The Unofficial PopCap PopCast

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/

The Girl with the Popcorn Dragon Tattoo

Isaac and Steve greet a very special guest: writer and former PopCap Customer Support agent, Dana Sweeney! Dana dishes dirt on how she got into PopCap, what life in the CS trenches was like, how a manager in Ireland stepped up, how she branched out from Customer Support, why she got one game-related tattoo but not another, and much, much, MUCH more! Oh, and we get a glimpse at a cat! Check it out... if you DARE. CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Welcome and Bonjour 01:02  PopCap Community 02:41  Temping Into PopCap 04:41  Free Games 06:02  Supporting Customers 07:09  Kitty Break - Lovey! 07:37  Bonkers Emails 11:43  Surviving CS 19:40  Career Development 21:16  Stuck in a Role 22:21  Special Memories 23:17  Great Place to be a Nerdy Person 25:49  Double Down 27:39  Undead World 29:03  In a Band 29:59  Tattoos 31:00  PopCorn Dragon 31:41  Cancelling Games 33:39  Shift to Mobile 34:48  Dumped in a Trash Can 36:00  Lust For Tomorrow 40:34  Writing Advice 41:35  Final Thoughts  LINKS The Stronghold (Lust for Tomorrow & Trust In Tomorrow) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW4V2YCR

Plants vs. Zombies Artists: Matt & Rich - Part 2

Matt Holmberg and Rich Werner! Two incredible Plants vs Zombies artists continue to blabble about games and more with Isaac & Steve. Topics include but are not limited to: Conan the Barbarian, fast follows, premium vs. freemium, exploding books, industry dirt, how Rich got the PvZ art job, and what these magical creatures are doing RIGHT NOW. It's inadvisable to miss it, so don't! CHAPTERS  00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Bonjour and Greetings 01:37  Influences 11:04  Emotion in Games 20:15  Getting Into PvZ 29:44  Game Names 34:24  Making PvZ 36:18  Premium vs. Freemium 39:54  After PvZ 43:45  Sequels 45:24  PopCap QA 47:47  PvZ Hits (The Video) 53:03  Modern PvZ (PvZ 2026) 58:40  Exiting PopCap 1:07:35  Magical Creatures 1:14:59  Right Now 1:18:03  Until Next Time LINKS Gulf Guardian https://gulfguardian.io This Book Might Explode (Explodeyworld) https://explodeyworld.com/

Plants vs. Zombies Artists: Rich & Matt - Part 1

Rich Werner & Matt Holmberg! Two amazing Plants vs Zombies artists join Isaac & Steve to blabble about making games. We talk art school, teen translation, different paths into gaming, what it's like to work on soullessly empty media tie-ins, how the magic of PNGs make everybody's lives 1000x easier, and oodles of other things! Tune in! CHAPTERS 00:00  The Unofficial PopCap PopCast 00:19  Greetings 00:33  Early Inspirations 08:45  Getting Into Games 16:46  Interactive Entertainment 22:29  Sprout 29:50  Into PopCap 37:29  PopWar/Prince of Toys 47:18  Jank Animation 48:34  Tools 54:12  FT 55:26  Free Ball 58:27  Next Time: Part 2