I have been reading through the old Z-Kart thread again:
viewtopic.php?t=46231
And honestly, I still think the idea is way too cool to just let it die.
I first tried to continue it in the Doom engine. I got some stuff working better, even fixed parts of the AI pathing, but after messing with it for a while it became pretty clear that Doom is just not really made for this kind of kart game.
The thing that really confirmed it for me was trying the Sonic kart racing mod. That one actually works much better as a kart racer, because the Sonic engine/mod setup is just way more suitable for that kind of movement. I even tried using some ideas/code from the Sonic kart racing side to see if it could help, but it did not really solve the bigger problem.
You can force Doom into a kart game a bit, sure, but then you keep fighting the engine. Proper kart movement, turning, pathing, laps, collisions, AI racers, all that stuff starts becoming more workarounds than actual game making.
For a while I also thought about trying to port the idea into the Sonic kart racer mod instead, but in the end I would rather make it its own small standalone thing.
So instead I started rebuilding the idea as a little browser kart game using PHP, JavaScript and CSS.
Nothing huge or modern or fancy. Just a fun Doom themed kart game in the same spirit:
Doom style tracks
Monster racers
Sprite graphics
Pickups
Hazards
Simple AI opponents
Retro 90s arcade feeling
Playable in the browser
I am using the old Z-Kart graphics as a base/inspiration where I can, because I really like the look of it and I think that work deserves to live on somehow. I am not trying to replace the original project or take credit for it. I just did not want the whole idea to disappear.
Big credit to everyone who worked on Z-Kart, posted ideas, made sprites, maps, code, testing, feedback, or anything else in the original threads. There were a lot of people involved over the years, so I do not want to accidentally leave names out. This little browser version exists because of that original work and discussion.
Right now I am mostly working on the basics: movement, tracks, AI karts, laps, pickups and making it actually feel playable first. After that I can worry about extra racers, weapons, menus, maps and polish.
So yeah, I guess Z-Kart is not dead, at least not for me. It is just becoming a weird little Doom kart browser game instead.
https://tuintje.org/kartshots/Screensho ... 153748.png
im not finished yet, but when it's done i will ost a link here