GDC 2023: Dinosaur Polo Club - Creating Predictable Chaos

This week is GDC 2023, and we're on the trade show floor trying to snag 10 minutes with as many devs as we can. We thus excitedly asked Rob and Peter Curry, the brothers who founded Dinosaur Polo Club, if they could give us some time so that we could discuss everything from Mini Metro to Mini Motorways and everything in between. They gladly complied.

In case you were unaware, Dinosaur Polo Club is a developer based in New Zealand that is well-known for its transit puzzle games, Mini Metro and Mini Motorways. These games, which combine intricate puzzle gameplay with simplistic graphics, have inspired a plethora of imitations in addition to an active online community of fans of civil engineering who are ready to share their in-game inventions. Thus, we began at the outset and inquired about the origin of the Mini idea.

There were many factors involved. After stating that he hadn't produced anything in five years, Peter said, "I really wanted to make games again because I still identified as a game developer. It was April 2016, and the pitch was minimalism, which worked really well with what we wanted to do." We spent almost an hour exchanging ideas, and as I had just visited London, I found it rather enjoyable to take the tube to travel from point A to point B.

The idea for a metro-based puzzler was solidified by this trip to London and the logistical work involved in navigating the London Underground; the brothers' minimalist goals were well matched by the color and clarity of the tube maps. After assembling all the necessary components, the couple quickly arrived at their main idea.

"To be honest, it was the simplest game we've ever created. In around thirty minutes, we devised it orally. "And that's pretty much the same design as it is right now," Peter says of the work done prior to Mini Metro's first game jam entry. According to Peter, "every step of the way there were increasing levels of validation, so there was never any doubt there was going to be some success," the game jam was also a success. Nevertheless, I believe the degree of achievement is more than anticipated.

The Curry brothers weren't prepared for the Mini Metro boom in addition to its overwhelming success. As we previously said, several amateur civil engineers have been motivated by Mini Metro and Mini Motorways to create whole YouTube channels devoted to achieving the best score on some of the most difficult levels in both games. We spoke with the creators about whether they had expected a reaction like this or the formation of a gaming community.

Rob responds with a sincere "no" and then a modest chuckle. Most of it is unintentional. I believe that right now, we are considering it even more in the games. However, it strikes a mix between enjoyment and reality, the brothers add. "Another happy coincidence from this is that people have frequently mentioned that after playing our game, they now understand why things are running behind schedule or whatever." They feel a certain amount of empathy for those who have to plan these events since there are a lot of factors to consider and the bus delay may just be the result of another line being really packed. The fact that we can now really develop empathy and, yes, bring it into the world, has been very amazing.

We asked Rob and Peter to characterize the gameplay, and we couldn't agree more. If you've played either Mini Metro or Mini Motorways, you know that the game can range from zen-like puzzle pleasure to unbearably difficult with just one bad move. They describe it as "predictable chaos," pointing out that you only have a certain amount of control due to your limited agency on the drivers, so you have to focus more on planning routes that won't likely create delays.

Nevertheless, it's interesting that the creators are aware of what I refer to as the "switch" in Mini Metro and Mini Motorways—the point at which the game transitions from straightforward route construction to an almost uncontrollable experience. We believe that reaching this critical juncture is essential to bringing the game to a close. Like every game should be honest enough to tell you that it wasn't good enough. And that may be difficult for certain folks. Rob tells us, "But for us, it has to end somewhere. It seems to scare a few people off, but that's the unwinnable nature of the game that keeps so many players invested."

Naturally, given that the Mini Metro's tenth anniversary is almost coming, we had to inquire about the future of the Mini Motorways while speaking with the Dinosaur Polo Club crew. The brothers did mention that they want to "celebrate the milestone appropriately" and made a hint about some stuff that is in the works, but they also went through the standard developer line of "we can't say too much."

After the most recent Busan update, we were able to get confirmation from the two that additional maps would be added to Mini Motorways. Rob and Peter were unable to provide us with specifics on the site, but they did provide us some insight into the selection process when they said, "We always we're looking for new places." We do want to make sure that we don't just kind of hit the highlights, attempting to concentrate on places where there may be holes in the globe or where there may not be enough attention.

After gently making fun of Rob and Peter for the series' names' alliteration, we discussed what to anticipate from upcoming Dinosaur Polo Club games and what to expect from the next game in the series. Here, the two were shockingly candid, informing us that they've taken a little step back and are giving the "next generation of Dinosaur designers" more control over the game while continuing to provide guidance and assistance.

This conversation with Rob and Peter from Dinosaur Polo Club taught us that designing a game and designing a transportation line aren't all that dissimilar. Even if you have the greatest of intentions and well-defined guidelines for success, eventually chaos will inevitably creep in. The Dinosaur Polo Club locomotive has been given rocket boosters by the online legion of civil engineers, which is fortunately for the creators. We can only anticipate more fascinating things from the studio in the future.

See our Yoko Taro interview for all things Nier, our Omega Strikers interview with Odyssey Interactive, and our Monument Valley interview retrospective with Ustwo Games for additional in-depth discussions with devs.