Producing Plants vs. Zombies: MLJ - Part 1

Pour One Out for the Two Bells - Part 1

Isaac and Steve push Zoom to the limit to babble about the legendary "PopCap South," otherwise known as the Two Bells Pub. Plants vs. Zombies artists Rich Werner and Matt Holmberg team up with bartending superstar Julie Thomas for an unflinching sprint down memory lane. We dig up old memories of a beloved bar, examine them, and shake our collective heads at the sort of nonsense we used to get up to, all while celebrating a special place that meant so much to so many. CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Hello and Welcome 02:27  Pop a Cap in Yer Ass 03:39  Vechey 04:50  Symbiotic 06:56  Back Tables 09:31  TTP 12:37  Belltown 14:02  Big Fish 16:46  Human Thing 19:22  Irish Noir Gangster 23:05  Some Kind of Disturbance 27:29  Meredith Storm 29:41  Smart Drinkers Drink Water 33:54  Two Bells Movie Night 36:26  Punks and Party Animals 40:05  Evil Disney Witch Ladies 46:31  That Third Place 49:30  Robo Dojo  52:01  Pure Daylight 52:29  And On That

Ultra Extreme Peggle Grand Master: Ace Rothstein - Part 2

Steve, Isaac and Ace return for a scorching Part 2 discussion about Magic Powers, Zen Balls, game names, art styles, wild adventures and more Peggle and video game programming nerd stuff than a stick can be shaken at -- all these and more are talked about in this astounding episode. Rejoice! CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Hello and Welcome 01:25  Previously On... 02:15  We Got a Hit On Our Hands 03:57  Magic Powers Need Identities 05:06  Zen Ball 07:39  Pego Mastery 11:28  Controlling the Bucket 13:53  A Game Called Peggle 14:24  Our Peggle's Better 15:53  How To Create A Peggle Level 24:24  White Room 25:13  Walked Out 30:59  An Original Idea 34:39  Art Style - Walter Wilson 39:12  Wild Adventuers and Stories 49:40  GoBit.com 50:10  Basically Burger Shop 54:43  Scoring Systems 56:33  Speedrunning 58:38  Ultra Extreme Grand Master 59:31  Replays 1:00:45  Everything Is Feeling Good 1:02:59  It's Better When Other People Like It LINKS Gobit Games http://gobit.com

The Original Peggle Master: Ace Rothstein - Part 1

Isaac and Steve are hyped to chat with original Peggle programmer Ace "Brian" Rothstein. Chatstuff includes working for Sierra Online, how Ace and the various PopCap founders met, several unpublished games, and a goodly chunk of a deep deep dive into the glory that is Peggle. Check it out! CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Hello, Greetings and Bonjour 00:50  Ace "Brian" Rothstein 03:39  I Call Myself a Programmer 10:53  Sierra Online 13:53  How I Became Ace 17:46  Early PopCap 21:32  Ready to Join the Good Guys 25:00  Circle Shoot (Zuma) 34:16  Deep Thoughts 37:32  Punch Patrol 42:38  Foxy Poker 44:57  Peggle 54:06  That Fever Moment 1:02:20  The Brilliance of Peggle 1:02:39  Until Next Time

Producing Plants vs. Zombies: MLJ - Part 2

Isaac and Steve circle back to more salty goodness with Producer Matthew Lee Johnston.  Discover how PvZ2 made the transition to Fremium, what EA CEO John Riccitello said to MLJ, plenty about game jams and indie games inside indie games, Make-a-Wish projects and oh so much more. Tune in... if you dare! CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Greetings and welcome 00:39  Previously on... 03:11  PvZ2 Rapid Iteration Mode 05:32  Time Travel 07:53  Plant Food 11:59  Consumables 13:34  Fremium 16:57  My Kid Had This Great Idea 19:32  "Matt's really kinda f**kin' up, right?" 21:23  Business People Masquerading as Creative People 24:01  Back-stabby Ladder Climbing 27:47  Knock a Muthaf**ker Out 30:22  When 4th and Battery Got Killed 30:32  What Is 4th and Battery 35:41  Allied Star Police 39:18  Pop Camp 43:41  Imperfect Segue 45:30  Positive Mental Attitude 51:08  All Things Become Possible LINKS https://getthatpma.com

Producing Plants vs. Zombies: MLJ - Part 1

Isaac and Steve welcome skater, entrepreneur and former PopCap and Plants vs Zombies producer Matthew Lee Johnston to the show.  Learn what a first day at PopCap was like, discover interwoven webs of perfectly hand-balanced dependencies, attend to the differences between "porting" a game and "adapting" it, and be apprised of the many ways that folks can fail to see eye to eye on the very same adaptation process. All that and a fair bit more on this week's episode of The Unofficial PopCap PopCast! CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Hello, Greetings 00:48  Introducing Matthew Lee Johnston 01:41  Tricked Into Interviewing 07:41  What's a Producer? 10:08  Most Noteworthy Games 12:42  First Day at PopCap 24:07  PvZ Xbox 27:04  Controlling PvZ 30:37  Fundamental Disagreement 38:23  Couch Co-op 41:16  Perfectly Hand-Balanced Dependencies 45:06  Working "with" George Fan 48:55  Plants vs. Zombies 2 56:18  MLJ Part 1 Wrapup LINKS PMA Magazine https://www.getthatpma.com/