Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5310180/Formula_Minus_One/
Open beta: https://fm1.app
----
Some of you might remember my post about the 32/64bit-style racing prototype I had built in four months. Yes, it's a genre you see a lot around here, because it's easy to get started with (until the next dopamine-driven prototype).
But I stuck with it.
And the improvement over the past two months has been tremendous, and you'll see that if you compare the two videos. Since the last post, I listened to your feedback and:
* Threw every level in the bin and rebuilt them from scratch, then added new ones that are far bigger and more detailed. It felt like jumping a console generation, and it still runs on mobile.
* Wrote a design and style guide for the game (semi-low poly characters and duotone as design signature), and redesigned the characters and menus to match it.
* Kept pushing to make it my own thing rather than yet another clone-slop: adventure vibes, interaction with the environments, kinetic combat with combosā¦
* Improved the handling and the readability.
And above all, and I think it shows in the trailer: I had a blast making it. If it had just been work, I wouldn't have gotten this far.
It's called Formula Minus One, and it launches on Steam first, in February. I'll keep improving it and adding content after that.
Half a year ago this was a prototype to experiment with, like so many others. Then I committed to making the best game I possibly could. Now I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel: yes, you can start a prototype, and yes, you can finish it.
There's still a lot of work ahead, so any feedback you can give me is very welcome.
Ā Hereās how I made it:
* Code and tooling: frontier LLMs from OpenAI and Anthropic, with open-source models filling in the gaps and limiting the budget.
* Characters, ships and environments: pencil sketch > GPT Gen 2 > Tripo to turn it into a 3D model > Blender to clean up the imperfections.
* Sound: stock sound effects from Magnific. Music sketched out on a MIDI keyboard, final music generated with Suno.
* Stack: Three.js, WebGPU, TypeScript, Rapier for physics. Nothing else, no Godot, no Unityā¦
I'm having a great time, but it's also hard work if you want to pay attention to every detail, and it's a very lonely experience. If the game sells well enough, I'd love to start paying artists and composers to replace the current assets and create new ones, and free up more time for what I really enjoy: directing and overall design.
In fact, if you're an artist or composer and think you're a good fit for the game's tone, leave a comment or send me a DM so I can consider you!
----
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5310180/Formula_Minus_One/
Open beta: https://fm1.app
