Episode 89: Interview with the Angband devteam part 1

This is episode 89 of Roguelike Radio, where we interview the Angband devteam. 

You can download the mp3 of the podcast, play it in the embedded player below, or you can follow us on iTunes.

Devteam members present:

• Aaron Bader (fizzix) - Developer for about five years and the release manager for 3.4, the previous version released.
• Chris Carr (magnate) - Involved in Angband development for about 10 years. He was responsible for a ton of recent gameplay changes, and was release manager for 3.3 and possibly some other versions as well.
• Robert Au (myshkin) - Player since the mid-90s, and on the devteam for 4 years. Worked on the Macport and code infrastructure.
• Nick McConnell - Involved in Angband for about 10 years. He is the author of the variant FAAngband (First Age Angband) and has recently stepped up to be the new Angband maintainer after the release of version 3.5.

Topics discussed:

• History of Angband, how it sprouted from Moria
• Distinctive elements of *bands compared to other roguelikes
• The important developments of Ben Harrison and tekaria as Angband maintainers
• The direction of current development
• Maintaining tradition whilst instigating change, and how the community reacts to that
• The Angband forums
• The change to the way people play Angband, with a new focus on fast diving instead of slow scumming
• How the dev team works together, stays working, and avoids arguments
• Tolkien vs D&D vs fresh inspiration
• The android port, and what works and what doesn't
• Pacing, vaults, bosses and potential changes in future

Join us next time on Roguelike Radio for part two of the Angband devteam interview, which focuses mostly on the many many variants.