hollow Knight Lore video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XDiWYFGGqY

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teragram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Eight years after it first came out, Stardew Valley is still getting patches. But what's the deal with this one-man-developed farming simulator? How was it created, and what makes it so appealing? Allow us to explain!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Children of the Sun (Steam)

Maddy: Wingspan (board game version)

Jason: Fallout (Amazon Prime)

LINKS:

Search Engine: “What are we gonna do about all these cats?” https://pjvogt.substack.com/p/whatre-we-gonna-do-about-all-these

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teragram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

It's the 200th episode of Triple Click, and to celebrate, it's time for a mailbag! The gang answers listener questions such as "could we ever see gambling in video games?" and "are games really a waste of time?"

One More Thing:

Kirk: “Behind F1’s Velvet Curtain” by Kate Wagner 

Maddy: Sailor Moon

Jason: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

LINKS:

“Behind F1’s Velvet Curtain” by Kate Wagner, preserved in archive form: https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/ and at Escape Collective: https://escapecollective.com/behind-f1s-velvet-curtain/

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teagram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

What is "friction" in video games? We've got a taxonomy, of course! This week, the Triple Click gang talks about how Dragon Dogma 2 tries to push players away, the necessity of video game friction, and what it means when a game is impenetrable.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Girls5Eva (Netflix)

Maddy: The Holdovers (2024)

Jason: Secrets of Grindea

LINKS:

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teagram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Tim Rogers’ “In Praise of Sticky Friction,” 2010 https://kotaku.com/in-praise-of-sticky-friction-555816

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Kirk’s Three Types of Video Game Friction

Mechanical Friction: Relating to inputs and interaction. i.e. kinesthetics, “game feel”

• Certain moves require complex inputs or timing
• Beating a boss means not just attacking but reacting/countering
• Combat’s relationship to animation, e.g. locked animation means you can't interrupt attacks and dodge whenever you want
• No jump button, you have to use the world to get vertical advantage (souls, monster hunter)
• Enemies can stagger or stun-lock you just like you can them
• Stamina bar limits the number of chained inputs you can give
• Delay on spellcasting means relying on teammates to provide cover
• Slow or complex reloads with modifiers, minigames for healing, sub-inputs required while in the heat of action (stratagems, active reload, far cry healing animations, etc)
• "Sticky Friction" (TM Tim Rogers) - inertia, weight, acceleration, the feel and heft of movement and interaction tied to pause/delay/rhythm and animation

Logistical Friction: Relating to planning, (in)flexibility, the need to prepare

• Customization is costly or difficult. e.g. to change classes or appearance, you have to go see a vendor in a town
• There's limited fast travel, so you have to plan trips carefully. Or can only travel from certain points on map
• The game's map is an in-game object and doesn't pause
• No pause option in general
• Penalty for death - lost progress, maybe the game even becomes harder
• Finishing a mission requires extraction, waiting, defending
• You can't save just anywhere, or have a limited number of saves
• Loot and upgrades don’t unlock unless you complete the mission
• Quests are complex and require a lot of micro-managing or specific steps
• Crafting and other similar activities require in-game actions or specific locations
• Often referred to as “Player Friendly/Unfriendliness”

Informational Friction: Relating to what the game does/doesn’t tell you

• The game doesn't tell you what you're supposed to do next
• The game doesn't spell out for you what's going on with the story and leaves it for you to figure out (Narrative Friction)
• There are a lot of concepts, mechanics, or rules to keep track of or understand (Conceptual Friction)
• The game's map doesn't tell you very much, or the game has no map (Navigational Friction)
• Branching narratives aren’t signposted, little or no warning for consequential decisions
• The interface is opaque or requires a lot of inputs to use
• You don't get notifications about status effects in the HUD, you have to look at your character (general world > hud approach)
• The game has hidden systems that you have to learn about via word of mouth or experimentation (e.g. If you want to explore the castle without getting arrested, wear the guard armor to blend in. If you die, your world becomes steadily darker. This guy will kill your NPCs, but there’s an elaborate hidden spell to revive them. Etc)
• Other players can leave notes to help you, but the notes are often vague; other player’s pawns can show you secrets, but you have to listen
• In-game multiplayer communication options are limited
• Item descriptions don't give specific stats, they just say vague stuff

Balatro is one of the best games of 2024 so far — and certainly the most addictive. This week, the Triple Click gang dives into the new poker roguelike and dissects what makes it so great. They talk about the three phases of Balatro players, the appeal of randomness, and the thrill of this game's parade of interesting decisions.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Dragon’s Dogma 2

Maddy: Princess Peach Showtime!

Jason: The Last Murder at the End of the World (Stuart Turton)

LINKS:

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Happy MaxFunDrive! This week, the Triple Click gang opens up the mailbag and takes some listener questions: Are libraries ethical? How bad will ads in video games get? And when does a game developer know if it's time to cancel a project?

One More Thing:

Kirk: FF7 Rebirth Piano Minigame & Music Notation

Maddy: Shogun

Jason: Dragon’s Dogma 2

LINKS:

Hearthstone’s Ben Brode on Search Engine: https://pjvogt.substack.com/p/how-do-you-make-an-addictive-video

Tantacrul’s incredibly good video about music notation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq3bUFgEcb4

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Jason, Maddy, and Kirk pull up their strategem monitors and dive into Helldivers 2. They share their favorite memeable moments, talk about the game's unique story, and dive into what does and doesn't work about the hit new game.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Home Safety Hotline (PC)

Maddy: The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023)

Jason: Unicorn Overlord (Current Consoles)

LINKS:

Featuring Johan Lindgren’s Helldivers 2 theme

Joel the game master: https://www.pcgamer.com/we-have-an-actual-person-with-the-title-of-game-master-a-single-helldivers-2-dev-named-joel-is-pulling-the-strings-on-its-galactic-war-like-an-all-powerful-dandd-dungeon-master-war-will-become-more-and-more-sophisticated-over-time/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason travel back in time and make their way up Mt. Nibel for a deeper look at the stellar Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a game about traveling the world and playing animal soccer.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Our Last Best Hope (Magpie Games)

Maddy: True Detective: Night Country (Max)

Jason: The Dynasty (by Jeff Benedict)

LINKS:

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason return to the world of buster swords and moogles to hunt Sephiroth, trying not to get too distracted by all the minigames along the way. It's time for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake. How good is it? Let's discuss!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Oppenheimer in 70mm

Maddy: True Detective S3

Jason: Balatro

LINKS:

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Xbox recently announced plans to bring four games to PlayStation and Switch. But why? What's Microsoft's gaming strategy? And why are they even bothering to keep selling consoles? The Triple Click gang discusses.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Helldivers 2 (PS5, PC)

Maddy: Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (Naomi Klein)

Jason: Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect (Benjamin Stevenson)

LINKS:

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/