"The 90's Arcade Racer" kickstarter - interesting game in development

[Seith]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/896834116/the-90s-arcade-racer











Looks pretty promising!

[BadMouth]

Backed at the level where you get your own billboard.

If the project gets funded, we'll do a BYOAC billboard. 

[Well Fed Games]

If the project gets funded, we'll do a BYOAC billboard. 

Ha, that is great. Checked out the project but didn't look at the supporter perks. 

[Seith]

If the project gets funded, we'll do a BYOAC billboard. 

Great idea!

[Le Chuck]

I say we pool funds and chip in for a custom car - Anybody feel like racing in a giant Urkelcade on wheels?!

[BadMouth]

I say we pool funds and chip in for a custom car - Anybody feel like racing in a giant Urkelcade on wheels?!

Earlier, there was only one available and it had already sold.
Wonder if the dev is watching this thread? 
If so, Welcome! (if you're not already a member)

[Nephasth]

I say we pool funds and chip in for a custom car - Anybody feel like racing in a giant Urkelcade on wheels?!

[BadMouth]

Halfway there.  What's the BYOAC billboard going to look like?

The atom logo?


a BYOAC Racing Team logo?

Have you seen this man?
(with PBJ's old avatar)

[PL1]

Have you seen this man?
(with PBJ's old avatar)

Shouldn't that be on a milk carton?   


Scott

[Nephasth]

Have you seen this man?
(with PBJ's old avatar)

Oh man. If there's a vote, I vote for this!

But it's gotta be that creepy clown, not the greaseball in the duster playing pinball.

[Brian74]

Im in!! 

[BadMouth]

 

Up to £7,261 (£10,000 goal)

Dev says it will support lower resolutions so it should be playable on driving cabs.
I haven't bugged him about adding a 4 speed option.  It currently has a 6 speed.

[kahlid74]

Ugh, I loathe projects where the cost is in a currency Amazon can't link to.  I don't like it when I want to throw money at people and it's more difficult than two mouse clicks.

[BadMouth]

Update:

Since the project went live there have been some very exciting developments that I can't talk about yet but the game could be heading for the TV. This is not a one person project anymore and I hope U Wiil stay tuned for more news. In the meantime I've added a couple more screenshots on the main page

Sounds like the game will be on the Wii U.
I hope the other parties getting involved don't dilute his his focus on the cars handling.
That's is what made those games great.

[BadMouth]

Project is funded!

I don't know what all the stipulations are for our BYOAC billboard yet, but I'd like to get the ball rolling on ideas.
I'm figuring either the BYOC atom logo mentioned above or working it into a knock off of some real sponsor logo.

The billboards pictured in the game so far are extremely simple.
We'll probably need to keep things big and basic...and of course stay far far away from trademark infringement. 

[Yourname942]

just curious what engine did you use to create the game?

[BadMouth]

just curious what engine did you use to create the game?

I'm not the creator, I just plunked down some support money because I love the games it is a tribute to.

From the kickstarter comments:

Creator Pelikan13 on January 25

@Michael Gehri &Steven W. The game uses Unity 4 and If all goes well I should have an update quite soon

I wish I had the money to buy a second billboard.  I'd make a joe camel knockoff called joe llama.
Completely pointless, but I'd know that was my joe llama damnit!

EDIT: attached concept done poorly in ms paint

[Cynicaster]

Any word on how the game will be controlled?  I don't know the first thing about PC gaming, so I don't know what is typically used to control PC racers. 

[BadMouth]

Any word on how the game will be controlled?  I don't know the first thing about PC gaming, so I don't know what is typically used to control PC racers.

  

It's a pc racing game. An xbox controller or PC steering wheel will probably be best.
I imagine it might have an option for keyboards, but I don't know why you would want to use one.

The dev has stated that he wants to spend the most time on getting the control and feel right.



Is anyone interested in throwing in their 2 cents about the billboard?
The dev has already sent a request to submit it, but didn't give any guidance whatsoever.
I imagine he's going to redraw and rework them to maintain the style of the game.
Should I just go ahead and send him the BYOAC atom logo and see what he says?

Now that I think about it, that logo would have looked sweet accross the hood of a stock car.

[Well Fed Games]

I think having the URL on there would be good if allowed. I like where you are going with the mockup. The sample billboards in the screenshots are fairly basic, so maybe simple is better. The various token designs submitted might be a good source of inspiration as well.

So excited about a little BYOAC promotion. Here's hoping the game is good enough and has the features needed to justify some custom cab builds!

Edit: now that I look at it again the atom logo might be the best of all worlds.

[BadMouth]

Here is the atom logo as re-drawn by Ond.
I just PMed Saint for permission since it is his site (I think of it as "ours" )
Guess we should get permission from Ond too if we submit his artwork. 



Is anyone interested in making a different design?

[saint]

Here is the atom logo as re-drawn by Ond.
I just PMed Saint for permission since it is his site (I think of it as "ours" )
Guess we should get permission from Ond too if we submit his artwork. 



Is anyone interested in making a different design?

Hey guys - I have always thought of BYOAC as "ours" and considered myself the fortunate librarian keeping the books you guys write on the shelves. I love this idea, and of course I'm on board. To be explicit, I give my permission for a BYOAC billboard. If you want to use the atom logo I will need to ask one person, because though they created it and let me use it I think they also need to bless its use. I will check on that now. Awesome sauce by the way!

[saint]

So what feedback can we give him regarding making this suitable for a BYOAC cabinet? Customizable controls obviously, anything more specific?

[BadMouth]

So what feedback can we give him regarding making this suitable for a BYOAC cabinet? Customizable controls obviously, anything more specific?

I bugged him about lower resolutions and he said they would be supported.
Most of the comments at the time were people asking for online multiplayer and ports to every device ever made.
Someone even requested a Dreamcast port. 
I figured his inbox was filled with more of the same, so I left him alone for the time being.

He seems to get that these games were great because of the control and wants to spend a lot of time on that.

I only really came up with one other major concern.  It can be the start of the list (be reasonable!):

>The game shows 6 gears, but the old SEGA cabinets only have 4.
   I imagine both paddle/sequential and H-shifters will be supported. 
   I have paddles, but some people only have the 4 speed.


EDIT:

Update!

Things have been very busy for me these past few days, it’s nearly two weeks and it looks like the initial funding target will be met so thank you very much!

As I hinted in a previous update I have some exciting news coming next week and I'm sure they'll make quite a few people very happy.

For now all I can tell is that as of next week I'll be working with a team on putting everything together. They have previous Unity and racing game experience so I'm confident we can make this game the best it can be.

This means I can focus entirely on the design and art direction of the game. They'll be working on all areas that I need help such as Unity programming, physics, design, tuning, balancing and a lot of other features!

So what happens with my original £20k stretch goal? Simple, it's more content, meaning I can have some talented artists help me create more tracks, more cars and generally more polished content for the game. The longer I can afford them for the better!

They also added a soundtrack download to the rewards which makes me think they added some talent there. 

[ids]

I'd love to see him reach the 20k stretch goal.  One way we could help is to chip in and put the BYOAC logo on a car (£90).  Sure, it's a far cry from getting to the 20k goal, but it would be cool anyway.  Any interest?

[BadMouth]

I'd love to see him reach the 20k stretch goal.  One way we could help is to chip in and put the BYOAC logo on a car (£90).  Sure, it's a far cry from getting to the 20k goal, but it would be cool anyway.  Any interest?

I'm already on the hook for the billboard, so count me out of the next round. 
I considered switching the pledge over to a logo on the car when the option was added,
but was afraid we'd end up with something tiny.

When I submit this, I'm going to mention it would look great on a big round rotating sign. 
I know there is one of those in one of the 90's racers, but I can't remember where at the moment.

[ids]

I'd be willing to buy into that level so we can do this, if others were willing to chip in a few quarters here and there to help.  It's just a bit too much to tackle on my own (about $140).

[PL1]

I'd make a joe camel knockoff called joe llama.

An advertisement involving chewing tobacco? 




Scott

[Brian74]

Just let me know where to send the $

[tumult]

Annoyed that I just learned about this. I will back as soon as I get back to the states as I am always looking for more games for my cockpit. I wonder if d-box support can be added? 

tum

[BadMouth]

The Dev likes our logo and it might end up somewhere better than a billboard. 

The game is now being developed for WiiU, Windows, Linux, Mac, & iOS.
Update from one of the new people on board:

Hello!

My name is Tyrone Rodriguez. I’m with Nicalis, Inc. You may or may not have heard of Nicalis, but we’ve worked with other talented developers on games like Cave Story, VVVVVV, NightSky and 1001 Spikes.
 
We’re working with Anthony on The ‘90s Arcade Racer. Our collaboration will allow him to realize his vision of the game and make sure that he has the necessary Unity programming and design help he needs so that he can concentrate on art and other aspects. On our end, we’ll be working on the Unity programming, physics, tuning and general design and production of the game.
 
I grew up playing arcade games and the racing genre has always been one of my favorites. I worked for a now-dead magazine called Tips&Tricks when Sega was at the top of its game in terms of hardware and racing games; being part of a magazine where we were supposed to be pros at games, I ended up spending a lot of time playing Virtua Racing, Daytona, Super GT (Scud Race outside the US), Daytona 2 and basically every other Sega racer (even the weird ones like Moto Raider).
 
For anyone asking about the physics, both Anthony and I know what arcade racers should feel like. I also have experience with racing games and actual track experience; I worked on The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (PS2, PSP), designing its drift physics. and have over 100 hours of real-world track time (open-wheel, street and race cars). Anthony and I won’t stop until we get the tuning just right.
 
Oh, by the way, we’ll be publishing the game on Wii U eShop, too.

[eds1275]

Unity is a great program. I have been working with it for about 6 months now learning it and have recently started my own homebrew game (which I will release here for us all!) I'm not trying to steal the thunder of this, what I want to point out is that with very little programming experience under my belt, with Unity I have been able to get a great thing going in a short amount of time - good graphics, physics, control, and lighting. People who know what they are doing should be able to put out an amazing product, and I am excited about this game.

[Seith]

A bit more good news regarding this game - looks like publisher Nicalis has signed onto it!

http://indiegames.com/2013/02/nicalis_to_publish_kickstarter.html

[BadMouth]

A bit more good news regarding this game - looks like publisher Nicalis has signed onto it!

http://indiegames.com/2013/02/nicalis_to_publish_kickstarter.html

and another update from the author:

Hello everyone,

I’m very happy with how everything has turned out since the kickstarter launched and now I’m in a very good position and have everything I need to finish the game. Thank you all so much!
 
Also thanks to Nicalis and their offer to help in all areas that would otherwise take a big amount of my time I can now confirm some features that are definitely going in:
 ■ 2 cars per car class and two extra bonus cars bringing the total to 8 cars.
 ■ 3 tracks, now with two routes each playable in normal or reverse and at two different times of day. There is also the possibility of a bonus track if the £20k goal is reached.
 ■ A drift point scoring system.
 ■ Arcade and Championship modes for each car class.
 ■ Leaderboards
 
Of course more features could end up in the game but can't be confirmed right now

Thank you!

Not sure how I feel about the drift point scoring system.
Guess I can just ignore it and focus on beating the other cars.

[ids]

update - I have decided to bump up to the car logo level.  I haven't seen much interest here w.r.t. donating to the cause to put the BYOAC logo on a car, and motivation is low with trying to coordinate such things, so I think I'll just put my own company logo on it.  My concern is that all it takes is, say, $1 donated to the cause, and I'm on the hook to change from my own logo to BYOAC - which is already featured on a billboard.  Maybe I'm selfish (ok, yes, i am).  Hope you all understand.  At this point, the 15k stretch goal, to increase content, is almost met, and I've done all I can at this point to help with that.  Looking forward to finished product.

cheers

[isamu]

Gonna be an awesome game and I can't wait!

But for the love of God I really really REALLY hope he adds online multiplayer. I mean , it'd be just criminal for it not to be in the PC version.

Force Feedback wheel support is something I'd like to think is a no brainer as well.

Oculus Rift compatibility should round out the trifecta 

The above plus good drifting physics and we'll have a contender for Game of the Millennium! 

[negative1]

excellent idea for a game.

didn't have time to support it,
but will check out its progress.

later
-1

[SailorSat]

Hehe, I'd like a "no textures" mode with just flat shaded polygons
But I guess that won't happen

[BadMouth]

Here's an update:

Hello Everyone,

first of all I would like to once again thank you all for your support.

Things have been moving quite fast since the kickstarter ended. The second track should be finished ahead of schedule and the game now has 5 complete cars with three more on the way. I'm going to post another update later on focusing on the cars.
 
For now I wanted to share with you a couple of screenshots showcasing the new track at two different lighting conditions. Keep in mind that everything shown is of course work in progress. Some of you might also recognize your billboards

I didn't spot the BYOAC logo anywhere yet, but have a feeling it's going to end up somewhere better than a small billboard. 
The final one I submitted was a gorgeous full color one done by Ond. (Larger than the one attached)

[Fursphere]

Is there a way to purchase a copy of this game yet?   I totally missed the kickstarter!