Duel Otters - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

I learned coding since the first year of my university days in my computer science course. Duel Otters was made about 4 years later when I graduated.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

To keep the game "solid". The solidity is a matter of preference of developers how he balances it with monetization, but just imagine I am the type who doesn't want a button saying "SHOP" in glowing animation luring you into a page with a chest of gems, don't want a currency indicator with + sign after it, or a lazy ads-blocked wheel of fortune connecting to in-game currency that leads to item purchase. This affects everything because it dictates what extent the game can and can't do "in character".

The result is a game that has minimal ads and paywall, that you can quickly download and get to play 2 players even if you just have heard about the game, at a cost of some potential revenue. But that's how I balance my desire and design.

_{Sirawat Pitaksarit}

My name is Sirawat Pitaksarit but I go by the name 5argon (sar-gon) on the net a lot. I am a Thailand-based game programmer and a music gamer. I think I really like making things on a computer. https://5argon.info/

Name a few of your favorite apps and reason you love them.

It would be Google Photos because of its unlimited photo backup... other than that, maybe Google Chrome because it syncs with my computer. Yeah, not very exciting apps. I am sorry.

How long have you been working on this app?

About 4-5 years, but they are not all full time. That was along with everything else, with jobs, with part time jobs, with master degree study, etc. There is a period that Duel Otters went full time too, and that was the last year's April through October when I remade the entire thing with a better foundation. The game has been rotting because I was busy with my master degree study and I want to revitalize it with potential upgrade path. You can read more about it here : https://duelotters.com/v20/

What need of the user did you have in mind when developing this app?

The user needs to be able to have a real laugh or conversation while playing the game with his/her opponents. You notice each time you scored in each game, there is a brief time that I have left between rounds so you could do this. Every time delay was designed with this in mind. Most games require that you cannot just focus on your own sides, there must be some kind of interaction even only minimally/visually. (The bare minimum being the game that could be played separately without caring about the opponent, but the visual at least connects. So it is not like you are playing your own minigames and just race who could finish better.)

In what way do you think your app is better than similar apps on the market? Please describe in detail what innovation you think you bring and what you are proud of in your app.

There are a lot of multiple players-same device types of apps before Duel Otters, mini-games style or not. Minigames could be copied. The connected screen requires some creativity and could be copied. (See Cats Carnival, a direct copy of Duel Otters with even an exact Baseball game design)

What sets Duel Otters apart and cannot be easily followed is the uniformity of game's tone. Animation is stupid and jaggy. The effects are explosive and quick. Music and sound design and voice acting compliment those all. These are only possible because I am in charge of everything. It is not easy for big companies to throw money and commission these pieces from a different person and assemble a similar game with the same affinity of all pieces.

And also it is hard to get simpler games where I made this many compromises in regards to monetization. Other copycats may need more mechanics and ads placement which ruins the affinity I have designed.

What are your future plans and expected features of the coming new versions of this app?

The game is currently complete functionally as a party game, but I have planned some progression system so the more you play, you can unlock additional content. This will be centered in the Garden you can see in the present version but there is not much in there currently. Please look forward to it.

Assuming new users of your app are reading this page. What do you want to ask them to do (contact you about X, Share the app, etc.)?

If you try the 2 Players mode with someone close to you, it would be my utmost pleasure.