Tatem Games Q&A: Crafting Carnivores

A week or two ago, I reviewed an impressive game for the iPhone – Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter. Recently, I had a chance to pester the developers of said game with some questions. The world of mobile gaming is exploding, and the folks at Tatem Games are at the forefront of the movement.

Duality Games: Where is Tatem Games located?
Igor Karev: CEO of Tatem Games: Tatem Games is based in Kiev, Ukraine.

DG: When were you founded?
IK: Our mobile games experience began in 2002 developing for Palm OS devices which resulted in successful releases like Pocket Aquarium and Domination. In early 2009 we started developing games for the iPhone.

DG: Carnivores seems like a dramatic departure from your other iPhone offerings. Where did the idea come from?
IK: Initially Carnivores was developed by Action Forms Ltd. for PC and published by GT Interactive in 1998.  After a successful launch, we went on to release Carnivores 2 and Carnivores Ice Age in 1999 and 2000 respectively.  As a co-founder of Action Forms, I decided to use this IP and adapt the game for the iPhone/iPod Touch.  The idea of Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter was inspired by the Jurassic Park movies and so I decided to develop a shooting game.  I thought, people love dinosaurs and people love to hunt, so why not combine those two interests?

DG: Carnivores also seems like a much more in-depth game than Racer or iGibbets.  What inspired you to go from simple to complex in terms of game design?
IK: You’re right.  Carnivores is much more complex in both its game design and technological implementation, which yielded a deeper game experience.  The inspiration really came from the original PC series.  We have always loved this franchise as it has always allowed us to evolve towards bigger and more complex projects for the PC platform.  So we decided to return to our “early days” and nostalgically port our beautiful game onto the mobile platform which was a very successful experience in terms of inspiration.

DG: Do you feel like the target audience for your games is ready for mobile games that are more hard-core in nature?
IK: Mobile platforms are continually stepping up in terms of performance, look and capability, and gamers are certainly among the early adopters who drive sales of those new platforms.  One thing to remember is that while Carnivores is a more advanced mobile game, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is difficult to play, so we believe the audience encompasses both hardcore and casual players.

DG: How long does it take to develop a game like Carnivores for the iPhone?
IK: It took us four months to port the Carnivores engine from PC to iPhone.  Due to the difference in the platforms, the engine tech was actually re-built from scratch.  The main challenge was to carefully transfer the terrain engine, along with the lush flora system, which was so vital for the success of the Carnivores PC version.  A great number of tech tricks and optimizations did the job, so in the end the iPhone version can boast almost all of the same graphic qualities as its PC predecessor.

DG: I noticed you’re updating Carnivores for the iPad and the iPhone 4. Are you planning on expanding the game or pushing out any more updates?
IK: Yes, we are working on a lot of cool new stuff for Carnivores.  We have a lot of interesting ideas we want to add into the game.  Plus, people send us their comments and suggestions all the time, and we read every single one of them and the best ideas will definitely be implemented.

DG: Do you have anything in production now?  Anything you can talk about?
IK: Sure, we have 3 more games in development.  One of them is going to release in a month and entitled RoboSockets.  This is a very fun and addicting game that is a cross between Tetris and Pipes, with Match 3 mechanics.  This game will be announced very soon.  Moreover, Carnivores will be released for PSP Mini in mid-August so PSP fans can get this great hunting experience on their devices as well.

DG: I appreciate your time. Do you have anything else to add that your fans might want to know?
IK: I just want to thank you for taking the time to learn more about Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter and Tatem games and also want to thank all of our fans for playing our games – we appreciate your support and feedback!