Module Evaluation (Independent Practice)

Problem solving & methods of working


Actionscript 3.0

I had, prior to this project, some experience with Actionscript 2.0 and felt reasonably comfortable tackling most situations that required using script in flash. However when searching for an online tutorial for a basic racing game I discovered one that used a very nice system where the user could design a race track and the vehicle would travel around it very smoothly.
The map and background remained stationary on the screen at all times and the vehicle turned and moved around the racecourse. I followed this tutorial and soon had my very own race car speeding around a little track; the only problem was I would need a much, much bigger track, at least 4 or 5 times the proportions of the current one, which were 800x600 pixels.
So unless I made the screen resolution 4000x3000 and played it on a screen 50 inches wide this would be an impossible goal. So I changed the script so that when buttons were pressed, rather than the vehicle moving around the screen, the vehicle would remain stationary and the background, along with collisions and scenery would move in the opposite direction so that the car appeared to be moving, when in reality the game world moved around the car.
Also when the player turns the vehicle the vehicle still remained stationary however the map rotated opposite to the direction the player had pressed so that it gave the perceived impression again that the vehicle had turned when in reality the game world had rotated around the vehicle.

Disorientation

This worked well and allowed for a much bigger map without massively increasing the aspect ratio of the game, however when I finished a basic model of the map and put in a simple outer collision and passed it to a couple of friends to try out the unanimous agreement was that the rotating map made the game disorientating and confusing to play, they struggled to figure out which direction they needed to be heading in area’s with unclear paths such as the lake and the off-road section.
So I altered the code again this time altering the rotation back to the vehicle so that while the map pans on the x and y axis to show movement, the map remains facing the same way and the vehicle rotates in the middle. When tested again the feedback showed that this was much preferred and allowed the players to concentrate more on setting good times and pushing faster than trying to figure out which direction they should be facing in.

Complex Physics and cheating

The next stage to completing the prototype was to incorporate the transformations into the race, this required a series of hit tests around the race track which would initiate the transformation when triggered, however this then required the game to have altering physics for each individual form so that the player could distinguish that not only the shape had changed, but also its physics and response to the environment.
This meant that I had to look at how each individual form would change and how to best represent this changing only the maximum speed, acceleration and turning speed of the vehicle. However this was not enough as vehicles such as the airborne would need to have massively increased speed and a minimum speed so that they cannot stop or slow too much in mid-air otherwise it would be unbelievable that the vehicle would not crash. Also it would be entirely impossible for the plane to reverse.
Furthermore, while the track and off-road sections are totally capable of going off the track onto grass or loose gravel and simply losing speed and turning accuracy, the boat would be completely incapable of leaving the lake, so a second type of collision was necessary to stop the boat from being able to travel out of the lake. Also it was necessary for an outer perimeter on the areas available for the airborne form, because the plane is capable of such high speeds it required a different collision to that used for the grass and the edges of the lake because occasionally it would pass either completely through the collision or become stuck inside it if it was travelling so fast that in-between frames it travelled more than the width of the collision. Also because of the momentum the plane generated it was necessary for the collision to cause the plane to immediately flip on its axis and return in the direction it came because otherwise the plane would continue to travel either through the collision or into the area beyond it before the plane could be gently turned or slowed.
While this creates a slightly unrealistic experience it is necessary for the player to enjoy the game without cheating because the plane form is by far the fastest and is not obstructed by anything other than the outer perimeter, having free range to use this form wherever could very easily be abused to finish the race track very quickly and even continue on laps two and three using only the airborne form.
To further restrict this I also added a second hit test before and after each transformation which would check the current form of the vehicle and if the vehicle was in the expected form it would be allowed to pass, otherwise it would become a barrier similar to the one mentioned before which immediately stopped all movement and returns the vehicle down its path of approach.
This means that at any individual stage of the racecourse the player must be in the correct vehicle form and will not be allowed to return to previous stages and have no option but to remain in the correct form until reaching the next transformation stage.

Modelling

Modelling was something that I had almost no experience of before beginning this project, with the exception of a very brief series of tutorials completed in the second year. So I began revising this by finding the old tutorials and recompleting them to catch up to where I was previously.
I then took this revised knowledge and began work on one of the first models for the game, the spectators stands. However it was only once the model was almost complete and I began looking at how to texture it appropriately for importing into the Unreal engine that i discovered that the only way to import a model into Unreal was to construct it entirely different from the way I had done and if I wanted to build a spectators stand for unreal I would need to restart the whole process and build it using the “Edit Poly” function to split and extrude a single shape into the final result.
This was a process of trial and error because knowing theoretically how the process works it is not always as simple as it seems, especially when building a very complex shape such as a stand. Several times I reached points where it was unclear where to progress next in order to achieve the desired results.

Texturing

Up to this time the only texturing I had done in 3D modelling was applying the materials in Unreal to BSP brushes, however I quickly discovered that this couldn’t be done to a model imported into Unreal from any other modelling program, such as 3D Studio Max. I researched online and found that the only system that works well for this would be to use the “Unwrap UVW” function in 3DS Max and build a flat UVW texture that could then be opened in Photoshop or similar graphic software and textured appropriately with whatever design was necessary.
After trying this out for the first time I realised that ambiguous shapes, especially rectangles and circles are especially hard to define when texturing. If the texture is not constant there is really no way to tell which way the shape is facing on the UVW texture in relation to the model.
This resulted in several occasions where a finished texture when applied to the model had several places where the texture was upside down or back to front. This was only a minor frustration however as both Unreal and 3DS max accepts PSD files as textures and can then be update very quickly without having to be reloaded, simply refreshed.

Importing to Unreal

Another stage in the process I was unsure of was importing my finished, and now correct, models into Unreal along with their textures, UVW of course, and then combining these two and using them in the game. Firstly I learned the correct format to save the models in so they could be imported into Unreal and placed into the game, however the texture remained the default texture provided by Unreal, ugly and nothing close to what I was intending for my models!
I then learned how to import the UVW textures and create a new material in Unreal, applying the texture to the material was pretty simple, and applying the material to the model also simple. But for some of the models, such as the ramp and the cambered corner, this isn’t where the work ended. All models require a collision model at least so that players cannot travel through them, however for complex shapes that have actual player interaction the collision is more important as it must work as intended to stop the player passing right through, but shouldn’t prohibit the required use of the model. For example, with the ramp it is crucial that the player cannot go through the model or it wouldn’t work as a ramp, however a simple 6 faced cube collision would not allow the vehicle to drive up the ramp as the entry collision would be too high for the vehicle to mount.
Therefore it was necessary to increase the complexity of the collision model so that the ramp could be used for its intended purpose. Another example of this situation was the cambered corner which included the most complicated collision model of any used in the game at the moment. It required a surface that followed the track section of the corner accurately while still incorporating the raised edge of the corner to prevent the vehicle falling off the far side of the corner.

How the Product works

Flash Prototype

The flash prototype is saved as a .swf and so long as your computer has a version of flash viewer or similar installed it should launch simply by double clicking on the file.
Once the game loads the player will be on the title page and will have two options from which to choose from; Play Game or Instructions.
Clicking “Instructions” will present the player with a diagram detailing how to control the vehicle in the prototype. I should mention that the controls in the prototype do not reflect the controls in the final version of the game and these are detailed in the design document.
Once the player has familiarised themselves with the controls of the vehicle they can return to the menu screen by clicking the “X” in the corner of the instructions scene.
The other option “Play Game” will begin the game, initially the player will see the vehicle on the starting grid in the track form with the words “Ready, Set Go!” appearing in the centre of the screen. Once the word “Go!” has faded from view the timer will begin and the player will be able to begin moving by pressing one of the arrow keys.
The player should try to maintain as much speed as possible while ensuring they remain on the track itself, however if they do go off the course the game is scripted to aid the player by gently easing the vehicle back towards the track so that if the player only goes slightly off the course the game will auto-correct the direction so that the vehicle remains on the track.
Transformation sequences happen instantly and automatically in the prototype and do not require any player interaction unfortunately.
Once the player has completed three laps of the racecourse they will be given their final time, their best lap time and the option to try again.
If the player does choose to try again the game will store their best lap time so that can try to beat it on their next attempt.

Unreal Map

The unreal map can either be viewed through a video which is provided in both AVI and SWF format and should run on most video playing software. However if the player wishes to explore the map either in the editor or by running the map with the unreal engine, you should begin by opening Unreal Editor 3 and opening the generic browser, from here the player should select file and open to browse for additional static meshes and textures. The necessary file can be found in the following directory; “Unreal Tournament 3/Cooked PC/Unpublished/FMP.upk”.
Once this has been opened in the generic browser all features exclusive to the game will be available and you can now open the map named “DM-OptimalShift” and either explore using the viewports or build and play the level. Several vehicles spawn in the map so that the player can even complete a lap or two.

Models

The models I made for the game can all be viewed also by opening them in 3D Studio Max; the textures that I created should already be applied.

Testing and Feedback

User testing is a crucial stage in creating a successful game and should be considered not just in the final stages of the production but repeatedly throughout its process in order to ensure that the game is being produced without any failings that user testing would have highlighted early preventing a lot of work further down the process.
Therefore while completing this work I took advantage of user testing and sought feedback on my work whenever possible in order to ensure that my work was completed to the highest level of quality possible in the time I had.
Once I had a working version of the original flash prototype, prior to textures and detailed environments I uploaded it onto my portfolio website and sent the link to anyone who was willing to test it for me. The feedback came individually but immediately there were patterns emerging, firstly players didn’t like the map rotating instead of the vehicle; it was disorientating and detracted from playing experience. Secondly players complained that the vehicle accelerated too severely, it took a very short time to reach maximum speed which made cornering difficult and actually cost the player more time than if the acceleration had been more subtle. In response to this I spent time altering all the physics of each form so that they handled as realistically as possible and the feedback from this was very positive. Players could tell very quickly that the physics had changed as soon as the transformation occurred, immediately the response of the vehicle demonstrated the need to alter the play style to meet the needs of the new form.
Further user testing highlighted that most players appreciated some sort of on-screen display showing how successful they had been. Also this figure should be recorded so that players can challenge their own achievement or have their peers challenge it. So I added the timer to record players times not only over all but also the fastest lap on record, this information is then carried forward for further attempts during that gaming session and the fastest lap time will only update when a player beats that record.
Originally I intended to only include the hovercraft type vehicle in the Unreal map as it was able to cover the entire map, however several of my fellow students pointed out that while the purpose of the Unreal map is only to allow someone to explore the map and witness what playing the completed version of the game might be like, it would be useful to incorporate several vehicles that best represented the various forms that would be available in the finished game, and while it wouldn’t be possible in the timescale I was given to script a real transformation sequence the players could easily jump out of one vehicle and into another prior to each section to enjoy a very close representation of what the game would be like.

Evaluation & Appraisal

Self Appraisal

I feel my Independent Practice module has gone pretty well, all things considered. One of the main purposes of this module is to encourage self initiated learning and problem solving which I feel I have done a fair amount of, there have been numerous problems throughout the production of this project and each time I had no idea at first how to resolve this problem and it required research and sometimes simple trial and error to find solutions and suitable alternatives until each problem was overcome.
Several of the things I proposed in my original documentation were things I had never done before and honestly had no idea how to achieve them. I had extremely minimal experience in 3D modelling but I had still proposed a whole variety of models and although it wasn’t a straight forward process and several times I had to begin a model again, either using a different method or starting from a different area I completed every model I proposed with the exception of the model of the vehicle. The complex shape required to do this proved too big an obstacle to cover in the time I had to finish everything. This is one thing I will be mentioning in the next category of improvements I would have made had I the time or hindsight.
However I met the other terms in this area of my proposal by completing models for several areas of the race track, complete with UVW textures and a collision model produced, imported and used in an Unreal map. I was originally unsure if I would be able to get the models into Unreal once they were produced and working, it was an unexpected development but a very pleasing one to find that this was possible with the resources I had at my disposal.
Another thing I promised in my initial proposal document was a working flash prototype that would demonstrate the game play and allow the user to understand how the game works very well without actually having to read the documentation supplied with the prototype.
I feel I have achieved this, not only as stated, but to a quality above that initially proposed. The prototype is well constructed and plays very smoothly compared to my original intentions. The level of detail in the environment and the vehicles is much greater than I had anticipated and I feel given time I could possibly have incorporated a working transformation sequence which required player interaction and incorporated some form of animation to represent the transformation.
The Unreal map I proposed is possible the one area of this project I am a little disappointed in, it was something I again had limited experience in, but was such a large proportion of the project that it took a massive amount of time and it wasn’t long before I was wishing I could begin again with the knowledge I had gained. The mistakes I made early in the production of the map had become irreversible by the time I realised them. The original terrain editing when the surface levels were created was done far too carelessly and without enough consideration for how things would fit around it. Had I sufficient time this would be the one piece of the project I would begin again and with my knowledge now would produce a much higher quality piece of work.
However considering what I proposed, what I have achieved and how much of the knowledge required for completing it was new to me I feel I have succeed in completing the primary goal of the Independent Practice module by self initiating learning and problem solving throughout the module.

Improvements

Given sufficient time there are several changes and improvements I would make to my project. Firstly I would work on the flash prototype to include a working transformation sequence and alternate levels. I would also have included non-player characters drivers to offer some competition when racing, I feel that these changes would produce a prototype that could not only be used to represent the game play but could actually be published as a handheld version of the game for the PSP or the Nintendo DS.
I would also rebuild the current models in the game as well as completing several more in order to achieve both a higher level of detail and greater texture quality however I am unsure how detailed the models could be made while being used in Unreal before it would cause the program to run slower.
For the purposes of simply showcasing work, however I would want to produce several very high detail models with photorealistic textures and attempt to model some of the vehicles for the game.
I would also begin work on a brand new Unreal map however this time I would choose a much more detailed one with a more interesting terrain, such as the Rio Di Janerio map I have detailed in my documentation.
“Rio Di Janeiro - It’s carnival time in Rio Di Janeiro making the track section of this racecourse extremely distracting with a range of strangely dressed spectators, streamers and confetti drifts across the track obscuring your view eventually you break clear of the streets of Rio and make your way up the Corcovado Mountain towards the famous Cristo Redentor statue travelling off-road, upon reaching the summit you enter an airborne stage down into the ocean before returning to the road and making your way back to the start.”
I feel that with the knowledge I have now I could produce this map to a reasonable high quality and it would serve much better to demonstrate how the game would work as a final product but would also display the extremely diverse environments the game can host as the racing leagues take you across the world to many different regions with massively changing themes, weather, climate, and environment.

Future Scope

The game has a lot of scope for future development, the current game is set in the early days of the sports existence when it has only recently begun to develop and the majority of the tracks are either roughly constructed or are existing areas simply refurbished. A possible sequel would be slightly further in the future when the leagues have become further established and purpose built tracks are designed to test players and push the vehicles to their limits, there could be additional forms available and possibly a faster transformation sequence or the option to choose when to transform so that not everyone is always in the same form, but the player would have a limited number of transformations available and would have to use certain ones during the race. This idea makes the game more intuitive and allows the player more control and flexibility, however would need to be carefully balanced so it was not possible to abuse this system to make winning too easy.
The flash proto-type could easily be developed to include the transformation sequence making it more like the final game and more complete. It could also have a large number of tracks added to it resembling the maps of the real game with the same grand prix system put in place for unlocking new tracks and upgrades.
This would be a suitable game for the Nintendo DS, PSP and Game Boy Advance. However the current graphics were designed to be very simplistic so that the game would run fast and smoothly, if it is going to be written onto a disc and features such as loading screens implemented then the graphics could be made much better with the addition of textures to the vehicles and animation to the transformation sequences. However I still believe the game would work better on a handheld console if played in the top-down perspective.
There could also be a sequel with more focus on underground racing leagues similar to the one found in the Russian region. This would place more focus on the aggressive racing styles and may even incorporate a range of weapons and traps designed to slow and damage the player.
The upgrading of these vehicles would also feature a balance between performance upgrades and visual design upgrades, including things such as custom bumper kits, spoilers, graphical stickers, under chassis neon strip lighting, tinted windows and more. As this is more in theme with underground racing leagues than professional upgrades and fine tuning the engine and the intricate workings of the vehicle. As high level upgrades are usually either inaccessible to the unprofessional underground racers or are too expensive so racers will focus on upgrading the visual aspects of their vehicle and incorporate a range of weapons to intimidate opponents.
A game based on a sport that is rapidly growing and still in early stages of development provides countless options and opportunities for expansion and improvement, the developer can decide how the sport will evolve and how the abilities and options of the vehicle will change as the sport grows and the technology that powers it increase in capability.

Second Week of May

The game world is split into six regions; North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Russia and Asia. Just like in the real world each of these regions offers massively differing environments to race in.
Several areas are not included as regions simply because they would not offer differing environments from those already provided by the current regions. These primarily include Greenland and Australia.
Greenland would provide a terrain heavily iced and often covered in snow, with many off-road areas, however this same environment is provided by Russia in the northern Serbian regions.
Australia would provide a similar off-road environment however this time with more focus on the desert regions, however this is very similar to the African environment.
Each of the other regions would provide similar environments to those that can be currently found in those areas, the game will not be far enough in the future for aspects such as global warming to have had a major impact on regional weather and climates.

North America will be the beginner area, the lowest leagues will be held here and there will be very structured and organised racecourses, this is to provide the player with a gentle learning curve and the option to concentrate on aspects of the race such as the transformation and mastering the need to adjust your driving style for each vehicle form.
The majority of track sections will either be closed off city streets or professional racecourses although abandoned airfields and twisting country roads may also be used occasionally.

After becoming successful and making a name for yourself in the North American amateur leagues you receive a strange invite to join a Russian racing league. Curiously Russia itself does not have an official racing league and all the races in this region are illegal unofficial races. However the increased competition and more importantly the massive prize fund provided by rich Russian business. Due to the races being illegal they are mostly held at night, this will provide the player with a new difficulty to consider especially when racing either a waterborne or airborne section, with the absence of streetlights to highlight the racecourse players will have to rely heavily on the interface to provide information and the limited vision that would be provided by the moon.

The South America racecourses are the official intermediate league and after completing the Russian region your vehicle should now be upgraded to a level where you can enter these and compete with the semi-professional racers you will encounter here. The tracks here will have a high quantity of waterborne sections and off-road sections in various areas including several in a series of rainforests throughout Brazil.

With massive amounts of unused land Africa provided a suitable location for large companies to build their own racetracks and fill them with advertising. A series of professionally built racecourses can be found in the remote wilderness of Africa, most of the off road areas in this region will either be compacted earth or sand, however the environment also effects the track sections when vicious sandstorms obscure the players vision or drifts of sand blown across the road provide low grip areas which will cost the player momentum and speed.
The tracks may be more apparent and obvious, however they will be designed to be challenging and will have alternating high speed and low speed corners making the player work hard and control the speed of the vehicle well to prevent the loss of control.

The official professional league covers the vast far eastern countries and features racecourses primarily in China, India and Japan. The races, while being professional are not always purpose built as the nature of the sport requires such massively altering terrain that the most ideal locations are not always the easiest to build upon.
Races will range from the urban city of Tokyo to the race fields in Southern China and will on average be significantly longer than previous races testing the player’s prolonged concentration and endurance. This will also be the first league in which nitrous can be used to provide speed boosts when needed, this provides the player with the challenge of finding the most suitable times to use this advantage, remembering of course that the other racers will have the same tools at their disposal.
There will be several night time races in the Asian region, but unlike previous night time races they will be well illuminated.


The highest league and the most challenging races take place in various countries across Europe, including several well known racecourses from modern motorsports such as Monte Carlo and Silverstone. The vehicles by this stage have been upgraded to extremely high speed and high performance and the races, while being long, are fast paced and dangerous, the only way to keep up with the competition is to push your vehicle to its performance limits.
Well timed acceleration and breaking will be crucial to conquer this league and the NPC racers will be very unlikely to make errors or provide obvious passing opportunities. However the highest vehicle upgrades will now be available although they will have high costs.
Although there will be several modern racecourses they will have been altered slightly to meet the requirements of the game, for example Monte Carlo is a street course but to incorporate an airborne and a waterborne section the players will leave the racetrack when it comes close to the marina at the end of the current course and continue around the marina firstly in airborne form and later in waterborne before returning to the track further along.

First Week of May

Career Mode details are now finalised.

Career mode allows to user to begin the game as an unknown rookie to the world of racing and improve not only their ability but also the vehicle they use while they climb through the ranks.
This is the only game play option that allows full use of the vehicle upgrade and customisation option. As well as providing continuity and progressive game play.
Players will be provided with a default vehicle at the beginning of similar quality to the vehicles used by the computer controlled racers of the beginner races. The player should be able to keep up with these vehicles while learning how to play the game, there will be plenty of room for error while still having a reasonable chance of finishing either first or at least in a high position.
When completing a race and finishing in a podium position, top three places, the player will be awarded a cash prize based on both the position they finished and the level of competition. This money can be used for a variety of purposes, firstly for a small cost the player can re-spray their vehicle a new colour, or get the vehicle serviced which will repair any damage sustained while racing, scratches, dents and missing parts such as wing mirrors.
The main purpose of making money however will be to upgrade the vehicle, it will not be possible to upgrade the entire vehicle with just one option, each individual form will have its own independent options to upgrade acceleration, top speed and handling.
Once a specific form has received a certain amount of upgrading the vehicle will undergo a physical change. There will be several of these for each form and will usually follow the pattern of becoming more professional and expensive. For example the first form of the track vehicle may resemble an ordinary road car; however after investing points into upgrading aspects of it, it will transform to resemble an amateur race car with carbon fibre hood, lowered suspension and a rear spoiler. Further upgrades would include a professional race car, an exclusive modified sports car and finally an advanced racing proto-type similar in design to modern formula one car.
At higher levels nitrous will also be added to the vehicles allowing a speed boost which can be triggered at the player’s discretion and will last between 10 and 20 seconds providing a speed boost of between 5% and 15% depending on which stage of the upgrade the player is on.
It will be important for the player to balance the vehicle by investing prize money into all forms of the vehicle otherwise during the race positions gained during the stages using an upgrade vehicle form will most likely be lost if the vehicle is not upgraded in other stages.
However it could be possible to plan ahead and upgrade prioritising on the current area you are racing in, some areas will have very little water, so the waterborne sections will either be very brief or excluded all together, other areas might have vast lakes or swamps meaning the majority of the race will be waterborne.

At higher levels you may also receive sponsorship from companies who will set you targets such as:
“Finish first place in three consecutive races” or “Finish first after ending the second lap in last place”
The more difficult the target the larger the reward for completing it will be.

Fourth Week of April

This week I began covering the more in-depth details of the documentation, but I also went back to the flash prototype and added a menu and loading screen which should make the game easier to demonstrate.

The flash proto-type could easily be developed to include the transformation sequence making it more like the final game and more complete. It could also have a large number of tracks added to it resembling the maps of the real game with the same grand prix system put in place for unlocking new tracks and upgrades.
This would be a suitable game for the Nintendo DS, PSP and Game Boy Advance. However the current graphics were designed to be very simplistic so that the game would run fast and smoothly, if it is going to be written onto a disc and features such as loading screens implemented then the graphics could be made much better with the addition of textures to the vehicles and animation to the transformation sequences. However I still believe the game would work better on a handheld console if played in the top-down perspective.

And some detail about the transformation sequence:

The transformation stage in-between areas of the race track will be vital to success in the game, especially at later stages. Originally I intended for the transformation stage to be a cut-scene slow-motion automatic transition in which the player had no participation other than as a spectator until the transformation was complete.
However after further consideration I realized that this would not only be boring after several repetitions but would also detract an opportunity to make this more than just a racing game, to add another element of challenge.
In the revised version of the transformation it will still begin automatically, however during the transformation the player will be given a very short time to enter a button combination following on-screen prompts. The more successful the player is will influence the success of the transformation.
When prompted to enter a four button combination of the arrow keys the player will have a limited time, depending on the level of competition they are racing in to enter them in the correct order. If the player enters all four correctly then they receive a 20% speed increase for the first 5 seconds after transformation. If they enter three buttons correctly they maintain their current speed and continue as normal.
However if the player only enters two buttons correctly the transformation was inefficient and they will continue at a 20% reduced speed from what they entered the transformation. If only one button is entered correctly the player suffers a 50% speed reduction and if the player fails to enter any buttons at all or gets them wrong the vehicle stalls and the player is required to start from standing.
Failure to successfully transform on a regular basis will make winning, especially at later levels, extremely difficult.

Third week of April

This week I began real work on the design document for this project.

So far I have covered some of the more basic aspect such as:

The game I have designed is of the racing genre with one of the key elements being an alternating vehicle structure based on the current geography and environmental influences of the race course.
To elaborate, the race course will not be comprised of only road circuits but will also include much more unusual terrain such as rugged mountainous areas, lakes, canyons and similar. The vehicle would be able to switch via a transformation process to a more suitable form upon reaching each of these unusual terrains.
All vehicle forms will be available to be upgraded and upon reaching certain levels a visual upgrade will also take place changing the appearance of that individual form. Upgrading one form of a vehicle does not improve the other forms so it is important to balance your vehicle.
In order to transform the player will enter a short “bullet-time” sequence during which they will be prompted to enter a button combination very quickly. The more of this combination they get right the more speed is maintained throughout and following the transformation, should the player successfully enter the full four button combination they will receive a slight speed increase for the first few seconds after the transformation is complete. If the combinations lacks one button then there will be no positive or negative effects on the player, however for each button after that which is lost there will be a speed loss following the transformation.
If no buttons are pressed the vehicle stalls and will begin from standing following the transformation.
Completing the combinations promptly and accurately will play a major part in winning during later races; however a good performance in the actual vehicles will still be necessary.

Second Week of April

This week I completed work on the off road section, decorating it with static meshes and some plant life to make it look a little more wild and exciting.

Originally I intended to leave it pretty empty, however rather than looking barren and inhospitable, it just looked half-finished and boring. So I spiced it up with some mostly leafless trees and ferns etc. Stuff that would only grow in harsh conditions.

First Week of April

This week I made a start on the off road section of the race course, an area which until now has been left untouched.

Originally I planned to have the track marked out with rocks and pebbles and other such natural debris, unfortunatley this proved to be very time consuming, graphically intense and made the boundaries of the track very undefined and obscure.

I used 3DS max to create a basic fence, the type which would be used simply to mark off an area rather than try to enclose anything.

The basic structure is formed by two uprights and a red and white tape connecting them, this has been used to frame the entire off road section to show where the vehicles should go.