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 Steamcast Podcast logo | |
| Hosted By | Sam (Flamov) Saurabh (spitfire1945) Brad (mimaz98) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 45 minutes to 60 minutes |
| Website | http://www.thesteamcast.com |
| Type | Podcast |
| Format | iTunes, MP3, M4A |
Steamcast Podcast is a podcast series about Valve and Steam related news. It was conceived in June 2009 and hosted by Sam Kindler (Flamov), Saurabh Tomar (spitfire1945), Bradley Hinds (mimaz98) and ended on May 08, 2012 with Episode 99. Steamcast Podcast was a fan-made podcast that hosted discussions about Valve and Steam, but also a wide range of gaming related subjects such as video game digital distribution, the art and design of video games and other topical video game related subjects.
Steamcast Podcast tried to bring the community closer to the gaming industry with interviews with big names like Gabe Newell, Jonathan Coulton, and other notable personalities.
History and Origins
editSteamcast Podcast was the brain child of Sam and it was conceived during the controversial announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 during E3 of 2009.[1] Sam used the Steam Powered Forums (SPUF) as a means to recruit some individuals that might be interested in discussing gaming issues and other controversies. He had known Brad through a notable dispute on the steam forums much of which took over private messaging but it was enough to make Sam confident that Brad was definitely going to be one of the other two hosts. Saurabh became a part of the team shortly after discussing the technicalities of the podcast along with hosting the podcast. The first episode was recorded and released the next day. A notable inspiration to this podcast was provided by Podcast17, ControlPoint, and Kritzkast.
The initial interest of the podcast was to involve specific interesting threads from the Steam Powered Forums and invite the creators of these forum threads to come on and discuss their thoughts on their thread. This soon became a challenge.
Recording Techniques and Technicalities
editThe three hosts were from three corners of the world.[2] Sam was from both Hong Kong and England, Brad from Australia and Saurabh from Canada which made recording the podcast a bit of a challenge. The initial setup for recording the podcast was using Skype and recording the conversation using Pamela Professional software. Later a local technique was developed where each host would record locally using Wavosaur software and then later combined, edited and merged. These episodes were labelled as HQ or High Quality because of their notable increase in recording quality compared to Pamela for Skype. Unfortunately this method had several technical issues so only 7 out of the possible 99 episodes were recorded using this method.
All the hosts of the Podcasts used the exact same mic. The Audio Technica AT-2020 USB microphone to maintain audio consistency.
Show Format
editThe format of the shows notable changed over the years as the direction of the podcast was adjusted over the course of three years. The show was done is an amateur podcast fashion.
From Episode 1 to Episode 13
editThe first 13 episodes did not have a very consistent format but it was a combination of community shout outs and related news. This was basically due to the lack of planning and trying to let the show evolve itself onto a consistency.
From Episode 14 to Episode 15
editThe two episodes contained the introduction to the modern Steamcast Podcast format with the addition segment called "Last Minute Surprises".
Episode 15 on-wards
editThe show adopted a simple and consistent format that enclosed all the desirable content. The episodes followed a 3 part structure.
The Mailbag
This section was used to involve the community and address some viable questions that were addressed to the community by the community.
News
Threads of Discussion
Sam also introduced the "What have you been playing?" section for the hosts starting Episode #41.
Episode List
editSeason One
edit| Ep. No. | Title | Guest(s) | Feature | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jarate-ed | None | In this debut episode of Steamcast, we discuss the podcast itself, the recently ending-E3 and the ups and downs of Valve's participation at it. We also talk about our thoughts of Left 4 Dead 2 and the lack, again, of Half-Life 2: Episode 3. We hope you enjoy the show! | 7 June 2009 |
| 2 | Gentlemen's Club | None | In episode we talk about Left 4 Dead 2, its boycott group, Team Fortress 2 hats and a variety of other juicy, heart-warming topics. | 16 June 2009 |
| 3 | A Second Opinion | None | In this episode we try out our new show-structure, talk SDK's and nab a bit at Adam Sessler. The episode also features a debate, for those who asked for it. | 25 June 2009 |
| 4 | It's Raining | None | We're back, and we're late. | 5 July 2009 |
| 5 | Tea With Sasso | Sasso (forum mumber) | We're joined by Matt (Sasso from the forums) as we delve into his very own topic of "Episode Three wants and don't wants" | 12 July 2009 |
| 6 | The Sloppy Show | none | This week, we're all over the place, like a bad Left 4 Dead team. | 23 July 2009 |
| 7 | MIA | none | With Sam missing in action, the show is short and sweet. | 30 July 2009 |
| 8 | Blast to the Past | none | We've pieced together the highs and lows of the past 7 episodes thus far. Enjoy! | 7 September 2009 |
| 9 | Exclusive Interview with Gabe Newell | Gabe Newell | In this episode we are very, very happy to have nightcabbage (Justin) join us who brings us an awesome exclusive interview with Gabe Newell, the co-founder and managing director of Valve Software. We also discuss Depeche Mode branding in Left 4 Dead 2, re-playability issues in Left 4 Dead and various other topics. Huge thanks again to nightcabbage! | 12 September 2009 |
| 10 | A toothbrush and Strider Legs | none | In the first double-digit episode we talk about the Team Fortress 2 Classless Update, Episode 3 and Left 4 Dead 2 development issues and a bunch of topics in the Steam forums. | 23 July 2009 |
| 11 | The Moral High Road | none | We are joined by a special guest this week, backstepper (also known as Sebastian), as we talk about the controversy behind Valve's punishment on TF2 idling. Be sure to check out the show notes for details on the Monkey Island giveaways. Thanks again to Sebastian for his contributions! | 9 September 2009 |
| 12 | Half-Life Heavy | none | Half-Life. That's all your going to find in here; discussion about the story, characters, textures, music -- anything that makes Half-Life as awesome as it is. WARNING: The audio levels in this episode are fairly random. Please take care with your volume when listening to this episode. | 10 September 2009 |
| 13 | Room Service for the Drag-Ass | none | With the full crew back, we discuss the latest from PAX, which is all Left 4 Dead 2, which is awesome! Note: there are no iTunes chapters in this episode. | 3 October 2009 |
| 14 | Our Apples | none | The Steamcast crew returns from their break in style! From buying Left 4 Dead 2 live on air to Sam's 1000th forum post, this is an action packed episode! | 21 October 2009 |
| 15 | Fashionably Late | none | Being late is never a bad thing. Besides, who hasn't been busy with the Left 4 Dead 2 demo? We're back discussing plenty of juciy topics from the demo itself to the controversy surrounding Modern Warfare 2, all topped with a handful of lovely emails from the community and snacks on the side to nibble on (such as the latest news from... a month ago). | 18 November 2009 |
| 16 | Left 4 Dead 2 Special | none | It's all Left 4 Dead 2 this episode. However, we're not the ones doing the talking - this episode is brought to you by our sexy and handsome community. Thanks again to our special guests! | 25 November 2009 |
Season Two
edit| Ep. No. | Title | Guest(s) | Feature | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Short and Sweet | None | 9 January 2010 | |
| 18 | Community Appreciation Spectacular | None | 20 January 2010 | |
| 19 | Riders on the Forums | None | 24 February 2010 | |
| 20 | I am Welding this Doah | None | 2 March 2010 | |
| 21 | Portal 2 Special, Part 1 | None | 22 March 2010 |
Interviews and Specials
editSteamcast Podcast has interviewed some notably famous personalities in the gaming industry. While these episodes were not officially given a number with the notable exception of Episode 9 they were listed as Steamcast Snack episodes.
Full Interviews
edit| Guest(s) | Link | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Gabe Newell | Link to Interview | 12 June 2009 |
| Gabe Newell | Link to Interview | 9 February 2011 |
| Harry Robins | Link to Interview | 9 February 2011 |
| Jonathan Coulton | Link to Interview | 7 January 2011 |
Short Interviews
edit| Guest(s) | Link |
|---|---|
| Jeep Barnett | Link to Interview |
| Marc Laidlaw | Link to Interview |
| Ellen McLain | Link to Interview |
| Alesia Glidewell | Link to Interview |
Involvement in the Portal 2 ARG
edit2011 Twitter Tweet Controversy
editThe Notable Future
editDuring the 3 hour Podcast special on May 07, 2012 it was announced the there will be an Episode #100 which would be a radio drama based on a story that had been written by one of the listeners for the Podcast. The episode is set to be released in Summer 2012.