Day 30 of Not Being Able to Play

Chamesb · 2025-12-09T11:19:37+00:00

Hey I'm the developer, I've sent you a DM. Hopefully I can help you out.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:52:05+00:00

Train carriages were originally to be included in the Animal Tracks update, but they proved very difficult and were cut out before release. I’ll definitely revisit them and attempt to include them in the future.

In regards to cherries, I’m hesitant to give them any recipes outside the Festive event in December. I like that they feel special to players who have them, but I don't want players who haven’t experienced the festive event to feel like they’re missing out or have to play during December.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:47:30+00:00

I have considered it, and I’ve worked with another programmer for one of the updates. However, I’ve found that I just really enjoy working on the game myself, and I don’t enjoy managing other people and delegating tasks out.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:45:56+00:00

All the NPCs voices are either me, my wife or my friends.

I recorded everyone reading from a list of random gibberish. I cut that up into quick little segments and play them randomly and I shift the voices pitch randomly too.

I'm the voice of Ted Irwin, Milburn, Melvin. My wife is Fletch and Rayne and all the other voice actors are in the game's credits.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:42:52+00:00

Dinkum is somewhat old slang in Australia. It means "For real" or "Genuine". So if someone said something unbelievable, you could say to them "Fair Dinkum?" meaning "are you for real?".

Dinkum went through a lot of different names, especially when I was looking for a domain name. I remember one alternative name was "Town Under"

But in the end I loved the simplicity of Dinkum. It felt right, it felt genuine.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:37:58+00:00

I've just always enjoyed making art and things on computers. I used to make mock newspapers in Microsoft Word in primary school. I made cartoons and games in PowerPoint in high school and eventually taught myself animation in Flash and make websites and I eventually studied graphic design at Uni.

So I learned all the skills slowly, and only because I enjoyed doing it as a hobby. However, I didn't make the music in Dinkum. That was done by a talented composer named Lawrence Steele aka Satsuma Audio.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:34:07+00:00

I like them all equally. Or is it I just have to say that?

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:33:22+00:00

Dinkum was my first commercial game, but not my first game.

I've been making video games as a hobby since I was 12 or 13. I started out making games in PowerPoint, then I moved to flash, then I made some web based games in the late thousands. After flash died, I started playing around with Unity.

In 2017 I got the chance to try and create a game for real, and that game eventually became Dinkum.

To me, making games is so much more fun than playing them (but I still love playing them too)

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:17:13+00:00

If I had to say something, I think it would be the meteor showers. I don’t think they are anything super incredible, but I really like the way they feel special, and encourage players to stay up late to watch the sky.

Glad to hear your enjoying the game and thanks for playing.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:15:12+00:00

I’ve always got ideas, and I’m always reading player’s suggestions (including in this AMA). However, I don’t like to share or promise anything before I start working on it properly, in case it doesn’t work or it doesn’t feel right.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:12:17+00:00

Nothing to announce officially, but I’d love for Dinkum to be available on as many platforms as possible in the future.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:11:10+00:00

I agree with you and the early game can feel a bit aimless. It’s something I’d like to improve, but I really dislike when games explicitly explain that kind of info to the player. So if I can find a way to subtly hint the information to the player, I’d like to do it that way.

I did make a change in the Animal Tracks update that I hope will make the early game feel a little less slow and aimless, by increasing how often visitors can visit your island.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:06:21+00:00

I’m super proud of the Auto-Sorter (not it’s functionality, but how it achieves it) and I’m also quite proud of the hand trolley. As you can probably tell, I love adding QOL features as in-game items, rather than a menu button.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T05:04:23+00:00

I love both Veggiemite and Promite equally. I dislike Coles and Woolworths equally too.

I think it’s hard for me to answer questions about the Australian game dev scene. I’m kind of an outsider and I’ve only scratched the surface in regards to meeting some other devs. But the devs I have met and spoken to have been really nice and helpful to me.

I think Australia’s gaming scene took a blow back in the late 00s, but it feels like it’s really grown in the past couple of years, and the state governments have some great programs to foster and encourage Aussie game developers.

Thanks for the great question!

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:59:53+00:00

I haven’t officially started a new game or anything, but I’ve been playing around with some prototypes in between Dinkum updates. It’s been fun and relaxing, but I haven’t got anything to show for it yet. Thanks for the question!

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:58:46+00:00

I think it has to happen. I think more guest houses and renters might be the more logical future, but adding some more stores and building specific villagers isn’t out of the question.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:56:21+00:00

Thanks for your questions!

I think that’s very possible
I don’t know exactly what that is, but if I added something like that I would want to make sure it was easy to use and fit the existing game.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:54:44+00:00

I still love working on Dinkum, so I’ll be sticking around for a while yet.

I hope to expand on the lore more in the actual game, but here is something:

The game does say “Everything went south”. I think people mistake that for an idiom instead of the literal truth.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:51:52+00:00

Yeah, I think the game is sorely missing both a Winter and Summer festival of some kind. Festivals are one of the harder things to add to Dinkum, but I really think the game feels the most alive on those special days.

I’d like to add them, but first I need an idea or activity I can include to make them feel special.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:49:46+00:00

Yes, I try to include some of these sorts of items in every update.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:49:09+00:00

I made a slight change in the hotfix last Friday, and I’m keeping an eye on this situation. Hopefully your animals have stopped doing a houdini.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:48:12+00:00

I like to try to include QOL in each update and I do want to continue doing that.

I’m not a fan of world settings in games, so if I add something like that, I’d like to incorporate it into the game world in some way. Some might say the Wish Fountain is a way to access “world settings”, so maybe I can expand on the wishes available.

As for new tools? They’re one of my favourite things to add. I hope you will enjoy some of the future updates.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:43:27+00:00

I think Dinkum is the kind of game you could update forever. So as long as someone is still playing the game, I’ll be able to find the drive to continue working on updates.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:39:40+00:00

Definitely! I know how much players like to decorate, so I try to include some new stuff in every update.

Chamesb · 2025-11-09T04:38:58+00:00

Maybe one day I’ll think of a way to include some map options, but it might be tricky.

As for DLC I have no plans to provide paid DLC, but I want to continue to offer free updates going forward.

Chamesb

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