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Austin Auclair

@patientrock.bsky.social
179 followers 189 following 886 posts

Quest and narrative designer. Location-based game expert and geocacher. I have too many hobbies. He/him. www.PatientRock.com

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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 9h
Played through last week while away at a conference (works great on a Steam Deck) and the vocal performances are outstanding, the writing funny and perfectly silly, the art and animations are thoughtful, and overall I came away feeling like I had just watched an interactive, late night TV comedy.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 10h
Friend’s b-day sleepover. I’m 9 (?). Everyone passes out in the living room except the TV is still on and I can’t sleep and can’t figure out how to turn it off. HBO plays some shlocky horror movie with naked teens (great) and a dude who brutally murders them (not great). Nightmares for months.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Finally played (and finished) Perfect Tides. It’s got some point and click bullshit, but a lot of delicious punches to the gut. I’m excited to tackle Station to Station now and get my ass kicked all over again.
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éli @morgielly.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Turns out we CAN go lower than "idea guy"
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
So very excited for this.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Geralt and Yennefer from the Witcher 3
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The best Taskmaster season is a healthy mix of archetypes: the killer; the confused; the angry one; the normie; and the chaotic one. You can double up and mix, but too much of one archetype and the whole thing falls flat.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Noooooo! Not Cachly!!!! Fuck, it’s the best geocaching app there is. www.cachly.com/features/int...
cachly.com
Cachly Intelligence — AI-Powered Geocaching, New in 8.2
Cachly Intelligence, new in Cachly 8.2, brings AI-powered log and description summaries, an AI log assistant, and CarPlay voice summaries to geocaching.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Treasure at the library.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Love to play a game in landscape on iPhone and constantly swipe away the app from the bottom.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Grand Theft Auto but set in Busy Town and you’re doing nice stuff.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Wolverine gives Murderworld five stars: ifdb.org/viewgame?id=...
ifdb.org
Murderworld
Murder’s the game and a team of superheroes are about to discover what they won. Tired from a Friday night battle with killer robots, the X-Men return home to find their home in ruin. Distracted and d...
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Oh, shoot. Fairy got eaten.
A close-up of my Venus Flytraps. One of the traps caught and finished eating a fly. Another trap has some gossamer wings sticking out of it and it looks like a fairy is being digested.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Pulling a game off the one-more-time-before-selling pile. I don’t remember what attracted me to Sanitarium so many years ago (last played: Dec. 2012). Theme aged poorly and it’s fussy. You build out a map using a deck of cards and the connections from room to room get jostled and confused easily.
A photo of the card game at play. You’re trying to escape the Sanitarium by finding six items within the map that’s built out with cards. Some cards are rooms and some are hidden items. There are shadow tokens that chase the players around and can inhibit them in various ways.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Need to write the end of my next game and endings are hard.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
If you’ve ever messed with Inform 7 you’ll know it mishandles line breaks (or suddenly, doesn’t). It made me insane trying to deal with them in a game with a lot of variable text. @bitingcat.bsky.social has an excellent break (hee hee) down of what to do: topexpert.blog/2026/09/03/w...
topexpert.blog
where will it end? who will draw the line (break)?
Please help, I can’t hold all these line breaks.
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The Interactive Fiction Competition @ifcomp.org · 01/09/2026
🎉 The 32st Annual #IFComp is live! 71 new interactive fiction entries are ready for you to play and judge. (You only need to rate 5 to cast a ballot!) Dive in at ifcomp.org/ballot!
IFComp 2026 logo: an open book whose pages form a dioramaa neon sci-fi city on the left, a mossy fantasy ruin on the right—split by a beam of light reading "IFCOMP", above a pool marked "2026".
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
My friend released her book! Go buy it! She describes it as having: 👻 female rage 👻 an angry ghost score to settle 👻 sweet cinnamon roll boys 👻 sister stories 👻 eerie isolated house by a bay 👻 and more! ✅ www.jessicaspotswood.com/the-harrow-h...
The book cover for The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls by Jessica Spotswood. The illustration features a woman with pale skin looking eerily out from an ornate mirror that’s hanging on a mold-dripping wall.
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Porch Weather Games @porchweathergames.com · 25/08/2026
Big news: Tyrants Must Fall launches in Early Access this October! Grow your glory, build your rebellion, and topple the Tyrant King in fast-paced, turn-based tactical battles! #indiegame #indiedev #turnbased #roguelike Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/4464400/...
store.steampowered.com
Tyrants Must Fall on Steam
In this turn-based tactical roguelike, build an army to triumph in fast-paced battles. Deploy your troops, plan your attack, and watch as the action plays out simultaneously. Unlock powerful formation...
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Drew Scanlon @drewscanlon.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Hi Internet! I'm Drew and THIS IS MY FACE. If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease! Donate at blinkingguy.com
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Thank goodness. I’m still slowly making my way through 3.
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Kathryn Yu #OpenToWork @kathrynyu.com · 24/08/2026
I’ve Tried 100+ Chili Crisps and Crunches, Here Are My Favorites kathrynyu.medium.com/chili-crisps...
kathrynyu.medium.com
I’ve Tried 100+ Chili Crisps and Crunches, Here Are My Favorites
My personal favorites after trying a bunch of different kinds
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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
When your wife drinks half a can of seltzer and then just leaves it somewhere
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Jasmine Otto @jazztap.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Multiplayer Twine is in live alpha! Sign up now to get a link. It's like Docs for IF, but fully open-source and self-hostable. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... h/t @chrisklimas.com for this awesome collaboration!
A screenshot of the twinejs editor labelled "Multiplayer Twine"
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Joel | Porch Weather Games @jhaddock.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Just in time for some weekend tank shenanigans, a fresh update to Tanks, I Guess! 💥Updated UI 💥New weapons and secondaries 💥Victory rundown 💥Advanced *colored* lighting 💥2-4 players You can play right now because it is, in fact, tanks for nothing! porchweathergames.itch.io/tanks-i-guess
The village in Tanks, I GuessThe title screen of Tanks, I Guess
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Autumn Chen @red-autumn.itch.io · 21/08/2026
Social Democracy: An Alternate History is now on Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/3083910/...
store.steampowered.com
Social Democracy: An Alternate History on Steam
You are the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1928. Can you stop the Nazis from taking power?
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pixelframe.design @pixelframe.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The X-MEN Logo & Font Generator is live now! Featuring the classic blocky wedge-shape that made the original an instant classic. Now starts the countdown to the inevitable reboot of this generator, in keeping with the spirt of the franchise.
pixelframe.design
X-Men Logo Font Generator
Turn any word or phrase into the X-Men '97 wordmark (same as the original 90's cartoon series) — the same beveled, receding-perspective wedge lettering that traces back through five redraws to Jim Steranko's 1968 original.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Happy to report that I was invited to a neighborhood MtG group suitably titled, “Magic Dads”.
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Kim Acuff Steiner @emberdione.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I saw this picture and immediately had to show it to some level designers.
Fucking weird ass stairs.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Loving Big Walk but, man, I wish they’d turn off collisions for all the scrub, small rocks, and stuff. Feel like I’m constantly getting hung up on things and it doesn’t add anything to the experience.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
This bears out at every meetup I go to where a dev is stuck and I ask about the narrative; what would the story inspire? What would the character(s) want to do? The answer is usually stunned thinking because narrative isn’t something they’ve fully considered (if at all).
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Filling up (on geocaches).
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I recently attended a “crisis PR” conference with PR teams from across major retailers/industries where we broke up into teams and had to come up with plans for fictional batshit scenarios. None even came close to this.
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Stellbound: Stellraiser II @antlervel.vet · 11/08/2026
I didn’t even see this had been announced. I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point or they’re not disclosing it on Steam
youtu.be
Rideshare "Stimulator" - Announce Trailer | PS5 Games
YouTube video by PlayStation
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Let’s. Fucking. Goooooo!
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Been doing this thing when I complete a game I put a screenshot from it into my desktop wallpaper folder which rotates every 10 minutes. A nice reminder of games I liked and also every once in a while it jump scares me. cc: @strangescaffold.bsky.social
A screenshot of my laptop's home screen with app icons and such. The wallpaper is a screenshot of the video game, Clickolding, which is impossible to describe other than it being a game for sickos that I very much enjoyed being creeped out by. The screenshot shows the game's antagonist? He watches you from his chair in that dingy hotel room while I, uh, click.
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Joel | Porch Weather Games @jhaddock.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It's #WishlistWednesday and Tyrants Must Fall has a brand-new demo waiting for you! Build your rebellion, grow your glory, and march to freedom is this fast-paced, turn-based tactical #roguelike! #indiegame #indiedev #turnbased #pixelart store.steampowered.com/app/4464400/...
store.steampowered.com
Tyrants Must Fall on Steam
In this turn-based tactical roguelike, build an army to triumph in fast-paced battles. Deploy your troops, plan your attack, and watch as the action plays out simultaneously. Unlock powerful formation...
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IGDA DC @igdadc.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
District Arcade is Saturday, November 14 and is going to be bigger than ever! We want you to showcase your game! Apply by September 24: forms.gle/1D6HUiPa45Dq... 👾
District Arcade
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
1. Temporary mutes. 2. Mute reposts from certain people. 3. Mute self-reposts from certain people.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I'm always drawn toward practical thoughts on game design and I like this article on location-based gaming because it attempts to wrangle actual location-based game mechanics and how they apply to theme and intent (in this case, within an ecological framework). mediaenviron.org/article/1625...
mediaenviron.org
The Forest as Playground: Reimagining More-than-Human Relations in Location-Based Games | Published in Media+Environment
By Dale Leorke. Two experimental Australian AR games take play into forests rather than cities. Their small scale and fragility, this article argues, expose the possibilities and the limits of ecologi...
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My life would be dramatically improved if I had a workshop. Separate, attached, well-lit, and climate controlled with a wide table. Dramatically improved.
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
AI plundering continuing, this time with this garbage website that’s taken a bunch of parser games and generated bizarre art for them. Like, I don’t even understand this interpretation of my game. If you’re going to steal my shit, at least make it look good. Grotesque on so many levels.
Someone stole my game, Murderworld, and is hosting it on their website with an AI-generated cover. The game is about the superhero team, the X-Men. Very proud of it. This cover art echoes my original art a little with the Cyclops yellow sash and the font treatment of the game’s title, but that’s it. It’s a bizarre mush that in some lights may even be pornographic?
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Jay & Miles @xplainthexmen.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
In honor of the end of the show, we've uploaded a bunch of old favorites--and one brand new design--to our shop! xplainthexmen.dashery.com
A t-shirt: Jay and Miles X-Plained the X-MenA t-shirt: Spider-Man and Shatterstar high-five in front of a background of Queens landmarks; text above reads, "heck yeah Queens"A t-shirt: Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers emerge holding hands, surrounded by the text, "It's not just a phase!"A t-shirt. A toilet plunger surrounded by Kirby krackle illuminates text reading, "I survived Secret Wars."
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Hummingbird sheltering from the rain.
The hummingbird is sitting on a wire of fairy lights we’ve got hung up around our front porch. It’s a very artsy shot since the light was dim with the little almost in silhouette.
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Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
What better way to celebrate Spider-Man Brand New Day than to release a Spidey episode? And what better person to do that with than @onlymanwhocan.bsky.social from @gamesonfilmpod.bsky.social even though it's not what they do? Promos from @patientrock.bsky.social and @glitterjaw.bsky.social 🎧🔗👇
Cover art for an episode of Play Comics looking at Spider-Man 3
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EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...
theonion.com
Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation
PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...
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Jared Pechaček @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Medusa but her hair is an anaconda
Medusa with a single anaconda for hair. She wears a grey chiton and stubbornly strides to the left, dragging the heavy snake, which trails sullenly along behindMedusa with a single anaconda for hair. It is completely coiled around her, leaving only her angry yellow eyes visible, and a single hand lifted to flip off the worldMedusa with a single anaconda for hair. She wears a grey towel and is scrubbing the snake. A bar of soap sits in a small puddle off to the leftMedusa with a single anaconda for hair. She sits, drumming her fingers impatiently, while in the background the anaconda digests some large prey
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Austin Auclair @patientrock.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
This really crosses industries of all kinds. Everyone has an opinion on how social is being run, never wants to do the work of actually contributing content, and thinks posting through it is the solution for any problem.
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Joel | Porch Weather Games @jhaddock.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Tyrants Must Fall was removed from /r/turnbasedtactical for not including "flanking or back-stab", which is true. I will do the correct thing and use this to my marketing advantage: 🚨Try out the game /r/turnbasedtactical *doesn't want you to see* 🚨 Demo/Wishlist: store.steampowered.com/app/4464400
store.steampowered.com
Tyrants Must Fall on Steam
In this turn-based tactical roguelike, build an army to triumph in fast-paced battles. Deploy your troops, plan your attack, and watch as the action plays out simultaneously. Unlock powerful formation...
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Bennett @foddy.net · 09/07/2026
given that there's a contact sensor in the ball, i think the world cup broadcasts are missing an opportunity to implement screen shake
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