The final episode of the IMG Podcast to feature the three "true" hosts (Buck, Miller, and Fic) is available for download. To check it out, just head over to the IMG Website.
Also, BEST DAMN PODCAST EVER is now on Podcast Alley! Check out that heat by going here. You can vote for you favorite podcast by visiting the link or using this handy dandy votebox!
 Vote for BEST DAMN PODCAST EVER now on PodcastAlley |
A new section for our live show has just been added to the site. Check that heat for our live show schedule, guests, and other information, as well as a direct link to our live show feed.
Also, we have been known to turn the feed on or use the chat room at odd times for testing purposes, or to just joke around. Check the feed and the chat often. You never know what will be there.
Oh god! Late as usual... My name is BLAKE BUCK, and I'm the third and final host of the show. I'm a gaming journalist, filmmaker, and hold the esteemed position of the most ridiculed member of the BDPE crew.
I currently work over at InsideMacGames.com as the Senior Features and Hardware Editor. In addition to my editorial job, I write reviews and features from time to time; an especially difficult task considering my co-hosts and listeners keep insisting I can't read. I also produce the occasional funny video review - a feature that will be coming to BDPE soon.
Speaking of videos, I'm a skilled video editor and filmmaker. I've worked professionally in all stages of film and video production with a wide variety of companies across the southeast. Miller and I used to even shoot films together back in high school - you can check that heat out at www.foursouth.com.
Also, I'm a hardcore videogame collector. Whenever William Miller hurts my feelings, I go and buy two or three games. A week. Minimum. OH GOD I HAVE A PROBLEM. My collection has swelled to nearly 600 catalogued games across every major system since the NES. My favorite, of course, is the Sega Dreamcast.
Finally, I also run the technical side of things for the podcast, such as the liveshow, editing, uploading, XML feeds, blah blah blah. So if you ever have any technical questions (or just want to send me more hatemail for posting a show late), email me here.
Hello there! Will Miller here, known on the show by a variety of names (Wayne, What's His Face, Silent Glue, etc). I am a game developer currently working at Harmonix Music Systems on Guitar Hero II. My stint there is almost over, after which I will be heading back to school.
I started working in the gaming industry when I was 16, for a small Mac developer called Green Dragon Creations, famous for their fast paced strategy game Gridz, which won best game of the year at Macworld when it was released. I also have done some work for Freeverse Software, Gee3, and of course, HMX, as well as a countless number of side gaming projects, which in all likelihood will never materialize into anything as long as I have real work.
Currently, my interests lie not so much in game design, but specific areas of game programming, like AI and shader programming. For work, I write code for PC and consoles, but my heart will always be with Apple. Whenever Blake Buck hurts my feelings, I go write some Objective-C for an hour to feel better. I also like drawing, reading, judo, and designing web sites (you're looking at my work now).
When I started making games, for the most part I stopped playing them. In fact, I can trace that all the way back to my Green Dragon days when we were porting Microsoft's Links 2002 Championship Edition, and I spent so many hours testing it that Sergio Garcia's poorly animated visage was permanently burned into my retinas. I can still see that Arnold Palmer Course Designer crashing my computer when I go to sleep. As such, I contribute to the podcast as a developer of games more than a player of games, though on occasion, I can bring serious heat in Stump Buck.
I'm looking forward to a great show, and remember:
"You can get hot dogs for like, nothin'.
Ok, so I'm up first with this heat. My name is Justin Ficarrotta, or "Justin Fic" on the show. I'm an Indie Game Developer, award-winning game designer, and at 25 years, the old fogey of the show. My game Kill Monty is published by Freeverse Software, and is a classic gem of Mac Gaming Goodness. All my games tend to be a little sick and twisted.
I also briefly worked for Petroglyph Games in Las Vegas, on Star Wars: Empire at War. It quickly became obvious that working as a cog in someone else's machine wasn't the life for me. I yearned for the freedom of expression and creativity much more than the steady paycheck and cushy industry job. Besides, RTS games suck ass.
More recently, I've embraced both Flash gaming (for its ease of development and focus on simple, addictive games) and the Unity 3D game engine, which rocks my face. Flash allows me to crank out simple games in ridiculously short periods of time, and Unity allows me to tackle much bigger projects just as easily. Unity handles all the fancy 3D eye-candy effortlessly, and allows me to focus my attention on the gameplay. I am using Unity to create a game with the other podcast hosts, and you will all be hearing more about that very soon! Finally, I am currently building a website that will host all my original web-based and downloadable games.
As for my gaming tastes, I like just about anything, but I'll always have a soft spot for fast action games. Give me a good Contra or Gradius game and I'm a happy guy. Rhythm games are another weakness: DDR and Guitar Hero in particular. (Blake Buck talks the talk when it comes to Bemani but we all know that I'm the true master!) You can also find me at the tables over at Full Tilt Poker.
I also tend to be somewhat of a cynical, sadistic S.O.B. and every now and then I'll let something slip on the show about shooting bunnies with rocket launchers or drop-kicking children into traffic. The games I make are similarly deranged, but as long as it doesn't bother my parole officer, I'm fine with that. Between that and the righteous indignation, reporting on the latest gaming news suddenly becomes a good bit more interesting!
See you all on the podcast!
We bid a tearful (well, maybe not) farewell to our old show, the Inside Mac Games podcast after a great recording with Tuncer Deniz, founder of the Inside Mac Games network. Mr. Deniz will continue the IMG podcast along with Andy Largent, an IMG journalist. Mr. Deniz was quoted as saying (much to the chagrin of the live listeners) that the show would be scaled back to thirty minutes as opposed to the hour and a half norm.
Other highlights from the show include a great BATTLE (the last ever on the IMG podcast), WWDC Apple Developer Awards rant, opinions on Apple's upcoming operating system update Leopard, and the latest mac gaming news. Check it out at Inside Mac Games.
Welcome to the Best Damn Podcast Ever! Hosts Blake Buck, Will Miller, and Justin Fic of IMG Podcast fame have been working hard to bring you the best damn gaming podcast you have ever heard. If you're a long time listener of the Inside Mac Games Podcast, you'll feel right at home here. If not, no worries.
Our fist episode features an exclusive interview with Sean Babtiste and DeVron Warner from Harmonix Music Systems, makers of Guitar Hero and soon to be released Guitar Hero II. We chatted about development at HMX, GHII, and why RTS developers suck. As usual, we cover the latest industry headlines, destroy Blake Buck with our superior gaming knowledge in Stump Buck and beat the hell out of our lovely listeners in BATTLE.
To listen to the show, simply click the "Play Now" button on the right.
