Kart-Klash
Kart-Klash was created for a senior-level VR game development course. The project brief was to create an engaging and fun VR game from scratch. Our team chose to do VR racing with guns as it is a genre that hasn't been fully explored yet.
Duration:
November 2023 - December 2023
Team:
Enoch Hsieh, EJ Nicolas, Herman Chan, Ricky Lin,
Kajal Babbar, Irene Gao
Responsibilities:
Level Designer, 3D & Environment Artist
Engine and tools:
Unity, Maya, Meta Quest Developer Hub
What is Kart-Klash?
Kart-Klash is a VR racing game with guns. Players can shoot other drivers while driving to be first in each race.
Players can shoot other racers which will slow them down or shoot targets around the track which will boost the player's speed.
Kart-Klash - Mechanics & Gameplay
Summary of Contributions
Level Design: I designed all the maps and tracks used in Kart-Klash. One of the aspects that need to be considered is the number of inclines and declines as it affects motion sickness. Additionally, my goal when designing maps was to keep each environment unique. Since the gameplay is the same throughout all the tracks, the tracks themselves must bring variety so the gameplay will not become stale.
Since the game is being played on Meta Quest 2, a lot of details and environment assets had to be removed to better optimize the framerate.
Character & Prop Design: When designing the enemy drivers, we wanted a cute animal look to appeal to younger demographics where it's less realistic and violent. I started with some animal templates and re-modelled them in Maya to achieve the desired look. I then rigged them so it's more convenient to pose them and have their arms move when aiming the gun.
Process
Our team's goal for this game was to keep the gameplay engaging and fun. In order to achieve that goal, we need to nail down certain aspects like player competitivity, motion sickness, shooting, and the flow of driving. Our team has divided up each aspect of our game which is explained by us in the showcase video.
Below is an overview of the development process of Kart-Klash and will highlight different aspects of the development.
Driving Mechanics & Controls:
We mapped the left hand to be in charge of steering and car-related mechanics. Mechanics like driving, steering, drifting, reverse, and stopping, are all mapped on the controls on the left hand. The right-hand controller will be for shooting.
Other controls are also mapped to buttons like:
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Reset Camera
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Reset Car
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Drift
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Reverse
Addressing Motion Sickness:
As the player is moving at high speeds in our game but physically staying in the same position, motion sickness was originally occurring more often than not. One instance where we reduced motion sickness was to keep the camera steady and within the players' control. In the figure below, you can see the before and after of how the camera reacts to inclines.
Before the camera would snap up every time the car goes up an incline and this would be extremely disorienting. We fixed this by maintaining the camera's angle but not the car's, when going up an incline, this became less disorienting.
Before
The camera snaps upwards when inclining
After
The camera maintains angle when inclining
Another instance where we reduced motion sickness was by widening the roads allowing the turns to not be as sharp. We realized in early testing that a lot of playtesters would understeer 90-degree turns and hit the wall, causing the players to be disorientated. By widening the roads, there is a lot more leeway for when the player turns and a less drastic effect on the motion.
Enemy AI:
The purpose of the enemy is to increase the competitiveness of our game. The enemies can shoot the player which slows them down and can block the player's path.
The enemy can navigate the track and other players through the NavMesh class (same as the zombies in Undead Uprising). NavMesh generates the possible surfaces that the enemy can drive on and there are checkpoints set up around the track for the enemies to follow.
Generated NavMesh for each map
Particle Effects:
We've implemented particles throughout our entire game to improve gameplay clarity. Moments like completing a map, getting shot, shooting at objects, and teleporting all have their own particle effect. These have been added in for feedback for the players so they know what is happening.
When aiming at an enemy or target, there is also a spinning indicator that the player's gun is in range and will hit them when shooting. All these different particles are ways the player can better understand what is happening during the game.
Reflection
After seeing what the final product looks like, our team is extremely satisfied with the results. We think the core game mechanics are unique as there are not many racing shooter VR games on the market right now. As a team, we hope to further develop this game and possibly publish it as well.
Kart-Klash has a lot of potential and we hope that it can be something bigger in the future.
