Do Not Let It Slide!
"Collect as many coins as you can, slide on the walls and roofs to achieve an insane speed and just have fun!"
Role: Solo Developer
Team size: 1
Development time: 3 weeks
Engine: Unity
Methodology: Agile
Programming language: C#
Tools: Git & GitHub
Genre: 3D Runner
Platform: PC
Year: 2023
About Do Not Let It Slide!
Do Not Let It Slide! is a solo 3D runner game I created as my final assignment at Koulutuskeskus Brahe. I developed it in Unity with C# over approximately three weeks.
The game is set across the rooftops of New York. The player must collect as many coins as possible before the timer runs out while using double jumps and sliding along walls and rooftops to gain speed. I wanted the movement to feel fast and give players some freedom to explore the map and find their own routes between groups of coins.
My Role
As the solo developer, I was responsible for the entire development process, including:
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Planning and managing the project scope
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Designing the concept and gameplay loop
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Programming the gameplay mechanics in C#
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Preparing and editing the environment
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Setting up gameplay areas and collisions
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Creating the visual direction
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Testing and fixing gameplay issues
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Preparing the final playable build
Since I was working alone, I needed to balance programming, design and production throughout the project. I often had to decide which tasks were most important and make sure that I could finish the game within the three-week deadline.
Project Goals
One of my main goals was to challenge myself by creating a 3D game, since most of my earlier projects had been 2D. I also wanted to experiment with a more unusual environment workflow and learn how to bring a large real-world location into Unity.
Because the development period was short, I focused on creating one complete gameplay loop based on movement, collecting coins and earning the highest possible score before the timer ended. I wanted the game to feel simple to understand but still give the player some freedom to improve their route and movement.
Production Process
I divided the three-week development period into stages:
Week 1: Core movement and prototype
Week 2: Environment, collisions and gameplay systems
Week 3: Testing, polish and final build
I first focused on movement and the basic gameplay loop, then prepared the environment and collisions, and used the final stage for scoring, testing, bug fixing and preparing the build.
I organised the work around a list of must-have features and optional improvements. The complete movement, timer, coin and scoring loop had to be working before I spent time on visual polish. I used Trello to organise and track the tasks.
The imported environment was much larger and more complex than I could fully repair within three weeks, so I needed to regularly compare my plans with the time I had left. I focused first on building the complete gameplay loop and then used the remaining time to improve the environment, visuals and overall player experience.
Challenges and Solutions
The biggest challenge was working with the imported New York environment. The map had not been created for use in a game, so it contained incomplete geometry, gaps, uneven details and collision problems.
I used Google Earth, RenderDoc, MapsModelImporter and Blender to capture and prepare the environment before bringing it into Unity. After importing it, I adjusted the map, created collision areas and selected the parts of the city that worked best for movement and exploration.
Because of the short deadline, fixing every issue would not have been realistic. I prioritised problems that affected movement, navigation or the player’s ability to reach important areas. Smaller visual imperfections were left in the game when they did not interfere with gameplay.
I originally planned to include power-ups that would randomly appear on walls and give the player a short-term advantage. However, I removed the feature because completing and improving the main mechanics was more important to the core gameplay.
I also chose a pixelated visual style inspired by older games. This gave the game a more nostalgic look and helped make some of the remaining imperfections in the imported environment feel more intentional and consistent.
Gameplay
The player moves across the rooftops, collects coins and tries to achieve the highest possible score before the timer runs out.
The main gameplay features include:
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Third-person movement
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Double-jumping
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Sliding along walls and rooftops
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Gaining speed through sliding
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Coin collection
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A time limit
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A scoring system
The movement mechanics encourage the player to explore the environment and find faster or more efficient routes between groups of coins. Sliding allows the player to build speed, while double-jumping makes it easier to move between rooftops and recover from difficult jumps.
Playtesting Feedback
Playtesting showed that the movement could sometimes feel unpredictable or difficult to control, especially when the player built up a lot of speed or moved across uneven parts of the map. A few testers also said they started feeling dizzy after playing for a short time because of the fast movement and camera. This made it clear that the movement and camera would need more adjustment to feel smoother and more comfortable.
Testing also revealed several collision problems in the imported environment. Some rooftop areas were difficult to move through, while parts of the mountains allowed the player to slide on surfaces that were not meant to be playable. Because the project only lasted three weeks, I focused on making sure the main gameplay loop worked and that the most important areas were playable. The remaining movement and collision issues became known limitations and would have been my next priorities with more development time.
Outcome
I completed a playable PC build within the three-week assignment period. The finished project included the main movement mechanics, rooftop exploration, coin collection, a timer and a scoring system.
Although the project was small, I was able to take it through the full development process, from the original concept and environment workflow to testing and preparing the finished build.
What I Learned
The project helped me improve my Unity and C# skills, but it also taught me a lot about working within a short deadline, prioritising the core gameplay and adapting an idea when technical limitations appeared.
I learned that not every issue needs the same amount of attention. Visual imperfections could remain when they did not affect the player, while problems related to movement, collisions and navigation needed to be handled first.
Most importantly, the project gave me more experience planning a realistic scope and making production decisions based on the time and resources available.