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WELCOME

Welcome to Desert Driver. We are excited to share information about this game's creation and the vision for its future. What started as a school project is now an on-going collaboration between the game's creators and their mentors. Please read along for an in-depth look into Desert Driver and the goals we are setting for it.

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TECH STACK

The current version of this game is running React.js on the frontend. There's an HTML 5 Canvas that is rendering the game's action. The physics, general movement and game surface are generated through a series of Javascript functions that were carefully crafted to promote optimal performance. We are keeping track of user information and game progress via a PostgreSQL-powered database and routing that data through our Ruby on Rails infrastructure. The bulk of the styling is handled by CSS with some minor additional Bootstrap component. We customized the publicly sourced images using Adobe Photoshop in order to achieve visual consistency. Our database and routes are live thanks to Heroku's web services while Netlify provides us a public access URL.
The Github repositories can be accessed here: Backend | Frontend

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FUTURE GOALS

The vision for this project has proven to be one evolves with each new branch commit. Some of the more notable goals include:

• Jump Action: The game's current version does not have a deliberate jump action. Instead a vehicle becomes airborne upon gaining enough speed when propelled off the surface's hills. Creating a jump mechanism would open up potential for new styles of gameplay and would be a great segue into the next goal...
• Projectiles: Imagine a "Super Mario Bros"-esque fireball shooting from the right side of the screen against the user's vehicle. This would require jumping and/or the ability to dodge the new danger.
• Bug On 79 Fix: If you've played the game for more than a couple of minutes, it's possible you've come across the Bug On 79. Aptly named by one of the game's most avid testers (Lou's 7-year-old nephew Julian), this is a looping glitch that occurs at the 79th unit of distance where the surface seems to "break" and becomes uneven, creating an impossibly sharp speed bump. Driving straight into it will more times than not result in a life lost.
• Third Stage & Hidden Stage: This is the type of goal that will persist no matter how many stages are created, but of course, one step at a time. Here's some inspiration that will likely seep its way into stage 3: Hill Climbing Racing Game
• Mobile Compatibility: Making a React Native version of this game would be a lengthy project but certain high on our list of goals. Some avenues to explore React Native Game Engine for continuous image rendering and Matter.JS for physics capabilities.

We want to hear your suggestions. If there are any ideas you'd like to contribute you can either create a pull request on Github or reach out directly DesertDriverGame@gmail.com.