Arcade Galaxy Dev Log — April 2022
MAKING PROGRESS
It is time for a highly-anticipated sneak peek of our project on AVAX! The Arcade Galaxy team has been hard at work for the past month prototyping and implementing the core components that are powering this next-generation GameFi experience. As we approach the May 20 Planet NFT mint date, the team has been eager to showcase the work that has been completed thus far. As we are still in the early stages of delivering a full release, we decided that it would be most appropriate that we start documenting the development process through a series of dev logs.
Each dev log will cover an area of the team’s design process, from game creation to our economy which supports players and creators alike. Over time, we hope that these articles will offer the community important insight into the evolving state of the project — giving our team the chance to demonstrate their efforts but also gain feedback to make Arcade Galaxy one of the best places to play, share, and earn.
THREE CORE COMPONENTS
The team is currently pursuing development in consideration of three comprehensive modes of interaction. These components include Cubs Customization, the Creator’s Tool, and the Core Gameplay.
CUBS CUSTOMIZATION
DESIGN GOALS & VARIETY
Some of the primary applications of the Cubs Editor are to equip Cub avatars with items that offer unique abilities, but there is also the option to decorate these characters with an assortment of accessories. With equipment, the user can swap between different items that are advantageous within specific game modes and venues. In terms of appearance, players will be able to apply textures or clothing to personalize their Cubs. Beyond having some control over how avatars appear in-game, we also think that it will be fun for players to share their Cub designs on social platforms with their friends and other communities.
All Cubs are going to be fully customizable with cosmetic items and equipment through this Cub’s Editor. At this time, the team has put their focus on cosmetic items in our proof-of-concept demo. Cosmetics include different textures and accessories that can modify the visual appearance of a Cub. These changes are purely aesthetic and will not affect gameplay.
On the other hand, equipment would not only affect the Cub’s appearance, it also modifies the gameplay experience.
PROTOTYPING THE CUBS EDITOR
In the current version, we are experimenting with the interchangeable parts of Cubs using the basic composition of 3D models. Some of their attributes include texture, mesh and color. Based on the modularity of these three attributes, we have established the foundational logic of the Cubs Editor. Once we have more combinations defined in the future, this underlying implementation can function as a future-proof mechanism for extended customization.
CREATOR’S TOOL
GAMEPLAY OBJECTS & PROPS
The level editor is meant to facilitate a variety of courses that are distinguishable both visually and during gameplay. At the present, we are providing static scene objects that users can edit with — such as racetracks, trees, buildings, jumping platforms, etc.
However, we are also in the process of working on gameplay objects such as a “Speed Pad,” a prop that accelerates racers upon driving over it. In the future, we aim to expand these interactive functions to even more items — like banana peels, traps and even weapons. Boom!
TUNING GAMEPLAY FOR CUSTOM TRACKS
One of the greatest challenges is combining gameplay with custom, playable content. This is especially true when it comes to building a responsive control system for the Cubs within the scale of a given scene. Due to the scene being static during editing, players may have difficulty imagining how the edited track feels to play in-game. With this concern in mind, we have to do the work in offering players the ability to test their tracks in advance when implementing the function of scene objects. It is important that both players and creators have the chance to test all of the different possibilities. There are so many course permutations with all of the objects and props, so making that process as intuitive as possible is vital.
CORE GAMEPLAY
THE DRIVING MODEL
The driving model is a central gameplay mechanic — acceleration, braking, and steering are some of the focuses in tuning vehicle controls. However, because we are an arcade game, that control will not be as complex as a racing simulator. We want to embrace the fun, simplicity, and accessibility of classic arcade games. The goal is to find a balance between precise car control and overall fun factor.
KART RACING & MUCH MORE
In the current version, the core gameplay appears to resemble most other karting games, but our team really wants to offer much more than that. Our ambition is to design a vehicle-based arcade game — one with a variety of gameplay options that are very different from traditional racing games. Hardcore racing games focus on hard skill-based gameplay, requiring muscle memory for braking, acceleration, and anticipating opponents trying to pass you on the racetrack.
With Arcade Galaxy, we want to offer an experience that is fun for all ages and skill groups. Players have the freedom to exercise their creativity by editing the tracks that they play on, so we are putting more of our focus on opening up different styles of game logic. With the Creator’s Tool, the gameplay rules could function more like a tank battle, capture the flag, or even a battle royale…
As long as you have an editor and set the logical conditions for victory, everyone can create interesting, interactive content and maps. Ultimately, user-generated content is what sets our gameplay apart from other racing games in the genre.
OPTIMIZATION
Reflecting on the long-term challenges, we are currently assessing performance. The current version is built with Unity WebGL. Building for the web means that there are many unknowns and compatibility issues to fix and maintain. Our 3D editors, scenes, and map are still being optimized — we expect reduced performance and frame rates until we can optimize all of these interconnected feature sets.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you have made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read our story — the team is energized by all of the support and interest we have seen for Arcade Galaxy. We have a lot more work to do, but we’re setting up the foundation for an ambitious gaming platform that is driven by a passion for games and the prospect of Web3 ingenuity.
As always, make sure to follow us on Twitter, Discord, and check out our Whitepaper…
