Engine: Unreal Engine 5

ROLE: LEAD GAME DESIGNER / LEAD SYSTEMS DESIGNER

Design goals

HardDriverz is a single-player arcade racing game. My key goals in designing this game were to create a set of two systems, customizable kart stats and elemental track effects, that interact with each other during gameplay. I hoped to create a competitive and high-tension gameplay experience, where player feel like their choices both before and during the race matter and affect the outcome.

AVAILABLE ON STEAM | HARDDRIVERZ.COM

CORE GAME PILLARS

Customizable Kart-Racing Gameplay

Interactive Environment / Track Elements

'Retro-Techno' visuals & theming

Fun, Competitive Classic Kart-Racing Gameplay

Development process

Customizable Kart-Racing Gameplay

kART Attributes System

  • I created a Kart Attributes System in HardDriverz that allows players to customize their gameplay experience:

    • Each Kart holds 3 different attributes: Acceleration, Weight, and Handling.

    • Each of these different attributes has various effects on the player’s kart and gameplay.

    • Through the Kart Modular System, the player can change these attributes on their kart to customize their experience

    • I designed an initial Kart Attribute Relationship chart that showed how raising or lowering one attribute should affect the others, so no player could have all maximum or minimum values on their kart attributes

Modular Part System

  • I created a Modular Part System for the Karts in HardDriverz as a way for players to interact with and change their Kart Attributes:

    • Each Kart holds 3 different parts: Spoiler, Engine, Wheels.

    • Each part is also associated with two of three different stats for each Kart: Acceleration, Weight, and Handling.

    • The player can customize each part on the kart to be: heavy, medium, or light.

      • By customizing the parts, the player is also customizing how their kart plays through its stats.

  • A key aspect of HardDriverz' core game design is customizability, allowing players to play the way they want.

  • Below are some images of the balancing charts I created for these game systems.

  • Kart Attribute Descriptions & Kart Attribute Relationship Chart

  • Initial Kart Parts & Stat Balancing

  • Kart Modular Part Selection Screen (In-Game)

Interactive Environment / Track Elements

TERRAIN ISLANDS, OBSTACLES, & ANTI-GRAVITY

  • Terrain Islands are a feature on every track that helps each track feel distinct in both aesthetics and gameplay.

    • There are three different types of terrain islands: Circuit, Disc, and Dune.

    • I designed each terrain island to have a distinct gameplay feel and take advantage of certain attributes within the Kart parts, so players could feel the game felt balanced for many different Kart combinations.

    • The islands are designed as more open areas on the tracks to introduce both visual flair, as well as, introducing a new element into the pacing of each track so that players aren’t just driving on straight tracks the whole time.

  • Obstacles were designed to break up pacing in the tracks and create a sense of challenge in the levels, where players would have to utilize both their strategies and interesting Kart parts to overcome other racers.

  • We implemented an anti-gravity system into the game to create more interesting shapes with the tracks and make each race feel more invigorating, both visually and in gameplay.

  • Below are some images of the balancing charts & design guidelines I created for the terrain islands.

  • Terrain island status effects on kart attributes

  • Initial Track Design Guidelines & Design gOALS

  • Dune Terrain Island (In-Game)

'Retro-Techno' visuals & theming

'Retro-Techno' inspired visuals

  • Collaborating with the Lead Artist on this project, we created a visual style for HardDriverz that harkens back to 1950s and ‘60s visualization of a technological future, featuring androids and neon lights.

  • Below are some in-game examples of the ‘Retro-Techno‘ art direction we decided on.

  • IN-GAME SCREENSHOT

  • IN-GAME SCREENSHOT

  • GAME POSTER BY LEAD ARTIST

Fun, Competitive Classic Kart-Racing Gameplay

KART FEEL & SPEED

  • From the beginning, I told the team that my biggest goal in designing an arcade racer was to make the player feel fast.

    • In doing so, I worked extensively with the kart engineer to create a smooth and fast feel for the kart.

    • We had to balance actual kart speed with augmented speed created by SFX and VFX to create a gameplay experience where the player feels like they’re speeding around the track.

    • We had to adjust the speed of the kart to avoid tracks either getting too big in scale or becoming too short in playthrough time.

  • Kart & Track scale references

  • Gameplay Screenshot

  • Gameplay Screenshot

pOSTMORTEM

What went well?

  • Team Communication and Organization.

    • Overall, I felt that the team and I had consistent and productive communication, relaying important information promptly. I also felt that the other leads, producers, and I established a solid, organized form of communication so that no member of the team ever felt overwhelmed. It also allowed me to allocate some of my smaller tasks to other team members so that I could optimize my work time to be as productive as possible.

  • Team Buy In and Trust.

    • From early on, the team and I were able to establish a strong trust in each other and a clear understanding of the core design goals and principles I wanted to establish for the project. This led to clear communication in most situations as we all knew what goal we were trying to head toward.

  • Design to Execution Consistency.

    • From early designs and brainstorms to the final product, the game was able to maintain a consistent identity and feel. This was due to clear line communication between me and the rest of the team on what I wanted out of the game, and more importantly, the player experience and gameplay.

What went wrong?

  • Miscommunication.

    • There were cases of miscommunication throughout the development of this game that led to confused decisions and required reworks. These situations had to be addressed quickly and professionally with team members and the appropriate leads.

  • Examining and Addressing Pipeline Issues.

    • In the case of one particular misunderstanding between leads and the UI team during development, it created a pipeline issue that caused a block in the UI team’s productivity. Eventually, this issue got solved, but the issue should have been examined earlier and much more thoroughly to avoid blocking productivity on the team for a prolonged time.

even better if…

  • Multiplayer Support.

    • Multiplayer Support is a feature in the game that was not able to be completed in time before the launch of our game. If I was able to do a project like this again, I would be much more thorough on the process of implementing multiplayer to ensure it's inclusion.

  • Smoother UI Pipeline and Execution.

    • With UI having pipeline and production issues throughout development, I would like to address UI much more intensively early on in the next project I could lead. UI is a vital part of any game and should be prioritised as such during development.

GAME GALLERY

PRODUCTION GALLERY

  • Team PHOTO

  • lead team for harddriverz

  • working with track designers

  • track level design discussions

  • testing kart physics with the kart systems programmer

  • design meeting for modular parts system balancing

  • design meeting for modular parts system balancing

  • game launch day

  • game launch day