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Idle Thumbs

Idle Thumbs is an independent podcast network whose podcasts span comedy, pop culture and entertainment, video games, and TV.

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All Episodes

03:06:23

Designer Notes 86: Anton Strenger

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/11/03

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

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01:14:44

Three Moves Ahead 623 - Frostpunk 2

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/10/13

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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02:30:32

Designer Notes 85: Zach Barth - Part 2

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/09/29

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

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01:15:38

Three Moves Ahead 622 - Tactical Breach Wizards

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/09/25

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?!

en

02:39:31

Designer Notes 84: Zach Barth - Part 1

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/08/31

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

en

01:06:51

Three Moves Ahead 621 - The Return of MicroProse

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/08/30

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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00:30:56

Three Moves Ahead 620 - Fined by the Pope (EU5...

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/08/24

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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01:22:59

Three Moves Ahead 619 - Total War: Pharaoh Dynasties

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/08/18

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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01:29:50

Three Moves Ahead 618 - Workers & Resources 1.0

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/07/20

Len and Jon are joined by Sin Vega and Well There's Your Problem's Justin Roczniak (donoteat01) to revisit Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic for its 1.0 release. We discuss what's changed and been added since we last checked it out in Early Access, why it's so captivating, and who it's actually for.

en

00:32:51

Three Moves Ahead 617 - Down the Well (EU5 Megacast 4...

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/06/30

This is a free preview of this month's Patreon episode. Check out the extended version at Patreon.com/3ma!Len, Lambert, and Lorris get in and out of this month's deluge of dev diaries in a downright snappy three hours, despite nitpicking EU5's depiction of the British Isles for long enough to kill a non-map gamer. Please be cautious when listening to our nonsense around partners, small children, and the psychologically healthy. They may be unprepared for exposure to our level of pedantry and

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01:30:08

Three Moves Ahead 616 - The Future of Anbennar and EU5

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/06/21

Len, Lorris, and Lambert sat down with JayBean, the creator of the popular Anbennar fantasy total conversion mods for Europa Universalis 4, Crusader Kings 3, and Victoria 3. We asked him what he's most excited about from what we've seen of EU5 so far, what changes he might make to the mod with these new systems, and how Paradox Tinto can better support the modding community.

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01:11:46

Three Moves Ahead 615 - Homeworld 3

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/06/15

Len, Luke, and Ian warp in to discuss Homeworld 3, a space strategy sequel more than two decades in the making. We discuss its use of space terrain, the more intimate storytelling in the campaign, the co-op Wargames mode, and what it has and hasn't preserved from its pantheonic predecessors.

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01:54:05

Designer Notes 83: Mitch Lasky - Part 2

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/06/06

In this episode, Soren interviews noted game investor Mitch Lasky, best known for his work as a venture capitalist at Benchmark, as the CEO of JAMDAT, and as an executive at Activision and Electronic Arts. They discuss how the industry’s business models have always affected design, why he was wrong about the Halloween pack ruining League of Legends, and why the litigation leaks are better than GDC. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2023.Games discussed: League of Legends, Hearthstone,

en

00:32:29

Three Moves Ahead 614 - To Four Hours... And Beyond!...

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/05/31

This is a free preview of this month's Patreon episode. Check out the extended version at Patreon.com/3ma!Len, Lambert, and Lorris are here to explore the question of how long a podcast about an unreleased game can be before someone in our lives physically intervenes. We not only have Tinto Talks and the Johan Files to cover, but now Tinto Maps, Saturday Buildings, and the Pavía Papers. There was actually more news about EU5 this month than there ever has been in a 30-day period about any previous

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01:29:16

Three Moves Ahead 613 - Total War Warhammer 3:...

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/05/26

Len and Rowan are joined by Nathan from the YouTube channel The Great Book of Grudges to discuss the Thrones of Decay patch, Creative Assembly's apology tour, and the state of Immortal Empires in 2024. Rowan grapples with why Warhammer 3 just isn't doing it for her, Nathan marvels at the current contentment of the community, and Len chews a hole in a shirt.

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01:53:26

Designer Notes 82: Mitch Lasky - Part 1

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/05/06

In this episode, Soren interviews noted game investor Mitch Lasky, best known for his work as a venture capitalist at Benchmark, as the CEO of JAMDAT, and as an executive at Activision and Electronic Arts. They discuss how the Doom shareware model was a preview of free-to-play, why a console transition led to EA buying Maxis, and how Jamdat pioneered paying for visibility on mobile. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2023.Games discussed: Pong, Computer Space, Robotron, Seven Cities of Gold,

en

01:17:35

Three Moves Ahead 612 - Manor Lords

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/04/29

Len, Ian, and Jon are joined by our official unofficial historical consultant, Dr. Bret Devereaux, to discuss Manor Lords. We clear up what it is and what it isn't, how it portrays the historical realities of medieval burgage, and how Early of an Early Access game it really is.

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00:37:08

Three Moves Ahead 611 - Going the Distance (EU5...

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/04/25

This is a free preview of this month's Patreon episode. Check out the extended version at Patreon.com/3ma!Len, Lambert, and Lorris are back to discuss the next four Europa Universalis V dev diaries and The Johan Files, an edited compilation of all of Johan's relevant forum posts that has more than doubled in size since we last talked. We decided to call it at four hours, but still had plenty more to talk about, so it seems like the Megacast format isn't going anywhere any time soon...

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03:13:36

Designer Notes 81: Jake Solomon - Part 2

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/04/11

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss his first, failed attempt at XCOM, why 75% does not mean 75%, and how many copies of XCOM he sold at Power Gamer in Glen Burnie, MD. This episode was recorded on April 26, 2023.Games discussed: Civilization Revolution, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Rocket League, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Old World, the Civilization series, XCOM 2, Slay the

en

01:24:02

Three Moves Ahead 610 - Millennia

Idle Thumbs ·

2024/03/31

It's a full house this week, as Len is joined by Ian Boudreau, Luke Plunkett, Mike Williams, and Ruth Cassidy to perform a bit of an autopsy on Millennia, C Prompt and Paradox's take at a Civ-like historical 4X. We all came away with a bit of a bad taste in our mouths about it, to varying degrees, and we spend a fair bit of time trying to explain why – and set aside some time to talk about what we did like.

en

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