Post GameJam Update

Hi All,

I made Hectic Highway as part of the BenBonk Game Jam, so it was a 72-hour project, from which feature implementations and bug squashing can only go so far. It was a really fun project since it is one of my first 3D games I've made. I tried to narrow down the scope for the game, since that's usually my downfall in Game Jams.

I found that the last crucial few hours working on the game were spent attempting to get a leader board system working, when I could have been perfecting the gameplay or adding an increasing difficulty level (something which was also brought up in the jam comments). However, I felt that a leader board would also add to the experience of having a community of game jammers playing your game. The shame was that the leader board was not fully working when the timer ran up, although it definitely was a learning experience.

A couple of hours after the jam was over, I actually managed to get it working properly, but couldn’t submit an update. It’s definitely a feature I’d include in future games though. Another feature I worked on for the same latest update was the requested increased difficulty. I added this as a separate option in the menu page, where players can opt for a “Hard” mode. This was mainly as I wanted to retain the “Jam” edition of the game, for anyone who is a more casual gamer and liked it.

I felt proud of what I had put together given the time constraints, of course there is much room for improvement, but I had a lot of fun both making it with its funny bugs, and playing it with my friends and them seeing how far I’ve come in my development journey. I feel I don’t really take things as seriously as other jammers, using up less than half of my time allocated. However, making games has always been a dream of mine, and even making silly games such as this just is a small way of fulfilling that goal.

In terms of the future of this game, I’m planning to continue with its development. You can expect a level map-based game, with in-game currency collected from levels, and upgrades such as different designed cars with different stats. For now, I hope you enjoy the game with the new mode, and if you’re reading this then I hope you stick around to see what’s to come!

Hamdogu