Robert Carlson
@robertcarlson.bsky.social
Professional programmer, aspiring writer, and sometimes solo game developer. Designer of "The Amateur Deity Society": https://store.steampowered.com/app/3241070/The_Amateur_Deity_Society/
Pinned
Save 40% on The Amateur Deity Society on Steam
A point-and-click interactive fiction game. Navigate cryptic dreams, hide your insanity from your classmates, and try not to break the school computer.
store.steampowered.com
#SteamWinterSale is on, and The Amateur Deity Society can be had for $3 until it's over: store.steampowered.com/app/3241070/...
I'd normally try to convince you it's good myself, but thankfully I can now simply link to @botherer.bsky.social's review instead: buried-treasure.org/2025/12/the-...
I'd normally try to convince you it's good myself, but thankfully I can now simply link to @botherer.bsky.social's review instead: buried-treasure.org/2025/12/the-...
Reposted by Robert Carlson
on netflix at least, they leave the Detective Conan post-OP sponsorship pauses in, which inevitably leads my brain to fill in the blanks, which leads my body to do this kind of dumb shit 😀
January 12, 2026 at 3:36 AM
on netflix at least, they leave the Detective Conan post-OP sponsorship pauses in, which inevitably leads my brain to fill in the blanks, which leads my body to do this kind of dumb shit 😀
#GameDev question. I want to port my game to Mac, but buying a Mac would be a steep purchase for me right now. I know Godot CAN technically do a Mac export on a non-Mac, but I'm given to understand this isn't viable for a commercial release (e.g. on Steam). Am I mistaken on this?
#IndieDev #Godot
#IndieDev #Godot
January 13, 2026 at 2:24 AM
Reposted by Robert Carlson
the discourse on what jobs are acceptable to replace with generative AI reveals a lot about what we think of other people's jobs
January 9, 2026 at 6:48 AM
the discourse on what jobs are acceptable to replace with generative AI reveals a lot about what we think of other people's jobs
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Instead of drinking morning coffee (which I never do, because I'm a morning tea drinker), I played and completed Celestial Coffee Quest by @waveygames.bsky.social !
Pretty cool short EGA adventure game! It's free!
☕ wavey-games.itch.io/celestial-co...
Pretty cool short EGA adventure game! It's free!
☕ wavey-games.itch.io/celestial-co...
January 10, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Instead of drinking morning coffee (which I never do, because I'm a morning tea drinker), I played and completed Celestial Coffee Quest by @waveygames.bsky.social !
Pretty cool short EGA adventure game! It's free!
☕ wavey-games.itch.io/celestial-co...
Pretty cool short EGA adventure game! It's free!
☕ wavey-games.itch.io/celestial-co...
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Just found out my wife might be losing her job, so I'm desperately searching for work. Contract, full-time, freelance, whatever. Press, PR, consulting, anything. I have 16 years of editorial experience and have been writing about games for 13. Reviews, news, previews, guides, etc. RTs appreciated.
January 8, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Just found out my wife might be losing her job, so I'm desperately searching for work. Contract, full-time, freelance, whatever. Press, PR, consulting, anything. I have 16 years of editorial experience and have been writing about games for 13. Reviews, news, previews, guides, etc. RTs appreciated.
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Guys, we did it. We invented the Commodore 64
Also neat at CES: HP’s battery-powered PC built into a keyboard. Sort of a screenless laptop.
January 6, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Guys, we did it. We invented the Commodore 64
There will be a lot of talk in corporate spaces about how you need to learn to use AI as a software dev in order to keep pace, and it'll be hard to tune out, but ignore it. What companies will really need in 10 years are devs whose brains haven't atrophied from relying on AI.
#softwaredev #gamedev
#softwaredev #gamedev
January 7, 2026 at 12:09 AM
There will be a lot of talk in corporate spaces about how you need to learn to use AI as a software dev in order to keep pace, and it'll be hard to tune out, but ignore it. What companies will really need in 10 years are devs whose brains haven't atrophied from relying on AI.
#softwaredev #gamedev
#softwaredev #gamedev
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Hey, if you've got a demo going into Steam's Detective Fest on Monday, email me at jwalker@kotaku.com and I'll include a bunch in a post once it all goes live.
January 6, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Hey, if you've got a demo going into Steam's Detective Fest on Monday, email me at jwalker@kotaku.com and I'll include a bunch in a post once it all goes live.
A hearty thank you to everyone who bought The Amateur Deity Society during the #SteamWinterSale for collectively covering my X-mas shopping expenses this year, which I didn't think I'd get to say a few months ago. I haven't been at my new job for very long yet, so this helps a good deal.
January 6, 2026 at 12:58 AM
A hearty thank you to everyone who bought The Amateur Deity Society during the #SteamWinterSale for collectively covering my X-mas shopping expenses this year, which I didn't think I'd get to say a few months ago. I haven't been at my new job for very long yet, so this helps a good deal.
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Game dev devlog up, text adventure engine update edition!
projectrootproxy.newgrounds.com/news/post/15...
projectrootproxy.newgrounds.com/news/post/15...
Gamedev devlog update
What is happening? This week I finished the simplistic text adventure game engine. It's a wasm on the engine side, and JavaScript on the ui side, all running in the client. The idea is to release mult...
projectrootproxy.newgrounds.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:16 AM
Game dev devlog up, text adventure engine update edition!
projectrootproxy.newgrounds.com/news/post/15...
projectrootproxy.newgrounds.com/news/post/15...
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Happy Public Domain Day!
Lots of rich material is now free to use in your own artistic expressions (including games!).
Highlights include The Little Engine That Could, 1930 Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Tintin’s debut—the list is long
#gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in...
Lots of rich material is now free to use in your own artistic expressions (including games!).
Highlights include The Little Engine That Could, 1930 Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Tintin’s debut—the list is long
#gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in...
2026 in public domain - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 1, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Happy Public Domain Day!
Lots of rich material is now free to use in your own artistic expressions (including games!).
Highlights include The Little Engine That Could, 1930 Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Tintin’s debut—the list is long
#gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in...
Lots of rich material is now free to use in your own artistic expressions (including games!).
Highlights include The Little Engine That Could, 1930 Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Tintin’s debut—the list is long
#gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in...
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Happy New Year!
January 1, 2026 at 8:02 AM
Happy New Year!
Looking up C++ compilers that can target DOS because I can't shake the idiotic idea that porting my mostly-text game to DOS couldn't be THAT hard, right?
#indiedev #famouslastwords
#indiedev #famouslastwords
January 1, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Looking up C++ compilers that can target DOS because I can't shake the idiotic idea that porting my mostly-text game to DOS couldn't be THAT hard, right?
#indiedev #famouslastwords
#indiedev #famouslastwords
If your 2025 New Year's resolution was to buy The Amateur Deity Society (excellent choice), you still have time!
store.steampowered.com/app/3241070/...
(If it's already 2026 in your timezone, don't fret, the game's still 40% off until Jan. 5.)
#SteamWinterSale #indiegame #pointandclick
store.steampowered.com/app/3241070/...
(If it's already 2026 in your timezone, don't fret, the game's still 40% off until Jan. 5.)
#SteamWinterSale #indiegame #pointandclick
Save 40% on The Amateur Deity Society on Steam
A point-and-click interactive fiction game. Navigate cryptic dreams, hide your insanity from your classmates, and try not to break the school computer.
store.steampowered.com
January 1, 2026 at 12:03 AM
If your 2025 New Year's resolution was to buy The Amateur Deity Society (excellent choice), you still have time!
store.steampowered.com/app/3241070/...
(If it's already 2026 in your timezone, don't fret, the game's still 40% off until Jan. 5.)
#SteamWinterSale #indiegame #pointandclick
store.steampowered.com/app/3241070/...
(If it's already 2026 in your timezone, don't fret, the game's still 40% off until Jan. 5.)
#SteamWinterSale #indiegame #pointandclick
Reposted by Robert Carlson
I am begging games writers in 2026 to stop talking about point and click like it's a dead/dormant genre currently being resurrected by whatever thing you've just noticed
December 30, 2025 at 8:25 AM
I am begging games writers in 2026 to stop talking about point and click like it's a dead/dormant genre currently being resurrected by whatever thing you've just noticed
Just finished season 1 of Binary Break (@binarybreak.bsky.social), and I'm floored at how perfectly DigiDice translates the Digimon anime to TTRPG mechanics. Having everyone play a human and ANOTHER player's digimon is a genius idea, and the cast nails playing both the kids and the cartoon monsters.
December 30, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Just finished season 1 of Binary Break (@binarybreak.bsky.social), and I'm floored at how perfectly DigiDice translates the Digimon anime to TTRPG mechanics. Having everyone play a human and ANOTHER player's digimon is a genius idea, and the cast nails playing both the kids and the cartoon monsters.
The Amateur Deity Society v. 1.1.7 is live, which means savefiles from v. 1.1.5 are now safe to open.
This bug in TADS is fixed, btw. Safe to start a new game and save now. Fortunately, only save files made on version 1.1.5 (which was only up for 10 days) are affected. I'm currently testing a more complete fix that will self-correct the corrupted savefiles starting in ver. 1.1.7, should be up today.
#gamedev tip: When testing a new patch, be thorough. Don't just test the issues you meant to patch. And get in the habit of testing that the save system still works. Make new save files in-game, load them, and test everything again.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
December 27, 2025 at 8:54 PM
The Amateur Deity Society v. 1.1.7 is live, which means savefiles from v. 1.1.5 are now safe to open.
This bug in TADS is fixed, btw. Safe to start a new game and save now. Fortunately, only save files made on version 1.1.5 (which was only up for 10 days) are affected. I'm currently testing a more complete fix that will self-correct the corrupted savefiles starting in ver. 1.1.7, should be up today.
#gamedev tip: When testing a new patch, be thorough. Don't just test the issues you meant to patch. And get in the habit of testing that the save system still works. Make new save files in-game, load them, and test everything again.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
December 27, 2025 at 6:52 PM
This bug in TADS is fixed, btw. Safe to start a new game and save now. Fortunately, only save files made on version 1.1.5 (which was only up for 10 days) are affected. I'm currently testing a more complete fix that will self-correct the corrupted savefiles starting in ver. 1.1.7, should be up today.
Reposted by Robert Carlson
Screenshot Saturday.
No, Master Roshi, he’s in DRAGON BALL.
No, Master Roshi, he’s in DRAGON BALL.
December 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Screenshot Saturday.
No, Master Roshi, he’s in DRAGON BALL.
No, Master Roshi, he’s in DRAGON BALL.
Correction: These all make perfect gift-gifts. Especially Cthulhu Saves Christmas! (And it's still Christmas - twelve days long!)
All of our RPGs are ridiculously cheap on Steam at the moment. They make perfect gag gifts for all your Steam friends!
store.steampowered.com/search?term=...
store.steampowered.com/search?term=...
Steam Search
store.steampowered.com
December 27, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Correction: These all make perfect gift-gifts. Especially Cthulhu Saves Christmas! (And it's still Christmas - twelve days long!)
#gamedev tip: When testing a new patch, be thorough. Don't just test the issues you meant to patch. And get in the habit of testing that the save system still works. Make new save files in-game, load them, and test everything again.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
December 27, 2025 at 5:43 AM
#gamedev tip: When testing a new patch, be thorough. Don't just test the issues you meant to patch. And get in the habit of testing that the save system still works. Make new save files in-game, load them, and test everything again.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
Don't ask if this is related to why I haven't gone to bed yet.
Reposted by Robert Carlson
a feature of godot I always appreciate
December 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
a feature of godot I always appreciate
Merry Christmas to everyone, and an especially merry Christmas to all y'all who've played The Amateur Deity Society since Thanksgiving. This month has been so encouraging. Like, "maybe a real career shift isn't as far off as I thought" encouraging.
#gamedev #indiegame
#gamedev #indiegame
December 26, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Merry Christmas to everyone, and an especially merry Christmas to all y'all who've played The Amateur Deity Society since Thanksgiving. This month has been so encouraging. Like, "maybe a real career shift isn't as far off as I thought" encouraging.
#gamedev #indiegame
#gamedev #indiegame
Reposted by Robert Carlson
all i want for christmas is for dan olson to do for AI what he did for nft's
December 25, 2025 at 6:38 PM
all i want for christmas is for dan olson to do for AI what he did for nft's