#217 Soren Johnson and his 4X Game: 10 Crowns

Dirk Knemeyer – @DKnemeyer
Soren Johnson – @SorenJohnson, www.mohawkgames.com/

Episode Outline
– 00:51 What brought Soren back to the 4X genre
– 02:37 4X games and modern issues with colonization as a partial or central theme
– 13:36 Why some games fly under the radar with problematic themes
– 17:29 How a relatively small developer tackles a 4X game
– 25:39 Competing with a larger, well-known studio and franchise
– 30:39 Making 4X more accessible to a general audience
– 33:47 Why 10 Crowns and similar games are interested in the Roman time period
– 39:15 A general timeline for 10 Crowns’ past and future
– 42:02 The relationship and responsibilities of publishers and developers
– 44:44 How development team rates and contracts work
– 48:09 Design challenges the 10 Crown team has encountered so far
– 51:31 Differences in technology and the gaming environment since Civ 4
– 56:03 Why Soren doesn’t recommend the 4X genre to new developers
– 1:01:26 What sets 10 Crowns apart from other games in the genre
-1:03:17 What listeners might expect in later episodes in this series