Starting Point – Driving
From working directly with individuals to help them to play driving games, we have found assists and features in certain titles which allow some players to compete more independently, even making the difference between whether someone is able to play a particular title or not.
Whilst all or many of the modules in the SpecialEffect DevKit may be relevant to your particular title, whether the examples shown are from driving games or not, below we have listed some of the modules which may be considered particularly relevant for many driving games, as a starting off point.
6.5 Analog Action Assists
This module looks at how for actions in your game that are controlled by analog inputs, you can provide options that make it easier for the player to have a good level of control over those actions.
There may be players who don’t quite have the required dexterity with an analog input to optimally perform an action, and so would benefit from options to have these actions assisted in some way.
There are many ways that you could assist an analog action, and these will depend on the nature of your game and the actions it contains. For instance, in a driving game this may apply to assist the player when accelerating or braking.
Auto Braking
This assist automatically applies the brakes on entering a corner. Ideally this can be applied strongly enough so that the throttle can be fully held down and the corner still taken cleanly using automatic braking alone.
The video in this module shows how with Braking set to Assisted in Forza Motorsport, the game will detect when the player is nearing a corner, and will apply an appropriate amount of breaks to get round successfully, based on the current speed, and in relation to any braking the player is applying themselves.
7.4 Automatic Analog Actions
This module looks at how developers can allow players to automate certain analog actions in a specific or optimal way.
Analog actions can take any number of values, so you will need to decide how best to automate them given the current actions available in your game. You might decide to let players configure how analog actions are performed in a specific way, or you might have them be performed in an optimal way instead.
For example you might let the player move on a set or predetermined path to reach a particular destination. Once activated the game will adjust the player’s movements to keep them on the path.
Steer Assist Option
This can aid players with keeping a good racing line and completing corners successfully.
In a driving game, this may be done by offering a steering assist option to aid players with keeping a good racing line and completing corners successfully.
This video includes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Smart Steering option, which keeps you on the track and how Forza Motorsport’s highest level of steering assist keeps you on the optimal driving line.