localthunk, Creator of Balatro | Dan Gheesling Podcast 011

[@9e7exkbzvwpf7c]

He said it was scuffed but I was not prepared for the Taco Bell drive-thru speaker.

[@Vario69]

I'm listening on headphones n I have no idea what's wrong with it. It sounds normal

[@avebave6550]

​@@Vario69 must be using them 2008, purple gummy, half eaten cord skullcandies

[@deetvleet]

@@Vario69 brother you need new headphones

[@longliveleninism5503]

I don’t give a cold shit what the TF2 scout on the left has to say and localthunk’s audio is fine.

[@9e7exkbzvwpf7c]

@@longliveleninism5503TF2 scout 😂

[@demujo]

i respect the commitment to the bit he always says “the game” and refuses to give a “proper” pronunciation of Balatro

[@sirthursday6159]

You probably saw, but in case anyone else was wondering, Local Thunk addresses this is his answer at 48:24 Sounds like the name Balatro popped up late into development, and only because "Joker Poker" was taken, so I can understand a certain level of not being attached to the name Balatro, and just calling the game "the game" And like he said, Balatro is just a Latin word, so Local Thunk is not necessarily the end-all-be-all authority of Latin pronunciation lol, say it however you want Personally I think it sounds pronounced best like bala as in "gala" and tro as in "throw"

[@ShadyCrzy]

44:39

[@andreicristian9575]

@@sirthursday6159Almost, but instead of "throw" think about the Italian number "quatro".

[@fudgyboo]

​​@@sirthursday6159 Your pronunciation explanation is funny because "gala" itself has multiple pronunciations

[@greensleevez]

@@sirthursday6159For those who read IPA: /ˈba.la.troː/, [ˈbäɫ̪ät̪roː]

[@reata978]

localthunk popped into my chat when i was streaming the Balatro demo on Twitch to 3 people, just me and my friends. and he hung out and interacted with us for like an hour! still a very cool moment that my friends bring up every now and then.

[@ShlamDunkk]

thats awesome

[@thanos1000000fc]

What's your channel?

[@DudokX]

I love the rollercoaster announcer quality audio from Dan.

[@protogon]

Keep your pogs inside the vehicle at all times

[@austinsmith5488]

I laughed so hard reading this

[@PrincessTidge]

Scream if you wanna go faster 😂

[@j03man44]

I don't. It's terrible.

[@potterinhe11]

I'm so glad Dan managed to record this from inside an egg cartoon.

[@evanjohnson6884]

"what has changed in your life as a result of the success?" "I get guac on my burritos now." Phenomenal answer.

[@Vario69]

Thank you. I heard him say 'glock' and I had no idea what he actually meant. Wtf is a guac? Oh, guacamole. (I'm from Europe)

[@omarjimenezromero3463]

@@Vario69 avocado sauce usually is related to expensive food, and most times avocado can skyrocket its price, soo a lot of people in all americas (north, central, south) consider putting avocado in some way in your food means you have more money than the average XD.

[@MemoryVague]

Hearing LocalThunk talk about the hobby fulfillment of game development absolutely makes me want to give it a shot myself

[@jonah8231]

do it. you have absolutely nothing to lose.

[@kamilbidzinski475]

I'm so glad that localthunk enjoyed working on shaders so much, I seriously appreciate those. The game would still be great without them, but they represent the level of polish that I would expect from one of the greatest roguelikes ever. It is so nice to see a polychrome card shine as you move your cursor around.

[@kerokeropoonito]

that is somethnig I never said out loud but definitely blew me away, the cards feel and look so nice

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic563]

​@@kerokeropoonito Balatro is incredible brain candy in the challenges it poses, but it's also an absolute sensory delight in its visual presentation and soundscape, and I feel like we don't talk about it enough.

[@Katie-hj5eb]

26:11 this one alone is HUGE. One of the issues I've had with Bingle Bingle and some of the other Balatro likes I've seen is they can have long confusing descriptions for what the thing does. Everything in Balatro is so concise and it makes picking up and playing a breeze.

[@cyanthrope]

yeah, I'll have a cheeseburger and a diet coke

[@connortivoli3161]

And then

[@lDarkhorsel]

And then... a side of fries and an ice cream.

[@311zack]

And theeennnnn

[@axaide4210]

Nope!

[@Danebrogen1]

with some Mama Liz's Chilli Oil?

[@Starluck40]

my favorite 1920s radio host! jokes aside, love this interview

[@GeeDoggy123]

Localthunk you really do sound like a delightful individual and i wish you all the best. Down to earth Game Dev is best game dev

[@AtaGunZ]

6:55 It is confirmed, LocalThunk is a type A chatter

[@lambda9990]

type A? okay. A

[@voided_sun]

It's not exactly like that. Of course as a game dev, we've got total knowledge, but that also makes the game a bit more boring. It's easy to jump in and say "this is what you're supposed to do", but we also feel bad doing that because to us that means that the game we are emotionally invested in has failed you. Every mistake is either the player's fault or the game's fault and both those answers can be depressing.

[@megalogoro6388]

​@@voided_sunmistakes are just part of the process of learning.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic563]

​@@voided_sun Aren't mistakes part of the fun in roguelikes?

[@geoffcampbell4739]

I hope Localthunk knows how beloved this game is and knows how appreciative the community is! I think Dan summed it up best “ I’m just gonna come out and say it, you sound like a delightful individual”

[@LiarJudas666]

i’m so thrilled that he wasn’t planning on being one and done with Balatro even though it wouldn’t matter terribly. but he’s off to such a great start here that i’m highly anticipating the next venture

[@kiefcoin]

Oh wow the solitaire comment blew me away. When I first started really enjoying the game the first time my first comment was something along the lines of "This must be what our moms were feeling when they were glued to Solitaire in the 90s"

[@angelover116]

Thank you for interviewing him! Hearing his humble responses was inspiring.

[@Zen.Connection]

So kind of this AM radio station to interview LocalThunk. In seriousness great interview and having a blast with the game!

[@tansuyilmaz3572]

Got so happy when he mentioned people playing with pen and paper. I wrote in the demo feedback that I was so into the game that I was keeping track of cards by pen and paper. It wasn't even a criticism but the tracker that appeared afterwards made the game even more amazing.

[@DiscoveringReality1]

[00:00] - Heads up, audio issues on this one. [01:08] - Interesting tidbit on how 'localthunk' chose his name. [02:16] - 'Balatro' hit a million sales fast, pretty impressive. [04:26] - Streamers played a big part in the game's success. [09:04] - The inspiration from card games adds a nice touch. [13:07] - Balancing game development with life seems tough. [17:21] - Insights into the game publishing process were quite detailed. [23:17] - localthunk did a lot himself, from art to sound. [34:01] - Adjustments from feedback show dedication.

[@TheOverdxse]

@29:00 big agree the shaders are definitely one of the first things that stuck out to me in this game, and still i love looking at the different shaders and how they can change the look of the jokers

[@sethlgoodman]

The first time that I made a gold polychrome card, I was absolutely blown away. It’s such a simple thing, but adds so much

[@TheOverdxse]

@@sethlgoodman right? I love when i see like a big row of jokers with different crazy shaders/negatives/polychromes etc

[@awalker300]

I love seeing all the different combinations card type with the shader effects on different card art.

[@madelainemartinis7065]

The way he said he loved the shaders. It's the first thing I noticed when I played for the first time. It's really the work of a master crafter. Congrats, Localthunk.

[@PlatinumDestroyer]

not even the mcdonalds drive through speaker could touch that incredible interview

[@ernoh9724]

Excellent interview! No need to worry, after couple minutes the audio quality didn't bother at all. Thank you Dan and localthunk!

[@xXEmo54Xx]

as soon as he dropped luck be a landlord it got an immediate "hell yeah brother" outta me and dang, that's psycho that lumpy touch did the vagabond art

[@connortivoli3161]

Your questions so far have been brilliant, them being paired with his depth of mind and linguistic prowess is refreshing. Only being 15 minutes into it i feel refreshed in the way that my mind is munching on a conversation that carries value and meaning. Hes a very careful, very calculated very respectful dude, thank you both for the work you've provided.

[@magebomba318]

Dude I felt the same. A big brother dude was actively listening and making notes, circling back, instantly asking on reaction answers. Idk shit about it but Dan did a great job!

[@K42610]

LocalThunk exclaiming that “at white stake, a perfect player can win 100%-of-the-time.” hurt to hear Sadge 39:40

[@LiarJudas666]

i must have a long way to go, which is crazy because i can fairly reliably reach ante 8 on green stake but i’ve been playing a lot of white stake recently ‘cause i’ve still never broke over 100 million and jeez

[@codesymphony]

when i hear "perfect player" i think of like the top 0.001% percentile. a perfect player in slay the spire can win a20 17 times in a row, it's not a shock to hear that the easiest difficulty here can be beaten 100% of the time.

[@Notester82]

Wonderful interview! It was fun to hear that LocalThunk's main motivation for making games is...well...making games! c: I also respect his desire to work on the game on his own at first without referencing other roguelikes too much, the iteration paid off! Thank you for holding this interview, Dan! :D

[@YoulookIncredible]

“I made this game for me.” Best sentence he could’ve said

[@omarjimenezromero3463]

modders signature motivation basically:

[@megaeggproductions]

Dan you are actually such a good interviewer, asking great prompting questions. Keep up the good stuff :)

[@0Rookie0]

The latin translation to get a unique name is exactly what I did with our pets haha. Thunk, you seem like a great person, your situation is exactly what people want to see. Congratulations and keep being passionate!

[@chan_serv]

So funny that he mentioned Big 2, it was also probably my favorite card game growing up. The suit ranking in Big 2 (diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades) is so drilled into my mind and I kept getting reminded of it when trying to remember how the suits are ordered in your hand in Balatro!

[@haydentaylor5875]

I’m living in the right timeline if I’m seeing Dan Gheesling interview local thunk.

[@grantfielder]

Awesome interview! Local thunk sounds like a really chill dude, and very down to earth which is cool to see. I love that it was made out of enjoyment of the creation, and not to reach some type of end goal. I hope he continues to enjoy what he does, and I hope we get to reap all the benefits from cool games that he creates in the future. Thanks for this interview, I appreciate the content. It was a joy to listen to

[@LiarJudas666]

the music is absolutely phenomenal. it’s my favorite bit of video game music i’ve encountered in years

[@kneebs711]

Such a great interview - always love how you seem to always know the best questions to ask to keep the interview flowing/engaging!

[@logixindie]

Agreed. Good interview.

[@n8mo]

What a great interview. So jazzed for Thunk’s success. It’s incredible to hear that Balatro (his own game !!) was the first deckbuilder he ever played. Especially when you consider that Balatro is (subjectively, but I think most will agree) one of the most satisfying and well-rounded deckbuilders out there.

[@squary3d]

Blud said jazzed

[@Lucsy3012]

He's so calm and humble, you gotta love Localthunk

[@eerbrev]

After this interview, and hearing how Localthunk talks about his work, I'm really excited to see what he does next.

[@Pdog43Teru]

This was great watch. Thanks for interview. I love playing Balatro so fun

[@DanGheesling]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@iphoneShothand]

I just discovered Balatro. I’m so glad this interview exists. LocalFunk sounds like a cool dude.

[@TheYohis25]

Listening to this on my 1950s radio sounds perfect 👌. Real talk, what a great dev man, a true passion project hence it's success, the fact he did all (except Vagabond) the art and programming and most of the sound design is amazing. Great interview, Dan, very engaging and dynamic questions throughout the conversation.

[@AnimeFridays]

Localthunk is such a cool guy. Don't see a lot of people like him in the world. So down to earth and level headed

[@EverythingWentSideways]

incredible interview, i still cannot stop playing this game. bro really nailed it so hard with this gem.

[@Carnables]

Classic Daniel absolutely killing it with these questions! I felt like i got to learn a lot about localthunks personality. This has been really inspiring.

[@Crispyyy7]

Thank you for this interview! Was so interesting to hear this. One minor nitpick was the audio quality between yourself and Locathunk which was a bit distracting. Other than that, superb!

[@hydrax7131]

Balatro is GOATED! Thanks Dan and lclthunk!

[@SofaMuncher]

Really great interview, thanks!

[@bobzegler]

So cool to hear Luck Be a Landlord was an inspiration because it was my first deck builder too and got me interested in Balataro

[@evanjohnson6884]

awesome interview, every question you asked I was really eager to hear the answer to

[@heyitsrance]

Amazing interview! You are incredibly skilled - the perfect interviewer. Not talking over the guest, amazing questions, incorporating questions from the community also. 10/10

[@petardrn]

i for one love wheel of fortune wholeheartedly, never change. great interview, thunk seems to be a really good guy, so glad we'll be seeing more of his work.

[@martinzendejas8423]

The OST is so good

[@Mamomain]

That 7/4 sounds so natural, truly endless mode with that tune

[@markmclean8858]

Cue Dan humming into the microphone

[@wilsmif]

I love my skwammy skwams

[@chrismenezies7335]

This was honestly an incredible interview!

[@GoodMomo]

Something corporations (not just in gaming, but in entertainment in general) are still struggling to understand: Passion projects are successful because there's passion driving them, and not analytics and greed.

[@Noah-ost]

This is actually a really good interview. You let the conversation flow naturally while still exploring the depths and most interesting parts of each topic that came ho naturally. I'd be interested in watching you interview other game developers.

[@greenoftreeblackofblue6625]

I really like the name Balatro. It has Personality, even though you wanted joker poker I think you been gifted with a great name.

[@Adoptulous]

Heard the warning about the audio quality and went "aww come on it can't be that bad" HAHAHA it's so good Dan edit: he's a longtime NLSS fan god bless

[@triprotic]

Awesome interview! Thanks for sharing regardless of the audio quality.

[@aidanmaney9852]

Fantastic interview Dan, what an inspiring story

[@SilverionX]

Solid interview. It's interesting to hear how Localthunk got to the point he is today. There are so many ways to enter the game dev space, but this feels like a very stress free way of doing it. Feels like no matter what your personality, if you find a method that works you can create some pretty cool games. As a side tangent, that one dev from Crashlands has to be the worst way.

[@BrightBlueInk]

Thunk seems chill. I'm glad he got so successful with this game, I'm having a blast with it!

[@tf_lecter]

this is a great interview, i like how he mentioned the power of flush as a strategy and potential buffs for other hand types as well.

[@Mamomain]

I made it halfway through the interview before realizing it was Dan from big brother

[@PlasticPariah]

Dan's awesome, LocalThunk is awesome, Balatro is awesome. Just a really enjoyable interview.

[@AhNoWiC]

This game is really good. Commenting for engagement. Looking forward to what he develops next.

[@FlatThumb]

Always great to see an indie success story. Congrats to Baltatro's success!

[@Drybones898]

As someone who got semi-obsessed with shaders for a portion of a video game project I did, I really love the shaders in this game. The background in particular is really similar to what I created but 10x better in every way.

[@EdwardoTheSheep]

Great interview, thanks Dan!

[@aidenwalsh4320]

Congratulations dude. Game exploded.

[@icedutah]

I never like listening to game interviews. But I like this one! Thanks! Great game.

[@mrpernickety3]

This is such a great interview! Well done.

[@scojo262]

Great episode Dan! Localthunk seems incredibly cool and I love the story. Makes me happy to support someone like this.

[@dv_interval42]

He's a phenomenal interviewer

[@Galacticbraindentist]

Interest in a daily challenge confirmed from thunk himself got me so happy i would love that so much

[@MichaelButlerC]

over a million copies sold (and many more on the way) and developed in LUA and Love2D! Love that!

[@jlb159357]

44:38 we finally know how it's officially pronounced

[@GrandDawggy]

I won't be saying that way lol plus he didn't invent the word so we need a better source like someone who studies language

[@gnerus1972]

I've always been pronouncing it the Latin way but that's just my European mind.

[@lindsayLLcoolgames]

Fascinating interview.

[@gdfan618]

awesome interview!!!!!

[@ElitePwny]

Love this thank you for a great podcast. As others have said, great questions man and great listening skills. You’re a natural interviewer

[@heyihavenoclue7541]

awesome interview, the dev and the game are awesome!

[@jimothycool]

Excellent interview.

[@AtaGunZ]

33:20 On common variations of poker that have discards/redraws, flushes are actually mathematically more likely than straights, and thus they are usually weaker than straights as a game rule. (the one my father thought me even had three of a kind higher than a flush). This game allows discards, and lots of them, so flushes are way easier than any other "good hand". In the demo, straights had better level scaling (+3 mult each level, instead of 2) and the joker pool had a higher percentage of good straight related jokers that interacted with each other and were easy to get and build around. With 150 jokers, it's hard to balance different hand types just by modifying the jokers (at least without introducing a "joker pool" system which would not be ideal), so I wish localThunk good luck with the balancing, it's a hard task. I would have some suggestions but I'm sure he has lots of things on his mind already, so no reason to waste effort in a youtube comment :D

[@AtaGunZ]

also, LocalThunk mentions flushes are risky, but even with the default starting deck in it's starting configuration, flushes are more common than straights because you have discards. And even if you full commit to a single suit, there isn't enough of a risk to get caught.

[@AtaGunZ]

Don't get me wrong, even in the games current state where flushes are better, it's a good game. It's just that the best strategy converges to a flush deck if you are a type A chatter and you try to optimize the way you play. It's hard to balance it so that there is no optimal way to play, especially in a game like this.

[@ryannelson884]

@@AtaGunZflushes don’t scale in endless mode though they don’t level up as fast as high card flush is only a good strategy to beat the first antes but after that flushes are really not the way to go they are not OP

[@quattroCrazy]

Great interview! LocalThunk is a very relatable and interesting guy.

[@anynameinastorm]

This audio is somehow appropriate for the Balatro aesthetic. Just say it was a choice and own it

[@pacman22XD]

Awesome questions! Really enjoying this

[@king40606]

These are really good dan, keep it up!

[@Starluck40]

omg love my wheel of fortune question

[@theelectricant98]

Its giving old school radio talk show

[@sofasleeper5]

Great interview! Always interesting to hear what's going on behind the scenes from game devs.

[@AshliSincere]

the audio feels like a radio show, i kinda like it 😂 loving the ep

[@burgundygoat8273]

Great guest selection, excited to listen to this one.

[@itsbluntygaming]

Audio is not that bad, and I'm normally a stickler! Great interview!

[@rommusteegan]

Yoo excited to watch this

[@cptnd3851]

dan always a great interviewer/banterer

[@jaybrodnax]

Really awesome questions from Dan

[@kulka412]

when he said "audio is scuffed" I thought I was prepared.... i was not... (its still great, tho!)

[@ODDEROTTERS]

This is the first ep I ever watched ou tof curiousity for Balatro and BOY that scuff is reeaaaaaaaaal hard to swallow

[@Moms_Spaghetti]

Great interview despite the audio issues

[@exzisd]

Easily my GOTY for 2024 so far by a long shot.