MTB Paradise - Modded map for Descenders.
Project Summary
Descenders is a downhill mountain biking game where players race through challenging tracks, perform daring stunts, and compete for the best times and scores. With a focus on skillful riding.
The reason I created this map was that I wanted to expand upon my previous project: “Dirt Garden“. I aimed to incorporate new trails and unique features. I was curious to see if I could design a map that would truly be one of a kind and stand out among other maps.
Before diving into this analysis, I encourage you to watch the video below, which shows my project from a player’s perspective.
Creation Process
First of all I wanted to make my map bigger, the Dirt Garden is 500×500 in unity and I wanted MTB Paradise to be 1500×1500. My initial challenge revolved around the difficulty of expanding the Unity terrain without distorting it. Descenders is built on Unity 2017, which lacks the specific feature I required.
However, after doing some research, I discovered that Unity 2019 offered the precise tool I needed. So I’ve copied whole project and opened it in Unity 2019, successfully extended the terrain, and exported the corresponding height map.
Although the process seemed smooth, I’ve had some troubles importing it back to unity 2017 but after couple hours I’ve managed to do it, during which I identified issues related to scaling and improper heightmap resolution.
I’ve used my previous project, the ‘Dirt Garden’ as a template for this map. While I’ve reshaped most of the features, there are some key obstacles that players who played ‘Dirt Garden’ before might recognize.
In order to make my map visually captivating and unique I needed to learn how to make 3D models. Like many beginners, I followed a well-known ‘donut tutorial’ that showed me some basics of how to use blender. After that I was able to make simple 3D models, and when I got hang of it I’ve made models that would eventually made it into the map.
I also tried out a particle system and made a teleporter by following a tutorial I found on YouTube.
To shape the terrain I’ve used the standard unity’s terrain tools, to make things easier I camouflaged some 3D models with terrain This way, I didn’t have to make long, perfectly smooth surfaces at certain angles.
For a few jumps, there wasn’t enough speed, making it quite challenging to reach the next jump smoothly. To address this, I employed a speed boosting script shared by the Descenders community. This script was really helpful in solving the issue.
It’s interesting to note that the same script was utilized in one of the sections within the ‘boost park’ where players are propelled forward by boosters, eliminating the need to jump or pedal before jumps.
To enhance the overall appearance, I relied on a standard environment package from Unity for the trees and other details. Additionally, I downloaded a flowers pack to make the ground look more visually appealing.
At the end I used the free skybox that I liked and slightly adjustment to the light’s color and brightness to suit my preferences.
However, I encountered a challenge with performance as certain parts of the map were causing a slowdown in the FPS rate. Upon investigation, it became evident that the high density of trees was the root cause. To address this, I removed some trees and adjusted the LOD’s successfully resolving the performance issue.
Project Features
Due to the variety of trail styles and their differing levels of difficulty, this map reaches to a broad audience, ranging from beginners to pros. It boasts several unique features that set it apart from other maps, including:
- two imposing volcanoes that propel players high into the air.
- there’s a dedicated learning center where players can master essential game techniques that are relatively unknown to most.
- The map even features a spacious skatepark, complete with an airbag obstacle that uses bouncy game physics, enabling players to perform bouncing tricks.
As an extra special touch, there’s a hidden Easter egg in the mountains: a massive UFO. This hidden gem transports players to a room where an alien dances to loud music. The UFO is a nod to my first map, where players had to jump over it.
Value Of The Project
The Descenders community responded warmly to this map, with numerous players and even developers sharing positive feedback. Currently, MTB Paradise have an impressive 30,000 downloads and holds an excellent rating of 94%.
Link to the project page: MTB Paradise
Furthermore, one of the developers approached me with an exciting offer: to make my map an official bike park in the game, that means map would be implemented into the game and anyone could play it from main menu. Of course I said yes and I’m excited to see my map potentially included in the next game update.
The map is accessible on Windows and both Mac and OSX platforms, providing an inclusive experience for a wider range of players.
To showcase the community’s reception, I have included a selection of videos and reviews below.
If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them.
I’m always open to talk about new projects, creative opportunities and how I can help you.