At HERE Three Sixty, we’re not taking calls. No new leads for stories, please. And don’t email to ask if we’d like to comment on something. We wouldn’t: we’re busy.

We’re playing Mini Metro, the fiendishly addictive subway-layout game from Kiwi developers Dinosaur Polo Club that came out of a Ludum Dare jam last year.

It's a map-making game and the premise is so inviting to transport system freaks, like us. Ever thought you could do a better job of running public transit systems than your local providers?

This game will school you otherwise: you can’t.

It’s fine when you’ve got four stations and six passengers. Everything’s running smoothly. You’re pretty pleased with the symmetry and elegance of the system you’ve created.

Then another area needs servicing and you haven’t got the resources. Wait - now you need another six lines and more trains than you have fingers to count. A total meltdown of your city’s transit is on the cards!

All we can say is – go over to the game’s website – it’s free to try the alpha online, or download it to your computer. Once you’ve been sufficiently chastised, come back and read what Mini Metro’s co-developer, Peter Curry, had to say - and how to get your hands on a free copy of the full game.

Map making for fun

“I've been playing games since well before I got my first computer, but don't get as much time for it now as I'd like. I've been working in game development since I graduated in 2001, first at Sidhe Interactive as a programmer, then on various indie games that never saw the light of day. Mini Metro's been the first game that we've designed (me and my brother, Robert) that will make it all the way to the finish line!”

Perhaps surprisingly, the idea for Mini Metro didn’t come from any real-life frustration with subway systems: “Not at all, in fact New Zealand doesn't even have any subways! We've used subway systems as tourists (in Washington, D.C., New York, London, and Paris) and found them amazingly convenient for getting around those cities. But I'm sure the plight of the rush hour commuter is very different.”

Rather, the brothers were looking for a game setting that was visually minimal, and Peter says that the gameplay they’re working towards doesn’t have much to do with the real-life stresses and strains of public transport systems, either, even though it might feel that way when you play it: “We have thought about making the simulation much more realistic with unique stations, heavy pricing on track changes, player-placed stations, etc., but it would turn Mini Metro into a completely different game.”

Going further

We asked Peter for a top tip that would catapult our scores into… well, let us last longer than five minutes. Here’s the trick, or one of them:

“Take advantage of the free tracks! It's the one huge advantage you have over your real-world counterparts. Don't get too attached to your layout, and always be on the lookout for changes you can make, big or little. Any tactic that decreases the average wait time between visits to each station is good. Outlying stations generate fewer passengers than ones closer to the city centre so they can afford to wait longer between stops.”

Finally, for those of you who were wondering, the game won’t be silent in the full release. We’re actually enjoying it as a silent experience at present, but Peter says, “As soon as we decided to turn the prototype in to a full game we knew we wanted to make the audio experience something pretty special, and we think it will be.”

Best of luck to Peter and Robert in completing the game in good time – we’re desperate to experience the finished product.

Free giveaway Sorry, folks - this offer is now over! In fact, we like the game so much that we want you to experience the full version, for free. Follow us on Twitter and RT the following tweet and we will give you a pre-order copy of the full game. We're also going to tip Dinosaur Polo Club $2.00 for every RT - so don't be shy.

Want Mini Metro by @Dinopoloclub for free? Follow us and RT before May 9. Details at http://t.co/f363dOFKu5 pic.twitter.com/cpfheBJId0 — HERE Technologies (@here) May 6, 2014

Don't have a Twitter account? No worries - tell us about it in the comments below and we'll also tap you up with a free copy. Like legal documents? Fear not: terms and conditions apply