GAMESBYSHIKHAR
TrackMania Blitz
Game Designer.
Ubisoft Vietnam, Team size:6
May 2020 - October 2020.
Genre: Hypercasual, Multiplayer, Racing, Arcade.
Platform: Mobile (primary), Tablet, PC.
TrackMania Blitz is an instant party game based on the classic Ubisoft franchise TrackMania. Connect with 15 other players and show off your wheel skills in high-speed elimination races filled with turbo boosts, loops and insane jumps. Blast your engine to Full Speed by driving over the track hyperboosters!
Responsibilities:
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Lead and managed all aspects of design from conception to release (including balancing updates).
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Created, defended and maintained all design documents through multiple iterations.
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Designed, A/B tested and balanced over 20 levels to get the final list of 16 in the game.
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Helped analyze the Tableau data for balancing/polishing updates together with the game economy designer.
Scan to play on Mobile
Achievements:
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Readapted the Trackmania formula into a hypercasual experience while respecting the brand. Creating something that works for both the brand and the fans without cannibalizing players.
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Positive response from the fans of the brand as a quick and fun Trackmania Lite experience.
Challenges: Designing a racing game with one hand accessibility.
One of the key​ design constraints were to make the game compatible with portrait mobile orientation and supporting one finger gameplay, this combined with the hardcore racing aspect of Trackmania was a challenge.
The solution I came up with was having auto-acceleration and giving players only a control for turning. I tested out various affordances for this control scheme.
We A/B tested this with a sample size of ~3000 and compared the data from different tracks to finalize the Tap & Hold control scheme coming out on top.
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Next step was to solidify this control scheme. This was done by:
Properly adding signage in Level Design -> To guide the players better through the levels, given the limited screen space & size of the tracks.
Adding a small UI indicator arrow in the front of the car -> To highlight current direction & make turning trajectory easier.
Slowing down acceleration when turning -> To give better simulation and more time for players to steer as they wanted.
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Challenges: Creating car physics which feel casual as a game mechanic while respecting the feel of OG Trackmania.
Trackmania is known for its defining car physics. My challenge was to casualize this while still respecting the brand.
The solution was to split the focus between the car and collision physics.
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THE CAR:
Acceleration was divided into gears. For every 'x' seconds, the car moves in a direction without any turns or collisions it increases in speed and reaches a new gear (with higher top speed). 'x' increases as we reach higher gears. So stability in driving adds a skill factor into the race for players.
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THE COLLISIONS:
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To reduce frustrations, the collisions at the edge of the tracks were designed in a way that even though they were punishing (reducing car velocity), they still ended up pushing the players back on track to help them get back into the race almost immediately. Imagine the collision areas to be like rubber cushions. This helped creating an experience that was challenging but not frustrating for our players.
Level Design Philosophy
Levels were handcrafted. A total of 16 final levels in the game, segregated based on difficulty, length and types of obstacles present. This segregation list helped me to maintain a variety from level to level.
Another integral part in the level design philosophy was being able to see other racers, to help that I designed multiple levels which loops on itself (essentially simulating two floors on the track) to be able to see players ahead or behind you in the race.
Lastly, as per the fan request, I also got the opportunity to recreate one of the iconic Trackmania Levels namely track A07. The level had to be interpreted and stylized to fit in our game, but the brand was very happy with the quality of this tribute level.
