Short war stories from 25 years in the industry: one decision, what went right or wrong, and the pattern I'd watch for now. A written post plus a short audio clip.
Surface vibeCampfire stories. "You won't believe what we shipped with."
Profound layerHow good teams make bad calls, and the early warning signs, which is exactly what advisors get paid to spot.
The stories so far
2026-10-13 · Crimson Skies (Xbox, 2003)
The bucket test
"You can't fix feel through a programmer who is busy shipping the rest of the game."
2026-10-06 · Catan (Xbox Live Arcade, 2007)
Brick for wheat
"We tried every arrow, label, and marquee we could draw. Then we let the AI be kind."
2026-09-29 · Rise of Nations (PC, 2003)
Give the scout a puppy
"Feedback comes in many forms and many channels. Not just the screen."
2026-09-22 · Social games, early 2010s
Day two at Zynga
"A million monkeys running a million A/B tests will find thousands of things that aren't there."
2026-09-15 · DragonVale World (mobile, 2016)
Don't copy the farm
"Polishing a competitor's mechanic is the most expensive way to be second."