Crashline Game Progress: Where Racers Meet Aliens

[redflare]

Hey everyone

I started a new project in Godot 4.x and wanted to share a first peek!
It’s an arcade-style rail shooter set on existing racing circuits, but in a chaotic future where crashes, aliens, and scavengers turn every lap into a battlefield.

You’re a fragile Safety Response Pod (SRP). Surrounded by aliens. And slowly realizing… this is your career now. “Officially, the SRP ensures security, rescue, and order. Unofficially… it’s a fragile neon panic box that fires lasers at anything that moves.”

This is still very, very early development footage, right now my main focus is just getting the engine to spin like a clock before diving into gameplay features.

Here’s the first clip on YouTube:

Crashline – Early Godot Development Footage (Devlog #1) 2025-09-05

And just for fun, here’s a first idea of the game case design

Below are some early concept art sketches of some circuits I’d like to bring into the game:

Monaco

Las vegas

Melbourne

Any first impressions or feedback on the vibe are super welcome
Thanks for watching — I’ll keep posting updates as the project evolves!

[iOSxcOder]

Give me a bit mixed feelings as seeing bending bullets looks catchy , racing track is part of background or is point to destroy other racer , or be first ?

Looking forward to see more

[dragonforge-dev]

It’s giving me F-Zero vibes (in a good way). Love the concept art. Music is catchy too.

[ComicallyUnfunny]

The idea that bullets follow the track is insanely cool and original!
Is Bob’s Crystals still being worked on though?

[Frozen_Fried]

The logo RedFlare really gives a nostalgic vibes!!!

[redflare]

Thanks! And yes, Bob’s Crystals is definitely still being worked on. The most recent update added right-stick camera movement, something that was requested a lot during Devcom Cologne. I also improved the respawn system: instead of rebuilding the whole level after dying, you now respawn instantly. Both were frequent requests, and I think it’s super important to listen to the players.

The game was released on September 1st on Steam and itch.io, and I’m currently working on getting it live on the Epic Games Store as well. In the meantime, I’m sharing keys with reviewers and on socials to boost visibility.

And thanks for the interest in my other project too, much appreciated!

[redflare]

@Frozen_Fried

The logo RedFlare really gives a nostalgic vibes!!!

Thanks a lot! That’s exactly what I was going for with the RedFlare logo, a bit of that old-school retro vibe.

It’s actually a little nod to my family: my dad used to be a sailor until my mom got pregnant with me. He was about to leave for another six months at sea, so she literally burned his papers and passport to keep him home. A red flare felt like the perfect reference to that maritime past, a signal for help at sea.

And with my last name being de Roode, the “RED” part just clicked even more. Double meaning, retro style.

[Frozen_Fried]

Such a great story behind the logo!

[Frozen_Fried]

Also I tried to see the steam page of Bob’s crystal but the page is on another language and seems like Google translated can’t translate this steam page…
Is the game for only your region?

Edit:ohh that first link on search is on another language.

[redflare]

That’s strange , the default language should definitely be English. I’ll double-check the region/language settings on the Steam page to make sure everything is correct. Thanks for pointing it out!

(You can register here for a free steam key… 7 left
https://www.bobscrystals.com/pt_registration.html

[dragonforge-dev]

Bob’s Crystals looks well-polished. I’d be interested in reading a post-mortem on the project if you ever write one.

Also your FX Forge is awesome.

[redflare]

CrashLine Devlog #1 - 2025-09-11, Aliens, Shaders and Questionable Controls

devlog 1 movie

General

• Started a changelog, because real devs document… or at least pretend to. Whoop whoop
• AlienWaveManager now has LOD support!
• Background added, shamelessly stolen from Bob’s. Recycling is good for the planet and for devs.
• Fog & Glow, basically we turned the environment into a 90’s music video.
• Default theme created (work in progress). Think IKEA starter pack, but with lasers.
• 1 bullet kills 1 alien (no more piercing, that is for upgrades!)
• Powerups now spawn around aliens. So if you want loot, you gotta do some alien gardening first.
• Alien kill effects added. Sparkles,.
• Alien shader work started.

Builders & Tools

• Wavebuilder created, Work in progress.
  

  

• Website updated: https://www.crashline.fun/
  

  

• Trackbuilder updated: ⚡ Crashline - Circuit builder

  • Output now feeds directly into the Banking Builder. Productivity++!
    
    

• Height & Banking Builder updated: Crashline - 3D Banking & Height Editor

  • Output can now be yeeted into the game. Still need a Scene Builder to duct-tape it all together.
    
    

Ship Stuff

• Particle system added to ship.

• Ship now has smooth easing.

• New ShipControls

  • Left Stick: Move ship around
  • Right Stick: Wiggle camera slightly (drunk cam mode)
  • Right Trigger: Rotate left + Fire
  • Left Trigger: Rotate right + Fire
  • D-Pad Left / ← (keyboard): Rotate right
  • D-Pad Right / → (keyboard): Rotate left
  • A / Spacebar: Pew pew pew

So you can shoot backwards and forwards without breaking your thumbs.

Back to building tools to make life easier moving forward.
-Robert

[dragonforge-dev]

@redflare

Trackbuilder updated: Crashline - Circuit builder

This super cool.

@redflare

Height & Banking Builder updated: Crashline - 3D Banking & Height Editor

As is that.

I love seeing tools for making level creation easier. I’d really like to know what you’re doing there. You’re clearly outputting to JSON based on the load message.

@redflare

Output can now be yeeted into the game. Still need a Scene Builder to duct-tape it all together.

I’m also interested in hearing more about how you’re doing this.

[redflare]

Hey @dragonforge-dev, thanks for the interest!

You nailed it, Circuit Builder & Banking Builder both export JSON.
Track 2 Godot is the final step: it takes that JSON and generates full 3D track scenes inside Godot.

I’ve put together a Godot 4.5 RC2 project with the generator + sample data, and a PDF manual that walks through the whole workflow (2D → banking → 3D scene).

PDF Manual: How to build your 3D track.

Project link: Track-2-godot project

Would love to hear thoughts, and even more curious to see what kind of circuits people build with it.

[redflare]

CrashLine Devlog #2 – 2025-09-14

Curbstones, start sequence, and the eternal search for artstyle

It’s been one of those weekends: my wife wasn’t feeling well, it was raining outside, and to make things worse… no F1 on TV. So… what do you do? Right: fire up Godot and keep building CrashLine!

devlog 2 movie

and yes.. just dropped in the alien mothership because of the prototype graphics

Gameplay Progress

Implemented the full Start Sequence for racers:

• ENGINES_START – engines spool up while racers sit on the ground
• HOVERING_UP – ships rise at slightly different timings
• GRID_POSITION – line up neatly at their grid slots
• READY – tense silence before the lights
• LAUNCH/RACE – launch with individual reaction times

→ Racers now have lights that change with the sequence.

Moved the player ship back to positions 3–4 on the grid to stay in the thick of things. before i had no positions at all..

Still experimenting with props, lighting, fog, DoF, still searching for that perfect “race atmosphere.” Atmospherics are in testing, and I’ve started setting up the music and effect libraries to bring more life to the game.

Tools & Builders

Track-2-Godot project updates:

• Fixed the start/finish gap issue.
• Split track mesh generation into a separate project.
• Added automatic curbstone generation.
• Added automatic terrain generation.
• Reworked track texture into a single large sheet with start grid, finish, cracks, etc.

The texture (rescaled)

What’s Next

• First experiments with powerup drops.
• New alien types (already coded, not yet visible).
• Aliens that split into multiples.
• Mechanics for reviving crashed racers — or looting their energy or parts.
• A system where each lap completed by another racer gives you bonus abilities.

That’s it for this round, still knee-deep in the “feel” of the game, but it’s moving forward.

Rainy weekends do have their upsides .

Ok… ANY comment or suggestion is welcome: the good, the bad, and the ugly (yes, that’s a wink to the movie). I’m aiming to push towards a minimal playable demo soon, so fellow Godotteers can shoot at it as early as possible and help shape the best version of CrashLine in the end.

-Robert

[iOSxcOder]

It looks super loaded with effects , would I be able to try it on Mac/iPhone ?

[redflare]

@iOSxcOder

Thanks! For now I’m focusing on PC builds and making sure it runs also nicely on Steam Deck.

If any publishers are interested — call me, I want those!

[lZebl]

The premise of this looks great! I think you’re onto something here.

The music is giving me 80s synthwave vibes and I’m all for it.

[Frozen_Fried]

That big ship or thingy in the background is giving me megalophobia in a good way!!!
Awesome!

[ComicallyUnfunny]

Instead of spending too much time on effects, I have one major suggestion: bring the camera in so it follows the player. This will create the atmosphere you want - it’s the main issue right now.