Pyrodactyl Games

Started in 2011 in Jaipur, Pyrodactyl Games is making waves of its own. Their first game A.Typical RPG was included in the top 5 RPG games at IndieDB's IOTY 2011 and they recently announced their second title - C.R.A.B. We talked to Arvind about flying dinosaurs that shoot flames and everything Pyrodactyl.

How did you start?

It's kind of a long story - I got my first PC in class 8th, and I spent a lot of time playing games on it. I took the C++ course in class 11-12 and made a huge dopewars clone in about a month. I just felt at home programming games, so I took Computer Science as my branch in my college. The studies were pretty boring and irrelevant but I finally had internet! I got hooked on the source modding scene at moddb, which resulted in me being a programmer in a few mods. After a while though, I really wanted to see if I could make it as an indie developer, and the rest is still work in progress :)

How fun is being an indie developer?

It's quite fun for me, since I really like programming. It feels really great to think of ways to implement cool stuff in your game, get feedback from players, and best of all, you are your own boss!

What is a usual day for you?

I think I work on my games for about 8-10 hours per day. I don't keep track really. I also check tigs, moddb, reddit, facebook and my email in between. And sometimes I remember to eat things. Did I drink water today? Let me check.

How do you make games?

I make games by writing code in C++ and compiling it. The compiling process is done by writing the code in a word document and emailing it to Bill Gates, who generally replies with the executable of the game in about 30 minutes. This also means I cannot code on a Sunday, since Bill isn't in his office on Sundays. Too lazy if you ask me.

What has been the driving force for Pyrodactyl Games?

I just want to make the games I want to play. Getting a few friends and fans along the way is an added bonus :D

What are the challenges and advantages of your specific medium ?

You have to compromise on your intended vision for the "best game evar" into something you can actually make in a realistic time frame and budget. The market is incredibly competitive too, and gamers are very demanding about what should and shouldn't be in a game. Specific to India, there are very few developers here (especially in Jaipur), so it makes collaborating on projects very difficult.

How critical is DRM ? Is it in your plans?

I don't believe in DRM. I don't think I'll ever use it willingly, but sometimes publishers force your hand, so you can't really do anything about it.

Tell us a bit about the games you have developed? How have they performed in the Industry?

Well, so far I have made just one game called "The A.Typical RPG", which is about a bunch of friends slogging through college. This game was a great lesson for me, as I learned a lot of things while making it, as well as from the players. It has done fairly well, enough to support me for my next big venture.

What are the various aspects of game development you deal with? Which is your strongest one?

I'm a programmer, and I can do a bit of web design. I'm definitely a better programmer than an artist. I tried making music for my games by singing into a mic, but let's just say that certain municipal laws have ended my musical career for now.

How has been the experience so far? Some lessons learned?

It's been mostly good, with a lot of lessons learned. I have had teammates simply stop responding or not working on quite a few projects, which has led me to be very picky about the teammates I choose to work with. Dealing with negative reactions takes getting used to, but it's equally important to learn from it and not just ignore it.

Tell us about your business model and how things fit in?

My business model is explained in the following steps:

1. Make game
2. Sell game
3. ???
4. Go to step 1
5. Profit!

How has social media helped you?

Social media is great for spreading news about your games, and good blog posts about development help a lot in attracting people too. But it's equally important to not be too social media active and actually put time into making the darn game. Now if you will excuse me, I have a facebook notification here - I'll be back in a sec.

What are the highs and lows of being an Indie Developer?

High: It feels great to complete a game and release it. Being in charge of your own destiny is great. Collaborating with great people and receiving recognition is awesome. I also get to decide my own work hours!
Lows: When starting out, it can feel pretty soul crushing when nobody is interested in what you do. There are times when struggling over a huge bug or problem can get to you and you fall into a pit of despair and think becoming emo is a legitimate life choice. And I get really angry when teammates ditch me or just disappear.

Do you think the Indie Game Scene feels something like the Renaissance?

I have learned from Assassin's Creed that the Renaissance was just a bunch of dudes running around and stabbing each other with hidden blades. For the record, I haven't had a fellow game developer try to stab me for about 2 months now, so I think things are quite un-renaissance here.

What would you suggest as the model for indie development? How to survive in the industry?

I think releasing titles quickly is key to indie survival, unless you find the proverbial goldmine like several indies have had. Surviving is about keeping yourself afloat to keep making games, and about avoiding the velociraptors that roam on the street. However, if a flying dinosaur on fire approaches you, it's okay, because that's just Pyrodactyl and we are better than those velociraptors.

What should we expect from Pyrodactyl in the days to come?

More games! Bigger and better than before!

Self publishing, Digital distribution, no more middle men? Any word of advice to up and coming Indies who have dreams of selling their games and getting rich(only to keep themselves in computers, Internet and pizza of course)

Digital distribution is definitely the way of the future. As to budding indies, all I have to say is : make games! You definitely shouldn't think of getting rich when starting out (if you are in it for the money, then I would suggest investment banking or something). You have to devote enough time to hone your skills. It's a rewarding field if you have the will to see things through till the end.