Throughout every metamorphosis our game has undergone, at least one thing has been the same: we love us some vehicles. While the mechanics of the game and refinement of that vehicular experience has changed dramatically, it has been one thing that is consistent.
Let's start at the beginning: Jams. Now, to be fair, a lot of these pieces were just taken from the Unity store, but there were a few custom pieces done. The limo, for instance, was created by Jack, one of the artists on the prototype team. The game was originally about traffic control and potentially escorting important vehicles through the gridlock.
Let's start at the beginning: Jams. Now, to be fair, a lot of these pieces were just taken from the Unity store, but there were a few custom pieces done. The limo, for instance, was created by Jack, one of the artists on the prototype team. The game was originally about traffic control and potentially escorting important vehicles through the gridlock.
Here you can see a couple of those concept cars in isolation from the scene.
The next iteration on our concept of cars features models that were a little different. These scenes were definitely designed to have a cartoon feel. The cars themselves honestly look a little bit like keyboard mice, looking back at it now. Funny stuff. Anyway, the second example here features the cars with textures in place, which again were meant to be simple because the player actually created those cars so that they could crash into each other. Up to this point, in fact, the player didn't have any direct control of the vehicles. They had a programmed behavior and the game was built around that experience.
Can I also say that I love the gas station that's named "Gas Station"? Who needs Conoco or Sinclair?
These pics are from the first semester of projects. Over the summer, we altered our mechanics to focus on driving instead. During this time, we used various cars, such as the Edy's Physics car and a chicken (not pictured, but delightful). But we needed something new. Here are some concept pieces!
Our next real vehicle was much more of a racer than a standard sedan.
Check out the hot wheels on that ride. As we developed, we decided to focus on a candy theme, and so the artwork and the vehicles changed to match that. We retextured the piece seen above, and we added in a second vehicle that moved more slowly but that could plow through obstacles.
But candy is dumb. This isn't just me saying that; it's something that we decided collectively, as a team. So, we changed our theme to something more like Avatar meets Southern Utah (our home state!). Here's a look at that.
And so, finally, we reach the point that we're at now. Here is the final concept model ...
Thanks for taking the time to go on this journey in a few minutes. It took us several months. Let us know what you think of ... any of it.