The Finals

In this game, players take control of Star Wars-inspired hovercrafts, referred to as "speeders," which are driven by Stormtrooper pilots. Players have the ability to engage in adrenaline-pumping races filled with strategic elements and combat opportunities.

Game Environment & Systems

Environment

The environment is brought from an older Unreal Engine 4 template showcasing Chaos Physics driving and was ported into Unreal Engine 5.3 to act as the basis for the game. It had reminded me of the environments from the source material (StarWars Tatooine) and other sandy areas and as such I had picked it out of convenience.

Race Manager

The race manager is responsible for various gameplay elements, including:

Checkpoints

The checkpoint system automatically lays out positions alongside a spline stretching through the map.

• Resolution: The system places down the points according to a preset resolution for optimal progress tracking
• Laps: The system supports an optional lap system: a configurable amount of laps for circuit like races
• Reverse Mode: The ability to instantly reverse the track direction with one tick of a checkbox
• Player Progress Tracking: Tracking every player's progress such as their position, lap, and overall performance
• Wrong Way Detection: Detects if the player strays from the route, warns and teleports them after a short time

Upgrades

There are various collectable upgrades placed around the map, collecting them gives the player the ability to activate or use various abilities.

• Speed Boost: Temporarily increases the player's speed significantly
• Ammo: Gives the player 32 laser rounds to fire at other racers
• Shield: Protects the player from dangers such as projectiles
• Health: Restores the player's health

Upgrade Types

There are primarily two types of upgrades which are collected:

• Manual: These include the ammo and the shield both of which are activated via the user's mouse input
• Automatic: Upon colliding with the upgrade it is instantly activated ex: Health, Speed

Dynamic Sound Effects

Sound design is an integral part of the experience. Hovercraft audio is tied to the player's speed, with variable smoothed pitch and volume adjustments that react in real-time to provide an immersive auditory experience.

Dynamic Visual Effects

The game features various reactive and dynamic visual effects such as:

• Shield: The shield flashes brightly when it blocks a projectile and deflects the projectile with a spark effect
• Speeder/Hovercraft Thrusters: Similarly to the Sound design, the hovercraft thrusters are tied to the player's speed, with the thrusters effect becoming more intense and brighter as the player accelerates and decelerates

Weather/Time Variations

The game features a day/night and weather cycle which includes various states, dust, rain, fog, clear and cloudy weather, which is powered by the industry leading UltraDynamicSky system.

Physics-Based Hovercraft Simulation

Each hovercraft is physically simulated with server-authoritative principles to ensure smooth and consistent movement. The physics-based movement system ensures:

• Accurate collision detection between players

• Framerate-independent physics calculations for consistent gameplay

• Fair and balanced replication of movements across all clients

Additional Features

• Leaderboard: During the entire race, you can see your place on the leaderboard
• Spectate Mode: Upon completing the race, players are put into spectate mode to watch their competition

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By combining these features, The Finals delivers a thrilling and competitive multiplayer racing experience that stands out in its genre.