Games Podracer simulation game

Hi everyone,

For 4 month, I have been working on a podracer game and I would like to share my progress with you in order to know if you could be interested in playing this game with its simulation mecanics.

When I say, a "Simulation game", it's not like Flight Simulator, but a game where you are in your pod, have to manage it and engines to reach the finish before the others.

If I share my progress now, it's because the game has its physics done but it lakes some features I would like to add.

But let's start with some pictures before more explanations :






A video is always better than some images so you can see a short gameplay here :

The goal of this project is to create a game close to the pod race we can see in the first episode of Star Wars. Each engine is completly independent and controlled by the cockpit. Engines and cockpit are composed of systems (levitator, stabilizer ...). Each of these can overheat in stressed conditions and be damaged. This will alterate the functioning of the system. So it will be very important to use straight line to make some changes to recover the default behavior of the pod.

For the hologram, it was just for fun I made this but I would like to implement it as a gameplay part, may be, showing to the player which system has been damaged by overheating or a shock.

In the cockpit, there are a lot of buttons. It may scares but each button has a function for a system and some systems are in both engines and cockpit. For exemple, the levitator has 1 button and 8 sliders but it is present for engine and cockpit. So you will see it 3 times but it is the same thing for these 3 parts.

Where it is interesting is those lever buttons with a green LED above. These buttons are "Config buttons". This is not functional yet but the aim is to use these buttons as macro for the pod. Enable or disable it, will enable/disable/change value of different systems that you will program before the race. They are here to simplify management during the race.

I have some work to do like cables linking pod to engines, UI elements, animations ...

So I would be happy to get your question, feedback and advises. Feel free to ask in the youtube comments are here in the post.

 

From the little video it's already looking pretty intriguing to me! This would be amazing in VR, considering how they control and how everything is in arm's reach, and can be done seated.

My only concern is the issue of copyright/licensing. You should probably look into whether 'pod-racer' or similar is Trademarked by Stars Wars/Disney, etc. If it is, time to get creative with your naming!

That is if you ever intend to sell this.

 

Thank you for your post. I know that would be amazing and surely ready for VR even if at the beginning VR was not the target but that would be great to implement this feature I think too.

For the copyright/licensing, I know that is a big deal and my goal is to make a pod racer game like the first episode with a little bit of lore from Star Wars. So I do not want to create a game looking like Star Wars, completely inspired by Star Wars and call it with a ugly name in order to avoid those copyright problems.

Honnestly, I did not think about monetizing yet. Now, I just want to make a game interesting, not very common and improve myselft at modeling, texturing and coding. That is why any comment is welcomed for any part of the game.

That is why I very happy to read your post, seeing you be intrigued in my game.

 

If you don't plan to sell this then the issue of copyright is less of a hassle. You may want to look at the Bionicle fan game as Lego outlined what they can and can't do to avoid copyright issues; of which you could do the same. Then again, there's still nothing stopping Lucasfilm or whomever from sending you a cease and desist.

Nonetheless, I'm still keen on this idea! If you ever get a small demo working I'd love to give it a go.

 

That is very interesting about lego and this fan game. I hoped a similar thing with Disney, if my game would make enough noise and get some popularity, may be Disney would propose something for the monetizing with some restriction which would be a great thing for me but may be just a hope.

 

It is unlikely that a company like Disney would be interested in anything created outside of the organization as copyright issues would become a major issues which they would avoid. All these big companies have a very 'closed door' policy to anything created outside be it ideas, story boards, games etc. Any Google search of the term Pod Racing seems to come up with Star Wars so the use of Pod Racing would, I am sure lead to copyright infringement issues. The word Pod is something that encloses another thing especially to protect it. There are many synonyms of pod.
Capsule Racing? Doesn't sound the same but neither would Pod Racing mean anything before it became famous in Star Wars. Good luck with your project. It looks very promising!

 

Thank you for your reply. As I said, my goal was to create a Pod Racing game with everything which comes with this term, so the Star Wars world. Now, I understand with what you are saying that will be a long journey which may end by a big stop from Disney. So I am a bit confused, should I continue to develop this game or go on another one which I already start some times ago.

 

Before your post I knew nothing about any Pod Racing Games. I checked out what is out there and there are several racer games of the type you are working on. Star Wars Episode 1 by Dreamcast, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch for example. If you intend pursuing your Pod Racer game with the intention of publishing it and monetarizing it you are likely to encounter problems unless you obtain the rights to base it on Star Wars. If you intend using it as a learning platform to be used by friends I see no problems. It's entirely up to you but whatever you decide I am impressed with what you have done. Well done!

 

That really means something for me, thank you very much.

Before making this game, I checked out too to see if there already was a pod racing. I saw them but they were very fa from what I would like to play. Not very reallistic, beautiful and too simple. So I decided to create my own.

At the beginning, it was just for fun, it was about making a realistic game using physics and be as close as possible to the really pod race in Star Wars. To be honnest, I really would like making games be my job and what I am seeing is, it surely won't be thanks to this game. I will keep it in my head to finish it and make it as great as I imaged. I am still locked with the board panel to fit every buttons on and create a great race line. I sure to be closer to the end than the start so may be one day, I will continue it.

Now I am working on a game that I have imagined some years ago. Here are some images :





It's a mobile game about a RPG with RTS camera like LoL or Smite. The goal is to go across procedural dungeons to get some materials, bring them to exchange and craft.

 

It looks like you like you have much work ahead of you! The lighting looks great in above scene and I look forward to your next progress update. I have a friend in Australia who is frantically learning how to use as many 3D applications as possible in preparation for a job in the Gaming Industry or Film Industry. Not easy industries to get into due to stiff competition but if you have plenty of passion and work hard at it rewards will come.

 

That is so true, I have realized that through many videos of indies developer, and I am still realizing that. I am not able now to continue those projects but I keep them in a part of my head. I really hope you are right about the rewards but the main challenge it to keep interested in your own projects and ambitions which is very hard to do.