CARJU is an arcade-style driving game where you play as a monster car on a rampage. Run down objects to feed on trash and grow even larger. But keep an eye on your gas, and watch out for cops!
Genre: Arcade Driving Game
Role: Game Designer, Level Designer, Playtester
Team Size: 7 people
Platform: PC (Itch)
Tools: Unity, Google Docs, Github
My Contributions:
-
Designed and documented the core gameplay loop, including character size transition values and win condition, to fit with the jam theme of "Built to Scale".
-
Designed, blocked out, and populated the main gameplay level to allow for infinite scaling and change in difficulty as the player grew in size.
-
Communicated with teammates to reduce unnecessary scope and ensure the game was completed within a week's time.
-
Assisted with playtesting and publishing.
Main Level Design
Problem:
For our game to work we needed a very large, very populated level for players to wreak havoc in, but with a 5-day deadline we didn't have the time to hand-place props in a very large level, nor the time to complete and properly playtest a procedural level system.
Solution:
-
I came up with an effective solution: we'd meet both possibilities halfway. I designed a level large enough to avoid repetition, but small enough that it could be populated in time. Then I designed the level's roads and edges in a 4-way cross so it could endlessly repeat in a grid pattern.
-
After designing the level, I hand-placed every destructible prop, including buildings, bushes, trees, and fire hydrants. I even programmed the movement patterns of the car assets.
-
Finally, I made sure to design the level so that it would properly function at all 5 possible stages of car size. The player would start in an enclosed tutorial area in the middle of the map, and once they got large enough they could break through and explore the full map.
An overhead view of the final level. The player starts boxed inside of the central area. The roads can connect to each other no matter how the tile is placed or rotated.
Lessons:
-
The level was a rousing success. The repeating grid design worked perfectly and allowed for a seemingly-endless map without draining heavy time or resources. Players had no trouble progressing and often didn't even realize the map was partially procedural.
-
Level progression also functioned exactly as designed. Players were able to learn the game's controls in the safe starting environment, and could destroy more and more of the environment as they grew without fully depleting the stage's props.
-
One major flaw I discovered was I didn't account for the police car AI when placing props. As a result, the enemies tended to get stuck on bushes as they tried to chase the player. However, this could be easily rectified in future builds.
Screenshots of the final level. I hand-placed every prop and destructable object on the map.
Game Jam Theme
Problem:
Our game needed to follow the jam theme of "Built to Scale" and in some way involve objects growing, shrinking, or changing size. With only five days to work we needed a quick game concept.
Solution:
-
I started by brainstorming a list of basic game concepts inspired by the theme. These were vague ideas in a wide range of genres, so my team had a large pool of ideas to consider.
-
After working with my team and holding a vote, we decided to build upon my idea of a game where you grow larger by consuming things, but with penalties if you grow too large.
-
From that basic concept I designed a game loop inspired by Katamari, where you play as a kaiju car that destroys a city to grow larger. However, growing larger would increase the speed at which you consumed gas, requiring the player to change their strategy as their size evolved.
Lessons:
-
Our game's size mechanic was simple enough to implement within our timeframe but still fit within the confine's of the jam's theme. Players enjoyed the fast-paced arcade-style gameplay.
-
With hindsight, the faster gas drain mechanic was mitigated by the rate at which the larger sized-vehicles could collect gas pickups. Today, I would rebalance the gas pickups to provide less gasoline as the player grew larger.
-
I chose to cut some of my planned mechanics for time, such as police enemies that would scale in size with the player. While unfortunate, this allowed our team to focus on the assets most necessary for the complete game, and allowed us to release a finished and polished experience.
My initial list of brainstorming ideas to fit with the jam's theme of "Built to Scale".
