How to Make Brilliant Games With 0 Combat

This is a conversation with Danny Weinbaum from @EastshadeStudios, the creators of one of my favorite roleplaying games, Eastshade, currently working on a new game called "Songs of Glimmerwick". How do you make successful adventure game? What makes for good quests? How to write peaceful games and bring them to satisfying conlcusion? How to craft beautiful environments?

Links to my Guests

➤ On YouTube: @EastshadeStudios

➤ Eastshade on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/715560/Eastshade/

➤ Songs of Glimmerwick on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1706510/Songs_of_Glimmerwick/

Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):

➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/

0:00 - Intro

1:00 - Leaving Lyndow

3:30 - From AAA to indie

6:12 - Eastshade in a nutshell

8:52 - Designing a living world without combat

11:13 - Appeal vs fun; discovering the painting loop

15:43 - The “walking sim” problem

18:06 - Explainer trailers

19:50 - Grizzly Games team size and roles

21:20 - Market research, scraping Steam

27:32 - Eastshade sales and budget breakdown

28:55 - Full voice acting

31:18 - Environment art fundamentals

36:03 - Performance strategy

43:35 - Composing “hero shots”

44:40 - Unique landmarks, modular tilesets

49:41 - tiny open worlds; Glimmerwick’s world

51:11 - What makes a good quest

54:29 - Case study: the island mystery

56:03 - Glimmerwick’s budget, team, and timelines

57:35 - Glimmerwick’s origin and the “one captain per game” rule

59:49 - Positioning in the witchy/magic-school space

1:03:00 - Early reception: wishlists, betas

1:06:41 - From free camera to fixed

1:13:58 - Prototyping adventure games

1:20:02 - Locks and keys done right (Outer Wilds)

1:26:18 - Magic systems in Glimmerwick: spells, farming, potions

1:28:31 - Tech art pipeline and approach to writing

1:31:38 - Marketing; word of mouth

1:36:20 - Time system innovation: “event pucks”

1:40:57 - Why time makes worlds feel alive

1:43:21 - YouTube strategy: audience, impact, and shorts

1:49:12 - Turning illustrations into worlds

1:53:48 - Where to start with an adventure game

2:04:07 - Replacing combat: a merchant-driven adventure idea

2:11:06 - Glimmerwick status: wishlists, demo, conversion

2:12:22 - Show the verbs: improving the store page

2:16:37 - Marketing plans and development status

2:18:10 - Designing satisfying non-combat endings; Eastshade’s farewell

2:22:48 - Glimmerwick’s ending approach: reunion and nostalgia

2:25:26 - YouTube ROI and streamlining devlogs

2:31:10 - Thumbnails, hooks, and careful advice

2:32:42 - Game quality vs marketing; reading Steam’s middle class

2:34:18 - Game show idea, “friend slop,” trends vs art, and co-op

2:38:38 - Wrap-up

My game "Thronefall":

➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/

➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8

➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview

My game "Will You Snail":

➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/

➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK

For the game developers among you:

➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ