Newsletter #2

Happy Monday to Doppel Diner's guests! ✨

As a solo developer, I'm constantly facing a choice of posting more, but not being able to actually work, or working more, but not having anything to post. Right now I'm in the second situation, with a content only suitable for a non-existent audience of raw C# code appreciators.

I have a fun research to share though: yesterday I went to a restored 1950s diner with an original menu in my little town! I have never been in one before. It just always existed somewhere in my pop cultural core memory created by the numerous movies and series. For me those diners have always been something that just appears in the middle of nowhere for the only purpose that one day very early in the morning the main character who has just ran away from home, or solved a detective case, or succeeded in a burglary mission and is now waiting for passing the money, can have a breakfast and a small existential talk. They would always have a black coffee and maybe a cigarette, sit in those red booth combos surrounded by check patterns, and definitely turn on one of the funky songs from the jukebox.

The diner I went to pretty much satisfied my stereotypes: the famous booth combos, the red barstools, each table had a little tabletop jukebox where you could order one of the 1950-70s bangers for 10 cents each, the menu didn't change since their first opening much too. I had the absolute best time of my life using the little Smucker's jams that I last saw on a cruise in 2009, pouring four plastic containers of half-and-halves in my coffee because that was the only milk thing they had, and signing a paper check. There is no WIFI and not much signal at all, but people seemed to come exactly for this: just to talk to each other, eat with their families, and make puns with familiar waitresses. It was so nostalgic and simple, that I knew for sure I want to try recreating this atmosphere in my game.

I'm curious what you think about American diners, and what you expect from the one somewhere on the Orbit in the outer space! All your thoughts are always welcome in our little Discord community. See you in two weeks! 🙂