Feedback and Suggestions

[Topo]

Thank you!

First of all, I want to say that while I will be very critical with the game, I really like it and absolutely appreciate your work and its appearance on Steam! However there are several points, especially certain design choices regarding the game modes, which in my opinion prevent 80's Overdrive from developing its full potential.

Career Mode: Making your supercar... super

• The career let you start with a supercar, but this supercar is... slow! You have to upgrade it many times throughout the campaign to make the supercar eventually become a supercar. This is very artifical. Normally a career or campaign of similar structur is expected to work like this: You start with bad or old cars, which you can just upgrade a few times and then have to exchange or sell to advance in the game. 80's Overdrive's focus on supercars does not really fit with its Death Rally-like career structure.
  
  
• The tracks and controls are clearly not designed for the slow career start. This makes your first races feel quite inappropriate and could leave a bad first impression. In a way, a slow car in 80's Overdrive is even harder to drive than a faster one because of the sensitive controls, which make only sense at high speed.
  
  
• Sadly the career mode lacks in lore and diversity. It mostly seems to be a quantitative (yet fun) grind fest to max out your cars, to make your supercars finally become super and ready for the Time Attack mode.

Time Attack... Arcade Mode

What is called "Time Attack" is (at least from my point of view) actually the arcade mode of the game. It is OutRun-like routing through different environments, where you have to reach the next checkpoint before time runs out. The difference: the route branching seems endless. So it is also a kind of survival mode. But time attack? :) This labeling is quite confusing.

Suggestions:

• A real time attack mode, which would mean setting best times on fixed tracks. The game already has plenty of fixed tracks in it's career, so why not setting best times on them? Or on user generated tracks.
  
  
• A true OutRun-like arcade mode, which is not endless. I think, it feels much more satisfying to drive a certain route from start to finish. Maybe with rivals for each section, like Slipstream does it.
  
  
• This arcade mode should already have one maxed out car right of the start (so that players can enjoy it immediately with no need to grind), and then in the career you can get the full set of cars. These should first pop up in the arcade mode until they are fully maxed out in the career.

Muffled motors

Unfortunately a clear weak point of the game are its sound effects: they are far too muffled and unpleasing, adding no intensity to the race. The engines, the passing of other cars, the tyre squeal – it all should sound much better and should be more present. And a detail: Please exchange the cash register sound when selecting music. It should be the sound of putting in a cassette or something similar.

The controls... the speed

The controls are overall pretty good! Above I already described that there is a problem at slower speed, but overall the controls are good. But... I don't know how to put it... maybe the game is too easy to control, even on maxed out speed? Sometimes I had the feeling that the racing speed could still go faster. The original OutRun feels more intense at top speed. Maybe 80's Overdrive needs more speed feedback to the player: visually (a dustcloud while hard turning at top speed), auditory (clear tyre squealing) and through controller vibration (rumbling while driving, stronger rumbling when losing traction). There is already a discussion regarding analogue controls. I would absolutely appreciate that! Analogue input for gas and brake, too.

Some more wishes

• Multiplayer of course, local and online. If you manage to get it online, you are ahead of Slipstream and Horizon Chase.
  
  
• Online leaderboards.
  
  
• Racing at night (the music of the game screams for that) and weather conditions.
  
  
• More happy tunes (like the music of the trailer).
  
  
• The possibility to put in your own music.
  
  
• A Chase H.Q. mode where you are a hard boiled police officer hunting for murderers on the run! :D
  
  
• In the career: Seeing the other racers talking some silly stuff (character portrait + small text field). The Emojis should be reserved for the ordinary traffic. Of course this should not distract too much or block your sight.
  
  
• More track variety, more extreme slopes and corners.

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[AxeD]

Hi. Thank you for your test and opinion. I can give you small hint, Career mode has other, hidden purpose, were you able to find it ?

[radicalnetwork]

I played this game to death on 3DS and i love it, i'll most likely get it soon on Steam too, i was checking the discussions to find info about the improvements for the Switch/PC version (which seem interesting) and i stumbled on this thread, most of OP suggestions seem pretty good to me, in particular:

Originally posted by Topfheiler:

• A true OutRun-like arcade mode, which is not endless. I think, it feels much more satisfying to drive a certain route from start to finish. Maybe with rivals for each section, like Slipstream does it.

THIS THIS THIS, it'd be so cool to have a proper Outrun mode in the game, the pieces are all there already so if you guys can make this happen i'll be grateful forever lol.

And

More happy tunes (like the music of the trailer).

The possibility to put in your own music.

These would be pretty cool too, and i think adding the possibility to put your own music should be quite easy/cheap to implement but maybe i'm wrong, it'd be very nice tho.

[777]

I agree with all the points above and as a suggestion I'd add a "random" option when choosing the music before a race.

I really like this game because of the beautiful aesthetics and the great music, but as a first impression I got a bit disappointed as soon as I noticed:

1. The too much sensitive steering controls. It is more like a tap left/right control system instead of keeping the steering wheel in a certain angle.

2. The "not so fast" sensation of speed. Maybe because the trucks and the other traffic cars are going too fast in comparison of the speed of the racers.

3. The too linear first couple of races that feel a bit uninspired (too many straights perhaps?).

Speaking of the racing tracks, I am halfway of the career and so far most of them offered no real challenge apart from dodging the traffic. Corners are way too easy and the car is not really pushed on the side of the road because of the high speed, so there is barely need to change gear or to brake. Also, I feel the gears are way too short.

[AxeD]

Hi. About first races - yes, they are straight for a purpose of learning. About controls - it was always console like game and we are considering analogue controls (it is in our backlog either). Remember to master the career mode :)

[janner66]

Originally posted by AxeD:

Hi. Thank you for your test and opinion. I can give you small hint, Career mode has other, hidden purpose, were you able to find it ?

What do you mean by this please? I have completed everything in career apart from the last race. Is this what you are referring to. The last race?

[Topo]

Originally posted by janner66:

Originally posted by AxeD:

Hi. Thank you for your test and opinion. I can give you small hint, Career mode has other, hidden purpose, were you able to find it ?

What do you mean by this please? I have completed everything in career apart from the last race. Is this what you are referring to. The last race?

That's how I interpreted it. The last race and its reward.

[AxeD]

My point is - once you win all races you gonna have final race with extra reward.

[HanSolo2204]

Well, I just started playing the game and overall I like it.
Beside this there are some things I would like to see improved. First of all I can't find a way to change the control settings. I'd like to remap the buttons on my Xbox Gamepad but there is no mapping available - or am I wrong?
Second, it would be great to be able to reset the car manually on the track after crashing into a track object. It needs too much time until the game resets my car.
Third would be the improvement of analog input. Using the analog triggers on a gamepad would be fantastic.
And last of all would it be possible to get some kind of drifting and drafting?

However, great job so far!

[AxeD]

Originally posted by HanSolo2204:

Well, I just started playing the game and overall I like it.
Beside this there are some things I would like to see improved. First of all I can't find a way to change the control settings. I'd like to remap the buttons on my Xbox Gamepad but there is no mapping available - or am I wrong?
Second, it would be great to be able to reset the car manually on the track after crashing into a track object. It needs too much time until the game resets my car.
Third would be the improvement of analog input. Using the analog triggers on a gamepad would be fantastic.
And last of all would it be possible to get some kind of drifting and drafting?

However, great job so far!

Hi. We plan point 1 and 3. Can you alaborate about point 2?

[HanSolo2204]

Thank you for your quick reply!
It sounds great that you work on two of my requests/suggestions. Remapping the key would be the most important improvement because it's very hard to keep my thumb on the acceleration (A) and push Nitro (X) at the same moment.
About the second one: When I hit a traffic sign, a pole, a tree, whatever stands beside the track, I can't set the car back on track manually. There is no reverse driving nor a reset key.
It would be cool to have a reset key or, even better, no hard stopp but like other arcade racers does it, flipping the car over (looks unrealistic but funny) and keep a little speed.

[AxeD]

In 80's game should put you on track in 2 seconds - it's a penalty for incorrect driving.

[hexaae]

@AxeD
PLEASE, ADD INERTIAL CONTROL OPTION
Can you please add inertial control option for oldskoolers grown up with Out Run (arcade), Lotus series (Amiga) etc.? When you move left or right the car should not immedialey move but give you a small inertial feeling... Please :( Current control method is too direct and fast and doesn't feel "realistic", so an option to add inertial control would make users like me feel at home again!
Of course also CPU cars should have inertial trajectory in this case without sudden steering corrections Tron-like when inertial option is on ;)

ADD CONFIGURABILE CONTROLS
I can't play with WASD+N etc. and I'd prefer Left-Right cursor keys to steer + WS, so please add editable controls! :(

MORE VARIED TRACKS WITH MORE CURVES
Please add more varied and faster tracks with more & harder curves, jumps, and more hazards. Weather conditions... Need also some hills, water etc... (consider I'm just at the beginning with very first levels anwyay...)

SMOOTH INERTIAL CONTROLS OPTION
Good old Lotus 2 (Amiga) example (with inertial controls):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLQiwjGrEjE

IMPROVE START GRID ANIMATION
When cars accelerate on the start grid they move left-right-left-right like crazy to simulate first acceleration I guess, but I'm sure you can do better than this.. ;)

CARS CAN PASS THROUGH
Sometimes the cars behind pass through your car at full speed after you hit something. Feels like no sprite collision.

IMPROVED ENGINE SOUND
Please, can you improve this?

These are my first impressions... this game has big potentials to revive good old days but needs some refinements! Thank you for this game!

[AxeD]

Originally posted by hexaae:

@AxeD
PLEASE, ADD INERTIAL CONTROL OPTION
Can you please add inertial control option for oldskoolers grown up with Out Run (arcade), Lotus series (Amiga) etc.? When you move left or right the car should not immedialey move but give you a small inertial feeling... Please :( Current control method is too direct and fast and doesn't feel "realistic", so an option to add inertial control would make users like me feel at home again!
Of course also CPU cars should have inertial trajectory in this case without sudden steering corrections Tron-like when inertial option is on ;)

ADD CONFIGURABILE CONTROLS
I can't play with WASD+N etc. and I'd prefer Left-Right cursor keys to steer + WS, so please add editable controls! :(

MORE VARIED TRACKS WITH MORE CURVES
Please add more varied and faster tracks with more & harder curves, jumps, and more hazards. Weather conditions... Need also some hills, water etc... (consider I'm just at the beginning with very first levels anwyay...)

Good old Lotus 2 (Amiga) example (with inertial controls):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLQiwjGrEjE

IMPROVE START GRID ANIMATION
When cars accelerate on the start grid they move left-right-left-right like crazy to simulate first acceleration I guess, but I'm sure you can do better than this.. ;)

CARS CAN PASS THROUGH
Sometimes the cars behind pass through your car at full speed after you hit something. Feels like no sprite collision.

IMPROVED ENGINE SOUND
Please, can you improve this?

These are my first impressions... this game has big potentials to revive good old days but needs some refinements! Thank you for this game!

Hey.
We still collect feedback from all platforms and we try to schedule all that we agree in time. Now, we want to add in upcomming patch:
- give an option to customize input;
- give analaog input;

In next steps we want to release game on a XBO, sound improvements and later - we will see :)

[hexaae]

Many indie games usually die after they publish for console/Android... hope won't be the case of 80's OVERDRIVE since it still requires some basic things good old classics of this genre already offered in the past....

[AxeD]

Originally posted by hexaae:

Many indie games usually die after they publish for console/Android... hope won't be the case of 80's OVERDRIVE since it still requires some basic things good old classics of this genre already offered in the past....

Game is already on Nintendo 3DS and Switch :) So it's not a case. We jsut do it in our spare time.