#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