The testers have given their verdict on the first alpha version of Mad Skills Motocross. 

The Verdict

The overall consensus among the testers seems to be that the game has a lot of potential and is already quite fun, but a lot of work remains. Here's a few quotes from the thread So... is it fun?

Just played for about an hour and i have to say that this game is very fun. 

Sometimes there are some very "deep" parts in the tracks so we almost can't see the bike and driver.

Really nice game! The only thing I've got to complain on is that you should add a option so you can change mouse sensitivity in-game, So I don't need to change it in windows back and forth.

The starting gate should be smaller, motocross gates fall backwards (towards the racer) and they're metal not wood.

I request a feature to let you know how far you are ahead and how far you are from the finish. Perhaps the minimap from the editor part with two bikes.

What difficulty is this AI? because I don't think I've lost to it yet.

arcade feel is awesome. just what I expected.

the opponent is really bad. all he does is crash.

Graphics are good and the driver is moving nicely when on the bike. But while crashing he seems to be too flat, mostly sliding on the ground instead of rolling or such.  

I agree with ALL of the above.  

Definitely a lot of fun. The physics works quite well, and the ragdoll looks sweet as well as the suspension. Awesome! 

Add a timer, some checkpoint and a scoreboard and it would already very addictive

The physics are very good, close to perfect in my opinion. Perhaps some ragdoll-improvements as suggested in another thread.

I like Arcade mode more as I find it more fun. Maybe not as realistic but more control, more spectacular moves, and more fun 

The more I think about the gameplay the more I think it will eventually come to be about the track. once the first impressions of the awesome physics are over with and you can control the bike well, the ingenuity and challenge of the track is what will keep you going.

I have to really say, I really enjoy it. It's got quite a bit of replay factor even in its current form. The later tracks are really pretty sweet. The arcade mode is just straight fun. I'm quite challenged by the simulation mode, which is ok because this typically isn't my sort of game so if it was easy for me I would be worried. 

the AI is pretty stupid currently. But it's pretty fun to try to mimic his crashes through the whole course. Thats almost its own mini-game in itself. 

Aside from all the positive comments and bug reports, a few issues have surfaced that I need to think about. The one I am having the hardest time making up my mind on is the camera. Should it be vertically fixed, or should it move up and down when the player gets close to the edges of the screen? I guess I'll just have to implement it and then it is up to my testers to tell me whether it's good or not.

As I said in that boring diary entry a few months ago, the alpha testing is for making sure that the gameplay is actually fun for someone else other than the developer. I think we have now got the confirmation that it is fun for other people as well, and the road ahead is now pretty clear: lots of work, no hesitation, no distractions.

Take care
// Tobias
Turborilla Games

These diary entries are here for you, the readers. So I would like to know what you think, what you would like to see in the future, and any ideas and questions you might have really.

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