Meet The Devs Dino999z: “start exploring the boundaries of your skill”

There are thousands of indie game developers out there and therefore it is easy to miss out on a lot of them. Indie Game Reporter makes a change. In Meet The Devs we interview a new game developer every Monday and Friday. With this series of the article, you can learn about interesting indie developers, creative new videogames and stories on how developers worldwide try to entertain all sorts of indie gamers

Today we interview Dino, also known as Dino999z online. He hopes others will describe and remember him as the quirky Comp Sci student who enjoys making art and indie games in his spare time. An enormous amount of his time goes into developing games. Now he hopes that others will take an example of him. “People should explore the boundaries of their skills too.”

Dino999z started as a quirky student

Which of your game developer achievements made you most proud of yourself?
“I am most proud of Vincent’s Amazing World of Scary Human Heads. It’s my very first game. I am also proud of Vincent: The Secret of Myers, my most recent game. It marked the beginning of my first step in game development. If this app wasn’t made, none of my future games would have existed.

I am proud of Vincent: The Secret of Myers in the sense that it is the game that I’ve put the most effort into. The game originally started out as experimentation to create a simple visual novel. It quickly evolved into a challenge of how much I could add to make it more interesting. I started combining it with puzzle-solving and point & click components. It was also an opportunity for me to explore the limitations of the engine. I also explored the boundaries of my very own skills. Not just programming-wise, but also art-wise and writing-wise. Others should do that too!

Inspired by Five Nights at Freddy

What kind of games and which well-known persons inspired you as a game developer?
“Undertale by Toby Fox and Five Nights at Freddy’s by Scott Cawthon inspired me to get into game development. It was fascinating to me back then how much a single developer can achieve in one game. Some other games that are inspiring to me include Death Mark by Experience Inc., Your Beautiful Paper Smile by Gavin EIsenbeisz, and Demons Never Lie by IndieBug.”

What is the hardest part of being an indie game developer and how do you try to tackle that problem?
“I think the hardest part of being an indie game developer is to find the community you belong to. You also have to find the most effective way to market your game, especially when you first started.

When I first started developing games in high school, no one else around me was doing anything similar, so I had no one to ask for help and therefore had to figure out most of the things on my own. I tried to tackle the problem by actively seeking help online but also by putting a lot of faith in myself in figuring things out.

I think what others could learn from me as a developer is that one should not be scared of taking the risk. You should try something out of your comfort zone.

Dino999z works on Vincent: The Secret of Myers

What are you currently working on that needs to be seen and played by others?
“I am currently working on Vincent: The Secret of Myers. This is a horror visual novel adventure game with point & click components. It is about an evil company that turns people into scary cyborgs. It follows the story of a young woman who awakes inside a mysterious mansion. She has no memories and only a weird employee card in her pocket. With that clue, you have to find out who you are.

In the game, the player has to investigate Myers Corporation and dig up dark truths behind the infamous G4 Cyborg Incident. This is an incident from five years ago that left the corporation decommissioned. The player needs to collect and investigate items, solve puzzles, explore the facility, meet new characters, and make quick choices to survive. In the meanwhile dark secrets unfold themselves.

Why should people try your game(s) and where can they find your video game(s)?
“People should try Vincent: The Secret of Myers because it will provide a different and unique experience. This game takes place in a very extraordinary world where modernity and antediluvian co-exist. G4 District, where the story takes place, is unlike any places in real life. It is a hodgepodge of old fashions and rapid advancement. It is a hypothetical world where our past and future meet.

All of my games are also unique art-wise, as they have a very distinct but aesthetically pleasing art style that is unlike anyone else’s. If anyone’s interested to see my developments, feel free to follow me on Twitter or Instagram (@dino999z). I post screenshots of my work in progress regularly.”

Are there other Indie game developers that deserve a shout out? Who and why?
“There certainly are others who deserve to be heard! I think Harmless (Twitter Handle: @HarmlessGameDev) deserves a shout out as well. They spent an enormous amount of time working on Lockheart Indigo, and it looks absolutely amazing. It is a Gameboy-inspired crime-thriller game that features a persuasion-based battle system & a The Legend of Zelda-dungeon style mansion to explore.”

If you want to read more about developers, you will find more articles in Meet The Devs. Every Monday and Friday we will publish a new article in this series. That way you can meet new developers!