Alright, so I got this idea rattling around in my head a while back – doing something themed around Zoey Stark, specifically like a race concept. Just a little project, you know, something to keep my hands busy.
Getting Started
First things first, I had to figure out what this ‘race’ would even look like. Wasn’t aiming for some blockbuster game, just a simple practice run. I decided on a basic side-scrolling setup. Seemed manageable.
So, I booted up my computer, opened up the usual software I tinker with for these kinds of things. Didn’t have a fancy model of Zoey Stark or anything. Found a generic sprite that kinda had the athletic look, figured I’d use that as a placeholder. Maybe tweak the colors later to match her gear, that was the plan anyway.
Building the Thing
Next, I laid down the basics. Needed a ground for the character to run on. Just simple blocks, stretched out. Then, getting the movement sorted. Forward motion was easy, automatic scrolling. Added a jump mechanic. That took a bit of fiddling, getting the height and gravity to feel okay, not too floaty, not too heavy. Always takes longer than you think it will.
Making it a ‘Race’
A race needs obstacles, right? Otherwise, it’s just a run. So, I started adding things to jump over or dodge. Simple shapes mostly – boxes, maybe some low barriers. Made them appear randomly so it wasn’t the same every time.
- Got the basic ground tiles down.
- Programmed the jump input and physics.
- Added spawning obstacles that move towards the player.
- Tried to implement a speed increase over time, make it harder. That part was tricky, balancing it so it wasn’t impossible too quickly.
I spent a good chunk of time just tweaking the speed and the obstacle frequency. Play, test, adjust, repeat. You know how it goes. It’s easy to make something frustrating rather than fun.
Finishing Touches (Sort Of)
Tried to add some flair. Maybe a simple background that scrolled at a different speed to give a sense of depth. Nothing fancy, just a couple of layers of basic shapes or colors. Kept it simple because polishing takes forever.
Didn’t even get around to changing that placeholder sprite much, honestly. It sort of worked, and I was more focused on making the core mechanic playable. Added a basic score counter – how far you get before you hit something.
And that’s pretty much where I left it. It runs, the character jumps over things, the score goes up. It’s a ‘Zoey Stark Race’ in the loosest sense, born from that initial idea. Not the most complex thing I’ve ever put together, but it was a decent exercise. Kept me occupied, and I practiced linking up those different parts – movement, obstacles, scoring. That’s the main thing, really. Just getting hands-on and making something.
