HoverDrive is a networked multiplayer 3rd person vehicle shooter, where players race around the map to defeat other players and AI drones to collect powerups and get the most kills before time expires.

Personal Contributions

Since HoverDrive is character based, it was critical to make weapons that not only felt unique to each character's kit, but to also create synergies so characters could have playstyles. For example, this Apophis is a spikey haired character that wants to get close and find from a short distance. I decided to give him a shotgun for CQC and mine launcher to allow him to limit other player's escape routes when used together. Combine that with the ability to make small jumps, and you have a fast bike that is good at controlling space, a well-defined playstyle.

A way I approach thinking about weapons like this is to consider one weapon a primary and the other a secondary. Normally shooters that give you a secondary intend for it to be a backup in case you are in a pinch. For me though, I want to think about ways I can get the player to choose the secondary, even when the primary is a viable option. Focus this thinking to a playstyle and then start building dependencies with the weapons, such as the mines only being good if you are chasing a player into them with a shotgun. Or distance being hard to close without the ability to zone with a mine.

Most of my testing focused on general gameplay to ensure the game was fun and balanced, but also had me sometimes taking art pieces or audio samples and testing their popularity and cohesion from a player standpoint. Sometimes I would combine these elements in the effort to save time as well. Most of my tests were done as playtests, but some early tests were simply done with paper copies of art. Giving the test is mostly about watching the player and noting down key moments that can be referenced later. A lot of the knowledge I got out of testing came from posttest surveys, so I would typically have them take from 2-5 min to complete with time after to give any additional feedback and add them to my notes I had taken. After all the tests were done, I would take all my data and look through it see where the most notable improvements can be made. Then it just comes down to writing a report to tell the story of the data collected and suggest what and where improvements can be made, highlighting bits that I felt were the most significant. If you do not make it brief, no one will read it!

Art Credits: Daniel Allard & Luc DeBenon & Andy Maldonado & Parker King