BREAKNECK
SOLO PROJECT TURNED TEAM EFFORT
Breakneck began as my project for my Studio I Capstone for my Game Development Major at SCAD. Intended as a showcase of your solo work. The idea was a racing game in which you race as cute animal characters piloting high-speed "aerobikes" a futuristic cross of an anti-gravity spaceship, hoverbikes, and even jet-skis!
I developed the core gameplay loop, and concepted two of the race tracks used in the final demo. This included using Unreal Engine 4's blueprint system extensively to build out the physics of the ships, their controls, and how they interacted with the environment and each other.
Among the more painful to develop systems was the ground attachment system, which uses a complex system of speed measurements in tandem with measuring relative gravity lost by moving over crests to keep the ship attached to the ground only when you need it to be.
But, the best part was yet to come, because in just 10 weeks over the course of our Studio II class, the game would be transformed from a prototype, to a vertical slice of the complete game
5 TIMES THE DETAIL!
I was now the lead of a team of 6, and I went from a solo developer to a team leader, a significant change. After hearing some much needed feedback from players and faculty, it became clear some changes needed to be made.
- The difficulty had to be toned down
- We needed Ai to race against
- The art needed a complete rework
So that's what we focused on, we completely reworked all the art assets ground up, focusing on color and avoiding the eye bleeding saturation that the prototype conspicuously had (though it took a while to get there). We also wanted to help the game stand out against other futuristic racing games by opting for a "solarpunk" aesthetic: the good future alternative to cyberpunk.
GLOW UP
As we continued deeper into the project our next goal became evident. We needed more content! We successfully overhauled the art. Our gameplay had also been refined significantly. We had perfected our gravity system as well as how the ships steered. They now felt crisp and responsive, and the tracks had been toned down for an emphasis on getting players into the concept without fearing it.
However, what was lacking, was variety. We needed a second track. So that's exactly what we did, and we tried to differentiate it from the first as much as we could while retaining the style we had taken on. This track was night, glowing in every corner, and highly industrialized. Although we still wanted to keep the green theme running through these elements even if they provide contrast.
By the end of the project, we had ultimately made 3 maps. An up close and personal diagetic menu map. The City Center, and the Midnight Factory map. With a team of 6 in total, we achieved an impressive vertical slice of a totally custom built racing game in just 20 weeks.
FINAL SHOTS
