Episode 78: The Ruinationcast

"Its October 10th 2012 and this cast is ruined"

The Ruinationcast
You ruined it. We ruined it.
Date Posted	October 10, 2012
Cast Length	4:38:59
Hosts	Chris Remo, Jake Rodkin, Sean Vanaman
Guests	None

Official description

As part of our Kickstarter campaign, backers were given the chance to help us ruin an episode by giving us a list of topics we had to discuss. The following four and a half hours is the result of that list. Enjoy.

What's Inside?! Over one hundred and seventy unique topics! Four-plus hours of podcast death marching! YOU make the podcast with YOUR questions!

YouTube Timestamps

• 00:46 — Intro - Welcome to ruination
• 02:41 — Another Intro - 174 people helped ruin this podcast
• 03:54 — 1: Mecha Goose - It’s a goose that’s part robot
• 04:46 — 2: Socks - Socks - Sean has a stance on them
• 05:22 — 3: Marek Bronstring - Bronstring Marken Bronstring
• 05:33 — 4: Favorite Comic Books - Preacher, From Hell, and Transmetropolitan
• 07:31 — 5: Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Chris' nonviolent playthrough
• 09:39 — 6: Mr. Baboo - Chris is writing music for Gone Home
• 11:02 — 7: ThumbsCon 2012 - Coming 2015
• 12:32 — 8: The Best Moments of Gaming - Probably not behind us
• 16:12 — 9: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Super Fucking Badass Movie
• 16:22 — 10: Favorite Words - Video games
• 16:34 — 11: Game Jam Themes - @igndotcom maybe?
• 17:46 — 12: Thief - It's an amazing game. Also, it's difficult.
• 19:13 — 13: Recording Equipment - What's set up in the office
• 21:53 — 14: The Idle Thumbs Video Game - Being born is the first boss
• 22:58 — 15: If You Were a Tree - A pine cone rolls down a hill
• 23:08 — 16: Waluigi - Game pitches from Idle Thumbs
• 25:19 — 17: 38 Studios - They're gone and it's too bad
• 26:28 — 18: Monty Python - Its influence on Idle Thumbs
• 28:46 — 19: Story in Games - BioShock, Bastion, Last Express, Gone Home, and Walking Dead
• 32:09 — 20: Gamenecdote - Jake recounts LittleBigPlanet multiplayer shenanigans
• 34:31 — 21: J Allard - CFO dog of Idle Thumbs
• 34:39 — 22: Uninformed Player Choice - Sean gives an example from The Walking Dead
• 36:36 — 23: Thief 4 - Hopefully it's good
• 37:40 — 24: Press Cheering at Events - It's emblematic of a problem with tech journalists
• 41:05 — 25: Taking a Game Back in Time - Jake will bring Portal 2 back and then reenact the movie Big
• 43:09 — 26: Breakfast Places in San Francisco - Dottie's, Kate's Kitchen, and Brenda's
• 44:00 — 27: Old Mac Games - Dark Castle and Pathways into Darkness
• 44:57 — 28: Survivalism - From DayZ to Tokyo Jungle
• 46:49 — 29: Adventure RPGs - There should be more of them
• 47:47 — 30: Game Endings - Chris and Sean don't see to many
• 49:44 — 31: Texting While Driving - Jake should stop doing that
• 50:53 — 32: From Press to Development - Chris talks about his transition between the two
• 54:11 — 33: Sexuality in Games - It's good that it's being talked about
• 55:12 — 34: Bands from 1996 - Chris liked Weezer, Jake liked Squirrel Nut Zippers
• 55:59 — 35: Kickstarter Funds - They took the money and they're not giving it back
• 58:34 — 36: Game Conferences - They like GDC
• 1:00:14 — 37: Changing a Series - Sometimes it can be for the best like Far Cry 2
• 1:03:10 — 38: Interactive Stories - Games treating their players as humans
• 1:08:41 — 39: Alexander Hamilton/Aaron Burr - Then the Blue Angels show up
• 1:09:37 — 40: A nonviolent Systems Game - Chris would enjoy it
• 1:10:35 — 41: Perspective Shifts - Switching from first-person to third person
• 1:12:59 — 42: PC Releases - They're doing pretty well right now
• 1:13:35 — 43: Tiny Hawk - Also cooking
• 1:14:37 — 44: Dream Game to Develop - Sean wants The Walking Dead with better controls
• 1:15:36 — 45: Gaming’s Intrinsic Strengths - Exploration, for one
• 1:16:48 — 46: Food - Kinda covered that
• 1:17:00 — 47: Roller Derby - AKA Tentacle Bumper Cars
• 1:17:46 — 48: Idle Thumbs: Origins - How everyone met
• 1:21:37 — 49: Keep Up the Good Work - Thanks!
• 1:21:42 — 50: Travel - The UK is Idle Thumbs approved
• 1:23:55 — 51: Elder Scrolls Online - Dumb idea or really dumb idea?
• 1:24:13 — 52: Whatevs - Thanks Death Rodent
• 1:24:20 — 53: Games Journalism - There's too much or maybe there isn't
• 1:27:12 — 54: Ghostbusters - Dan Aykroyd gets a BJ from a ghost and smiles in another scene
• 1:29:28 — 55: gdne.ws - It's a cool news aggregator
• 1:30:26 — 56: Terrible Games - They like God Hand, but it's not terrible, so…
• 1:31:29 — 57: Best Beer - Pliny the Elder
• 1:31:55 — 58: Mobile Gaming Ports - Older games finding audiences on newer platforms
• 1:34:11 — 59: Comic Book Recommendations - A few more for you
• 1:34:53 — 60: Golf - Of the video game variety
• 1:35:21 — 61: -- - Or maybe it was actually spelled out
• 1:35:25 — 62: Coming into a Series Late - It's probably not too big of a deal
• 1:39:20 — 63: You Don’t Need my Two Cents - So here's an additional $199.98
• 1:39:32 — 64: Homer - We don't know which one
• 1:39:56 — 65: Lap Dance Prices - They should be dictated by the market
• 1:40:24 — 66: Video Games - It's two words. Deal with it.
• 1:41:15 — 67: Dead Franchises - Star Control, X-Wing, and Super Black Bass
• 1:41:41 — 68: Over/Underused Tropes - Tactile traversal of landscapes and specific historical moments
• 1:43:46 — 69: No Question - Thanks Peter
• 1:43:49 — 70: Dota 2 - Sean puts his brain in a jar and plays
• 1:44:27 — 71: PC Gaming - It lacks a gatekeeper to direct the goal of the platform
• 1:46:26 — 72: The Name of the Rose - The Umberto Eco novel that became a board game somehow
• 1:48:06 — 73: Remo - The way Jake says it is closer to the reality
• 1:48:51 — 74: Deamon’s/Dark Souls - One of those Silent Scope Universe games
• 1:51:22 — 75: Whatever You Want to Discuss - What should we eat afterwards?
• 1:51:45 — 76: BioForce - Haven't played it, but thanks for the recommendation
• 1:52:15 — 77: Endless Space - Chris played a bit of this 4X space game
• 1:53:48 — 78: Recent Surprising Moments - DayZ and Tokyo Jungle
• 1:54:24 — 79: Diablo III’s Wizard - Not very wizardly
• 1:55:42 — 80: The Idle Thumbs Board Game - Idlehandler, maybe
• 1:57:54 — 81: Crying Because of Games - Then Chris tells a story about Krazy Ivan/Leon
• 2:00:04 — 82: Tribes: Ascend - True, they do. Also, Chris has a cough.
• 2:01:04 — 83: Pikmin 3 - Too bad it doesn't have online multiplayer
• 2:02:13 — 84: Atari Jaguar - Expensive and possibly underrated
• 2:03:00 — 85: One-Way Relationships - Meeting someone you only know via their public persona
• 2:04:52 — 86: Jake’s Mom - She wants to know about the future of gaming
• 2:06:34 — 87: I Got Nothing - But at least Luke Jones Sexton has a cool name
• 2:06:42 — 88: Music and Philosophy - Then two guys talk cluelessly about Gungnam Style
• 2:11:27 — 89: Mass Effect 3 - They didn't play it
• 2:11:49 — 90: Jagged Alliance 2 - Game literacy can be weird
• 2:13:38 — 91: EA Presents - They Slayer of Casterbridge
• 2:13:49 — 92: James McLaughlin - He can't think of anything
• 2:13:52 — 93: Holding on to Games - Sometimes it's hard to justify
• 2:16:11 — 94: Sports - Sean does more of them
• 2:16:53 — 95: Favorite Games - Actually, Jake talks about his weird gaming childhood
• 2:11:49 — 96: Space Games - Star Control II, TIE Fighter, Neptune's Pride, and Space Engine
• 2:23:01 — 97: Unbearable - Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bear
• 2:24:48 — 98: Steam Sales - Their effect on the industry
• 2:25:42 — 99: Trine 2 - It's cool
• 2:27:00 — 100: StarCraft II - Chris' advice is only applicable within very narrow constraints
• 2:29:23 — 101: The Portuguese First Republic - An chaos leading inevitably into dictatorship
• 2:30:19 — 102: Lying to Players - It can be done well, but it can get old
• 2:33:42 — 103: Compare and Contrast - Working on smaller things is nice
• 2:35:05 — 104: Warrior of Rome II - They didn't play this Genesis game, but maybe Saturday Stream?
• 2:35:23 — 105: Dear Esther - It's good that it's been successful
• 2:36:47 — 106: Productivity - Tips and tricks from the pros!
• 2:39:17 — 107: Good Old Games - Motivation for publishing on the service
• 2:40:48 — 108: First Albums - And best theatrical experiences
• 2:43:35 — 109: Nudity - Challenges in using it in games
• 2:50:20 — 110: Community Management - Its role in gaming
• 2:55:26 — 111: Idle Thumbs Podcasts - There probably won't be any more for a bit
• 2:56:57 — 112: Puzzle Pirates - An MMO that's actually based on skill
• 2:58:38 — 113: Games Journalism - At least one thing that's wrong with them
• 2:59:21 — 114: Matte vs. Glossy Monitors - Chris likes 'em matte
• 2:59:52 — 115: Way of the Samurai 3 - Steve liked it
• 3:00:12 — 116: LaLiLuLeLolz - It's a pun based on Metal Gear solid
• 3:01:00 — 117: The Hero’s Journey - It doesn't need to be in every video game
• 3:01:43 — 118: Deus ex Machina - It's abused
• 3:02:12 — 119: The Wizard - Appropriate number of a's
• 3:02:52 — 120: Torchlight II - It's already out
• 3:03:04 — 121: Sexy Wizard vs. Jeff Goldblum - They're gonna go with Jeff
• 3:04:08 — 122: Games Based on Books - The all-time classic is The Great Gatling Guns-by
• 3:05:36 — 123: Steve and Nick - It's great to have them here
• 3:05:50 — 124: Teddy Boy - It sounds lascivious
• 3:06:08 — 125: Complexity - Games are getting either too complex or too simple
• 3:02:12 — 126: Puffins - Says a guy who works in a nuclear reactor
• 3:07:55 — 127: Authorial Tools in Gaming - Games as the work of an individual vs. as a collaborative effort
• 3:09:05 — 128: Game Design Outside Games - The Jejune Institute and the Phaedrus Mystery
• 3:12:24 — 129: Paul Miller - A year without the internet
• 3:13:50 — 130: Unexplored Gaming Experiences - Sean sill wants to experience specific moments in history
• 3:14:38 — 131: Egg Nog - Down with that nog
• 3:14:48 — 132: You’re Off the Hook - Fractal Sandwich is making Sean hungry
• 3:14:54 — 133: Pen and Paper Games - There are some good memories
• 3:15:56 — 134: Diablo III - It's a video game
• 3:16:21 — 135: Coffee - It's good
• 3:18:26 — 136: The Walking Dead - Timers on dialog options
• 3:20:58 — 137: Kickstarter - It's not an investment site
• 3:23:48 — 138: Board Game Ports - They're cool, just not as nice as actual board games
• 3:25:39 — 139: “Bad” Games - It's still a hard question to answer
• 3:27:19 — 140: RPGs with Large Parties - It could be interesting
• 3:29:03 — 141: Planned Trilogies - They're dumb
• 3:30:39 — 142: Cake vs. Pie - Pies all the way
• 3:32:56 — 143: Cake vs. Pie 2 - See previous response
• 3:33:15 — 144: BioWare - The swirling mass of factors that lead to decisions
• 3:36:45 — 145: Ruining - Lay off it already
• 3:36:58 — 146: Tokyo Jungle - Emergent stories from co-op
• 3:38:13 — 147: New and Forgotten Genres - There's actually a bit going on
• 3:41:11 — 148: Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Leaked version
• 3:42:05 — [aside] SimCity - The new version looks neat
• 3:45:10 — 149: Careers in Gaming - Challenges and motivation
• 3:49:34 — 150: The Nature of a Man - How can it be changed?
• 3:52:36 — 151: Sports RPGs - Neglected in gaming discourse
• 3:54:09 — 152: Be Awesome - They'll try
• 3:54:16 — 153: Flow - Chris is less into it these days
• 3:56:24 — 154: A Smorsgabord - Featuring Terraria and Far Cry 3
• 3:57:19 — 155: Flossing - You should do it
• 3:57:43 — 156: Star Wars: The Old Republic - And other Star Wars stuff
• 4:01:01 — 157: Crusader Kings II - Nick played it, but Fuck Nick
• 4:01:41 — 158: Gamification - It's dumb
• 4:02:47 — 159: The Russian Army - Also having a buffer between high school and college
• 4:06:12 — 160: UI Design - Why it can be bad
• 4:08:19 — 161: Far Cry 3 - It's got wolves, so Steve is happy
• 4:09:56 — 162: Steven Dengler - A cool guy
• 4:11:00 — 163: Skyrim - I'm a master assassin, so pooh-pooh on your little werewolf club
• 4:13:33 — 164: Kickstarter - A post-mortem
• 4:19:37 — 165: The Snowball Effect - Its effects on multiplayer gaming
• 4:23:20 — 166: Live Music - Radiohead, Dr. Dog, The Flaming Lips, and more
• 4:26:05 — 167: First Gaming Experiences - Master System light guns, arcades, and SimCity
• 4:27:27 — 168: The Oregon Trail - It's rad
• 4:27:41 — 169: Kickstarter Revivals - Sean's not so into them
• 4:30:13 — 170: Pitfalls in Story - Being too explicit and asking what "gamers" want
• 4:33:14 — 171: Oasis - The Gallagher brothers get in fights and stop interviews
• 4:33:50 — 172: The Binding of Isaac - That Poo Aesthetic helps elements stand out
• 4:37:51 — Outro -Thanks to the readers for helping to ruin this cast