Chapter 11: Building a Game, Building a Legacy
Delhi – February 24, 2009 – 5:00 AM
Shiva barely slept.
The moment his eyes opened, he jumped out of bed and switched on his ancient laptop.
Today's mission was simple but critical:
Polish Rickshaw Rush into something people couldn't stop playing.
No distractions. No detours.
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5:30 AM – Balancing the Game
The biggest flaw in most amateur games wasn't bad graphics or buggy code.
It was bad balance—either too easy or impossibly hard.
Shiva set up a spreadsheet:
Every small adjustment had to be intentional.
Players should feel like they could always win... but barely.
That sweet spot between frustration and mastery was the golden formula.
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7:00 AM – School Day Schemes
While teachers droned on about Mughal history and polynomial functions, Shiva and Rohit passed coded notes under the desks.
> "Add scooter riders as moving obstacles by Level 4."
> "Power-up idea: 'Turbo Boost' – double speed for 5 seconds."
> "Funny death animation: cow sits on rickshaw. Player loses."
Their friends thought they were just doodling cartoons.
Only Shiva and Rohit knew they were scripting their freedom.
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1:00 PM – Power of Small Wins
At lunch, Shiva got a text from Mr. Sharma:
> "Noticed better ranking already! Got 3 new student inquiries today. Thank you."
The coaching center's website was climbing search rankings faster than Shiva had promised.
Overdeliver early, Shiva thought.
And they'll trust you forever.
He replied professionally:
> "Glad to hear it, sir. Please feel free to refer others if they need digital help. NovaEdge is happy to assist."
Every small victory was a spark.
He was starting tiny fires all across Delhi.
Soon, the whole forest would burn with his name.
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4:00 PM – Sound Design Magic
Back home, Shiva knew one thing:
Rickshaw Rush needed memorable sounds.
He scoured free sound libraries, collecting:
Honking rickshaws
Mooing cows
Angry passengers shouting in Hindi
Auto engines sputtering
Then he layered them carefully into the game.
He tested Level 1.
As the rickshaw dodged a pothole, a random passenger screamed, "Arey bhaiya! Seedha chalo!"
Shiva burst out laughing.
This, he realized, this is the magic. This is what people will remember.
Games weren't just played.
They were felt.
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6:00 PM – A Harsh Lesson
While testing on Rohit's barely-functional Android phone, disaster struck.
The game crashed.
Again and again.
It turned out the game's memory usage was too high for low-end devices — and in 2009 India, low-end devices were the majority.
They had two choices:
1. Scale down graphics quality.
2. Optimize code mercilessly.
There was no debate.
"Strip down the textures," Shiva said grimly. "Reduce the background layers. Compress every audio file. We'll optimize or die trying."
Rohit nodded, equally serious.
"Optimize or die trying."
Their new battle cry.
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9:00 PM – Financial Firewalls
Shiva reviewed his finances:
Total: ₹3,800
He needed at least ₹10,000 to market Rickshaw Rush properly — for small ads, listing on forums, maybe even printing posters around colleges.
Need more cash flows.
He made a list:
Take two more freelance clients.
Sell a few old textbooks online.
Offer basic websites to local stores for ₹1,000 each.
Brick by brick.
Byte by byte.
Rupee by rupee.
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11:00 PM – Vision Beyond Vision
Before sleeping, Shiva scribbled fiercely in his notebook:
> "Rickshaw Rush is not just a game.\nIt's proof that we can create.\nProof that we can earn with knowledge, not labor.\nProof that NovaEdge is not a fantasy.\nOne game.\nOne million possibilities."
He shut the notebook.
Dreamed not of cars or fame or money.
He dreamed of independence.
The kind of freedom no boss could grant and no recession could take away.
The kind of freedom you build yourself.
Tomorrow would be another battle.
And Shiva couldn't wait to fight it.
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[End of Chapter 11]