- 18
- Episodes
- 1
- Ratings
- 2025
- First episode
About Anno 117 - Let's Talk Empire & Errors
The raw, unfiltered truth about Anno 117: Pax Romana. From game-breaking tech fixes to the fiercest community controversies, we dissect the Empire so you can rule it. Full Description: Welcome to your essential command center for Anno 117: Pax Romana. We don't just read the patch notes—we tear them apart. In a landscape filled with marketing fluff, this podcast delivers the hard-hitting news, technical fixes, and critical analysis every Governor needs. No fluff. No filter. Just the strategy news that matters.
- Publisher
- Morgrain
- Category
- leisure
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 18 Nov 2025
- Latest episode
- 15 Dec 2025
Latest episodes
18 episodes in the feed.
15 Dec 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ The Aqueduct Exploit: Ghost Columns & The Concrete Empire
It’s a glitch. But it’s also history. 🏛️💧 We investigate the "Ghost Column Hack" in Anno 117: Pax Romana. We break down the strategy where players place aqueduct blueprints to create "ghost pillars," allowing them to connect roads and extend influence zones without paying for the full structure. Is this an error, or accidental genius? 1. The "Ghost Column" Hack: We analyze the exploit. In the game, you can project an aqueduct's influence by placing just the starting pillars (the "ghosts") and canceling the rest. We explain how this saves massive resources while tricking the game engine into thinking the infrastructure is complete, allowing for optimized city layouts that shouldn't legally exist. 2. The Concrete Reality: The Romans did it first. We expose the history. We discuss "Opus Caementicium" (Roman Concrete). Just like the game hack, real Romans didn't build solid marble structures; they built cheap, standardized concrete cores and "skinned" them with expensive materials. The game's cost-saving glitch is actually a perfect metaphor for Roman logistical efficiency. 3. Empire of Errors: When bugs become features. We explore the design. We discuss the developer's reaction to "emergent gameplay." We ask: should this exploit be patched out, or does it represent the true spirit of a Roman governor cutting corners to meet a deadline?. The full list of sources used to create this episode can be found on our Patreon under https://www.patreon.com/c/Morgrain (https://www.patreon.com/c/Morgrain)
26 Nov 2025
Why a Pistol Ruined Anno 117's Launch 🧠 Tech Takedown
A Roman pirate ship flying a flag with... flintlock pistols? 🏴☠️🔫 We investigate the massive, self-inflicted credibility crisis rocking Ubisoft's Anno 117: Pax Romana. It wasn't a promotional image; it was an in-game asset that shattered the immersion for history buffs. 1. The Anachronism: We break down the scandal. Players zoomed in on a pirate ship sailing the Roman seas only to find the Jolly Roger depicted not with swords, but with crossed firearms—technology that wouldn't be invented for another 1,000 years. We explain why this "visual crime scene" became a viral symbol of neglect, violating the game's second-century technological rules. 2. The "Asset Flip" Theory: Why did it happen? We analyze the forensic evidence suggesting this wasn't a creative choice, but a "Copy-Paste" error. The pistol asset appears suspiciously identical to the pirate faction assets from the previous game, Anno 1800. We discuss the "laziness" accusation: that studios are recycling entire folder structures across millennia to cut costs, introducing "asset integrity debt". 3. The Intentionality Gap: We explore the fallout. Players forgave historical inaccuracies like female Roman governors because they were intentional design choices for gameplay. But they refused to forgive the pistol because it was an accidental oversight that added zero value. We discuss how this "crystallizing error" confirmed player fears about rushed development and a lack of quality control.
19 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Strategy BEATS Call of Duty!
The impossible has happened. For the first time in modern gaming history, a niche city-builder has dethroned the king of shooters during its launch week. 👑📉 Anno 117: Pax Romana has officially outsold Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on the Steam weekly revenue charts, securing the #2 spot while the FPS juggernaut trails behind at #3 or #4. This episode analyzes the numbers behind this historic upset. We look at how Anno 117 became the "fastest-selling game in franchise history," achieving a concurrent player peak double that of Anno 1800. Meanwhile, Black Ops 7 struggled with a launch peak of under 100k players on Steam, a massive drop compared to last year's Black Ops 6. Is this a sign of "Shooter Fatigue"? 💤 We discuss whether players are finally tired of the annual $70 FPS grind and are migrating to deep, high-value strategy experiences. We also cover the critical reception gap: Anno 117 sits at a strong 85 Metacritic score despite review-bombing over AI art, while CoD faces yet another year of mixed user reviews. Finally, we ask if this trend will hold. With Anno players logging an average of 3.7 hours per day, is the "slow burn" of empire building officially more addictive than the "fast twitch" of TDM? ⏳⚔️
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ 4X Workforce Multiplier! (Civic Stacking Guide)
If your Roman Empire is struggling with a workforce shortage, you are playing the game wrong. 🛑 The core goal of Anno 117 is not satisfying needs; it's exploiting Proximity Bonuses. This episode reveals the ultimate high-level optimization strategy: Civic Stacking. We expose the difference between the old way (Satisfaction - providing one market to meet the city's need) and the new way (Saturation - building three markets to cover every house's radius). 📈 Civic buildings, like the Bathhouse, Forum, and Temple, grant an unconditional population multiplier the moment a house is within their area of effect. These buffs stack relentlessly. 🎯 We detail the complete strategy: Exploit Overlap: Censor your dense residential blocks with every available civic building (Market, Forum, Temple, etc.). Redundant Build: Build multiple versions of the same service (e.g., three Bathhouses) to ensure 100% area coverage, even if the first one already satisfied the need. The Result: Your Tier 1 Wader houses jump from 4 workers to 16+ workers (a 4x multiplier), solving your perpetual manpower deficit and fueling your entire late-game economy. 💰 This allows you to generate thousands of low-maintenance laborers in a tiny footprint, funding vast armies and complex trade networks with ease.
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Secret First-Person Mode! (Codes & Features)
The massive world of Anno 117 is designed for the God-King's view, but there is a hidden feature that lets you step off your throne and walk the streets of your Roman Empire! 🚶♂️ This episode reveals the secret cheat codes for PC and console that activate the unlisted First and Third-Person Mode. We break down the controls: For PC, it's the classic Control + Shift + R, but the huge upgrade is using the scroll wheel to swap to the new Third-Person Avatar mode. Console players use the Konami Code on their controllers to enter this view! 🎮 (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A / Circle, X). Once on the ground, the city changes. We show you how to sprint, jump (handy for getting unstuck!), and how to use the Torch (F key) to appreciate your nighttime lighting design. Most importantly, we reveal the ultimate detail: you can hitch a ride on any supply wagon! 🚚 You are no longer just planning a route; you are sitting on the cargo you optimized. This mode offers the true contrast between the macro strategy and the micro-experience. It's the best way to see the hilarious high-res dogs, check if your citizens are happy (E key to interact), and appreciate the sheer scale of the city you built. 🏛️
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Ghost Farms! Where are the Workers? 👻
In Anno 1800, watching your farmers harvest wheat was a cozy, immersive detail. In Anno 117: Pax Romana, the fields are ghost towns. 👻 Thousands of players are reporting that despite having maximum workforce and running on "Ultra" graphics settings, their production buildings show zero animation on the actual field tiles. 🌾🚫 This episode investigates the "Missing Worker" controversy. Is this a bug, or a performance downgrade to handle the new engine? We test the specific "Crowd Density" graphic setting to see if it actually brings the workers back (Spoiler: It mostly affects city streets, not farms). We compare the "Fixed" farms (like Sheep) which have some animation vs. the "Modular" farms (Wheat/Hemp) which appear completely static and lifeless. We also touch on the broader "Ghost Economy" visual problem. 📉 Players are noticing that carts often disappear before reaching warehouses, and trade ships clip through docks without a proper unloading animation. For a series known for its "Wuselfaktor" (busy-ness factor), we ask if Anno 117 has sacrificed its soul for higher resolution textures. 🏛️💔
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Broken Trade Mechanics? The Weapon Paradox ⚔️
In every previous Anno game, becoming an arms dealer was the fastest way to infinite wealth. In Anno 117: Pax Romana, it is the fastest way to bankruptcy. 📉🛑 This episode exposes the "Weapon Paradox". We break down the broken math behind the Roman military industrial complex. Currently, a unit of raw Iron Ore sells to neutral traders for more than a finished Gladius. ⚔️📉 This means that by processing your ore into weapons, you are literally paying for the privilege of losing value. We explain why the "Export Economy" meta is dead and why you should be selling raw materials instead. We also investigate the "Broken Trade" mechanics. 🚢 Players are reporting that passive trading at the Docklands is completely unbalanced, with AI merchants refusing to buy high-tier luxury goods while paying absurd prices for basic grain. 🌾💰 Is this a bug in the supply/demand logic, or a deliberate design choice to force players into manual trade routes? Finally, we give you the "Fix": How to set your passive buy/sell limits to avoid the AI draining your warehouses of essential construction materials while you aren't looking. 🧱👀
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ AI artwork! Corporate Lies Exposed 🤥
We were promised the "most advanced military AI" in franchise history. ⚔️ Ubisoft’s marketing trailers showed Roman Generals executing complex flank maneuvers, retreating tactically, and managing their economies with ruthless efficiency. But now that Anno 117 is in our hands, the truth is embarrassing. 🤡 This episode exposes the "Artificial Stupidity" scandal. We break down how the "Advanced" AI opponents (even on Hard difficulty) are completely incapable of launching a coordinated naval invasion. 🚢💥 We talk about enemy fleets sailing in circles while their harbors burn, and discuss the "Economy Cheat" that allows AI players to build endless armies without having the necessary supply chains—a lazy developer trick that ruins the immersion for strategy purists. We also analyze the "Corporate Gaslighting." 🕯️ We compare the pre-launch "Gameplay Deep Dive" videos side-by-side with the retail build to prove that certain behaviors—like the AI demanding tribute based on military strength—simply do not exist in the current game. Is this another case of a "Vertical Slice" demo that was faked for E3? 📉 Finally, we look at the pathfinding disasters. From trade ships getting stuck on islands to legions marching into walls, we ask if the new engine is actually worse than Anno 1800's logic, and if there is any hope for a patch to fix the brain-dead opposition. 🧠🚫
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Hotfix Failed? Hype is Dead! (Multiplayer News)
The "Day 2 Hotfix" for Anno 117: Pax Romana has arrived, and for thousands of Governors hoping to finally play with their friends, the result is heartbreaking. 💔 Instead of stabilizing the servers, the 1.2 GB update seems to have done little to stop the infamous TRAJAN-131661 errors that are tearing lobbies apart every 15 minutes. 📉 In this episode, we analyze the patch notes vs. reality. Ubisoft claimed this hotfix would address the "Invitation Flow" crashes, but reports from the Discord and Reddit confirm that inviting a friend into an ongoing session still results in an immediate desktop crash for 80% of players. We discuss why the "Desync Loop" is actually getting worse for players in the Albion region, leading to a massive spike in negative Steam reviews (now sitting at "Mixed" - 62%). We also cover the community's "Doomsday" theory: that the netcode issues are fundamental to the new engine and cannot be patched quickly. 🏗️ We look at the skyrocketing refund requests and the official "Workaround" that Ubisoft is now quietly suggesting—which involves editing your .vdf install scripts manually, a step no AAA player should have to take. Finally, we ask: Is the hype officially dead? With the weekend approaching and no stable multiplayer in sight, is Anno 117 destined to be a solo-only experience for months? ⏳
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ "Biggus Dickus" & Bad Translations! (AI Script?)
The community asked for Monty Python references, and Ubisoft delivered... but perhaps not in the way we hoped. 🎭 While players are giggling at the ability to name their characters "Biggus Dickus" and finding Easter eggs from Life of Brian in the Albion province, a much more serious issue is plaguing the game's dialogue. 📜 This episode investigates the "AI Translation Scandal". 🤖 German and French players are reporting that the localization quality is so poor it feels machine-generated. We show specific examples where the game confuses formal and informal speech (swapping "Du" and "Sie" in German) and translates technical terms like "Good specifications" literally into "Good" (the adjective) instead of "Goods" (the noun). We also discuss the tonal whiplash. Is the game trying too hard to be funny? We analyze the new "British Cockney" voice lines in Albion that sound more like a generic fantasy RPG than a historical simulation, and ask if the "Marvel-style" quips from the Governor's advisor are ruining the immersion that Anno 1800 worked so hard to build. Finally, we look at the community's "Meme War." While the subreddit is full of Life of Brian jokes, the official forums are burning with requests for a script rewrite. We tell you which language settings to use for the "least broken" experience.
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ The Diagonal Trap! (Geometry Explained)
For years, Anno players begged for diagonal roads. Now that we have them in Anno 117: Pax Romana, we are realizing they might be a mathematical curse. 📐⚠️ The "Square Root of Two" problem is wrecking production layouts, and most players don't even realize it. This episode is a deep dive into the geometry of efficiency. We explain the math behind the grid: while a straight road tile has a distance of 1, a diagonal movement is 1.41 (approx. √2). This means your carts are traveling 41% more distance per tile step when moving diagonally, potentially destroying your carefully calculated delivery times. 🚚💨 We also discuss the "Space Waste" crisis. Because buildings in Anno are still fundamentally squares, placing them on a diagonal road creates unbuildable "triangles" of empty grass. 📉 We show you the difference in density between a standard 90-degree Roman Grid and a "free-form" diagonal layout, proving that beauty building comes at a massive cost to your population cap. Finally, we answer the ultimate question: Is there any strategic benefit to diagonals, or are they purely for screenshots? We break down the specific "Road Shortcuts" where diagonals actually save time (the hypotenuse shortcut), provided you understand the math behind the pathfinding. 🧠
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Masterpiece or Broken Mess? (Review)
The verdict is in, and the community is torn in half. ⚔️ Anno 117: Pax Romana has launched to a "Mixed" reception on Steam, creating a bizarre duality: it is simultaneously the most beautiful city-builder ever made and a technical disaster zone. 📉 In this episode, we ask the ultimate question: Is this game a flawed masterpiece worth fighting for, or a full-priced "Early Access" scam? 🛑 We weigh the undeniable highs—the incredible soundtrack, the deep logistics of the new Province system, and the stunning visual fidelity—against the crushing lows of game-breaking bugs, "Trajan" multiplayer crashes, and a campaign that seemingly forgot its own ending. We discuss the "Ubisoft Cycle"—why are we accepting broken launches in 2025? 🗓️ We compare the state of 117 to the launch of Anno 1800, analyzing whether the technical debt is heavier this time around. We also address the "Reskin" argument one last time: is the gameplay innovation enough to save it from the technical fires? 🔥 Finally, we give you a definitive "Buy or Wait" recommendation. If you have a high-end PC and patience for patches, Rome awaits. But if you want a smooth experience, we tell you exactly how long you should wait before dropping your denarii. 💰
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Multiplayer Broken? Troubleshooting and Discussion
For many Governors, the dream of ruling the Roman Empire with a friend has turned into a nightmare of error codes and desktop crashes. 📉 Anno 117: Pax Romana is currently plagued by aggressive desynchronization loops, with the infamous "TRAJAN" and "LR40" errors kicking players out of their lobbies every 15 minutes. This episode breaks down exactly why the multiplayer stability is failing. We explain the "Invitation Flow" bug, where inviting a friend into an already running game guarantees a crash, and why you must start the lobby with everyone present to avoid the "Singleplayer Load" glitch. 🛑 We also cover the game-breaking "Albion Ship" bug that is deleting fleets during session transitions. But we don't just list problems—we give you the workarounds that are actually working for the community. 🛠️ We detail the "Restart Ritual": why reloading the specific "Desync Save" is a trap, and why every player needs to fully restart their PC (not just the game) to clear the cache before reloading. Finally, we look at the network side. If you are stuck on "NAT Type: Strict," you are likely the cause of your team's lag. We discuss how to forward your ports (TCP/UDP) to ensure your legions don't freeze in the middle of a barbarian invasion. ⚔️
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Stop Playing like it's 1800! (Veteran Guide)
If you are playing Anno 117: Pax Romana like it is Anno 1800, you are already losing. 🛑 For twenty years, we have been trained to build rigid grids, segregate our industry from our houses, and fulfill 100% of every need. In Rome, these "perfect" strategies are the fastest way to bankrupt your province. 📉 This episode is a wake-up call for every veteran Governor. We break down the three major "Old World" habits you need to unlearn immediately. We look at the controversial new "Proximity Bonuses" that force you to place dirty bakeries inside your residential districts—a nightmare for beauty builders, but essential for income. 🏘️🏭 We also dismantle the "100% Satisfaction" trap. Unlike previous titles, Anno 117 uses a flexible needs system where you often shouldn't feed your people everything. We explain why skipping certain goods (like early Pottery) is actually the superior strategy for faster expansion. 🧠 Finally, we discuss the death of the "Grid". With diagonal roads and travel-time logistics, the classic 10x10 block layout is killing your delivery speeds. We show you the new organic "Flow" layouts that leverage the new warehouse nodes to keep your carts moving and your Empire growing. 🌊
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Production Chains Solved! (Best Tools)
The economy of Anno 117: Pax Romana is ruthless, and the in-game tooltips are lying to you. 📉 Just 48 hours after launch, thousands of Governors are facing bankruptcy because the official production ratios provided by Ubisoft do not account for travel time and warehouse logistics. 🛑 This episode is your economic lifeline. We bypass the empty Wikis and dive straight into the community-built tools that are saving the player base. We showcase the first working "Anno 117 Calculator" that has just surfaced on GitHub/Reddit, solving the complex math behind the new Latium Wine chains and the intricate Albion metalworking loops. 🧮 Key Topics: The Ratio Crisis: Why 2 Farms =~ 1 Mill is not true anymore. 🍞 Community Heroes: The best spreadsheets and calculators available right now. 💻 Hidden Mechanics: How "Governor Decrees" secretly alter production speed. 📜 Efficiency Guide: Stop guessing and start min-maxing your province. 📊 If your marketplaces are empty and your income is fluctuating wilder than the Tiber river, you need these tools. We break down exactly how to balance your supply chains so you can stop firefighting and start expanding. 🏛️ Deep Dive into "perfect ratios" are failing: In previous games, goods were often instantly available or moved very quickly. in Anno 117, warehouses have a limited number of loading ramps with limited speed. Even if your 2 Wheat Farms produce exactly enough grain for 1 Mill every minute, if the warehouse is busy unloading a trade ship or a clay cart, the grain cart waits in a queue. Result: The Mill runs out of input while the grain sits stuck in a traffic jam. You effectively need "overproduction" or more warehouses to buffer this delay. The official tooltips show Production Time (e.g., Wheat Farm = 60s, Mill = 30s). This suggests a perfect 2:1 ratio. However, this number does not include the time a cart takes to drive from the Farm to the Warehouse and then from the Warehouse to the Mill. In Anno 117, road distance is a critical efficiency killer. If your farms are placed too far on the "fringes" of the radius, the travel time is added to the production cycle, effectively making a 60s farm take ~70s. The Fix: Community calculators now suggest slight over-ratios (e.g., 2.2 Farms per Mill) or placing warehouses between the farm and mill to minimize travel. New mechanics like Aqueducts and Governor Decrees boost specific building types unevenly. Example: The "Duct Irrigation" tech boosts Farm productivity via Aqueducts. If you boost your Wheat Farms to 150% speed but forget to boost the Mill (which doesn't use irrigation), your 2:1 ratio immediately breaks, flooding your storage with grain you can't process. You now have to calculate ratios based on buffed speed, not base speed.
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Campaign Fail? Where is the Ending?
The campaign for Anno 117: Pax Romana was promised to be the most immersive narrative experience in the franchise's history. 📜 Yet, as players reach the final hours of the Governor's journey in Ubisoft Mainz's latest release, a wave of confusion is sweeping the community. Reports are flooding in that the story mode doesn't just end—it stops dead in its tracks. 🛑 This episode investigates the "Missing Act" controversy. 🕵️♂️ Players are reporting that after building up the political tension in Latium and establishing a foothold in Albion, the narrative arc builds toward a massive confrontation with the Senate that... simply never happens. We analyze the pacing issues and the specific quest lines that seem to lead nowhere, leaving Governors staring at a "Congratulations" screen that feels premature and unearned. 📉 Is this a case of development time running out, or is the true ending locked behind a paywall? 💸 We dig into the files and the Season Pass roadmap to see if the conclusion to the story is being held hostage for "DLC 1." We compare this to the Anno 1800 campaign, which served as a tutorial, and ask if 117 made the mistake of promising an RPG experience it couldn't deliver. 🤐 Finally, we discuss what this means for the longevity of the game. If the narrative hook is broken, does the sandbox mode have enough depth to keep casual players engaged? We break down the community theories on whether "Act 4" was cut at the last minute and if we can expect a patch to fix the plot holes. 🧩
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Just a Reskin?
The release of Anno 117: Pax Romana has triggered a massive divide in the strategy community, with a loud faction of players accusing Ubisoft Mainz of selling a "glorified map pack" at full AAA price. The forums are burning with comparisons to Anno 1800, claiming that underneath the marble columns and Roman togas beats the exact same industrial heart we have been playing for years. This episode investigates if these "Reskin" allegations are a legitimate consumer warning or just internet rage. We strip back the visuals to look at the raw mechanics. It is undeniable that the UI layout, the trade route menus, and even the specific "click-feel" of placing warehouses have been lifted directly from the previous engine. We analyze the supply chain logic—does farming grain in Albion feel too much like farming grain in the Old World? We discuss whether this familiarity is a polished foundation or a lack of innovation that makes the Roman Empire feel bizarrely modern. However, we also look at what is new. We dive deep into the "Governor" system and the narrative choices that allegedly set this title apart. Does the ability to "Romanize" or "preserve" local cultures in provinces like Albion offer enough strategic divergence to justify the £70 price tag? We test if the removal of certain micromanagement layers actually improves the flow or if it just dumbs down the challenge for a mass audience. Finally, we give a verdict on whether the dual-province start of Latium and Albion is a true evolution of the franchise or just a mirrored version of the Old World/New World dynamic. If you are on the fence about buying, or feeling the déjà vu while playing, this breakdown will tell you exactly where the "new" game ends and the "old" game begins.
18 Nov 2025
Anno 117 🏛️ Launch Issues - Flickering & Graphical Glitches
🏛️ Welcome to Rome! 🏛️Anno 117: Pax Romana has launched with immense ambition, transporting players to the height of the Roman Empire, but for many PC users, the immersion is being shattered by aggressive screen flickering and visual artifacts. Reports from the community suggest that recent engine upgrades, while delivering stunning lighting, are conflicting with certain high-refresh-rate monitors and specific GPU driver settings.This episode dives into the technical root of these graphical glitches, specifically addressing the conflict between the game's native anti-aliasing solutions and external overlay software. We look at why standard V-Sync toggles aren't solving the tearing for everyone and explore the specific "bloom" settings that seem to be triggering the worst of the artifacting on newer cards.We also cover the manual configuration changes required to stabilize the frame rate without sacrificing the visual fidelity that Ubisoft’s new engine promises. While official patches are expected, these immediate workarounds are essential for Governors looking to manage their provinces without the distraction of a strobe-light effect ruining the gameplay experience.Finally, we discuss the broader implications of these technical hurdles on the game's reception. With strategy games relying heavily on UI clarity and map readability, visual bugs are more than just an annoyance—they are a gameplay hindrance. We break down exactly what you need to click, uncheck, and update to ensure your Roman legacy is built on a stable foundation, not a flickering one.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 5.0 / 5
- 1 ratings
Contact Anno 117 - Let's Talk Empire & Errors
- Guest appearances
- Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Anno 117 - Let's Talk Empire & Errors?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show
Podcast research with Pod Engine