Reinout Ruland
@reinoutld.bsky.social
🇳🇱 Sr. Level Designer @ Electric Square, former Hangar 13 / Ubisoft
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
God, a thousand times this.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
November 7, 2025 at 5:56 PM
God, a thousand times this.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
🤖🌟 Issue 6 of APWOT is live on Kickstarter! 🌟🤖
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
November 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
🤖🌟 Issue 6 of APWOT is live on Kickstarter! 🌟🤖
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
people thinking an NPC that outputs different text forever is good remind me of (no shade to people reading this it applies to I love y'all) new game programmers who are sure randomizing everything will lead to replayability without enough understanding of design yet to first achieve one playability
March 11, 2025 at 1:34 PM
people thinking an NPC that outputs different text forever is good remind me of (no shade to people reading this it applies to I love y'all) new game programmers who are sure randomizing everything will lead to replayability without enough understanding of design yet to first achieve one playability
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
When @aceottorney.bsky.social first told me about this I said "this could change people's lives and stop developers from getting exploited" and having seen the final resource, I think I was not wrong. I'd call it a must-bookmark for indie devs.
Proud to announce Deviant Legal’s Game Developer’s Guide to Publishing Agreements: a free resource for developers wanting to learn about publishing deals. Publicly accessible, without requiring to provide your data: deviantlegal.com/guide/game-d...
October 8, 2025 at 7:46 AM
When @aceottorney.bsky.social first told me about this I said "this could change people's lives and stop developers from getting exploited" and having seen the final resource, I think I was not wrong. I'd call it a must-bookmark for indie devs.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Happy #Blocktober! It's been a while since I've done something so I decided to write another blog about #LevelDesign. medium.com/@arnaldo42/l...
Level Design at Naughty Dog
#Blocktober 2025
medium.com
October 1, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Happy #Blocktober! It's been a while since I've done something so I decided to write another blog about #LevelDesign. medium.com/@arnaldo42/l...
Genuinely so glad I made myself 112% Hollow Knight before diving into Silksong.
Compared to Pantheon of the Knight and Path of Pain, these early hours are not too bad and I appreciate the brief respite before I start cursing at my screen again.
Compared to Pantheon of the Knight and Path of Pain, these early hours are not too bad and I appreciate the brief respite before I start cursing at my screen again.
September 21, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Genuinely so glad I made myself 112% Hollow Knight before diving into Silksong.
Compared to Pantheon of the Knight and Path of Pain, these early hours are not too bad and I appreciate the brief respite before I start cursing at my screen again.
Compared to Pantheon of the Knight and Path of Pain, these early hours are not too bad and I appreciate the brief respite before I start cursing at my screen again.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Over the last couple of days I've updated my Godot Starter Kits to support 4.5! ✨ It was a blast, I kind of forgot what a breeze it is to use @godotengine.org. I can really recommend it, you can see all my kits here:
kenney.nl/starter-kits
kenney.nl/starter-kits
September 20, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Over the last couple of days I've updated my Godot Starter Kits to support 4.5! ✨ It was a blast, I kind of forgot what a breeze it is to use @godotengine.org. I can really recommend it, you can see all my kits here:
kenney.nl/starter-kits
kenney.nl/starter-kits
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Sometimes I am forced to admit - and worry - that I am just not a sicko. I don't have it in me.
Images via the No Man's Sky subreddit.
Images via the No Man's Sky subreddit.
September 5, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Sometimes I am forced to admit - and worry - that I am just not a sicko. I don't have it in me.
Images via the No Man's Sky subreddit.
Images via the No Man's Sky subreddit.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
The more things I've made, the less I've been interested in publicly criticizing the things that other people make, because once you make a few things you start to understand what a miracle it is that anything gets made at all
August 24, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The more things I've made, the less I've been interested in publicly criticizing the things that other people make, because once you make a few things you start to understand what a miracle it is that anything gets made at all
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
In my experience, content has never been the slowdown for making a game. It's lack of clarity/direction, changing minds, and outside stakeholder influence introducing trash. I fail to see how AI is going to solve that problem.
At Gamescom, one sentiment remained consistent: We need to make games quicker. And to do that, more and more studios are turning to AI.
www.gamesindustry.biz/at-gamescom-...
www.gamesindustry.biz/at-gamescom-...
At Gamescom, it felt like the industry now has a plan: make games quicker | Opinion
And at least part of that plan involves AI
www.gamesindustry.biz
August 22, 2025 at 8:24 PM
In my experience, content has never been the slowdown for making a game. It's lack of clarity/direction, changing minds, and outside stakeholder influence introducing trash. I fail to see how AI is going to solve that problem.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
"It perfectly balances innovation and nostalgia in the best possible way[...] The Knightling is exactly the kind of game we need in 2025, and the perfect remedy for those exhausted by the Ubisoft-style brand of open-world RPG fare." 🤯 😭 💖
@screenrant.bsky.social...
screenrant.com/knightling-h...
@screenrant.bsky.social...
screenrant.com/knightling-h...
Hidden RPG Gem Dropping in August Will Blow Your Mind
A hidden gem RPG is finally launching this month.
screenrant.com
August 18, 2025 at 1:58 PM
"It perfectly balances innovation and nostalgia in the best possible way[...] The Knightling is exactly the kind of game we need in 2025, and the perfect remedy for those exhausted by the Ubisoft-style brand of open-world RPG fare." 🤯 😭 💖
@screenrant.bsky.social...
screenrant.com/knightling-h...
@screenrant.bsky.social...
screenrant.com/knightling-h...
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
The trailer should indicate (in this exact order)
1. Genre of gameplay
2. The hook/special thing (this is most of the trailer)
3. How much variety and scope the game has
This is assuming it's a gameplay trailer that's living on the front of your Steam page or being used for social media.
1. Genre of gameplay
2. The hook/special thing (this is most of the trailer)
3. How much variety and scope the game has
This is assuming it's a gameplay trailer that's living on the front of your Steam page or being used for social media.
August 6, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The trailer should indicate (in this exact order)
1. Genre of gameplay
2. The hook/special thing (this is most of the trailer)
3. How much variety and scope the game has
This is assuming it's a gameplay trailer that's living on the front of your Steam page or being used for social media.
1. Genre of gameplay
2. The hook/special thing (this is most of the trailer)
3. How much variety and scope the game has
This is assuming it's a gameplay trailer that's living on the front of your Steam page or being used for social media.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
"Gone will be stoves, ovens and flat tops. Restaurant kitchens will only be a small closet with a microwave."
"I’ve moved all my employees to exclusively using microwaves. After I threatened to fire any employee that complained everyone told me the microwaves were great."
via @totter87.bsky.social
"I’ve moved all my employees to exclusively using microwaves. After I threatened to fire any employee that complained everyone told me the microwaves were great."
via @totter87.bsky.social
In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen
As a restaurant owner – I’m astounded at the rate of progress since microwaves were released a few short years ago. Today’s microwave can cook a frozen burrito. Tomorrow’s m…
www.colincornaby.me
August 6, 2025 at 3:17 PM
"Gone will be stoves, ovens and flat tops. Restaurant kitchens will only be a small closet with a microwave."
"I’ve moved all my employees to exclusively using microwaves. After I threatened to fire any employee that complained everyone told me the microwaves were great."
via @totter87.bsky.social
"I’ve moved all my employees to exclusively using microwaves. After I threatened to fire any employee that complained everyone told me the microwaves were great."
via @totter87.bsky.social
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Mesh2Motion (@scottpetrovic.bsky.social) is an open-source alternative to Mixamo that allows you to rig humanoid and four-legged characters!
mesh2motion.org
mesh2motion.org
August 5, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Mesh2Motion (@scottpetrovic.bsky.social) is an open-source alternative to Mixamo that allows you to rig humanoid and four-legged characters!
mesh2motion.org
mesh2motion.org
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
the still image really undersells how bad it is
August 2, 2025 at 3:42 AM
the still image really undersells how bad it is
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
If I had not been proactive - I would have been laid off twice.
If I had made different decisions about where I went to work (made based on things the co said in the interview) - I could have potentially lost jobs 2-4x.
It's REAL rough out there - and while my "data point" is positive - it's not.
If I had made different decisions about where I went to work (made based on things the co said in the interview) - I could have potentially lost jobs 2-4x.
It's REAL rough out there - and while my "data point" is positive - it's not.
July 31, 2025 at 6:56 PM
If I had not been proactive - I would have been laid off twice.
If I had made different decisions about where I went to work (made based on things the co said in the interview) - I could have potentially lost jobs 2-4x.
It's REAL rough out there - and while my "data point" is positive - it's not.
If I had made different decisions about where I went to work (made based on things the co said in the interview) - I could have potentially lost jobs 2-4x.
It's REAL rough out there - and while my "data point" is positive - it's not.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
verily I say unto you: meds can help so fucking much
you might need to tweak them but you will know RIGHT AWAY if they are helping
this isn't like SSRIs
it's like glasses for your brain
you truly cannot imagine life on the other side until you have experienced it
you might need to tweak them but you will know RIGHT AWAY if they are helping
this isn't like SSRIs
it's like glasses for your brain
you truly cannot imagine life on the other side until you have experienced it
Kevin Funny GIF
Alt: chris hemsworth ghostbusters rubbing eyes through glasses frames
media.tenor.com
July 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
verily I say unto you: meds can help so fucking much
you might need to tweak them but you will know RIGHT AWAY if they are helping
this isn't like SSRIs
it's like glasses for your brain
you truly cannot imagine life on the other side until you have experienced it
you might need to tweak them but you will know RIGHT AWAY if they are helping
this isn't like SSRIs
it's like glasses for your brain
you truly cannot imagine life on the other side until you have experienced it
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Burnout is clinically understood as a combo of 6 factors—work overload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, breakdown in community, absence of fairness, & value conflicts—and only a fraction of it is under your control. Burnout is a systemic problem, so be kind to yourself and hard on the system.
Hey gang I've had to learn recently that the whole "burning out" thing is real so if you find yourself being panicked every waking second that you're not working on something, despite those seconds being very rare, you should maybe listen to the signals and take an intentional break before you crash
July 13, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Burnout is clinically understood as a combo of 6 factors—work overload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, breakdown in community, absence of fairness, & value conflicts—and only a fraction of it is under your control. Burnout is a systemic problem, so be kind to yourself and hard on the system.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
I am still figuring out logistics (and Rami has kindly offered to help a lil!), but I’ve been putting together a means for game devs to present GDC-style ‘talks’ on @playwatchlisten.bsky.social. When it’s public, devs will be able to submit a topic for consideration, and will be paid for their time!
As GDC talk applications have opened, I want to politely remind you that GDC remains one of the most inaccessible, unfairly expensive, and dangerous for-profit game industry events out there - and that offering your labour for free to it just adds value that pressures people into going needlessly.
July 8, 2025 at 9:21 PM
I am still figuring out logistics (and Rami has kindly offered to help a lil!), but I’ve been putting together a means for game devs to present GDC-style ‘talks’ on @playwatchlisten.bsky.social. When it’s public, devs will be able to submit a topic for consideration, and will be paid for their time!
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
We, @limitbreak.co.uk won tonight. This was my acceptance speech. This is my message to the games industry.
Thank you all 💖
Thank you all 💖
June 19, 2025 at 9:34 PM
We, @limitbreak.co.uk won tonight. This was my acceptance speech. This is my message to the games industry.
Thank you all 💖
Thank you all 💖
Deltarune, I am in awe.
A team that understands the imaginative power of "low" fidelity 2D and uses every trick in the book to play with control, perception, expectation, choice, language and our hearts.
And also banger after banger song.
So much to learn from all the smart dev decisions 🤯
A team that understands the imaginative power of "low" fidelity 2D and uses every trick in the book to play with control, perception, expectation, choice, language and our hearts.
And also banger after banger song.
So much to learn from all the smart dev decisions 🤯
June 13, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Deltarune, I am in awe.
A team that understands the imaginative power of "low" fidelity 2D and uses every trick in the book to play with control, perception, expectation, choice, language and our hearts.
And also banger after banger song.
So much to learn from all the smart dev decisions 🤯
A team that understands the imaginative power of "low" fidelity 2D and uses every trick in the book to play with control, perception, expectation, choice, language and our hearts.
And also banger after banger song.
So much to learn from all the smart dev decisions 🤯
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
I hate myself for this.
June 6, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I hate myself for this.
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Reposted by Reinout Ruland
Many of our billionaires are richer than any pharaoh or king in the history of the world, while a family lifestyle that could be comfortably supported by a single income in 1980 takes two people working full-time to maintain today. https://trib.al/X9l4PzM
The Billionaire Hoarders: How the Wealthy Became Our Biggest Threat
How a sick obsession is killing workers, democracy, and our planet.
trib.al
May 31, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Many of our billionaires are richer than any pharaoh or king in the history of the world, while a family lifestyle that could be comfortably supported by a single income in 1980 takes two people working full-time to maintain today. https://trib.al/X9l4PzM