🚀 Junior Programmer for Racerloop @ Maniac Panda Games

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I worked on Racerloop at Maniac Panda Games as a Junior Programmer.

Racerloop is a PC/mobile 3D arcade zero-gravity racing game with ship-building components, developed using Unity (C#). We were a small remote-based team where I had to work both under lead directions and on my own.

I had contributions all along the game since the first prototypes, but my main work was in:

AI Systems:

• AI Movement: Both using WayPoints and an AI track with ahead target position.
• AI Track: Made up by Links and Nodes, with UV coordinates. AI Track creation depending on track’s curvature.
• AI and Player position Tracking inside AI Track: Using custom geometry functions. Ex: Calculating nearest point, calculating a projected point in the AI Link…
• AI Look Ahead Position: Target position for the AI movement, creating and ideal Lane that had an offset depending on AI skill.
• Ideal Racing Lane.
• AI Player ideal inputs: Such as ideal throttle, steering, brake, turbo… depending on AI track, ship parameters and AI Skill.
• AI Respawn logic.
• AI Obstacle Avoidance and Crash Prediction.
• AI Power Up usage logic.
• AI Graphic Debug Systems.
• AI Manual fine tunning.

Synchronous Online Game Mode: Developed the first full-working prototype.

• Using Unity Networking Services, Unity Netcode for GameObjects, Unity Lobbies, Unity Relay, and both Client and Server RPCs.
• Adapted the offline game to have all the online workflow and logic.
• Implemented online mode UI: This included the Online Screen, Lobby screen…
• Game Synchronization between Players: Ship type selection, Player position, AI position, race progress, race start, power up usage, race finish, Player’s and AI’s health turbo and shield…
• Online Inputs.
• Missile Power Up Online Pool and Position sync.
• Online Event Propagation logic.
• Online Reconnection handling.
• Online playtest and debuging.

Gameplay Systems: Implemented several gameplay systems, mainly in the first design fase.

• Customizable Player Orbital Camera with Spring Damper System.

• Customizable Ship’s hovering prototype.

• Customizable Dynamic Gravity System.

• Power Up System and some Power Ups logic.
• Graphical Debug Renderer for some features.
• Abstract Inputs for Input Controller: Agnostic inputs that worked for controller, gamepad, keyboard, etc.

Testing Automation:

• Automatic Testing using Unit Test Framework.
• Automatic Testing from command line for automatic builds in Jenkins.
• Debugging, testing and code refactoring all around my own work and others’.

UI implementation: Implemented some UI screens, such as:

• First Register and Login screen: Using PlayFab API.
• Leaderboards screen: Both local and global using a PlayFab server.
• Online Menu and Lobby screens: Search game, create game, join lobby with code or by name, lobbies list…
• Customizable Modular Pop-up Error Window.

Math Utils: Several math scripts for game needs, such as:

• Calc Nearest Point in Segment.
• Calc Intersecting Point between Lines.
• Calc Projected Point in certain Area.
• 2DLine class.

Third Party APIs implementation:

• PlayFab API: Register, login and logout from PlayFab server, PlayFab metrics and stats load and save from server…
• Unity Networking Services.
• Unity Netcode for GameObjects.
• Unity Lobby.
• Unity Relay.

Simple VFX:

• Simple Shaders: First hovering force, ship’s shield…
• Simple Particle Systems: First kinetic lines for movement effect in the camera, crash particles…

Offline Build:

• Initial work with offline services that insted of loading from the server worked from files.
• Just for events where there was no internet (like an Expo)
• Setting it from the command line.

You can check it out at the Epic Store or at the Racerloop webpage.