The Pragmatic Engineer

Building a best-selling game with a tiny team – with Jonas Tyroller

16 snips
Jan 29, 2025
Jonas Tyroller, co-developer of the indie game Thronefall, shares his journey from concept to creation in the world of game development. He discusses the importance of rapid prototyping, revealing why he spent months refining game ideas in just days. Jonas explains the workflows using Unity and addresses the challenges of game testing without traditional methods. He highlights how he integrates AI tools like ChatGPT to streamline processes and offers tips on making games that sell in a competitive market.
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ANECDOTE

Spaghetti Code in Indie Games

  • Jonas admits Thronefall's code is "spaghetti code" with debug prints instead of unit tests.
  • He observes that even popular indie games often have messy codebases but still succeed.
INSIGHT

Testing Indie Games

  • Indie game developers rely on rigorous self-testing, beta testers, and even post-release feedback for bug fixing.
  • Modern game engines help cross-platform compatibility, simplifying the testing process.
ANECDOTE

Gameplay and Feedback

  • Jonas primarily focused on gameplay while Paul handled UI, art, and quality checks.
  • Early playtester feedback led to the addition of building upgrades, enhancing player choice.
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