From stationary to mobile

Vehicular Roar was a game that I created on desktop computers. However, with how simple the control scheme was, it was a perfect fit for mobile devices. So, I spent a whole semester porting the game and reworking some of the things to work on Android devices.

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During development, I tried to port the boost mechanic in the game. This was in the previous version where the player clicks on the mouse button to gain momentum and move fast towards a specific direction. I went through multiple iterations on this mechanic to work on mobile, but eventually, I had to cut the mechanic because it does not fit with the mobile experience. It would have complicated the controls too much and the game would lose the elegance that it had, so I had to let that mechanic go.

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Then the control scheme of the game changed. When it was on a desktop, car would follow the mouse cursor, but on a mobile device, doing that control scheme would make the player block their sight of the car. So, I change it to a single joystick that the player would control the car with. Then a player's finger wouldn't block the car since their finger would be on the joystick.

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Finally, the camera had to change. Previously, the camera would sway around on all sides of the screen so the player can feel the speed of the car. However, since some of the screen was blocked the player's finger, I had to offset the camera above the joystick and lock the camera in a specific area so the car wouldn't go below the player's finger.