u/Hefty-Signature-1301

Hey everyone!

Sharing a few screenshots from one of the tracks we've been building for Karting Core — this one's set in an open, meadow-like landscape with rolling hills, sweeping elevation changes, and long sightlines between corners.

The layout winds through open grassland dotted with wind turbines, a water tower, and the "Karting Point" facility in the background, with an elevated rail line running overhead. We wanted this track to feel wide and breathable compared to our tighter urban and industrial layouts — long flowing sections that open up into blind crests and downhill braking zones, so reading the terrain becomes just as important as reading the corners.

Still very much a work in progress, but we're happy with how the sense of scale is coming together. Gameplay video showing it in action is coming soon — for now, let us know what you think of the setting!

As always, ideas and feedback are more than welcome — we're just trying to build a kart racing game we'd genuinely want to play ourselves..

Check it out here if you're curious: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

Thanks for reading, and see you on track!

Hi everyone!

Today I’d like to share a small look behind the development of Karting Core and show one of the systems we’ve been working on.

We recently added an FPV-style drone camera system. The drone can follow the player, another kart, or even be attached to a specific component, which gives us more flexibility for replays, spectator views, cinematic shots, and race presentation.

The system is still work in progress, but it already opens up some interesting possibilities for how races can be viewed and recorded.

We want this system to make replays and spectator views more exciting, but also more useful — showing close battles, overtakes, braking zones, mistakes, saves, crashes, and fast direction changes in a clearer way.

I’d really like to hear your opinion as karting fans and drivers:

How would you want karting races to be filmed or replayed in a game?

Would you prefer:

- realistic broadcast-style cameras

- FPV drone shots

- onboard camera

- helmet camera

- chase camera

- free replay camera

- fixed trackside cameras

- cinematic slow-motion moments

- automatic highlights after a race

As always, thank you for the ideas and feedback you’ve already shared. We are collecting community suggestions, prioritizing the strongest ones, and looking at what can realistically be added over time.

Thanks again for helping shape Karting Core. 🏁

Hi everyone!

First of all, thank you to everyone who shared feedback, technical corrections, kart references, and real karting experience in our previous discussion.

After reading the comments and studying the feedback, I wanted to ask the community a broader question — not only about kart models, but about the overall game experience.

We are developing Karting Core, and our goal is to make a karting game that feels enjoyable not only for general racing game players, but also for people who are directly connected to karting, follow karting, or have real experience with it.

I’m attaching a few new close-up screenshots of our current high-detail kart model. This one is closest to the top-performance shifter category and is helping us define the technical and visual level we want to reach.

Regarding real manufacturers, logos, liveries, and original kart designs: this is something we will continue working on. In cases where we receive permission from manufacturers, we would of course like to include original designs or official brand elements in the game.

Our goal is for the racing aesthetic to feel as close to real karting as possible. Where that is not possible, we will create original Karting Core designs with fictional branding, while keeping the technical characteristics and driving behavior grounded in real karting classes.

Now the main question:

What would you want to see in a modern karting game that is still in development?

I’m especially interested in what would make the game feel believable, fun, and satisfying for people who care about karting in real life.

During racing, what matters most to you?

• handling and physics
• braking feel
• tire grip and tire wear
• steering wheel / force feedback support
• AI behavior
• race rules
• damage system
• track design
• wet racing
• dirt / gravel racing
• setup adjustments
• engine sound
• onboard camera
• online racing

Career progression is also an important part of the game.

How would you like a karting career to work in a game? Would you prefer structured championships, starting from entry-level karts and progressing into faster classes?

Or would systems like licenses, sponsors, reputation, team offers, tournaments, unlockable tracks, parts, and garage items make the career more interesting?

We are also building a full garage system where players can spend time between races, upgrade their kart, order parts, customize the space, and prepare for the next event.

What would make the garage fun or useful for you?

• kart upgrades
• repair and maintenance
• multiple karts
• trophies and career items
• visual customization
• ordering parts
• a kart builder / constructor system later in development

The game is planned to include career mode, classic races, drift mode, dirt / gravel racing, garage progression, kart upgrades, and male / female playable characters.

Any ideas are welcome — gameplay, physics, garage features, progression, kart setup, tracks, cameras, sound, small details, or anything else that would make the game more enjoyable for karting fans.

We will read the suggestions carefully and seriously consider the ideas that fit the direction and scope of the project.

Steam page for context:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

Thanks again — the feedback 🏁

All screenshots shown here are from the actual in-game model

We’ve been working on Karting Core, our kart racing game focused on fun driving, different kart classes, varied tracks, career progression, and customization.

We’re still actively developing it and wanted to share what we’ve been working on.

Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

Hi everyone!

For quite some time, we’ve been working on our own kart racing game called Karting Core, and it’s finally reaching the point where we can start sharing more of what we’ve built.

We’re trying to create a racing experience that sits somewhere between simulation and arcade — believable enough to feel satisfying, but always focused on the fun of driving and pushing the kart to its limits.

The game includes different kart classes, multiple racing environments, day and night races, drift challenges, dirt tracks, career progression, and a personal garage for customization and upgrades.

We’re a small independent team, so watching all these pieces slowly come together into an actual game has been a pretty special experience for us.

For anyone interested in following the project, here’s our Steam page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

We’re currently building a kart racing game in Unreal Engine 5, and one question keeps coming back during development:

How realistic should driving physics actually be before realism starts making the game less fun?

We’re not trying to build a 100% hardcore simulator. Karting Core is a hybrid of simulation and arcade, and our main goal is to find the right balance between believable physics, responsive controls, and the pure fun of driving.

We’re experimenting with different kart classes that should feel genuinely different — from accessible 4-stroke karts to much faster direct-drive and shifter classes. We also have classic racing, drift-focused driving, dirt tracks, day/night races and garage customization.

But the biggest challenge is finding the right balance between:

realistic weight transfer and grip → believable loss of traction → enough control to actually enjoy pushing the kart to its limit.

So I’m curious, especially from other UE developers and racing game players:

What usually makes racing physics feel great to you? And what immediately ruins it?

Too much grip?
Too much sliding?
Cars or karts feeling weightless?
Overly punishing spins?
Too much camera movement?

Camera movement is another big part of the experience for us. Personally, I think it’s one of the key elements in conveying the speed, intensity, and atmosphere of a race.

We previously received feedback that the camera shake was too strong, and we’ve already addressed that by adding a setting that allows players to adjust the intensity of camera vibrations.

But I’m curious what else you would improve about racing cameras, both in first-person and third-person views.

What would you personally add or change to make a racing game feel more immersive, believable, and exciting?

Would it be better head movement, more natural suspension response, dynamic FOV, subtle G-forces, camera lag, stronger sense of speed, or something else entirely?

This is the project we’re building, for context:

Karting Core on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

We’re still deep in development, so genuine criticism and ideas are much more useful to us right now than compliments.

Hi everyone!

I’m part of a small team developing a kart racing game, and we would really appreciate some advice from people who actually know and understand karting.

Our plan is to have three distinct kart classes representing clear progression:

1. Entry-level / beginner kart — still to be chosen.
2. Intermediate racing kart — already designed and implemented.
3. Shifter kart — still to be chosen.

We want each class to feel genuinely different in appearance, performance, handling, acceleration, braking, speed, and overall character.

So we would love to hear your recommendations:

Which kart, chassis, engine package, or class would you recommend as the best reference for an entry-level racing kart?

And:

Which shifter kart would you personally choose to represent the highest-performance class?

Specific manufacturers, chassis models, engines, classes, photos, and reference links are all very welcome.

I’ll also attach an image of the intermediate kart that is already finished and currently used in the game, so you can see the level of detail we are aiming for.

The karts we ultimately choose will be recreated with the same attention to detail — from the chassis and engine to the smallest mechanical components — and then added to the game as fully playable vehicles.

We would especially appreciate hearing why you recommend a particular kart or setup. We want to make choices that actual karting enthusiasts will recognize and appreciate rather than simply choosing something that looks good.

Thank you very much for any recommendations, advice, photos, or reference links. Every suggestion is genuinely appreciated! 🏁

​The game is called Karting Core

You can also find Karting Core on Steam by searching for the game name there

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

Hi everyone!

We are currently developing a kart racing game called Karting Core, and I would really appreciate some advice from people who have real experience with karts.

Our goal is to have three distinct kart classes in the game, allowing the player to progress from an entry-level kart to something much more powerful:

1. Entry-level / beginner kart — we still need to choose the right type or model.
2. Intermediate racing kart — this one is already designed and implemented.
3. Shifter kart — we still need to choose the right type or specific model.

We want each class to feel genuinely different in appearance, performance, handling, speed, acceleration, braking, and overall character.

So my question to the community is:

Which kart would you personally recommend as the best reference for the entry-level class, and which shifter kart would you choose for the top-tier class?

Specific manufacturers, chassis, engines, classes, or real-world models are all welcome. Photos and reference links would also be extremely helpful.

I’ll include an image of the kart model that is already finished and currently used in our game, so you can see the level of detail and visual quality we’re aiming for.

The karts recommended by the community will also be recreated with the same attention to detail — from the chassis and engine to the smallest mechanical components — and then added to the game as fully playable karts.

We want to make choices that actual karting enthusiasts will recognize and appreciate, rather than simply guessing what looks good.

Thank you very much for any recommendations, suggestions, photos, or reference links. Every bit of advice is genuinely appreciated and will help us make better choices for the game.