Project Summary
Role: Track Designer
Team Size: 50
Development Time: 4 Months
Genre: Arcade Racer
Editor: Unreal Engine 5.3
Platform: Steam, Steam Deck
Process: Iterative Agile Spiral with Scrum
Tools: Perforce, Jira, Miro, Confluence
The Game:
Contributions
Track Concept
Collaboration
Track
Construction
AI Spline
Implementation
Track Concept Collaboration
Top Down of A Whirling Welcome
3D View of A Whirling Welcome
I worked together with my two colleagues on Track Team 1 to brainstorm ideas for how we wanted A Whirling Welcome to flow and look. Those are my sketches based on our conversations above their corresponding screenshots.
I was responsible for the concept of the second shortcut, spiral section, and what would become the plaza section. My peers and I were really into the idea of the map having fun turns for the player and we really leaned into it.
During this phase I also collaborated with the artists to help bring the level to life. The Fastival sign above the arch, the Barnaby Bunny statues in the plaza, and the plaza itself were all things we requested that are unique to A Whirling Welcome.
In the screenshots you can see how true to the original design we were able to keep things, and I think that’s a testament to our skills as designers, and our ability to adjust the concept to new ideas from our lead team.
Track Construction
Once development started, I began using a modular road tool to lay out segments of track based on the parts of the track I had designed in the preproduction phase, which was roughly half of the track. Here you can see The Statue Plaza, second shortcut, and Spiral sections that I helped create.
While this was a major part of my role, it wasn’t the only thing.
During production my role adapted to what the track needed. From asset placement to track spline adjustments to adding respawn volumes to meticulously aligning railing around the plaza. From small tweaks to massive adjustments.
AI Spline Implementation
Our track was one of the first to fully implement the AI splines that controlled the movement of the NPC characters as well as what place in the race each racer was in.
I worked closely with the AI team of programmers in implementing it while also collaborating on adjustments that could be made to make it feel better.
The splines would go through several revisions and would be adjusted an equal amount of times to ensure what I think is one of the highlights of the game overall. A robust and competitive AI.
In the images provided, you can see examples of how the splines had to be laid out, maneuvered through winding turns, and come to intersections where different parts of track met.
