So, we're open for some suggestions for the sequel! If you think of something for us to add to Ninkeo Kart II, say it!
I just downloaded this from your site, i can see you have lots and lots of ideas for this game, so many tracks, options.
While this is a good thing, its sometimes more productive to work on 1 track and less options. This will enable you to create that "special" experience without increasing your workload by 8x.
heres some feedback:Levels:- Wow, lots of levels, must be 8+ tracks in the game
- For me, the level design had great ideas, but lacked that "in-depth" attention to detail.
- As above, i'd suggest focusing on 1 track, make it really something, make the track fit the gameplay design, then, add from that in the future. Trust me, you''ll get alot more out of making "something special" than sheer volume.
Menu:- Lots and lots of options, this is a good thing, but, i can see your using multiple projects to run the menu system.
- If you looking into scripting, and, fancy a challenge, try using 1 project file and iObjectRefresh(). This will not only streamline the experience for the user, but, it will make your game design alot (a hell of alot) easier. This is a bit advanced, requires alot of learning/testing, so, its not for everyone.
Visuals:- In terms of the vehicles, great variation, i can see what ideas you have and they come across well. As with the tracks, sometimes, if you want that extra "wow" factor, stick with working on 1 cart, again, making it special, expanding your skills of modeling before working on multiple items. Keep that workload down, simple, it will help.
- I'd like to see some options for graphics, disable shadows/mirror etc, but ideally on a script basis would be the best method (keep those objects down
Performance:- No issues running at full clock speeds, but, i did notice major issues with poly count at slower clock settings.
- I've noticed you have lots of "skyscraper1" and various other objects as separate skinmeshes. Try modeling the track with those items included in the 1 mesh. This will allow you to monitor the "full" polygon count of the scene, and, improve performance in 3Drad (less objects).
- Rear view mirror, change the "draw distance" setting to around 200-500. No need to draw the whole scene again, should help performance.
- Driver skinmesh, 20k faces, thats alot of polys. I'd suggest removing this object for now, when your modeling skills/performance awareness comes into play, you'll know exactly how to implement it
As above, some great ideas, lots and lots of tracks/variation, but, sometimes this is more of a workload burden for the developer.
It might not work for everyone, but, I always found that keeping everything simple, make sure everything works (gameplay/performance) at peak level, before adding more content to the game.
Once you have a solid platform for your game, creating more models/cars/tracks, will be alot easier as your past experience on what works and what doesnt, will allow you to produce it better.
Try and experiment with the script object, start with small things like moving text on the screen, then, progress into deeper levels with iObjectRefresh etc etc. If you enjoy doing it, the possibilities are endless
Keep at it, and most importantly, keep doing what you enjoy, my advice is only from my experience, its not for everyone.