Jon and Rob discuss how the developers of 2016's DOOM reboot pursued a philosophy of 'push-forward combat', utilizing smartly-design systems and AI to give the player a sense of agency and empowerment.

(We also referred to DOOM 2016 as Doom 5, thinking that there had been a previous, underwhelming Doom 4. No such game was ever release -- we were probably thinking of Quake 4 instead. Our bad!)

Additional reading

There's a ton of great information out there about DOOM's development. Here are some of our favorites:

• 'Make me think, make me move': New Doom's deceptively simple design (Gamasutra)
• Cyber Demons | The AI of DOOM (2016) (Gamasutra)
• Embracing Push Forward Combat in DOOM (Youtube)
• Bringing Hell to Life: AI and Full Body Animation in DOOM (Youtube)
• DOOM: Behind the Music (Youtube)

Questions? Comments? Got another favorite combat system you want us to discuss? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from DOOM (2016) by id Software

Jon and Rob are back from vacation, and we're ready to deliver some spicy hot takes! This time: Jon can't stand playing Dungeons & Dragons, despite loving lots of other tabletop RPGs. Improv comedy technique, homebrew magic systems, and bad fantasy novels are all discussed within.

Questions? Comments? Want to suggest other beloved and influential games for us to rant about? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Dungeons & Dragons by Gary Gygax

This week we're discussing one of the most important skills for a professional game designer to cultivate -- workplace communication! We share thoughts and personal anecdotes on how to clearly get your ideas across, how to foster a non-toxic work environment, and how to align your whole team behind the same set of goals.

Questions? Comments? Want to practice your communication skills? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Metal Gear Solid 2 by Konami

Continuing on from last week's discussion of non-standard RPG stats in games, we dig into the confusingly named stats that make up Bloodborne's progression system. Designs will be analyzed, honor will be challenged, and in true From Software fashion, one of our hosts will die.

Questions? Comments? Want to tell us all the ways we're wrong about FromSoft's games? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Bloodborne by FromSoftware