Fastival

Role | Lead Physics Programmer

Team Size | 45

Fastival is a vibrant, cartoony arcade racing game developed by students at SMU Guildhall, where players race through various attractions within a lively carnival setting.

Key features of the game include:

Diverse Bumper Cars: Choose from four unique bumper cars, each with distinct driving strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the Shark car offers higher top speed but is more challenging to control, while the Vintage car accelerates slower but is heavier, allowing for more effective drifting.
Interactive Racetracks: Knock down targets during races to trigger temporary effects on the track. Some targets reveal shorter paths, while others activate hazards that opponents must avoid, adding strategic elements to each race.
Wacky Items: Collect carnival tickets to obtain one of five fun items. Use a firecracker to launch forward with temporary invincibility or throw water balloons at other racers to spin them out, enhancing the competitive and playful nature of the game.
Three Unique Tracks: Race through different sections of the carnival, each with its own theme. Navigate tight turns around a merry-go-round, dodge giant whack-a-moles, zoom across a roller coaster, fly through rings of fire, and get launched by a cannon into a big-top circus tent.
Customization: Personalize your racer by mixing and matching between four cute costumes and color palettes, allowing for a tailored racing experience.

Fastival was released on June 14, 2024, and is available for free on Steam.

For more information and updates, you can visit SMU Guildhall's official page on the game.

My Responsibilities

In Fastival, I was responsible for developing the physics system for the carts, a fundamental component that directly impacted the feel and overall gameplay experience. My goal was to ensure smooth, responsive movement while providing designers with a system that allowed for granular control over cart behavior. It was essential that each cart felt distinct while keeping the iteration process efficient and intuitive.

I created and guided teammates in implementing mechanics such as acceleration, deceleration, turning, and drifting mechanics to create a fluid and skill-based driving experience. By carefully tuning friction, drag, and gravity, I ensured that carts felt natural to control while maintaining an arcade-style responsiveness.

I designed a parameter-driven system that allowed designers to adjust key attributes like top speed, turning curves, and acceleration curves. This approach made it easy to create carts with distinct handling characteristics while keeping iteration time low.

Designer-Driven Features & Tools

Beyond core movement, I also developed additional tools to support specific gameplay mechanics requested by designers:

To ensure carts landed smoothly after jumps, I implemented a spline system that guided their movement, preventing jarring mid-air behavior and allowing for seamless transitions back onto the track.

I introduced a reactive collision system for interactions with track barriers, making impacts feel natural while preventing players from getting stuck or losing momentum awkwardly.

To maintain a consistent and controlled driving experience on slopes, I ensured that carts would align their forward vector with the track normal. This prevented unnatural behavior, like carts awkwardly driving nose-first into inclines, and contributed to a smoother, more immersive racing experience.

Overall, my contributions ensured that Fastival’s cart physics felt polished and fun while empowering designers to make meaningful adjustments quickly and efficiently.

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