FASTIVAL
Fastival is a vibrant, carnival-inspired arcade racing game designed for PC, offering an exciting couch co-op experience for up to four players. Set in a whimsical world bursting with color and charm, players compete in fast-paced races, using quirky items and dodging dynamic track hazards to outwit and outpace their opponents. With its playful design and competitive edge, Fastival is perfect for players looking to bring the fun and chaos of a carnival right to their living room!
Development Specifications:
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Role: Lead Programmer
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Team: 48 developers
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Development time: 5 Months
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Engine: Unreal 5.3
DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY
Fastival was made iteratively using Agile development with Scrum The project leads and producers strategically defined key milestones, ensuring a clear roadmap for the game's progression. The development team worked iteratively to implement features, aligning each sprint with the evolving milestone goals to ensure a smooth and efficient production process.
MY RESPONSIBILITIES
I had the privilege of serving as the lead programmer for this project, overseeing a team of 14 engineers. My responsibilities included balancing leadership meetings, coordinating with the engineering team, and facilitating cross-disciplinary communication. Additionally, I collaborated closely with the game designer to develop mechanics that aligned with the project’s vision, ensuring a cohesive and unified gameplay experience throughout. In doing so, I was maintianing a direct line of communication with the stakeholders on our project
DEVELOPMENT
PRODUCTION PIPLINE: ENGINEERING TEAM
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My software development producer and I developed a discipline-specific pipeline that provided the programming team with a structured and consistent approach to implementing game design mechanics. This framework ensured alignment with the overall project goals and streamlined the integration of technical and design elements.
PRODUCTION PIPLINE: CROSS DISCIPLINE
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The leads developed a detailed production pipeline early in the process, designed to optimize team productivity and minimize the possibility of conflicts. This structured approach ensured that the project remained on track and that all team members had clear guidelines to follow throughout development.
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
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From the outset, I organized the programming team into specialized sub-teams, each responsible for key aspects of the game's development. These teams included:
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Physics​ (3 developers)
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AI (2 developers)
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UI (2 developers)
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Backend/Performance/Architecture/Controls/Tools (B.P.A.C.T) (2 developers)
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Items (2 developers)
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Level mechanics (3 developers)
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I got an understanding of each programmer's skill set and made it a priority to assign them to teams that aligned with their individual interests. At the same time, I established an environment where programmers were aware from the start that they could be reassigned between teams during sprints, depending on the evolving needs of the project. This approach ensured both flexibility and adaptability while maintaining team engagement.
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I prioritized making our teams cross-disciplinary, working closely with leads to ensure level designers, artists, and programmers had ample opportunities to collaborate. This approach fostered strong communication and alignment across disciplines, resulting in a more cohesive development process.
PROJECT PROGRESSION
First iteration of gameplay
Final iteration of gameplay
First iteration of game menu
First iteration of controls menu
Final iteration of game menu
Final iteration of controls menu
PROJECT RETROSPECTIVE
WHAT WENT WELL
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Cross disciplinary collaboration
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Minimal conflicts within the team
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Flexible development and production pipeline
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No off hour work
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Made a fun and super engaging product in the end
WHAT WENT WRONG
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Difficult to get initial buy in
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Occasional lack of communication between disciplines​
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Occasional miscommunication between leads
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Last minute changes before milestone deliverables led to broken builds
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Bad First Playable milestone
PERSONAL RETROSPECTIVE
WHAT WENT WELL
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I trusted my programmers to make key decisions on their systems, fostering responsibility and confidence by empowering them to own their work.
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I prioritized keeping my programmers motivated, engaged, and passionate from the start, creating a positive environment that fostered enthusiasm, commitment, and drive throughout development.
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I proactively resolved programmer conflicts to maintain a collaborative environment, emphasizing clear communication and teamwork for smooth interactions.
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I actively ensured that everyones design input was heard and considered, fostering a collaborative environment where all ideas contributed to the project's vision.
WHAT WENT WRONG
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At times, I struggled to fully connect with the game concept but made a conscious effort to ensure my lack of buy-in didn’t affect my team’s motivation and performance.
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I struggled to consistently monitor the progress of all team members throughout the project.
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I initially misunderstood how to effectively conduct daily Scrum meetings with my team.
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I realized I could have handled smaller tasks myself instead of delegating them to the team.
WHAT I LEARNED
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You cannot make everyone happy. Compromise is key.
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Being a Lead is challenging, requiring a constant balance between managing the team and programming.
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As a first-time leader on this scale, I often felt overwhelmed during development.
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I learned to stay calm under pressure, especially during high-stress moments like build failures before deadlines, miscommunications, incomplete deliverables, and bug management challenges.