LENGTH OF DEVELOPMENT
2nd January 2023 - 10th February 2023
GENRE
Racing
Software
UE5, GitHub, Photoshop, Confluence, JIRA, Word, Excel, Teams
Trailer & Walkthrough
Project Overview
Finish Line is a pet shop themed local multiplayer racing game and the main objective is to beat the other players and win the race. It draws inspiration from Mario Kart and Micro Machines.
My main responsibility was to design obstacle and power-up items alongside QA testing.
Key contributions
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The design team thought of potential pet shop hazards and how to incorporate them into racing game obstacles; it was then up to me to build upon this and design these obstacles.
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These obstacles were iterated on as development continued.
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The main inspiration for this was Micro Machines and its use of kitchen items as obstacles.
Obstacle Diagrams
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The design team then thought of power-ups from classic racing titles and which ones could work best in a pet shop themed game; it was then up to me to build upon this and design these power-ups.
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These obstacles were iterated on as development continued.
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The main inspiration for this was Mario Kart as it's arguably the supreme racing title.
Power-up Diagrams
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I documented my research into different elements of racing titles to share with the design lead and discuss any potential new tasks to distribute as I was running out of tasks to do.
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I made diagrams out of some of the elements I looked into such as slipstreaming and respawning; some of these stuff didn't make the game in the end due to scope.
Balancing
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I ended up serving as the team's main QA tester towards the end of the project and gave a lot of feedback for the tech team.
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Unfortunately, the tech team were quite unreliable and for the members who were consistently turning up, the tasks became overwhelming so most of the bugs I found weren't addressing unless they were major.
QA Testing
Post-Mortem
​What went well?
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I gained first-hand experience working within a dedicated design team and cross-disciplinary development pipeline.
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I developed creative and balanced obstacle and power-up designs, contributing directly to gameplay variety and fun.
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I improved confidence and efficiency as a designer through collaboration with a skilled and organized lead designer.
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What didn't go well?
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I experienced communication breakdowns both between and within teams that occasionally slowed progress.
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I faced challenges with clarity in design documentation, as some of my diagrams were initially too tailored to my personal understanding.
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I found it difficult at times to stay consistently organized and punctual, particularly during high-pressure phases later on.
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What did I learn?
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The importance of clear, universally understandable documentation for effective teamwork and design handoffs.
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How essential consistent communication and organization are to maintaining project momentum.
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A deeper understanding of racing game design complexity, including how numerous variables affect gameplay balance and feel.