Karcerr

Project Type

Mobile Kart Driving Game

Role

Solo Developer, Designer

Location

Burbank, CA

Engine

Unity

Other Software Used

Maya, Substance Suite (Designer And Painter), Houdini and Photoshop

A Bit About the game...

Karcerr is an open-world soapkart racing game for mobile phones, blending fast-paced racing with exploration. Players can freely roam a vibrant map, engage in thrilling races, drift with handbrakes, and activate boosts for speed bursts. The game offers dynamic weather that affects gameplay, adding variety to each race, and features a kart unlocking system, encouraging players to collect and upgrade unique vehicles. With intuitive controls and a seamless mix of racing and free driving, Karcerr delivers an exciting experience for casual and competitive players alike.

Project Post Mortem

Role Description

As the sole developer and designer of Karcerr, I took on the challenge of creating an open-world soapbox kart racing game within just three weeks as part of a class project. Despite the tight timeline, I aimed for a project with a large scope, integrating free-roam exploration, racing mechanics, weather-based gameplay effects, and a kart unlocking system. The decision to tackle such an ambitious concept led to intense crunch, with long hours spent balancing design, coding, and testing. This project also became my first real dive into Unity’s C# scripting, pushing me to learn and apply coding principles on the fly. From setting up car physics and dynamic weather to refining player controls, Karcer was a valuable learning experience, giving me hands-on exposure to both game development and the challenges of large-scale projects under pressure

Documentation was an integral part of developing Karcerr, helping me plan, organize, and lock down the core mechanics. Although it was a small project with a challenging three-week deadline, thorough documentation kept the scope manageable and ensured that key gameplay features—like kart physics, dynamic weather, and progression systems—were well-defined. It also guided my research, helping me quickly familiarize myself with Unity’s C# scripting and game development techniques. By breaking down mechanics into actionable tasks and setting milestones, the documentation kept me focused, preventing scope creep and allowing me to navigate the intense crunch more effectively.

Documentation

Karcerr Game Design Document

Karcerr Pitch Presentation

What have I learned/What Went wrong?

Working on this game has been an incredible learning experience. As my first project with complete creative control, it taught me how to communicate effectively with other talents. I also expanded my network beyond my team and school by attending meetups, where I invited people to playtest the game. This experience gave me valuable insight into networking and collaboration.

Throughout the production of Karcerr, I went through intense crunch, often staying up until 3-4 in the morning to meet the tight deadline. Since this was my first time coding an entire project in C#, I had to learn the language on the go while implementing complex mechanics like driving physics, weather effects, and player controls. The pressure of balancing development with learning made the process even more challenging, forcing me to prioritize mechanics and level design over art and sound, which I had to leave for the final stages. Despite the long hours and steep learning curve, the experience pushed me to grow as both a programmer and a designer, teaching me how to work under extreme time constraints and still deliver a functional game.

Learning to code in C# while working on Karcerr was an immersive experience that challenged me to adapt quickly and think critically. I often found myself troubleshooting and writing code simultaneously, diving into online resources and tutorials to grasp concepts as I encountered them in real-time. This hands-on approach allowed me to solidify my understanding of programming principles while directly applying them to the project. As I navigated through obstacles—like implementing AI behavior and refining gameplay mechanics—I developed not only my coding skills but also a problem-solving mindset, transforming each challenge into a valuable learning opportunity.

Development and Coding Growth

Desired Gameplay Experience

In Karcerr, I programmed the rival karts to perform crazy stunts and engage in amusing antics during races. The AI-controlled opponents have a tendency to tilt dramatically while navigating sharp turns, adding a chaotic yet entertaining flair to the gameplay. They often bump into one another, resulting in hilarious collisions that not only keep players on their toes but also contribute to the game’s lighthearted atmosphere. This goofy behavior enhances the overall racing experience, as players can enjoy unexpected moments of fun and unpredictability on the track. The combination of wild stunts and playful interactions among the rival karts perfectly aligns with the whimsical style we aimed for, making each race a memorable adventure.

At the end of each week during the development of Karcerr, we conducted playtests to gather feedback and refine the gameplay. In the first week, players noted that the car felt a bit slow and challenging to control, which hindered their overall experience.

By the second week, while the car had gained some speed, players still felt it lacked a genuine sense of velocity. Additionally, the enemy AI seemed mindless, failing to provide engaging competition during races.

However, by the third and final playtest, the feedback shifted positively as players found the gameplay had evolved into a significant challenge. The controls felt much more responsive, and the enemies exhibited improved behavior, creating a more dynamic and engaging racing experience. This progression highlighted the importance of iterative testing and adapting based on player feedback throughout the development process.

Post Playtest

Workflows and Tools discovered/Created

During the production of Karcerr, I established a streamlined workflow to enhance efficiency and speed up the development process. One of the key tools I utilized was Houdini, which allowed me to quickly create roads based on splines and curves. This procedural approach enabled me to design intricate road layouts with ease, adapting them to fit the dynamic gameplay. After generating the road elements in Houdini, I imported them into Maya to model additional props and environmental details, further enriching the game’s visuals.

For texturing, I opted to use Substance Designer instead of Substance Painter for the karts, as it allowed me to procedurally change the textures for rival vehicles easily. This flexibility enabled me to create a variety of looks without manually texturing each kart. Keeping optimization in mind, I also used only one texture to texture the entire environment, which helped maintain performance while still delivering a visually appealing experience. This combination of tools not only accelerated my asset creation process but also ensured a cohesive design aesthetic, allowing me to focus more on refining gameplay and mechanics.