LWMedia

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/11

Wrapping up the Astral On-Ramp track for today's Bloodborne Kart dev thread!!

On top of adding the relevant AI pathing actors to the track, I also made the minimap and expanded the minimap racer icons to display if they are above or below the player (by making them half transparent or switching out the icon with an upward facing arrow) to account for the fact that this track is very vertical.

The original idea was to have multiple 'floor' layer support that the map toggles between...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/9

Made the giant sunflower stalk for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post! It also has a 2D version that it swaps to when the player is far away.

On top of this, I also made a sniper perch on top of the archway between the two rooms that can be accessed by a pair of boost pads for battle mode! I'm also thinking of putting the 'flag' there in relevant game types as well!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/8

Did a lot more work on the Astral On-Ramp track today! I polished up the boss arena areas by creating the building extreriors and fixing up the collision between the two, and also worked on making the pop-in less apparent, but still visible (this is a ps1-like after all!)

Now that the track is fully raceable, here is a full run through! My goal for these tracks is to have a one minute lap time on average and this clocks in at 55 so mission accomplished!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/7

Doing more track progress for todays Bloodborne Kart dev post! On top of polishing the research hall to better draw the player down the intended route, I also started the sunflower garden and moved the Astral Clocktower area to the other side of the garden, albeit without a modeled exterior.

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/5

Implementing all the new features into campaign mode for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

Now that we have fodder karts, we can pad out the early race rosters to be a full 8 racers! It's worth noting that unlocked racers will 'follow' the player through the campaign as the hunter explores Yharnam & beyond, as racing against the core cast is the whole point of BBKart!

I also updated the initial narration text box in the campaign interstitial screen to support no VO audio, so I...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/4

Created the research hall patient fodder racer for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

On top of making a new character model, I also integrated VO and got it all up and running in the kart pawn system, check it out!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/5/3

Working on implementing Lady Maria into the code base for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

On top of integrating her into the selection screen, I also integrated selects from her available VO into the taunt system! I even took her "you boy/girl are insufferable" and made a rudimentary gender tracking system so the correct one plays.

I also cobbled together a gender-neutral version of the line where she just says "Hmm... Insufferable" for characters with unknown genders.

Lady Maria joins the race extended trailer!

Happy to show off Lady Maria as a racer, alongside her Astral Monogear kart! Had a lot of fun with this design, seeing as the unique shape requiring a unique animation set!

I didn't make any dev threads to preserve the surprise, but I did document the progress via videos and screenshots, which I plan on compiling and sharing here in the future so keep an eye out!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/13

Working on fodder racers for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post! Characters that haven't been 'met' in the story yet can't participate in campaign races, so fodder karts will pad out the roster.

Part 1: The fodder racer model will change depending on the track, Yharnam tracks will make them huntsmen!

Part 2: Fodder racers recycle the hunter racer animations, which limits them to bipeds only, but it does open them up to use multiple karts. This means that the infamous gatling gun ene...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/11

Working on the research hall track for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

Made a raceable track on the first floor using shelves to wall out a path and also made the second-floor balconies, which make a natural circuit due to it lining the square layout of the tower.

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/10

Doing more research hall development for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

Created more staircases (and made them wider to support more racers) and the central piller + platform. This will be the backbone of the level, with spiral staircases winding in an out between the central platforms and the balconies.

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/9

Starting work on the Astral Clocktower / Research Hall track for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

The central idea of this track is that racers start on the bottom level and spiral their way up to the top of the tower, before being teleported back down to the start! Take a look at the bottom level and a spiral staircase asset, which is using a new collision creation workflow that allows for smooth collision along the complex shape!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/8

Polishing the Gascoigne boss fight for today's #BloodborneKart dev Post!

First off, I fixed a bug that caused AI to ignore racers as chase targets when there's only 2 present (it should have been 1, as that means they are alone; they can't chase themselves!). This has been fixed!

I also made some special power ups spawn in when Gascoigne is at 2/3rds health, one of which is a blood vial. I also reduced Gascoigne's health by 20% Hopefully these two things will make the fight better...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/7

Hey all! Instead of a normal Bloodborne Kart dev post I wanted to show off a full 5-minute playthrough of the Gascoigne boss fight.

I do think it's a bit lengthy and drags in the second phase, so I'll definitely be tweaking some dials when I get to polishing. That being said, it's really exciting to have a full boss fight fully playable, albeit in an unpolished state 😁

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/6

Take a look at the Father Gascoigne boss fight's third phase!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/5

Working on the third phase for the Father Gascoigne boss fight for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post, which will feature the normal, non-kart version of beast Gascoigne.

This setup is inspired by 4 Kings from dark souls, where the actual boss is below the level and any damage applied to the actors in the arena are re-directed to said boss, thus having a consistent boss health bar between multiple enemy actors.

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/4

Did a lot of progress on the Gascoigne boss fight's second phase for today's Bloodborne Kart dev thread!

The second phase of the fight is a battle arena match, where the player and Gascoigne fight one on one!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/3

Here is a first look at phase one of the Father Gascoigne boss race for todays Bloodborne Kart dev post!

The first phase is a chase. If the player falls too far behind, as signified by the new distance tracker UI elements on the top of the screen, it's game over!

On that topic, the pre-recorded race data for Father Gascoigne changes speed based on said sitance from him. If the player is too close, he speeds up. If the player is falling behind, he slows down (but never to a stop) 2023-04-03 21:32:06 +0000 UTC View Post

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/2

Working on the first campaign boss encounter for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

This might look like a normal race at first, but actually the enemy AI is running off of pre-recorded race data. This means that the AI is effectively on rails, however they are still aware of their surroundings and can pick up and use / shoot power ups in real time.

With this method we can fake a higher level of intelligence fit for a boss, but more importantly we can modulate the speed of the reco...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/4/1

Did some various polish and fixes for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post! Details in video :)

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/30

Made the track intros for today's Bloodborne Kart. Updated the Intro Cam actor to expand its functionality, and added support for multiple intro cameras that the race manager fades between before starting the race.

Worth noting that this is exclusive to campaign mode, and can be skipped.

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/29

Finishing up the hunter's dream circuit for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

I simplified the shortcut to be a simple fenced alternate path instead of asking the player to fend for themselves in an open garden as that felt like too much for a players first track.

I also created the minimap, which of course doesn't show the shortcut as going 'off the map' is mysterious and cool

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/27

Polishing the starter hunters dream course for today's Bloodborne Kart dev thread! Adding a bunch of multi layered paths, walls and gates to the track to echo the design of the original hunters dream.

The player can't go into the environment, but it really implies a sense of place outside of the track itself, which I'm learning is important for a racing game.

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/26

Working on a new track for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post! As the game vaguely follows the same beats as the original, the first race will be in the hunters dream.

However, the original track that was made is inspired by rainbow road, and is therefore too complex for players first race, so I made a simple circuit variant instead to ease new players into the game.

After this track, the original april fools track is next, which is larger and more complex but still on the easy side...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/25

Excited to show off the tutorials updated visuals and intro cutscene for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post! I wanted the tutorial to be a little moodier to help imply the dreamlike status of it and this is where I ended up.

I also put some extra work in the transition between the new game messenger dialogue and the tutorial, which requires a load as the it's in a different map. I also added the doll dialogue, as it fits with the 'twisted version of Bloodborne' vibe that I want for BBKart...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/24

Working on rewards for replaying levels for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

Part 1: Replaying a level that has been 100% completed (the max of 3 insight and all unlockables collected) will result in all rewards (except collected blood echoes) being disabled, as said rewards have already been collected.

Part 2: Replaying a level that has some but not all rewards collected will result in the system only granting the remaining rewards, depending on the players placement. In this ex...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/23

Got the replay level screen to properly load the match data and the correct map file for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

This does mean that we can replay previously won campaign levels, however some problems have arisen, primarily with rewards. Right now, the player can just win the same level over and over to farm Insight, which shouldn't be the case as Insight is a finite resource, like BBPSX before it.

I did update the progression system to save the amount of insight won per...

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/22

Happy to show off the new narration that's both voiced and written by @art_mino for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post! He did a very good job emulating the weirdly directed pacing and slightly off proper noun pronunciation that old VO work is infamous for.

On top of this, I also added more functionality to the menu, primarily the replay level and quit to menu screens!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/21

Took forever, but i made save and load fully operational for todays Bloodborne Kart dev post!

Here is a demonstration of me starting a new game, playing a match, saving to file, restarting the game and resuming where I left off by loading said save!

Bloodborne Kart dev update 2023/3/20

Doing more work on campain mode for today's Bloodborne Kart dev post!

Battle mode didn't have support for a rewards screen so I added that. I also expanded the rewards screen to allow for the player to navigate up to the unlocks so they can scrutinize them further. Doing so will disable the auto progress so they can stay on the screen for as long as they want.