Typing Race: Type to Move

Introduction

Typing Race is a side-scrolling, two-dimensional audio game where the goal is to race across maps as quickly as possible while avoiding mistakes. Unlike traditional games, you do not use arrow keys to move. Instead, you type the words announced by the program. The game captures your live input, so you can use any keyboard layout you prefer. Correctly typed letters move you forward, while mistakes hold you back. At the end of each round, your score is calculated based on the following rules:

1. You earn bonus points depending on the round.
2. The total number of steps taken on the track is multiplied by ten and added to your score.
3. Each extra step deducts five points.
4. The game has an expected completion time based on the difficulty level. The tougher the difficulty, the less time you have. If you finish before time runs out, the remaining seconds are added to your score as a percentage. If you exceed the time, the extra seconds are deducted from your score as a percentage.
5. Your score is multiplied by a scoring factor based on the chosen difficulty.

History

You can skip this section if you are only interested in gameplay, but for those curious about how Typing Race came to life, here is the backstory. In May 2024, Sam Tupy made his game engine public. I had been eagerly awaiting a robust alternative to BGT, and his engine fit the bill. While evaluating it and providing feedback, I came up with the idea for a typing-based racing game.

Initially, I planned it as a simple test game, like BGT’s example games, but as development progressed, I saw its potential as a full-fledged audio game. Along the way, I also developed five useful libraries that will be part of my future games:

1. Virtual Dialogs: This is an advanced version of BGT’s audio form, with GUI components like questions, alerts, info boxes, input boxes, and message boxes. This library is now public.
2. Sound File Finder: This include helps resolve sound file paths in NVGT. It searches within loaded packs or on the disk, so the user does not need to specify extensions. This library is also public.
3. Map and Map Loader Classes: Although NVGT has a map class, I created my own to better suit my needs, including a loader that parses and sets up the map and sound pool.
4. Finite State Machine Model: This model allows me to create as many levels as needed for a game. By connecting these levels to the machine and adding callbacks, I can control the game’s flow efficiently. This model will be a key part of my future projects.