Mini-Pod Races® is a racing game where you control mini remote-controled ships. Currently the game is still a project under development so there is nothing definitive regarding the game modes but legend says that Mini-Pod Races® will have the single-player and multi-player modes. A story mode where a little fictional story is told as the player advances on championships and buy/sell's ships is also planned.
The basic objective on this game is to race with these small ships, also called "Pods" on a variety of scenarios, including a house where you go under the furniture, the garden, the bathroom and other places like a small park and maybe a beach with many obstacles.
This project is being developed by Rodrigo Brambilla and currently it does not have any definition regarding the distribution. Publishers and/or developer interested in business may enter in contact by e-Mail (portuguese or english).
As this project is a indie development there is no release date scheduled, therefore a beta/demo version is being prepared for download so check back later.
23 de Agosto de 2007: I'm very happy with this first week of this website.
On these 6 days the page had visitors from many countries around the world including: (in order)
Brazil
United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Germany
France
Portugal
Netherlands
Australia
Mozambique
Poland
Moroco
That makes me livended up to continue the development of this game. I thanks all who is visiting this site.
August 16th, 2007: First version of this site published on the internet.
July, 2007:4th gameplay video released on Youtube.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uduXtkZg_WE
 podrace005.wmv (Low res / Medium Res) Fifth Video (2007/09/23): This video shows the Alpha version witch is available for test. |
 podrace004.wmv Fouth video (2007/04/07): This fourth video shows new pod's and scenarios therefore those are not meant to be the final versions. |
 podrace003.wmv Third video (2007/24/01): Here the game started to look like a real game as it was meant to be. |
 podrace002.wmv Second video (2006/09/10): Almost the same as the first but with new pod's. |
 podrace001.wmv First video (2006/30/09): This is the first video released. At this point the game engine was already in an advanced stage but it did'nt really looked lika a game at this point. |
Story behind Mini-Pod Races® development
It was always my dream to make a game. A real game, with professional graphics, sound, music and specially a good and fun gameplay. Until some years ago this was something really hard, specially for just one person. Today with the advance of middleware programs the thing is much more easy and virtually anyone can make his own game just having an idea in mind and persistence to do the whole project to the end.
The development of Mini-Pod Races® didn't really had a starting date well defined. Some time ago, since 2003/2004 I was playing with Darkbasic Pro® and making some tests to see what I could do. In 2005 I developed a ASP site for an enterprise. This site was part of some kind of internal promotion of another company. At some time they asked me to develop a smal rally game (the promotion was rally-related). Later, regarding the short time it was decided that the game should be a more simple flash game. But I continued researching on the 3d rally game by my own. With time I started making changes on the "game" and started to see that a rally game was complicated and also that there is already a lot of these games on the market. Then the idea of creating a small ship that flies close to the ground (hey Mc'Fly!) came. In fact it is a mixture of Star Wars pod racer and F-Zero. In 2005 I made a whole lot of tests but I was never content about the scenarios of big cities. From there came the idea of "mini", a mixture of F-Zero plus Star Wars racer and Micromachies.
In March 2006 I started the real development of the game including a total re-programation in august/06. September was totally dedicated to the A.I. of the game wich is not really an inteligence but can do the job.
Historic description:
"Emotional Stage 1"
On the begining there was nothing. Just an empty world with green background where I could move the camera "using arrow keys". With time I started to learn how to "Make Matrix" and to "Make Object" and then the world started to take shape. It was the beginning of all.
"Emotional Stage 2"
With basic knowledge, the basic was made. A small car that ran over a plane surface. With little effort the vehicle soon started to take speed, brakes and even started to skid sometimes. 
"Emotional Stage 3"
With a simple, ready and functional "engine" I realyzed that the world despite of having physics was an empty world. Our little car felt alone on that plain space. Then a simple editor was created and the world become to have mountains and even better: textures !
"Serious Stage 1"
A simple world exists. A simple physic works fine. A simple scenario now is possible. What to do next then? Was it time to abbandon the project and get back to play the "real" games? Should I compare my game to Need for Speed Underground and conclude that this thig of game developer was not for me?
Noooo. Now the fun started! It is time to change the simple stuff in good stuff!
"Serious Stage 1" - Step 1
The first step on transforming a simple world on a more realistic world is to change the simple physic's into an advanced physics where everything act's like the real thing. Well that was what SHOULD be done. But I decided not to do because of some simple motives:
1st: I'm not a physicist, neither mathematician. I'm not even an excelent programmer.
2nd: The collision system in Darkbasic Pro is weak for what i've been told.
3rd: I don't have all the time available to spend months on research.
Man, I've got a game to produce. And I will have first to learn physics? I need time for my daughters! Not to count the time on the Game consoles (Field Reserach)!
"Serious Stage 1" - Step 1 - Problem solution
Well, the decision is:
Instead of making a racing game with a car, witch have axles, wheels and skids, jumps, roll down and get dirty, why not change this car for a ship that floats without attrition with the ground, having technology to break the barriers of physics?
From this concept appeared Pod Wars! (This was the initial name)
A race with ships, also called "Pods" higly futuristic.
"Serious Stage 1" - Step 2
With a world made, physic problems resolved, test ships ready, the next step is to change my simple scenery editor into a powerfull scenery editor, well, at least a more usefull editor. From this principle I made the new definitions of "WorldEdit". PodWars stage editor version 0.1. This editor edits the matrix just like the old version but with new features, and the object handling that alloed me tu put objects and texturizing it to make they look as I want.
Development #1 - Phantom World.
The hardest stage on the development of this game was the one regardin the physics.
Until this time there were no real physics. There was a ship that runs on the scenery in a satisfatory way, therefore there wasn't collision and the ship just pass trough walls and objects.
When I started adding the collision I saw that it didn't really worked right. Sometimes the objects passed one through another.
Small collision problems .
Development #2 - An apple has fallen on my head.
It was in this moment that I discovered the Newton Game Dynamics and the project changed forever. With a little time I developed a physics for the game that was so good that the gameplay got harmed. The ship ost control very easily, among other problems (but realistic). I then restricted the movement a litle bit making a game in a more arcade style. With those changes the gameplay finnaly got at the point that is today. Talking this way makes appear that it was easy, but this phase lasted more than 6 months.
Development #3 - Visual is also important
From this point the development started to uncurl. I then did the artificial "intelligence" and new visual effects. At certain time around that I decided to entitle te project "Mini-Pod Races" because the name "Pod Wars" gave an unreal idea of what the game really is. To know more about how the development is going check out the videos and images. Also take a look at the news page.
In parallel to the gameplay enhancements and to have some fun I started to think more on the game visual and graphics. Unfortunatelly, with this technology is a little hard to make a realistic illumination and shadow fx in realtime. This was, among other problems waht make me think about the "mini". At this time I started adding beds and tables to the scenery. The light is still a problem in the game, but not that causes the game to look ugly.
Rodrigo Brambilla
30/07/2007
First of all, thankyou very much for visitting this site. The development of a game is a childhood dream to me. I play on PC's and consoles since my 7 years old (since 1988). Before that I played some Atari games but when I saw Nintendo's Super Mario Bros for the first time then I really started to be a gamer. In those almost 20 years I played everything and now with less time due the my work and family I play much less but still play some games. Make a game is a dream since the times of Super Mario. In 1997 I created my first games in "Click & Play". I even did a space shooter like "R-Type" with stages and bosses. But I lost the HD and the game (soo green). I made other stuff at that time but I got discouraged because I didn't see future on that and the pressure to work started to grow. (most of that pressure from myself, I will not blame my parents)
It was in 2003/2004 that I re-started to study another thing that I stopped long ago: Darkbasic Pro. From this I started to make the Mini-Pod Races® game as described in history page. This game is developed only by me. Due to the very short time the game is far from near what I've wanted but I still thinks on doing some second and enhanced version of it. Maybe XNA for Xbox 360?
The fact is that this version of Mini-Pod Races is already a reality at east for me. I've already got myself playing it instead of other games just for fun! :)
Actually I'm 27 years old, work as programmer, married and with two daughters, one of 11 years oold and another with 4. I live in Porto Alegre, Brazil since 2003, grown and lived in Gravatai, RS 'til the 23 years old. (Note: Porto Alegre is in south Brazil so forget about samba and hot beach)
Another objective to achieve with this game is to show to the brazillian's that anyone can do a good game. I'm not a super-nerd, I would like but I'm not. It's not necessary to have superpowers to make a good game. Just a good idea and a lot of perseverance. If, alone, I did this, imagine what a good group couldn't do?
I ask, if I may for everyone to feel free to send me e-mails asking about the game or just to talk about anything related to games and development. About suggestions, I'm really gratefull for the suggestions I'm receiving but many of them I already had fought of or I'm still thinking in doing, os don'd be angry. Maybe I didn't do what's suggested because I symply could not.
Thank's a lot.
Rodrigo Brambilla
Mini-Pod Races developer.
 
Alpha version for testing, released in 23-set-2007. This is a playable demo. You don't need to install it, just copy the content of the zip file into any folder and run "minipod.exe". The latest version of Directx 9.0c is needed. You can obtain it at www.microsoft.com For Torrent, click here: ../downloads/MiniPodRaces_prealpha.torrent |
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To contact the developer use the following e-mails: For e-mail messages: brambillator@gmail.com For MSN Messenger chat: rodrigobrambilla@hotmail.com For telephone numbers and address please ask by e-mail. |
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