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[thomasmahler]

Newest Build:

September 22, 2015:
http://www.warsoup.com/files/superTurboDrifters01.zip
Windows only right now!

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgvE1Mwepe8&feature=youtu.be

Controls:
Requires an Xbox Controller!

A: Accelerate
X: Break
RB: Drift
B / Tap A: Boost (only works when the Boost Bar has been maxxed through drifting!)
LB: Use Powerup
ESC / Y: Restart Race

Intro:
Alright, I think it's time to create a thread for this little side-project of mine, named Super Turbo Drifters.
This whole thing started this Christmas - I was thrilled about playing Mario Kart 8 with friends / family, but after a few sessions, we immediately went back to the glory of Super Mario Kart (This thread shouldn't be me shitting on MK8, since I realize it's a much better game than SMK for many, many people, but I'm kinda trying to figure out why it's not for me). But SMK only had a 2 Player Mode... and that sucks.
So I sat down over Christmas and quickly cobbled together a prototype in Unity, just to get a feel for how difficult it'd be to maybe create a small Local Multiplayer game for me and my friends.
Due to Ori and the Blind Forest, I didn't have as much time on it as I would've liked, but now I started dabbling with it again. And I thought it'd be cool to create a thread here on GAF in order to show early builds and let people participate in the development of it a bit.
I created a thread about Kart Racers here a while ago and already got some good feedback about what people like / dislike about current Kart Racers, which is what inspired this thread. Let's keep this thread clean and focus on the current state of Kart Racers and about Super Turbo Drifters development. I'll constantly keep this thread updated and will be posting new builds and more about the current state in this first post here.

Why another Kart Racer?
I always preferred Super Mario Kart over all the other sequels. Mostly simply because the game was still mainly about ones drifting skills, it was decidedly more 'hardcore', the tracks were a lot narrower and Nintendo hadn't yet introduced all the crazy powerups like Triple Red Shells, Bullet Bills, Blue Shells, etc. etc. Also, the Battle Mode was a hell of a lot of fun.

So what is Super Turbo Drifters?
So the whole idea about Super Turbo Drifters is to take a step back and create a Kart Racer that's fairly 'basic'. My main inspirations are Super Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing. I want the core game to be similar to Super Mario Kart: 4 different cars, a bunch of racetracks, super tight controls and a design that's more about drifting, less about the powerups you get. So the whole idea is to 'just' do that (including 4Player 60fps Splitscreen): Create a decidedly simpler Kart Racer than the stuff that's out there right now and to get feedback from people who'd be interested in a game like that early on!

The current state (September 21, 2015):

• Right now STD is still in a super early prototype stage. I've used assets from other games (mostly music from Stunt Race FX and the little Mario Kart Powerup icons) to quickly get a feel for the game and to set up all the hooks. I'll obviously get rid of that once the game is further along Also, this build doesn't have any 'real' graphics yet: I just quickly modeled some stuff together. I know it looks ass, but that's not the point yet. For the final thing, I imagine a lowPoly look with gorgeous lighting.
  
• This prototype is mostly about getting feedback regarding the controls and to create the basic frameworks. I'd love to know how you guys feel about the handling. It takes some time to get used to it, but I actually like the controls a lot already, especially once you get used to drifting.
  STD is all about drifting. You drift to fill up the boost bar, then you boost. And then you keep drifting again. That should look kinda like this:
  
  
  
  
  
  But as a designer, you can't ever really trust yourself. So that's where you guys come in: Try this basic prototype and throw some feedback my way. If you have ideas, I'm all ears and will look into putting in as much stuff as is being requested here as possible - if it's sensible and fits
  
• The collisions are still all over the place. Yes, you can fall out of the track. If that happens, press ESC or Y on the Xbox Controller to restart the race. I'm not using Unitys PhysX on this simply because I want the controls to feel super tight and to have extreme control over it.
  
• I implemented a menu system that's not in this build yet, but I'm quite proud of how smart it is. It's using raycasting and allows me to easily add and remove things and it'll automatically update.
  
• I also added a global highscore system that stores the track record for every track - so now you guys can go highscore hunting!
  
• The checkpoint system has been completely revamped and should be super solid now. It figures out all of your checkpoins, laps you're on, whether you go forward or backwards on the track, it figures out your rank, etc. etc.
  
• I changed the drifting to do a little hop before the drift - Lots of people who I've seen playtesting requested that feature, tell me if you think it's an improvement!
  
• Note that this is a personal project. Super Turbo Drifters has nothing to do with my work at Moon Studios. This is just a little side-passion-project, so don't expect builds every other day. The idea is that this thread will keep going during its development so that I've got one place to post updates and get feedback.
  
• My track record is 00:54:22. See if you can beat me. Hint: Press and Hold A while the Countdown shows '2' to get a Turbo Start

So, you misfits and troublemakers - you, who are unhappy with the current state of Kart Racers: Help me out here by giving me feedback and let's create an amazing little Kart experience that takes Karting back to its roots

 

[shandy706]

Neat, hope the project works out well for you. I'll try it if I can find time

 

[Chris R]

Looks fun

Spoiler

That acronym tho

 

[Gries]

The reviews for this game practically write themselves.

"I never expected this STD would be so much fun."

 

[thomasmahler]

Looks fun

Spoiler

That acronym tho

The name is still going to change due to that... Asking people to try the newest STD (build) is always a little awkward.

 

[OCD Guy]

Cool. I'll give this a try later

 

[PSqueak]

The name is still going to change due to that... Asking people to try the newest STD (build) is always a little awkward.

DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME!

Embrace it. Make sex puns in the game!

 

[CryptiK]

Yeah sharing STDs with all your friends... Name has to change slightly lol maybe Ultra Turbo Drifters Alpha 4

 

[Brandon F]

Why another Kart Racer?
I always preferred Super Mario Kart over all the other sequels. Mostly simply because the game was still mainly about ones drifting skills, it was decidedly more 'hardcore', the tracks were a lot narrower and Nintendo hadn't yet introduced all the crazy powerups like Triple Red Shells, Bullet Bills, Blue Shells, etc. etc. Also, the Battle Mode was a hell of a lot of fun.

truth!

 

[gooey]

I can confirm that this game is cool and plays well.

 

[dragonzdogma]

Dope!

If micro machines would have come up with a game like this in the 90's I would have gone crazy!

 

[muteki]

truth!

The last MK I played to any extent was Wii, and it is always hilarious to look at how wide the tracks are in comparison to SMK.

Just getting through a Cup with your given lives used to be a challenge.

 

[GWX]

I liked what I've played of it. My best time was pretty shite (1:10:xx), but I only played it for 10 minutes or so. I look forward to how it will turn out, it has promise.

I was intrigued by the fact that the boost bar remains full/partially full even when not sliding: can't think of any other kart racers that do this. You really have to plan it out the best use of boosting this way, so that you can cut the widest corners right where they begin. Have you thought about adding a drop rate to the boost bar, forcing players to drift more, or a boost chain mechanic a la Crash Team Racing?

 

[Elixist]

I want a STD. Will try later, mk8 left me wanting in the play dept.

 

[Baleoce]

I'd also be interested in a game like this. I feel like the modern ones are bloated in the wrong way and have forgotten what made games like, funnily enough the same examples you've given, SMK, DKR and CTR, so special. Also, you cannot change that acronym.

 

[Mentok]

Why another Kart Racer?
I always preferred Super Mario Kart over all the other sequels. Mostly simply because the game was still mainly about ones drifting skills, it was decidedly more 'hardcore', the tracks were a lot narrower and Nintendo hadn't yet introduced all the crazy powerups like Triple Red Shells, Bullet Bills, Blue Shells, etc. etc. Also, the Battle Mode was a hell of a lot of fun.

It's like you read my thoughts. SMK was a game my old roommate and I would sit and play all night while drinking. It was such a fun game, that focused on the drifting without fear of a ton of crazy powerups (the lightning bolt was enough). If this is the philosophy of the game, count me in!

 

[BlakeofT]

What about Super Drift Turbo as the title? Ok... maybe it doesn't make as much sense now that I type it out. Looks cool so far!

 

[thomasmahler]

I can confirm that this game is cool and plays well.

Awesome, glad you liked it Would love to hear some feedback on what you thought about the controls, if it took you long to get used to it, etc.

Just getting through a Cup with your given lives used to be a challenge.

Hells yeah. I remember that the 150cc cup drove me absolutely bonkers until I learned how to properly drift - then it became manageable

I was intrigued by the fact that the boost bar remains full/partially full even when not sliding: can't think of any other kart racers that do this. You really have to plan it out the best use of boosting this way, so that you can cut the widest corners right where they begin. Have you thought about adding a drop rate to the boost bar, forcing players to drift more, or a boost chain mechanic a la Crash Team Racing?

Yeah, I think one of the things that I do well as a designer is that I think of all the elements and how they come together. On Ori, the levels were always designed with all the abilities in mind. On STD, I think the Boost is just an integral mechanic, so i'd like to design the tracks based around that, so people who're good at it can really master the tracks and figure out which curves allow them to get how much of the drift meter filled, etc.

I thought about doing the CTR thing regarding boost and I might still try to allow players to do partial boosting (meaning boosting even if the bar isn't full yet), but we'll see. Right now I dig how nice it feels when you finally have the bar pop to orange and start boosting

I'd also be interested in a game like this. I feel like the modern ones are bloated in the wrong way and have forgotten what made games like, funnily enough the same examples you've given, SMK, DKR and CTR, so special. Also, you cannot change that acronym.

Haha, that STD thing is growing on you, I know I also don't get why adding things like Kart customization (do people _really_ care about having 20 sets of tires? Did that _really_ make the game any better? I'd rather have a goddamn battle mode that's as fun as SMK's or Mario Kart 64's!) were added... While MK8 is an insanely polished, well-executed game, I think a lot of people would have preferred to see Mario Kart becoming a little less casual again, but I guess that's what Nintendo is going for now with the series... If they don't give you what you want, you gotta make your own

It's like you read my thoughts. SMK was a game my old roommate and I would sit and play all night while drinking. It was such a fun game, that focused on the drifting without fear of a ton of crazy powerups (the lightning bolt was enough). If this is the philosophy of the game, count me in!

That's exactly what I'm going for. I mean, you almost NEVER got that Lightning Bolt in the original... and getting a Red Shell still used to be a BIG thing, without completely changing the balance. A good player would still always be able to beat a bad player. While I think that's still true in MK8, the balance has very much shifted towards the random powerups and away from having to drift tightly across narrow corners - But there was an insane sense of accomplishment to get to first place in the last corner simply by drifting better than your buddy did.

Also, if you guys have good ideas for Powerups, I'm currently coding them... There'll be simple powerups that just make too much sense not to include them, like the 'green shell' and the 'red shell' and I want most powerups to still not break the whole 'skill' thing, so I definitely will not have any blue shells or bullet bills or stuff like that in the game.

Here's a few ideas I had:

1) EMP: Disables the Boost Meter to buildup for other players for a set amount of time.
2) Nitro: Activate it and your Boost Meter builds up a lot faster for a set amount of time.
3) Laser: Activate it behind another driver for a lock-on - you need to stay behind the player and keep him locked on for a few seconds for the laser to hit the driver.
4) Oil: Activate it and it spreads across the track. Players that drive into it will lose control of their vehicle for a bit.
5) Swap: Randomly changes the Splitscreen Positions for all players (player in the bottom left is now top right, etc.)
6) Smoke Bomb: Think Call of Duty 2. Fills up part of the track with smoke. No problem if you know the track by heart, but if you don't...
7) Shield: To block from 'Red Shells'.
8) Star: Same as Mario Kart, become invincible and driver into other players to crash them.
9) Feather: Similar to SMK - Yeah, many people didn't use it, but I think it has merit for shortcuts, etc. Track design needs to be designed with it in mind.
etc.

I've also been dabbling around with a powerup that allows you to take off and fly for a bit, similar to DKR - but since I want to keep the track design fairly simple and straight forward, you could probably just shortcut too much.

Anyway, ideas are more than welcome

 

[xzeldax3]

STD seems like it will be fun!

 

[thomasmahler]

Just saying:

Your registration of superturbodrifters.com for 1 year has been processed.

I own that STD now!

 

[Colonel Mustard]

truth!

Not accurate at all. From MK Wii onward all of the shells (including blue) can be dodged with the use of a mushroom at the right time.

Understanding and utilizing this technique makes MK 7/8 far more 'hardcore'.

 

[thomasmahler]

Not accurate at all. From MK Wii onward all of the shells (including blue) can be dodged with the use of a mushroom at the right time.

Understanding and utilizing this technique makes MK 7/8 far more 'hardcore'.

Well, the problem is still that you need a randomized item to dodge the blue shell - and usually, I like keeping a green shell or something on my back just so I'm not getting screwed over by the crazy triple red shell onslaught, etc.

So yeah, there are some cool hardcore tricks, but I think it's undeniable that SMK was a completely different beast when it comes to the powerup / driving balance. Be fast enough in SMK by grabbing a bunch of coins and drifting through these corners and nothing can stop you.

This kinda mastery of the controls:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmkEpvatJpE

Isn't something I've seen in any of the newer Mario Karts.

 

[PreyingShark]

Well, the problem is still that you need a randomized item to dodge the blue shell - and usually, I like keeping a green shell or something on my back just so I'm not getting screwed over by the crazy triple red shell onslaught, etc.

You don't need a randomized item to dodge blue shells in Double Dash!! or DS. Also, both of those games had snaking, which is really just fitting in mini-turbos on straights, and to do it without going all over the place you have to make inputs that are both very fast and very precise. In Double Dash!! you also have techniques like A-Teching which require you to let go of A for brief and precise intervals to turn "snaking" into almost a straight line whereas DS is more about knowing how to hop to take good lines. DS also had this thing called "Power Rocket Boost" where if you were constantly boosting, mainly due to MTs, from the initial rocket boost from the starting line you can go off-road without losing any speed. It's very hard but gives you a huge edge on many tracks if you can pull it off.

Oh and it's always better to hold onto a shroom in 1st in 8 outside of Frantic. The items you can get in 1st are ass in 8. A shroom both lets you dodge blues and recover quickly from other items as long as you make sure the danger's out of the way before using the shroom. Whereas from a random item box in 1st you have a roughly 40% chance of getting coins.

But yeah, after DS the game became a lot more about good item management than racing lines, though racing lines are still very important.

As for mastery of the controls... If you get the opportunity to watch twitch.tv/nikkeyy do 200cc, do so. He's amazing.

That said, I would test your game since I love kart racers but I don't have an xbox controller. I usually just use a DS3.

 

[thomasmahler]

That said, I would test your game since I love kart racers but I don't have an xbox controller. I usually just use a DS3.

As long as you use a tool that emulates the 360 controller, you should be fine

You seem to be super knowledgeable about Kart Racers, so I'd love for you to test STD!

 

[PaulloDEC]

As a huge fan of the original CTR, this is definitely relevant to my interests. Will check out for sure when I get home tonight.

 

[Hydderf]

just tried it for 30min, it's really good !

At first I found it kind of awkward how the drift actually pulls you OUT of the interior of the curve : in most drift centric games I played, the drift allows you to turn more (by reducing your turn-radius) with the possibility to counter-steer (by increasing your turn radius without changing the direction).
By the way, counter-steering does change the direction of the kart in your prototype, is it something you want to keep ?

What your approach implies, I think, is less long, smooth drifts where players will have to tweak their trajectory on the fly to take the shortest turn and more quick drift inside a long curve to redirect the kart inside the curve.

That being said, it works very well with your track design and the hectic nature of the driving is really cool. It reminds me of one of your ref : diddy kong racing (and Crash)

I can tell you that your drift-boost mechanic works very well as I designed a game exactly like that (it's called Hot Rodders but is only available in arcade in france . the boost gauge had 3 blocks though). Players would race the tracks again and again until they found THE perfect strategy to get the best time : where to drift the more efficiently to quickly fill the gauge and where to use the boost, resulting in very interesting argument about the best strategy "ho you should have drifted a bit earlier so your gauge would be filled up by now and you could have launched a boost right there" etc..

About power-up, I can only support you for bringing back the feather! We did that in a kart racer (Garfield Kart on iOS (free), don't look at the 3DS game ! ) with a power-up called the spring and it worked well to allow shortcuts and awesome dodge.

Keep up the good work and congrats for Ori by the way

 

[PaulloDEC]

At first I found it kind of awkward how the drift actually pulls you OUT of the interior of the curve : in most drift centric games I played, the drift allows you to turn more (by reducing your turn-radius) with the possibility to counter-steer (by increasing your turn radius without changing the direction).

This is the big sticking point for me right now.

If the yellow line is where I'd drive without drifting, I'd expect a drift to take me closer to the green line. In your prototype, where I'm ending up is closer to the red line.

In something like CTR, hitting the drift (well, jump) button results in a quick hop on the spot, followed by an immediate sharp turn in your chosen direction. Here, it feels like an immediate shunt forward and to the opposite direction of where you want to be. Weirdly though, if you're already mid-turn the effect is much less pronounced.

The only other big issue for me right now is the track size. I'm finding it kinda twitchy just trying to stay on the road, and I initially thought it was the handling. Now I'm thinking maybe the track is just a little small. Looking again at CTR, even at their most narrow sections of the road are rarely smaller than maybe five karts wide, and more commonly they're double that. In your prototype the track is frequently only about three karts wide, and at most maybe five.

Finally, the camera seems kinda distant at the moment; are you planning to have it sit closer to the kart as it usually is in kart racers?

Hope I'm not seeming too critical, but the fact that I've only got three main complaints is a testament to how well everything else is working. I'm looking forward to seeing where this project goes!

 

[thomasmahler]

Thank you guys for your detailed feedback!

I think the drift I have here definitely feels quite a bit different than in other games... so it takes time getting used to it. I was watching some other folks on Skype screenshare and it also took them quite some time getting used to it. So maybe I should cater more towards what people expect it to be, so it's an easier pickup and play thing.

Right now the drift does exacty what you describe, Paullo. The acceleration of the car is simply moving you forward, the drift force itself is an additional sideways force (which means that now you've got two forces pushing you on, you're being pushed forwards AND to the side!) that pushes you out in the opposite direction of your drift. I did that so you could cut the corners at super tight angles while the drift force keeps you on the track a bit.

I also agree that the track size is very narrow right now - This was just a test track I quickly modeled. For the next updates, I think I'll just scale up the world a bit, by like 20%. For other tracks, especially the earlier tracks, I'll probably widen the track width a bit, so people who're just getting used to the controls won't have that much trouble staying on the track, which - I think - is the major cause of frustration at this point.

@Hydderf:

I always find myself counter-steering a little bit while drifting, just to course-correct. But counter-steering for longer amounts feels very awkward to me right now, so I'll definitely play around with it.

 

[Hydderf]

Your drift approach does force players to plan their drift way ahead of the curve. It prevents "reaction drifts" (I'm about to crash and drift to correct my trajectory). So yes one could say it's a bit more hardcore than others.

I would not say it's a bad thing though. The feeling is pretty unique and it's something that, if supported by the track design (and I'm sure it will), could really set your game appart from the crowd.

 

[dock]

cue name suggestions of 'Turbo Ultra Racing Drifters', etc

I really love this project ambition. I really like Mario Kart DS because I felt that there were a lot of modest tracks, especially those based upon the SNES and GBA games. (snaking ruined it for me, however)

I'm glad you're focusing on basic controls, although it would be nice to get boosts/springs in there asap.

Played the demo, it seems promising, but I'm looking forward to the drifting feeling more momentum based. Dislike the camera position quite a bit. Hate the filters so much. Looking forward to seeing it develop!

 

[PaulloDEC]

Thank you guys for your detailed feedback!

I think the drift I have here definitely feels quite a bit different than in other games... so it takes time getting used to it. I was watching some other folks on Skype screenshare and it also took them quite some time getting used to it. So maybe I should cater more towards what people expect it to be, so it's an easier pickup and play thing.

It's definitely something you can adjust to; I just took another run at it, and I think I did a lot better than I had been. What Hydderf said is very true I think; drifting when you would in other kart racers just ain't gonna work.

I actually found that doing lots of shorter drifts allowed me a more control than I was expecting. There's something about the way the kart handles when you cancel a drift that feels really precise and responsive; maybe even a little too much so.

No idea if watching my crappy run might be helpful in some way, but I've uploaded a video of it anyway.

 

[thomasmahler]

Thanks for that

You're not using the boost at all... was that intentional? I quickly recorded a vid to show one of my runs. Not nearly my best and I made a lot of mistakes, but this should show how the drift is supposed to be used:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgvE1Mwepe8&feature=youtu.be

If you wanna get good times, you definitely need to do the Turbo Start (press and hold A when the counter is on 2) and you'd wanna collect all the coins in the first lap already, cause they up your maximum speed (every coin ups your max speed by 0.5). Going out of the track slows you down (there's a timer that builds up to your maximum speed and that timer is reduced drastically when you drive out of the track), but not if you boost - so you can boost out of the track as much as you want without ever taking any hit to your max speed

 

[PaulloDEC]

Thanks for that

You're not using the boost at all... was that intentional? I quickly recorded a vid to show one of my runs. Not nearly my best and I made a lot of mistakes, but this should show how the drift is supposed to be used:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgvE1Mwepe8&feature=youtu.be

Pretty much. Mostly I've been so focussed on navigating the track that I didn't want to take my thumb off A, but additionally I just found it was a bit too much of a boost, and that in a lot of cases it'd just result in me careening off the track.

Could it maybe be mapped to a shoulder button in future builds?

It's interesting watching your run too; it definitely shows how... technical (I guess?) the game is currently, in that it requires a lot of very precise timing and quick readjustments to steering and drift to make a good run.

 

[The Boat]

Well, the problem is still that you need a randomized item to dodge the blue shell - and usually, I like keeping a green shell or something on my back just so I'm not getting screwed over by the crazy triple red shell onslaught, etc.

So yeah, there are some cool hardcore tricks, but I think it's undeniable that SMK was a completely different beast when it comes to the powerup / driving balance. Be fast enough in SMK by grabbing a bunch of coins and drifting through these corners and nothing can stop you.

This kinda mastery of the controls:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmkEpvatJpE

Isn't something I've seen in any of the newer Mario Karts.

I don't see anything here control wise that couldn't be done in recent Mario Karts, in fact I think it's he opposite. Especially in MK8, the controls and physics have a lot more to it than SMK (although this is true for any other MK), the fact that there's a bigger reliance on weapons (which was always Mario Kart's thing) doesn't mean that the controls and driving themselves are simpler or less important. Good driving is still the key to winning.
Edit: either way, I'll see if I can try this out to give some feedback, very interesting project!

 

[Shig]

I know it's in the prototyping stage so it's a little early, but don't forget the characters. Even if they're not wiggling around in the car and just identified by a character select screen and a little portrait in the UI, they're a big part of what gives kart racers their charm. "I like this character over this character" is a lot more engaging dynamic to the player than "I like green car over red car."

 

[thomasmahler]

I don't see anything here control wise that couldn't be done in recent Mario Karts, in fact I think it's he opposite. Especially in MK8, the controls and physics have a lot more to it than SMK (although this is true for any other MK), the fact that there's a bigger reliance on weapons (which was always Mario Kart's thing) doesn't mean that the controls and driving themselves are simpler or less important. Good driving is still the key to winning.
Edit: either way, I'll see if I can try this out to give some feedback, very interesting project!

I'm sure on a hardcore level, that's absolutely true. But if you just play with your buddies, the constant onslaught of crazy items just feels a bit too nuts to me. I definitely had a lot of matches in Mario Kart 8 where I drifted better than everybody else, but then the stupid blue shell hit me and fucked up the entire race and in those moments, it just feels like skill isn't really _the_ reason why you win a race anymore. In SMK, you can become so blazingly fast by simply drifting properly and collecting all the coins that you can outrun red shells and players with a star pretty easily.

I think in terms of controls, I'm kinda looking for STD to head more into the Diddy Kong Racing direction. This speedrun here is a joy to watch:

https://youtu.be/0Ct8n1CClUM?t=635

This actually shows that they did a similar thing: He's constantly using the drift to correct his position and the drift definitely pushes you out a bit - probably not as much as in my STD Prototype right now, but it's definitely there

 

[Raitaro]

I'm subscribing to this thread if only to voice my support for your view on kart racers thomasmahler!

I fully agree that something has been lost with the gradually increasing focus on over-the-top items, gimmicks, spectacle, and overly wide track designs.

I still enjoy MK8 and the two Sonic & All-stars Racing games to a degree, and I had my share of problems with SMK (mostly how the course rotated beneath your sprite due to the Mode 7 used, which I never fully got used to), but I would like to play a cartoony racer again where steering and drifting is king and where items are a bit more rare and need to be used more tactically.

Having no gaming PC at all I can only root for you from the sidelines, but I am definitely interested to read about your progress. (I'm especially curious what kind of graphical style you'll go for in later builds as well - maybe go with something between cartoony and realistic, like Power Drift or Outrunners?)

 

[Raticus79]

DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME!

Embrace it. Make sex puns in the game!

It might help with the coverage. Think of all the terrible pun headlines.

"STD is going viral!" etc etc

Just looking at the GIFs, try to make it a more gradual transition from drift mode to grip mode. It'll help make the handling look a lot better. You get these weird sharp-angled race lines as a result of the current approach.

 

[ElTopo]

I remember there was a Mario Kart project done in Source but it was scrapped after many years of development. I always thought it would be cool to have a balanced kart racer with mod support.

Hope this project works out for you.

 

[thomasmahler]

Having no gaming PC at all I can only root for you from the sidelines, but I am definitely interested to read about your progress. (I'm especially curious what kind of graphical style you'll go for in later builds as well - maybe go with something between cartoony and realistic, like Power Drift or Outrunners?)

I'll try to keep it fairly cartoony. I like the little animations the car already has and I want to make it even crazier with squash 'n stretch and just have feedback on everything you do, etc.

In terms of artstyle, I always loved this sorta lowPoly artstyle with super nice lighting:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/Woodbot-Enviros/2174439

So that's what I'll go for. Basically a 'What would Stunt Race FX or Virtua Racing look like in 2015?' kinda thing.

Ah, almost beat my own record now:

 

[old manatee]

This looks pretty cool. I find modern Mario Karts off putting in how they actually punish skilled players.

 

[NihonTiger90]

Oh, I remember playing this a while ago! Was fun for how early it was in development

Spoiler

and I lost my mind when I realized the car was the one from Stunt Race FX

 

[thomasmahler]

Dear GAF,

Long time no see.

I had almost no time for Super Turbo Drifters due to me having to push hard on getting the Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition done.

BUT: I had this one weekend now where I wanted to go back and do some work! I updated the original post and updated the build (so you can just grab the zip file in the OP).

I added a bunch of things people wanted, I'd love for you guys to try it and toss me some feedback. Try to see if you can break the current Record Time (should be 01:15:00) and post your high scores!

 

[PaulloDEC]

Dear GAF,

Long time no see.

I had almost no time for Super Turbo Drifters due to me having to push hard on getting the Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition done.

BUT: I had this one weekend now where I wanted to go back and do some work! I updated the original post and updated the build (so you can just grab the zip file in the OP).

I added a bunch of things people wanted, I'd love for you guys to try it and toss me some feedback. Try to see if you can break the current Record Time (should be 01:15:00) and post your high scores!

Finally got around to giving this a whirl.

Ooh, so close!

Anyway, things are feeling good. My main issue remains that certain mechanics still feel a bit... I dunno, extreme? The horizontal shift (or perceived horizontal shift, I can't exactly tell) that occurs when you jump into a drift is still pretty jarring, and I wonder if turning in general is a bit tight? I feel like in other kart racers you really have to jam on the stick to make a tight turn, whereas here it's almost the opposite.

I hope you get some time to keep working at it!

 

[thomasmahler]

I did some more polish stuff and uploaded a new build - still the same link as in the OT, so just download it again to get the updated build

Added a menu system (currently only SinglePlayer/GP or Time Trial/MushroomCup/MarioCircuit1 (I know, I've been too lazy to figure out other names, etc.) actually loads -> Everything else will result in a black screen.

I also made the jump anims a little more squash 'n stretchy, added a PauseMenu, etc. - so it feels much more like a 'full game' now.

Anyway, things are feeling good. My main issue remains that certain mechanics still feel a bit... I dunno, extreme? The horizontal shift (or perceived horizontal shift, I can't exactly tell) that occurs when you jump into a drift is still pretty jarring, and I wonder if turning in general is a bit tight? I feel like in other kart racers you really have to jam on the stick to make a tight turn, whereas here it's almost the opposite.

Thanks for the feedback! I like the controls atm, but what I'll do is to add a second kart soon that has different drifting behavior that's more like what you're suggesting

 

[PantsuJo]

Looks really promising!! Good job

 

[thomasmahler]

Looks really promising!! Good job

Try it! I need tons of feedback, try to see if you can beat the 01:15:00 record and drop your thoughts

I love the idea of constantly talking to people to check whether they like this or that and get influenced by that. Super appreciative of any feedback you guys are tossing my way!

 

[LordCiego]

One question. Are you thinking of doing any type of rubberbanding?

I know its not a popular opinion but I have always thought that its a little nice assist to give to more casual players in multiplayer, not everybody its a snaking master.

Will try it when I get home.

 

[thomasmahler]

One question. Are you thinking of doing any type of rubberbanding?

I know its not a popular opinion but I have always thought that its a little nice assist to give to more casual players in multiplayer, not everybody its a snaking master.

Will try it when I get home.

I don't think so. I think people generally don't like rubberbanding in these games and I don't want to change people's speed and the handling just because they're ahead.

Even for AI, I'll probably keep it very similar to how Diddy Kong Racing did it, which means no stupid AI cheating / rubberbanding and if you're really good, you'll just lap all the AI players.

People who are further behind will have a better chance of getting more powerful weapons, but there won't be any blue shells or anything crazy like that

 

[Sydle]

Try it! I need tons of feedback, try to see if you can beat the 01:15:00 record and drop your thoughts

I love the idea of constantly talking to people to check whether they like this or that and get influenced by that. Super appreciative of any feedback you guys are tossing my way!

Challenge accepted. Will try this out tonight.