Mountain bike simulator-kind phone game, work in progress diary,

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Hi :slight_smile:

I am hobby game developer, not professional IT, evenings coding . My current project is about bicycle riding. Godot v 4.2.2. There are thing already done:

  • rigid body bike model
  • mobile phone sensors working. You can accelerate, break and turn by tilting your mobile phone.
  • the bike can balance, thanks to some kind of program-gyroscope (it needs a lot of work though, that is what I am working over right now).

I hope I will succeed to bring this project to the happy end. That is why I decided to publish this topic - I hope it gives me motivation to work more regularly.

Below I show video of current stage, I would appreciate any feedback :slight_smile:

12 Likes
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Update 10-02-2025:

  • better bicycle model
  • better stability
  • better steering

6 Likes
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Update 23-02.2025:

  • much better steering and braking
  • adjustments for smartphone handling
  • a lot of small adjustments

The movie has been optimized to match 7MB forum size, that is why it is a bit blur. The movie is screen capture directly from smartphone.

4 Likes
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Update 02-03-2025:

  • refined steering and breaking at slopes
  • adding more grip for tires, especially important on steep hills
  • introducing real mountain track, start and finish gates and timer. Everything is very simple yet, only to test and present possibilities of riding model.

The movie is screen capture directly from smartphone.

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Camera is getting closer to the body, which I think is good. Makes me wonder how would a Gears-of-War-like tight camera feel?

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Thank you for your comment.

There is no problem to add different cameras. Attaching new camera is as easy as adding new node to parent object. I will have your remark in mind.

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Update 16-03-2025

I spent recent time experimenting with different terrain. Here there is sample of something which I am satisfied at this stage. Terrain is modeled in Blender, materials are done in Godot shaders.

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Update 23-03-2025
I was not satisfied with sense of speed with previous model. The game play was too static. All this made me to redesign big part of the game.

  • new model how the bicycle is stabilized
  • adding new feature: the bicycle tilts in corners, depending on speed and angle of turning
  • adding checkpoint frames

Now, it is almost possible to make slides when turning and I can feel speed much more.

4 Likes
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A minimap would definitely be a nice touch—helps avoid those “oh look, a surprise cliff!” moments. :sweat_smile:

Really liking the progression here. You’re clearly onto something cool—keep tinkering, breaking stuff, fixing it, Great job! :clap:

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Thank you for your comment.
I take inspiration from my personal experience of bike riding. The best way to survive when going downhill is to get now the track well.

I keep improving the game :slight_smile:

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Update 30-03-2025

  • bike tires and rims new 3D geometry
  • human model with physics and moving legs

Human body looks as if the rider was not sober. This is first attempt to build realistic rider but even now I like his exaggerated moves. The game should be fun and happy, I do not mean to create something too serious. There should be spectacular crashes, which couse burst of laugh.

3 Likes
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It might be nice to add some extra gameplay elements to give the player more to do. Maybe you could include:

Obstacles like rocks, tree stumps, or logs to avoid or jump over — that would add challenge and variety to the ride.

A dirt trail behind the bike — even a simple particle system could really add to the feeling of movement and speed.
And the dirt on the back getting thicker and thicker :wink:

Maybe shortcuts in the trail (like the need for speed series).

Is wind a variation ?? just flapping it all out…

Just wondering where this project is going… keep up the good work…

2 Likes
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Update 04-05-2025

  • dust, small rocks jump from beneath tires,
  • more dust when braking
  • helmet
  • legs speed adjusted with how much power is applied to the wheel
  • environment object: trees, advertisements
  • crash slow-motion (I attach movie in next post)

Here, there is a movie from whole downhill in full resolution, directly from phone.

5 Likes
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Hi,
Thank you for your support. I have applied some of your suggestions. The movie, which illustrates the progress, is attached to my last post.

Best regards :slight_smile:

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Very cool!!! keep up the good work… :ok_hand:

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Samples of bike accidents. No post-processing were added. All slow-motion effect comes directly from the game itself.

3 Likes
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The progress between your latest videos and your first is huge! Nice work.

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Update 08-06-2025

The game is on itch

If anyone is so kind to try the game, you can now do it. I would appreciate your comments and remarks.

1 Like
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Very impressed with the progression. Just read from your first post till playing it…

I’ve tried it (briefly). There is an interesting feel in it, would need to spend more time to master the controls. I like where it’s going, though. Keep the hardbwork, it can become interesting!

I will follow that!

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Have you tried tweening the camera position from following to the crash-cam position once a crash is detected.