cheapskate

READ BEFORE YOU BUY:

• DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IF YOU EXPECT AAA

  • this is a pre-alpha software development experiment

  • this is a solo / indie developer sharing pre-alpha early progress

  • this isn't a AAA studio using "early access" for fomo publicity 2 weeks before release

• DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IF YOU EXPECT A COMPLETE FINISHED PRODUCT

  • this is a pre-alpha software development experiment

  • it's on early access to streamline sharing and testing

  • it's public strictly for the morbidly curious interested in seeing early steps

  • it's a collection of unfinished gameplay mechanics, gameplay systems, and menus made for development and testing, with no handholding, and no consideration for a player

• DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IF YOU EXPECT ANALOG STICK SIM: THIS IS NOT A SIM SKATING GAME

  • this game uses "classic", "arcade" action sports inputs with snappy digital trick triggering

  • there is an attempt to keep the world semi-realistic in dimension, speed, and jump height but still arcade-like

• IF YOU BOUGHT THIS GAME AND THOUGH IT WAS GOING TO BE FINISHED OR AAA OR SIM AND YOU'RE ANGRY

  • feel free to contact me so I can work out some kind of refund if it's past the refund period

  • again, don't want to confuse real early access for 'commercial product', this is for curious people who want to see early steps and support a solo-dev. There are AAA games on sale for under 5 dollars, money can go far on Steam so not trying to rip anyone off here.

  • let me know if there's a more clear way to communicate all this

• TLDR; DO NOT BUY THIS GAME

IF YOU ARE STILL INTERESTED, THEN CARRY ON. OTHERWISE, THIS GAME IS PROBABLY NOT FOR YOU AND YOU SHOULD NOT SPEND MONEY ON IT. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING.

WHERE IS DEVELOPMENT AT:

PRE-ALPHA:

• prototyping and developing core features

• all existing features are still in development and subject to change

• all remaining core features are in design and prototyping and subject to change

• when all core features are defined, prototyped, and refined then:

  • the project will enter Alpha

  • during Alpha, actual content will be defined, prototyped, and refined

  • until then, all current content is subject to change

WHAT IS THIS GAME PITCH:

• THIRD PERSON ACTION SPORTS SANDBOX

  • primarily skateboarding (bmx, mtb, ski, snowboard, speedfly to come)

  • off board walking controls, with extended controls to come (climb, shimmy, wallrun, melee combat)

  • simple story mode with mission progression through levels, simple session mode with basic challenges

  • mod support so people can create their own content (levels, characters, challenges, missions, stories)

WHAT IS CURRENTLY PLAYABLE:

• CORE GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

  • Character

    • first pass blockout character with separated static mesh components for future player customization

    • first pass blockout animation poses for all actions and tricks

  • Skateboard

    • first pass blockout skateboard with separated static mesh components for future player customization

  • Offboard 3rd person controller

    • walk, run, jump, double jump, climb

    • caveman into fliptrick, grab trick, manual, grind, or slide

  • Onboard 3rd person controller

    • supports player selected default stance and recognizes switch

    • skate, crouch, ollie, spin

    • manual and nose manual

      • with balance meter

    • 8 fliptricks triggered with d-pad direction & button

      • kickflip, heelflip, pop-shov, treflip, hardflip, inward heel, varial flip, varial heel, 

    • 8 grinds/slides triggered with d-pad & button

      • with balance meter

      • with separate detection and scoring support for frontside and backside

      • grinds:

        • 50-50, 5 oh, nosegrind, feeble, smith, crook, over crook

      • slides:

        • nose slide, tail slide

        • boardslides triggered by landing on rail sideways (and button)

        • separate detection and scoring support for boardslides and lipslides

    • Natas spins

      • 3 variations

      • middle of board, nose, and tail

    • 8 grab tricks triggered with d-pad & button

      • nose, tail, melon, indy, japan, stalefish, madonna, benihanna

    • first pass transition skating and vert air

    • wallrides (frontside & backside) triggered by landing on wall with button

    • slappies and wallies into wallrides from ground with button

    • wallplants to jump off walls and change direction (frontside & backside)

    • reverts to switch stance or scuff speed (frontside & backside + manual / nose manual support)

    • powerslides for style (hold both revert direction buttons mid revert, frontside & backside + manual / nose manual support)

  • Scoring

    • complete combo tracking

    • complete trick detection and scoring with score degradation for repeat tricks within combo

    • rail monitoring during combo for balance degradation for repeat rails and balance healing for fresh rails within combo

    • separate grind trick and slide trick balance degradation and healing

    • separate manual and nose manual balance degradation and healing

    • heal manual / nose manual balance with offboard run during combo

    • per level session and all time high combo and high bail score tracking in game save

  • Levels

    • there are 4 work in progress development levels meant to support testing for all the gameplay mechanics

    • a tight skatepark by a beach, a slower more open skatepark on a rooftop, a mellow plaza spot under trees, and a downhill city level

    • there is also a gap test level for developing and testing the gap systems, it's included just for something extra to skate

  • Time of Day & Weather

    • each level supports 4 different times of the day for different lighting and feel

    • each level also supports 4 different types of weather for different environment set dressing and feel

  • Gaps

    • complete gap system supporting detection for air, air tricks, manuals, grinds, slides, running, and wallrides

  • Story Mode and Session Mode

    • early separation of base game modes

      • a story progression framework with NPC style objectives

      • a free skate mode with player selected configurable challenges

  • Story Mode Challenges

    • Objective system has been created to manage Story Missions and Level Sidequests

      • 4 test Photographer sidequests exist in the beach skatepark level to test the system

  • Session Mode Challenges

    • player configurable challenges that can be activated from the pause menu and are fully supported in the beach skatepark level

    • optional timer, and optional challenges: high score, high combo, collect skateboard parts, collect skulls from risky spots, smash 5 billboards, find and grind our mascot cheapass

    • high score, high combo, and smash billboards available in all levels (except gap test, which just supports high score and high combo)

  • Multiplayer

    • host or join a game with a host code (peer to peer, no account needed), skate with friends (no gameplay modes yet, but high scores and high bails get notified to everyone in the lobby while everyone is skating so you have some context at least for now)

WHAT IS CURRENTLY CUSTOMIZABLE:

• SKATEBOARD

  • HOW TO ACCESS SKATEBOARD CUSTOMIZATION:

    • switch to walking (L1 + R1 / LB + RB)

    • then sit (Circle / B)

  • WHAT'S CUSTOMIZABLE:

    • Deck: top, middle, and bottom ply color

    • Deck: bottom graphic

    • Deck: grip tape

    • Trucks:

      • toggle and color risers

      • color:

        • base plate, base cups, hanger pivot, hanger bar, king pin, bottom bushing, top bushing, pivot bushing, washers, nuts

    • Bearings:

      • toggle and color bearing shields

      • color:

        • bearing casings, bearing rings, bearing balls

    • Wheels:

      • color:

        • wheel core, outer wheel

WHAT IS CURRENTLY MODABLE:

• LEVELS

  • there is an unsupported experimental pre-alpha end-to-end level modding pipeline allowing geometry import to Godot, adding gap triggers, surface tags, and rail splines, and export to a format the game will read by putting the level in the game's "Levels" folder

  • level modding is unsupported and will remain experimental until the game is complete, it should be treated as disposable experimental testing as the pipeline and underlying game change during development

WHAT IS CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT FOR UPCOMING UPDATES:

• CORE CUSTOMIZATION SYSTEMS

  • skater customization (body, clothing, accessories)

• CORE GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

  • second pass vert air (refine speed, camera, and add transfers)

• CORE GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS

  • multiplayer support for session mode challenges

  • multiplayer support for host to configure and start challenges

WHAT IS ON THE ROADMAP FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT:

• CORE GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS

  • set of story based missions with NPCs and cutscenes 

  • filmer side quest system with filmer NPC and cutscenes

  • NBD (gaps) side quest system with 'epic spot' buddy NPC and cutscenes

  • level interactions that change skateable level geometry

  • character customization (hair, clothing, accessories)

  • progression system through objectives and levels

  • mod support for custom characters, missions, and progressions

  • Steam Workshop support so people can sell their mods

SOLO-DEV PROCESS

• This is an experimental software development project by someone in their limited spare time (approx. < 1% of life)

• This is not a studio, or team, or 'The Developer'

• Game updates happen frequently sometimes and infrequently others

• There have been over 50 updates since Early Access began

NO GENERATIVE AI WAS USED TO CREATE THIS GAME BECAUSE I HATE THAT CRAP

• No gen ai "art"

• No gen ai "music"

• No gen ai "writing"

• No gen ai "vibe coding"

• No gen ai "coding helpers"

• No gen ai "repository / deployment management"