Bullet
Ride
GD 28
Concept
Document
Alessandro Ciavola
Byron Munsie
David Hinds
Hampus Gross
Pedro Arimany
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[BULLET RIDE]
Table of Contents
Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Table of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Document History ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Game Overview............................................................................................................................................. 6
Bullet Ride ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Philosophy ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Intense speed in small packages ........................................................................................................... 6
Exploding Art Deco................................................................................................................................ 6
Common Questions .................................................................................................................................. 7
What is a Bullet Rider? .......................................................................................................................... 7
Why create this game? ......................................................................................................................... 7
Where does the game take place? ....................................................................................................... 7
What do I do?........................................................................................................................................ 7
How many characters do I control? ...................................................................................................... 7
What is unique about the Game? ......................................................................................................... 7
Audience ....................................................................................................................................................... 8
Target Market ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Main Player Overview ................................................................................................................................... 8
Scale .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Vehicle: Bullet ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Mechanics ................................................................................................................................................... 11
Movement............................................................................................................................................... 11
Point System ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Speed is Life ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Turbo ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Turbo Gauge........................................................................................................................................ 13
Supper Turbo ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Obstacles ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Constraints .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Ricocheting.............................................................................................................................................. 14
Difficulties ............................................................................................................................................... 16
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Infinity Mode........................................................................................................................................... 16
Control Scheme 1: Xbox 360 ................................................................................................................... 16
Camera ........................................................................................................................................................ 17
Camera Mode 1: On Reigns .................................................................................................................... 17
Camera Mode 2: Third Person Turbo ..................................................................................................... 19
Game Art Vision .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Visuals effects ......................................................................................................................................... 20
Motion blur ......................................................................................................................................... 20
Colors in Environments ....................................................................................................................... 20
Particle and HUD Effects ......................................................................................................................... 21
Particle effects .................................................................................................................................... 21
Breakable Objects ............................................................................................................................... 21
Level Design Philosophy.............................................................................................................................. 22
Master of Speed ...................................................................................................................................... 22
Obstacles ................................................................................................................................................. 22
Dodging & Close Calls ............................................................................................................................. 22
Ricochets & Navigation ........................................................................................................................... 23
Turbo Rings ............................................................................................................................................. 24
Dizzying Speed & Funnel Tunnel ............................................................................................................. 24
Example of how to create a room for the Level ..................................................................................... 25
Mind the speed ....................................................................................................................................... 26
Low Art Game Mock-Ups ............................................................................................................................ 27
Cinematic .................................................................................................................................................... 28
Scene #1 .................................................................................................................................................. 28
Scene #2 .................................................................................................................................................. 28
Audio ........................................................................................................................................................... 28
Music ....................................................................................................................................................... 28
Sound Effects .......................................................................................................................................... 28
Game Interface ........................................................................................................................................... 29
Competitive Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 30
Temple Run ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Jetpack Joyride ........................................................................................................................................ 31
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Subway Surfers ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Bullet Ride Inspiration Poster ........................................................................................................ 6
Figure 2: Bullet Rider..................................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 3: Color Pallet ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 4: Scale ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 5: Bullet ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Figure 6: Character...................................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 7: Movement.................................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 8: Speed is Life ................................................................................................................................. 12
Figure 9: Turbo ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Figure 10: Breakable Objects ...................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 11: Ricocheting................................................................................................................................. 14
Figure 12: Ricochet Dynamic....................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 13: Camera on Reigns Side View ...................................................................................................... 17
Figure 14: Camera on Reigns Top-Down View ............................................................................................ 18
Figure 15: Camera on Reigns in Game View ............................................................................................... 18
Figure 16: Camera on Reigns Movement.................................................................................................... 19
Figure 17: Camera Third Person Turbo ....................................................................................................... 19
Figure 18: Game Art Vision 1 ...................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 19: Game Art Vision 2 ...................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 20: Motion Blur ................................................................................................................................ 20
Fiure 21: In-game Time Dilation.................................................................................................................. 20
Figure 22: Debris ......................................................................................................................................... 21
Figure 23: HUD ............................................................................................................................................ 21
Figure 24: Burnout ...................................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 25: Star Wars Episode I: Racer ......................................................................................................... 23
Figure 26: Mirror’s Edge ............................................................................................................................. 24
Figure 27: Segment Design ......................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 28: Level Design Mood Board .......................................................................................................... 26
Figure 29: Low Art Mock-up 1 ..................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 32: Art Mockup 3 ............................................................................................................................. 27
Figure 30: Art Mockup 2 ............................................................................................................................. 27
Figure 31: Actual Game Footage................................................................................................................. 27
Figure 33: Temple Run ................................................................................................................................ 30
Figure 34: Jetpack Joyride ........................................................................................................................... 31
Figure 35: Subway Surfers .......................................................................................................................... 31
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Table of Tables
Table 1: Scale ................................................................................................................................................ 9
Table 2: Points Break Down ........................................................................................................................ 11
Table 3: Speed Chart ................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 4: Game Interface.............................................................................................................................. 29
Table 5: Competitive Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 30
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Document History
The following table describes the creation and changes of the document.
Revision
1.0
1.0
1.0
2.0
Date
Jan 16, 2013
Jan 18, 2013
Jan 20, 2013
Feb 6, 2013
2.1
Feb 8, 2013
2.2
Feb 14, 2013
3.1
May 7-10, 2013
Change Description
High Concepts, Common Questions, and Audience added
Mechanics, Camera Added, and Game Interface
Art and Level Design Added
Added Philosophy
Added How Many Players do I control
Edited Target Market
Added Player Customization
Added Scale
Edited Competitive Analysis
Edited Scale
Player Customization
Added in Philosophy: Exploding Art Deco
Added Details to Character
Added Level Design
Added Bullet Details
Added Speed is Life Mechanic
Edited Turbo Mechanic
Edited Breakable Objects
Edited Aim for Mobile Market Philosophy
Cut Player Customization
Cut Time Reversal
Changed from PC to Xbox 360
Updated Camera
Updated Character Information
Added Vehicle – Bullet
Edited Camera and added pictures
Cut Jet Stream
Cut In-Game Dilation
Added HUD
Added Turbo Gauge
Added Close Calls
Added Supper Turbo
Added Ring Pickups
Added Randomly Chosen Segments
Added Constraints
Added Difficulties
Added Audio
Added Point System
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Game Overview
Bullet Ride
Speed Kills
Bullet Ride is a single player, third person, action game for the Xbox 360. The player takes on the role of
a Bullet Rider, a small person that runs on top of a bullet that must guide the bullet he is riding to his
target. The player must evade obstacles, crush through breakable objects, and ricochet off of metallic
surfaces as they try to lead their bullet to their objective.
Philosophy
Intense speed in small packages
Bullet Ride is trying to capture the feeling of speed at a very small size. As the player, you should feel like
you are an unstoppable force packed into a small package moving at the speed of sound. Obstacles can
slow you down, but few things can outright stop you. The art assets are used to make you feel very small
as you ride on top of a bullet. The world, while large in size will speed by; you will feel a rush of
adrenaline and a need for speed as you play the game. Reaching top speed is akin to reaching nirvana:
intense focus on maneuvering the bullet, you are one with the flow, nothing else matters; it’s just you
and the world as it gets left behind.
Exploding Art Deco
For the overall feeling of the game, Bullet Ride will strive to emulate an Art Deco style made popular
throughout the 1920s and 40s. The game draws a great deal of inspiration from the Rocketeer movie.
Not only do we want the game to look strikingly beautiful with its unique Art Deco look, we also want to
destroy it! We want to capture the “shock and awe” feeling of exploding objects to make the player feel
a great deal of satisfaction as they crush through objects.
Figure 1: Bullet Ride Inspiration Poster
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Common Questions
What is a Bullet Rider?
The game is set in alternate dimension, where bullets have tiny little people that help guide the bullets
to their destination by running on top of them. This is their Job. And they are exceptionally good at it.
They are employees of Slug Inc. and are paid to be shot out of a gun riding a bullet, lead it to its
intended target and jump out at the last possible moment with a small parachute. They are called the
Bullet Rides.
Why create this game?
We want to create a game that instantly makes an impression on the player. We decided to create
Bullet Ride because it seemed an outrageous concept. The idea of a little dude running on top of a bullet
seemed highly comical and very unique. It is something we have never seen before in a world
overflowing with creativity. It grabbed our attention. Also, because of the nature of the game, the
limited track and having the player constantly moving in one direction, we would probably have a great
deal of control over the pace of the game and the overall experience of the player. This enables us to
design an experience that can knock the socks off the players.
Where does the game take place?
The game takes place within and apartment building in an alternate dimension. Everything looks very
much like our world would have looked like back in the 20s through 40s. The architecture and fashion
speak very loudly of early modernism and art deco. The thing that sets that dimension apart from ours is
the little people that get shot out of bullets. Because the main character is a tiny person that can fit on
top of a speeding bullet, the entire world takes on gigantic proportions.
What do I do?
You control a Bullet Rider as he is shot of a gun. It is your job to control a bullet speeding through the air
at impossible speeds. You must evade obstacles, strategically take out breakable objects, ricochet off of
metallic surfaces, and do everything in your power to lead the bullet to its intended objective.
How many characters do I control?
You control a Bullet Rider as he tries to steer a bullet. The Bullet Ride is a small person that fits on top of
a bullet. Essentially, you are controlling the bullet as it navigates through a three dimensional space. You
will be avoiding obstacles and trying to hit special, breakable objects to help speed you up, and
eventually hitting a target at the end of the level.
What is unique about the Game?
The idea of a little man riding a bullet moving at high speeds is something that we found both comical
and attention grabbing. The game takes the concept of a missile guiding mini games in some shooters
and extracts their essence in order to create its own original game. Bullet Ride is meant to be colorful,
comical, bright, explosive, and above all, very fast. You would want to play this game, and not our
competitor’s game, because Bullet Ride provides an interesting art style, navigation on a 3D plane, fast
paced gaming, and tight mechanics all bundled up in comical flair.
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Audience
Target Market
Our user is familiar with technology, and has a number of technology gadgets, from gaming consoles to
mobile devices. They spend their time doing other entertaining things, including buying movies and
music, going out with friends and playing sports. They love playing fast paced racing games. They are
entertainment enthusiasts looking for fun and move freely from a Smart phone to an Xbox to a laptop.
These are casual gamers with busy schedules that can play games at 5 minute intervals throughout their
day. With these considerations in mind, Bullet Ride is designed to be extremely accessible through
simple controls, relatively short levels, captivating visuals, and non-stop action. The idea is to keep a low
barrier to entry while still keeping the game fresh and fun.
Main Player Overview
In this world every gun magazine has a small office with professional looking little people wearing smart
looking suits inside of it. You play as one of these little people whose 9-5 job is riding a bullet to make
sure it hits its mark. This character is just one amongst many of its kind, since every bullet is required to
have a rider.
Figure 2: Bullet Rider
Rick O’Shay is one among millions of employees for Slug Inc. In this world every bullet is guided
by tiny people, who are extremely effective at preforming this job. They are called Bullet Riders. Rick
O’Shay’s job is no different, just like all the other employees at Slug Inc. he helps guide bullets to their
destination.
The dress code that must be followed is not casual by any means. Proper appearance is very important
to Slug Inc. Each Bullet Rider wears a suit, tie, and properly shined dress shoes. They are allowed no
freedom in choosing what color palette this uniform follows. As a result, every suit jacket is a dark navy
blue, pants are black, shoes are a nice deep red, and the shirt, a golden yellow. Each Bullet Rider is
suited up with protective equipment; Elbow pads, knee pads, helmet, goggles, and a parachute. The
parachute is used when the Bullet Rider is seconds away from impacting the target.
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Figure 3: Color Pallet
Just like the strict color palette for clothing worn, each piece of
protective equipment also adheres to a specific color palette.
Elbow and kneed pads consist of a white color with the hard
plate being outlined by a black line. The helmet is white with a
black stripe down the middle. And finally the parachute is a
base white with all straps being black. Lastly since
appearance is extremely important to Slug Inc. all employees
are responsible and are heavily disciplined if clothing or safety
equipment is not kept in pristine condition. Clothes must be
clean, pressed, and never appear anything else then crisp.
Safety equipment is always washed and buffed, no scuffs or
dents.
Scale
The scale of the game uses the
Bullet as the standard
measurement. The mechanics and
level design of the game will refer
to the bullet as the standard unit of
measurement when referring to
speed and size. The bullet is 5mm x
14mm. With this in mind, the
character is about ½ a bullet.
Figure 4: Scale
Character Stats:



Height 6 mm (1/2 bullet)
Weight 300 mg
Age Range 25 to 45 yrs.
Table 1: Scale
Objects
Bullet Ride
Bullet
Gun
Chair
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Bullets
0.5
1
5
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Vehicle: Bullet
The overall visual goal for the bullet is to design an object that is distinct while it is spinning. The
references that are being used are ones that show a bullet that is beat-up and has unique markings over
its surface. Furthermore the color will follow a palette that consists of orange and brown colors. In the
end the bullet will be designed to be as unique and visually interesting as the character riding.
Figure 5: Bullet
Figure 6: Character
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Mechanics
Movement
Figure 7: Movement
The movement in Bullet Ride is meant to feel like a combination of
snowboarding, and jet plane piloting. The player flies about in a 3D
Plane. As the player moves left/right the bullet strafes in the inputted
direction. The bullet does not turn! It flows like a curving bullet.
Because Bullet Ride is a fast paced game, the controls have to feel
smooth and accurate so the player can fit through small places. Since the
player is technically controlling a bullet it is able to strafe left to right, but
while moving up/down the player can tilt in the inputted direction.
The player moves forward along the z axis automatically at a constant acceleration of 10 bullets per
second till their speed variable reaches the top speed of 100 bullets per second, it takes approximately
10 seconds to reach top speed.
Point System
The point system is implemented in order to foment re-playability and to provide a point of reference to
how good/bad players do. The points are placed at the top of the screen during game play. At the end of
each round the player is also awarded a number of bonuses based on how well their run went.
Table 2: Points Break Down
Points Breakdown
During the Run
Points
Ring
Speed
Close Calls
Grinding
Super Turbo
End Bonus Points
Collected All Rings
Super-Fast Bonus
Fast Bonus
Final Impact Bonus
Flawless Run! (no impacts)
100
1 x Speed
20
3 x Speed
2 x Speed
1,000
20,000
10,000
10 x Speed
5,000
Speed is Life
Bullet Ride is all about Speed; it even acts as the player’s “health”. The better the player is doing, or the
fewer obstacles the player hits, the faster they will go and the more “health” they will have. The normal
top speed of the player is 120 bullets per second.
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Objects in the environment that the player collides with have different effects on the players speed.
Obstacles will decrease the player’s speed when the player collides with them. If the player’s speed hits
60 bullets per second, the player spirals down into the ground. Walls and large metallic objects that
bullets cannot traditionally pierce will result in instantaneous death.
The player is constantly decelerating at 1 bullet per second.
Figure 8: Speed is Life
Turbo
Turbo Mode can be activated holding down the “A” button. When in turbo mode, the bullet accelerates
at 20 bullets per second until it reaches a top speed of 150 bullets per second, but it loses 75% of its
maneuverability.
As soon as the player lets go of the button, the bullet’s acceleration and maneuverability returns to
normal. If the bullet is traveling above its normal top speed (120 bullets), it decelerates at 10 bullets per
second until it reaches its normal top speed.
When the player strikes an unbreakable obstacle while in turbo mode they: are knocked back into
normal mode, suffer the normal impact penalty to their speed after hitting and obstacle, and are unable
to reengage in turbo again for 2 seconds.
Turbo Mode is depicted in game by the avatar lying down and hugging the bullet, the character yelling
as he spins on the bullet, and a wave of distortion that looks like breaking the sound barrier.
Figure 9: Turbo
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Turbo Gauge
Turbo is not infinite; it is dependent on the turbo gauge. The turbo gauge goes up to a maximum of 100
points. Turbo consumes 25 points per second of the turbo gauge when activated. The turbo gauge is
filled up using close calls and picking up rings. When the Turbo gauge falls to 0 points, the player is
unable to engage in Turbo.
Close Calls
Close calls are activated any time the character comes close to missing an obstacle.
 Each near miss awards 10 points of turbo gauge.
 Each near miss awards 10 points to score.
 The player must have traveled 2 bullets away from the border of the obstacle in order to
activate the close calls.
 When the close call is activated the player is visually rewarded with a blue light particle effect
that streams by in the location where the close call was made. The effect can happen to the left,
right, or beneath the player. There is no effect above the player.
Ring Pickups
Rings serve to guide the player, re-fuel the turbo gauge, and provide extra points. They are pick-ups laid
out throughout the level in key places. Each Ring gives the player 20 turbo gauge points and 50 score
points.
Supper Turbo
Super Turbo is activated with the “X” button. The turbo gauge must be above 80 points for it to activate.
When activated, for 3 seconds:
 the player accelerates to a speed of 175 bullets per second
 the player becomes invulnerable to all objects
 the character unleashes a wave that looks like they chattered the sound barrier
 score goes up by speed x 2
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Obstacles
There are 3 types of environmental objects in BR: weak, strong, and solid. If the player hits any objects
while not in turbo they lose certain amount of speed: weak -10%, strong -35 bullets/second, solid -50
bullets/second. The player is never stopped by these objects they only effect their speed.
Figure 10: Breakable Objects




Weak Objects: These objects are made out of clay and glass making them distinctive in the
environment.
Strong Objects: These are made of wood, drywall, and plastic. If the player hits these while in
turbo they loses 10 bullets/second.
Solid Objects: They are made of metal or cement. If the player hits these while in turbo they
lose 50 bullets/second.
Inpenetrable Obstacles: Walls and large metal obstacles will kill the player on collision.
Constraints
Bullet Ride is an “on rails” game. The constraints have been built to keep the player on the track. When
players touch the limits of the level they enter what feels like harsh turbulence. The camera shakes up
and down and it becomes very hard for the player to navigate. They are also unable to keep toing in the
direction that they want as the constraint tries to push the player back into the desired part of the track.
Ricocheting
Figure 11: Ricocheting
Certain objects (usually sturdy and made
of a strong metal) can be ricocheted off
of, which drastically changes the player’s
direction. The direction that the player
travels in will be pre-determined, and the
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objects will be specifically placed in spots that lead into paths that would not be able to be reached
otherwise.
If the player hits these objects while in turbo: The bullet smoothly ricochets off the object and huge
sparks fly off it.
If the player hits these objects while not in turbo: The bullet bounces off the object poorly with a few
sparks coming from the point of impact and spins uncontrollably into the new direction. The player is
then traveling in the new direction but with a speed.
These are obstacles that are in the way but are conveniently angled so that a ricochet effect occurs
which changes the bullets path. The purpose of the ricochet is to break up the level pacing and also
make it seem logical for a bullet to travel through something like an apartment without giving the player
too much freedom with changing the bullet path.
Figure 12: Ricochet Dynamic
How it works; the level designer choose the rotation of the object by placing the Z axis in the new player
direction and he tags the object with the name “RicochetObject”, by doing that the script automatically
change direction of the player when there is a collision with the player’s character.
The animation of the impact lasts 0.2 seconds with a sound effect that lasts 1 second; also the impact
shows a little particles effect with sparkles to give a visual feedback of the collision to the player.
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Table 3: Speed Chart
The player’s character turning duration
is 0.1 seconds.
When player collides with a ricochet
trigger his acceleration increases by 20%
for next 3 seconds, and after this time
the acceleration comes back to the
original value.
Speed
300
250
200
150
Speed
100
50
Y axis: Speed points
X axis: Seconds
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Difficulties
BR has three different difficulties: Easy, Medium, and Hard. The only thing that changes from one
difficulty to the other is the impact that each obstacle type gives to the player.
 In Easy Mode a player can hit an average of 10 obstacles in a row before they die.
 In Medium Mode a player can hit an average of 4 obstacles in a row before they die.
 In Hard a player can hit an average of 2 obstacles in a row before they die.
Infinity Mode
Bullet Ride comes with an infinity mode. It is a survival mode that tests the player’s ability to its limit. In
this mode, the game chooses different segments of the level and randomly alternates between them.
This mode continues until the player dies. The score system is the same as the normal mode, but
without using the bonuses that are not relevant: Fast Times and Impact Speed.
Checkpoints
Checkpoints are a simple mechanic that re-set the player back to a safe position after their death. The
checkpoints are littered throughout the levels at close intervals to simulate a smooth transition between
deaths and re-birth. Each checkpoint saves the score of the player and re sets it to it’s save state if a
player dies and restarts at its point. The closely spaced out checkpoints serve to make the game
significantly more forgiving.
Control Scheme 1: Xbox 360




The left analog stick is used for movement in 4 directions (up, down, left, right).
The “A” button is held down to enter turbo; the player holds it down to remain in turbo and
releases it to come out of turbo.
The “X” Button is pressed to activate Supper Turbo
The “Start” Button is used to access the pause menu
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Camera
Bullet Rider’s camera is from a 3rd person perspective, but changes depending on where the player is
and whether or not they are in turbo. The camera modes are: Third Person, Third Person Turbo, and
First Person
Third Person: This is the default camera mode. The camera is 3 “bullets” behind the player and 1 bullet
above. This places the character at 1/10th above the bottom of the screen while idle.
Third Person Turbo: In the same way the player’s mobility gets tighter while in turbo, so does the
camera. Once turbo is pressed the camera zooms in so it is only 2 “bullets” behind the player and moves
down ¼ a bullet (the zoom takes 0.5 seconds).
Camera Mode 1: On Reigns
This is the default camera mode. It gets its name because it is meant to mimic the feeling of being on a
chariot being pulled by a bullet so it swings around like it is attached on reigns. While in turbo the reigns
tighter and the camera gets pulled closer to the bullet. It is meant to imitate the feeling of being in a
carriage with the bullet for a horse.
The camera is always trying to center itself at the idle position of 3 “bullets” behind the player and 1
above (default position). When the player strafes to the left or right the camera slides in that direction.
The reigns are 4 “bullets” long, therefor if the camera becomes 4 “bullets” away from the player the
camera gets tugged back toward the default position (takes 0.3 seconds for the camera to move back to
the “default position”). If the player doesn’t move far enough to pull the reigns to the max, the camera
moves back toward the idle position as soon as they stop pulling away from the camera.
Figure 13: Camera on Reigns Side View
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Figure 14: Camera on Reigns Top-Down View
Figure 15: Camera on Reigns in Game View
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Figure 16: Camera on Reigns Movement
Camera Mode 2: Third Person Turbo
This is camera while in turbo. While the player is holding down the “turbo button” the camera zooms in
from “camera mode 1” so the camera is only 1 bullet behind the bullet and the camera rotated 20* on
the x axis (this takes half a second).
The restraints on the reigns are half of what they are in camera mode 1. In the same way the player’s
mobility gets tighter while in turbo, so does the camera. Once turbo is pressed the camera zooms in so it
is only 1 “bullet” behind the player and moves down ¼ a bullet (the zoom takes 0.5 seconds).
Figure 17: Camera Third Person Turbo
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Game Art Vision
Figure 18: Game Art Vision 1
Figure 19: Game Art Vision 2
The art vision for this game is aimed at creating a
world which is very contrast oriented in its color
choices. Where the color of objects and rooms
plays a role in indicating to the player what choice
they should make to highlight decisions of
whether they need to dodge an object or can crash
through it. Also, having contrasting colors helps
creating easier landmarks for the player to identify.
The character style vision is similar to the level of
detail and proportions that is found in the drawing
style of caricatures. The proportions are not
realistic, and the character detail contains a
caricature like style.
Visuals effects
Motion blur
From the point the bullet is fired the player can
observe a motion blur effect on the outer 2/3 of
the screen, conveying the sensation of moving
Figure 20: Motion Blur
extremely fast. The area of screen in affect looks
visually blurred, where the colors are be slightly
washed together, and are stretched along the same
direction the player is moving
Colors in Environments
The colors in the environment direct the player to
the correct course of action. These colors indicate to
the player things like, what can be broken if collided
into, what should be avoided, and what will cause
their bullet to alter course. I.e. Metal objects cause the bullet to ricochet; deflecting the player onto a
new trajectory. The result then is anything metal alters the bullets course and the player can now play
according to this principle.
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Particle and HUD Effects
During game play there are a few areas that use particle and HUD effects.
Particle effects
Figure 22: Debris
When the bullet collides into or ricochets of an environmental objects, there
is a particle effect like debris or sparks that is triggered. I.e. Metal objects
will be sparks and soft objects like wood or brick will be debris.
There is also the bullet trail that is generated behind the bullet that makes it
seem like the bullet is cutting through wind at high speeds.
Breakable Objects
During gameplay there are objects that populate the world which the player will be able to break. These
objects include: Vases/Bottles
 Windows
 Weak areas in the walls
 PlatesHUD
Bullet Ride has a very simple HUD. Speed is communicated through motion blur the perception of object
flying towards the player. There is a speedometer and turbo gauge at the bottom left of the screen
which blinks in red light when the player approaches death speed and blinks in blue light when the
player gathers close calls. There is also the score at the top center of the screen. This simple HUD allows
for the character and the bullet to be the main focus of the game. The Obstacles take on center stage,
and there is little else to take up the attention of the player.
Figure 23: HUD
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Level Design Philosophy
The speed of a bullet. The guy who is standing on the bullet has a different time perception than big
people. Our blinks of eyes are his getting a good scratch down below. As we still wanted that sense of
speed so badly, it is our main mantra after all, we had to make the level go by really fast.
But our game is more than just speed. It has this spirit of humour and swing. We have more in mind for
it than just a hardcore speed-chaser game. We want crazy, we want humour; we want a fat guy running
on a bullet desperately trying to fix his screw up and finally save a hostage.
Despite this, speed is still the most important factor. With maneuvering in high speed comes precision
as well. A pilot has to maneuver into the sweet spot. We want the environment to play a big part in the
experience of the game. This breath of art deco, crazy shapes and bright colors conveys a perfect
dizzying effect, helping to disconnect the player from reality and feeling closer to a comic universe. So as
far as Level Design Philosophy goes, we had two pillars to guide us: Dizzying Speed and Funnel Tunnel.
Master of Speed
We look at racing games first, referencing games
like Burnout, Need For Speed and Blur. The
challenges of these games are Time and Opponents
but for Level Design the challenges are obstacles.
The obstacles in these racing games are mainly
curves and they demand precision and control in
ordered to be mastered. Bullet Ride obstacles are
about dodging if you look at them one by one, as a
beginner at driving sees only the curve in front of
them. We try to also capture the mastery of getting
the perfect score, the Flow.
Figure 24: Burnout
Obstacles
As we are going through an apartment, the material of the interior is going to be different. So we
created the system of Weak, Strong and Solid objects. The absolute majority of the used obstacles are
Strong, middle path will lead you straight. The weak are breakables with a reward tied in and the Solid
are obstacles with a very unforgiving punishment. Refer to page 14.
Dodging & Close Calls
So as we are comparing ourselves with racing games we have a fundamental difference in our game. We
have not only left and right movement, we have up and down as well as diagonal. So we have to look at
different kinds of games and the first that comes to mind are flying games. The one that we are
reminded of the most while looking at the prototype’s movement was Starfox 64. Although the steering
is completely different and the core gameplay is mostly shooting it has a lot of dodging elements in it
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What is most exciting when playing all of these games are the close calls just as well as getting the best
time. In a racing game it’s those moments when you’re right behind the leading car and you’re both
facing a sharp turn. The leading car breaks in and takes the safe clipping point and you risk it. You go on
the inside, you break in just a little bit later and you turn just a
Figure 25: Star Wars Episode I: Racer
little bit sharper. If you fail you have to punch the
break to not collide, but when you succeed you take
the turn and leave the other car in your dust.
The game Star Wars Episode I: Racer does this
spectacularly where you have to turn a fairly broad
vehicle up on its side in order to fit through a narrow
gap. These moments are when your focus has to be at
a high and you go blue by holding your breath, heart
pumping, palms sweating. Capture this feeling is
paramount for our game’s feeling.
Ricochets & Navigation
So how can we make a game about riding a bullet that lasted longer than the time it takes for a bullet to
reach its target? Ricochet comes to mind immediately. We are thinking of those moments in some
movies where the bullet misses and just hits a lot of objects in a sequence and then suddenly hits
somebody. This allows us also to flesh out the premise of our game, the hostage situation.
The ricochets works as the center pieces in the level design. They are the turns of the racing track. This
way we don’t have a bullet just going through a bunch of rooms, crashing through walls. We can actually
spend more time in the room and turn around the player. What this creates is gameplay where the
obstacles are tied to each other as they have to both fit the theme of a room, making the environment
more interesting and sensible.
Figuring out what the obstacles are and putting them into a real perspective is supposed to work in the
back of the player’s mind.
Putting a player in control of a guy riding a bullet through these big apartments makes it hard to control
where the player goes. Even though the constraints mechanic works well, we still have to make the
player not want to move in the direction that would interact with the constraints. The original thought
of the constraint was to mechanize and visualize a wind tunnel, but as the visual feedback is only
displayed when the player actually hits the constrains because a permanent visual representation of a
wind tunnel conveys to much linearity. We have to use other methods in order to have the player going
down the desired path where the challenges are.
What we find is it’s really hard to distinguish ricochets from obstacles. How are you supposed to know
that lamp is a ricochet but that other lamp is an obstacle? Early iterations are actually that lamps would
be the only ricochets. This doesn’t make much sense later as the lamps can be too thin and don’t fit
overall in the rooms.
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It was recommended that we create a strong visual language and we decided to make only solid,
metallic objects ricochets with a distinctive, unison color. We have a sharp metallic shader that stands
out as we also decide no other metallic objects should be present in the level. We look closely at games
like Mirror’s Edge for reference on their use of color in the level design to guide the player.
As the ricochets became more distinguishable
they also became what they were originally
intended for, waypoints. If there is more than
one ricochet between a sequence filled with
obstacles, the nearest ricochet should be visible
from the ricochet the player just hit.
Figure 26: Mirror’s Edge
This could be seen as a sort of part objectives
for the original mission: hit the ricochets to get
back to the target!
Turbo Rings
Not only does daring fate and going close to
obstacles give you charge for your turbo. Rings are placed throughout the level in challenging placed to
reward the most skilled of players. To go out of your way to get them gets you out of the most effective
path but gives you more turbo to go even faster than originally.
The ring placement frequency is fairly low. Up to two in a room is the max for balancing purposes but
also to not water down the initial intended challenge. The rings are placed so that the player not only
gets the ring but also gets the close call bonuses as the ring is placed in such a tight place.
Dizzying Speed & Funnel Tunnel
There are a lot of components here that together shape a Bullet Ride level. Hitting a statue and then
dodging books while figuring out where to go gets confusing. As the bullet is pretty small placing
obstacles and ricochets is all about finding those crowded spot in an interior. A bookshelf is a perfect
example: Books lying down makes for good up and down, left and right dodging while still being able to
see over the books rim to the other side. Something like picture frames blocks the player view and
funnels him from going outside the shelf. A natural wall with glimpses of a world outside, conveying the
sense of being in a room but rushing through it fast.
Spacing out objects creates a natural speed indicator. The space between objects gives the sense of
whooshing by stuff, just as a race track has marked sides to indicate speed.
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Example of how to create a room for the Level
As you can see in the picture above the rooms are decorated where the player path is, the rest of the
room is mostly empty. The empty space can be utilized to create and alternate player path later,
recycling already created segments, something that is crucial in this game where the art load is so heavy
with details.
Figure 27: Segment Design
Segment 1 starts off in the table, goes behind picture frames and aims for a hole between the books in
the shelf. Out through the hole the empty area to the right is blocked off by stacks of paper, blocking
view and only giving away glimpses. The path goes up over the archive cupboard and over the desk and
then straight through the window. As Ricochets are not leading the player, funneling is crucial for
navigation.
Segment 2 starts off through the window, over the telescope and goes straight for the massive ricochet
in the form of a statue. Then behind a big row of books and over a book stack, seemingly going straight
for an empty wall with nothing but a distinctive vent shaft.
Segment 3 goes on through a vent shaft where at the end of the tunnel there is a ricochet throwing you
out into a room filled with crates. The only object distinguishable is a statue sitting in one of the crates.
The statue is another ricochet that steers you into a closet full of shoes where the shoes are stacked in a
diagonal way that forms up into a tunnel with two “walls” and “floor” underneath in the shape of shoes.
The “roof” is the coats hanging above. Only way out is through a wall and on it goes. Funnel tunnel.
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Mind the speed
It’s easy to forget how hard this game is in the beginning for a new player. As you have to keep a lot in
mind for the design a player has to focus on a lot to go through it. It’s important to not hold back though
and not be discouraged players having a hard time though. The learning curve is surprisingly soft. A new
player will crash and burn guaranteed the first time but as the setting and rules of the game sink in, the
third time’s proves to often be the charm. But, tweaking is always a high priority. As the player can go all
directions, the variations of ways an obstacle is avoided the approach towards the next is different.
Figure 28: Level Design Mood Board
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Low Art Game Mock-Ups
Figure 29: Low Art Mock-up 1
Figure 31: Art Mockup 2
Figure 30: Art Mockup 3
Figure 32: Actual Game Footage
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Cinematic
There will be two cinematic scenes in the game that will be played, one at the start of the level and one
at the end.
Scene #1
Overview: The player will see the character they are playing as it is getting ready to go to work; to ride
the bullet.
The opening of this scene shows the gun and then moves into an x-ray view of it. In this view the
character will be seen in the bullet clip which will be visually shown as a staff break room. This will be
where the character and its other co-workers wait till they are needed to work. When this character is
called to work it will walk across this break room to a door where he slips a punch card into a machine to
clock in. Then proceeds to go through the door to where the bullets are kept. The character hops on
and as the bullet begins to rise it puts all the equipment on and prepares to be fired out towards the
target. Finally the bullet reaches the chamber and is fired sending the character hurdling outwards.
Scene #2
Overview: The player has successfully hit its target and is shown a scene where the character jumps off
the bullet and parachutes down to safety.
The bullet is about to strike the target; the character is ready to now jump off the bullet and parachute
down to safety. As the character bails off the bullet it opens up its chute and begins to slowly descend.
While it’s descending downwards a splatter of blood rains down onto the player’s parachute confirming
that the bullet has struck its target.
These objects will be color theme to indicate that they will be breakable. A possible example is glass will
be a bluish themed color, or walls might be a whitish color.
Audio
Music
Bullet Ride has sounds designed to place the player in the world. The music genre is electro swing. A
mixture between the swing music popularized between the 20s through 40s and electronic music, a
much more modern sound. The combination of this dichotomy works wonderfully to set the player in
Bullet Ride’s remarkable world.
Sound Effects
Every object in the world has a hit box that lets loose a sound based on the type of material it is upon
impact with the player. The levels are covered with wood, glass, metal, paper, and ceramic obstacles.
Turbo and super turbo have a unique sound. There is a whooshing and flapping background sound
throughout to give an impression of moving at high speeds. Near Misses also have a whooshing sound
effect when activate. The character lets out a yell when he enters turbo and supper turbo.
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Game Interface
Table 4: Game Interface
Start Game
Legal Screen
No
Sensitivity
Volume
Invert Axix
Normal Gameplay
Select Difficulty:
Easy
Medium
Hard
Main Menu
Quit Game
Are you Sure you
want to Quit?
Yes
Start Button
Options
Return to Main Menu
Exit Game
Arcade Mode
Game Options
Pause Menu
Start Button
Arcade Mode Play
Key
Game Play
Player Makes a
Choice
Screen with
Different
Options
Beginning and End
of the Process
Screen
The Game Interface is simple. Through the Main Menu the player can decide to start a Normal Game or
an Arcade Mode game, or exit the game. In the main menu the player is able to view high scores, the
credits, and a tutorial of the game. Normal Game Play takes the player through the game campaign as it
was designed by the developers. Arcade Mode provides an infinite, randomly generated level that
allows the player to play for as long as they can. When a player starts the game, they are given the
option of choosing easy, medium, or hard difficulties. In game, the player can access the volume,
sensitivity and Invert the axis of their controller by pressing Start button and entering the Pause Menu.
Additionally, the Pause Menu allows the player to restart the level, return to the nearest checkpoint, or
return to the Main Menu.
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Competitive Analysis
There are a number of games on the mobile market that explore a similar concept to that of Bullet Ride.
Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride, and Subway Surfers are games that, like Bullet Ride, try to give the player a
feeling of speeding through a colorful environment as the player tries to avoid obstacles. However, this
is where the similarities end. Each game has a unique style, concept, and gameplay mechanics that leave
plenty of room for Bullet Ride to provide a unique experience while still being relevant to the same
types of users.
Table 5: Competitive Analysis
Game
Temple Run
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/templerun/id420009108?mt=8
Competitor Feature
Bullet Ride Feature
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Jetpack Joyride
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/jetpackjoyride/id457446957?mt=8
Subway Surfers
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/subwaysurfers/id512939461?mt=8
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Escape the Evil Demon Monkeys
3D Game
Fast pace racing down ancient temple walls and
along sheer cliffs.
Avoid obstacles
o Turn
o Jump
o Slide
Collect coins and buy power ups,
Unlock new characters
2D Side-Scroller
Action Game
Fast
Evade Obstacles
Fly
Collect Coins
Crazy Explosions
Very Colorful
Multiple Vehicles
Customizable Character
Run Through Train tracks Collecting Coins
3D Game
Fast pace racing.
Avoid obstacles
o Turn
o Jump
o Slide
Collect coins and buy power ups,
Unlock new characters
Bullet Driving
3D Game
High Speed
Evade Obstacles
Break Obstacles
3D Navigation
Reverse Time
Ricochet off surfaces
Turbo
Customizable Characters
Bullet Driving
3D Game
High Speed
Evade Obstacles
Break Obstacles
3D Navigation
Reverse Time
Ricochet off surfaces
Turbo
Customizable Characters
Bullet Driving
3D Game
High Speed
Evade Obstacles
Break Obstacles
3D Navigation
Reverse Time
Ricochet off surfaces
Turbo
Temple Run
Figure 33: Temple Run
Temple Run is a faced paced game 3D game where the player traverses
through an ancient temple along sheer cliffs. The players must try to
escape from an evil demon monkey by constantly running. The players
avoid obstacles by turning, jumping or sliding as they try to collect coins
and power-ups. The game ends only when the player dies, otherwise the
level is continually generated by randomly placing level pieces.
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Like Temple Run, Bullet Ride tries to achieve a feeling of high speed in a 3D environment as the player
must try to avoid obstacles. The biggest difference between the two games, besides the Artistic concept,
is that Bullet Ride is consistently steered in 3 dimensions, while in Temple Run players simply give inputs
by swiping on the screen when the character needs to move. This means that in Bullet Ride the player
has a much more immersive control of the character. Also, instead of just avoiding obstacles, players can
obliterate certain obstacles, which can be much more satisfying that just running away from enemies
and collecting coins.
Jetpack Joyride
Figure 34: Jetpack Joyride
Jetpack Joyride is a 2D Side-scroller game where players try to
avoid and destroy obstacles as they fly around with a jetpack
collecting coins. The game is fast paced, very colorful and
cartoony, and has flight. Bullet Ride has a similar concept, but a
radically different execution. Both games aim to give the player a
feeling of flying at high speeds. While Jetpack Joyride is a 2D
game, Bullet Ride is fully 3D. This allows Bullet Ride to give the
player a more intimate experience with speed!
Subway Surfers
Figure 35: Subway Surfers
Subway Surfers is a 3D game where players run
through train tracks collecting coins and avoiding
obstacles. The game has more in similarity with
Temple Run than it does with Bullet Ride, indicating
that there is still plenty of space in the genre for
other games. Both Bullet Ride and Subway Surfers
are about racing down a tight venue at high speeds
in a 3D environment. However, in Subway surfer the
players must try to collect all the coins, not
necessarily always evade obstacles. The biggest different is that Bullet Ride is steered on 3 dimensions,
and instead of just avoiding obstacles, you can obliterate them. Bullet Ride stands out because of its
different take on avoiding obstacles and giving the player a feeling not only of speed, but of flight.
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