* this game is currently in development and will hopefully be released in the next few months *

Overview

Stunt Driver (working title) is a precision driving game where it isn't just about being as fast as possible, but also about driving with thoughtful intention to hit your marks at the exact right time to get the perfect take. Your boss, Dan the Plan Man, has several epic drives he needs you to pull off: some about speed, some about precision, and a few nefarious underground dealings he may or may not have accidently gotten you mixed up in. He's really sorry about that.

This game is currently being developed in Unreal Engine 5 by me as the solo developer, and I am hoping to release it in the next few months.

Gameplay 

Overview

Gameplay centers around driving through several different levels with different goals, either precision or speed. Precision runs require you to hit every checkpoint at the exact right time, while speed runs just ask you to complete the course in the fastest time you can. The story takes you through a series of levels with varying goals. Once a level is completed, any level can be replayed as either a precision or speed level in order to 100% perfect every level. 

Precision Runs

Precision runs require you hit each checkpoint of the course at an exact designated time. Sometimes this means going all out, sometimes it means slowing down, and often it means having to carefully plan ahead and master a course to hit all of them because you may not make the next one if you don't hit the previous checkpoint just right.

• Hit each checkpoint at the designated time, not too early and not too late.

• Make sure you don't get too off the pace or it may be hard to recover. Sometimes hitting the next checkpoint requires you to have gone through the previous one just right. If you slow down to much to make one, you may not make the next.

• If you miss too many checkpoints, you'll likely have to redo the course before moving on.

Speed Runs

Speed runs are all about going as fast as possible. Master every turn and straight of a course to try to post the fastest time possible. Every level has a challenging par time to beat. And if that's too easy, you can always compete against yourself for the perfect run.

• Go as fast as you can.

• Try to beat the par time for each level to complete it.

• Challenge yourself and try to beat your own records.

Development Highlights 

The current state of the game has some notable features that I am proud to have developed, including:

• Good driving mechanics using UE5's new Chaos Vehicle System, carefully tuned to actually drive and drift well after reverse engineering some of the source code to compensate for the lack of documentation.

• Excellent visual feedback when driving, including tire skid marks, tire smoke, dynamic engine and skidding audio, and controller vibration when skidding and changing gear.

• A smooth follow camera for the car that feels good and natural when turning, and adjusts follow distance and FOV based on the car's velocity to help give a sense of speed.

• Easily reusable menu system with controller support.

• Event-driven checkpoint system that makes setting courses incredibly easy. Simply place and size each checkpoint and give it a time, then the game manages everything else. The timing system tracks checkpoints made and automatically advances through the course.

• Beautiful looking pyro effects. The pyro timing is also handled by the checkpoints. Simply tell a checkpoint which pyros are linked to it, and give it a separation time between each one firing, then all of the rest of the timing happens automatically. The pyros are fired in sequence according to the checkpoint's target time and the separation time, such that the last fires when the checkpoint closes, giving the player visual feedback of their window for each checkpoint beyond just the onscreen timer.

• Switching a level between precision mode and speed mode happens automatically with a single boolean toggle. When a level is loaded as a precision course, the checkpoints advance at the given times and automatically fire their pyros. When loaded as a speed course, everything's behavior changes automatically. The checkpoints advance once the player goes through them, instead of by time. The pyros trigger when the player passes by, instead of being timed. And the HUD changes to display the goal time for the course, instead of next checkpoint's target time and the number of checkpoints made.

• Cinematic stunt moments with slow-motion areas that can be placed anywhere on a course that would look cool, such as good drifting turns or large jumps, and can be assigned a specific camera to switch the view to a specially framed shot if desired.