Need for Rally: A post-mortem

It's been a few exciting months ever since I started this game and this proof of concept is slowly on its way to become a real game.

With enthusiasm I am making my first game ever using Unreal Engine.

Initially I wanted to publish another version (0.06) this month but unexpectedly, a game-breaking bug occurred that delayed the version. Until I figured out what was wrong, I started working on features for the next version, such as a main menu with racetrack picker and different maps.

Instead, have a little post mortem!

I learned a lot doing this project and can't wait to share that with you.

Don't forget to to follow me on Twitter  for early development insights and check my website for more information!

Feasibility

As I worked on this prototype I evaluated the following requirements for feasibility, to find out what is within my grasp as solo indie developer. 

The great news is: most of these planned features seem viable. Here is a list!

• Online Functionality & Multiplayer 
• Different Racing Modes: Circuit Race, A-B Race, Pursuit, Sandbox
• Racetrack Editor
• Immersion: Climate, Weather,  Day & Night circles, a certain realism

One big feature that might not make it:

• Vehicle Editor, due to Unreal's cumbersome vehicle implementation. I will continue to find a viable solution, but might settle with Vehicle Customization instead.

In the following I want to go into detail what went well, wrong, or could have been done better.

Things that slowed me down

• Screenshots and videos need to be taken much easier from within the editor!
• I spent a lot of time figuring out how to do things right in Unreal. Still am new to the tech after all!
• I still need a lot of time to learn about shaders before being able to do what I want, particularly with terrain
• I spent extra time on sound design for vehicles. It was worth it, but was it really necessary?

Things that sped me up

• 3D asset creation is easy and insanely fast due to the simple low-poly style
• Unreal Engine's features are so extensive that I can quickly add components that roughly complete the project’s vision, although these still need adjustments or customization

Things that I need to work on

• There is no proper QA-methodology in place, except for thorough manual testing and debugging. Some time needs to be spent to figure out how Automated Testing works in UE
• Work on an in-game console for playtesting purposes

Things I like about the prototype

• Art Direction: I really love the aesthetic of the prototype! It should be kept that way in the future
• Sound Design: I spent a bit of extra time to create realistic vehicle sounds, but it adds to the immersion
• Unreal Engine continues to prove to be a handy and good fit for the project goals. Overall tech stack choice is satisfactory so far!
• I personally love the first person driver view

Things I do not like about the prototype

• The HUD is still a little wonky/cluttered. I want a better speed indicator and a slimmer overall design
• While Vehicle Sound Design is nice, it can still be improved further
• Wheel particles should be emitted when the wheel direction deviates from travel direction too

Outlook

Great things are to come! An excerpt of features that I am considering to add:

• Climate, Weather,  Day & Night circles
• Vehicle damage and dirtiness
• realistic sound design
• Police Chase mode
• Local coop Multiplayer, with 1-4 players
• Online leaderboard

We are already heading to the next version in light speed and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow me on itch!